That's how people drive into lakes.It's much harder to talk on a cell phone or text with a manual transmission. Too much busywork going on.
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Standard versus automatic transmissions...
- Thread starter Beemerguy53
- Start date
HAWKEYE10
Member
Speak for your self I am not lazy and there are still some Americans that aren't lazy. When I was younger I liked a stick shift but with age and traffic I only have automatics now. There is just so much traffic now. I don't even use cruise control because of traffic.
Don
There's about as much chance that I'd buy a truck with a manual transmission as there is that I'll buy a bass boat with a set of oars.
Peter M. Eick
SWCA Member
I was faced with the automatic vs. manual thing when I bought my mustang vs. a Shelby. I talked to the guys I knew with the manual Shelby's and they said sticks in Houston stop and go traffic are a pain. So I bought an automatic and our second was an automatic. Much much nicer when doing the daily stop and go routine on I-10.
A buddy bought a Shelby after he had an Automatic Mustang. He says the Shelby is terrible in stop and go and drives the Automatic instead.
I think the key here is what conditions you are driving in. Open road, not much traffic, yeah the stick would be fun to drive. Stop and Go, inching ahead at 2 MPH for a couple of hours every day with a stick? Forget about it and get the auto.
A buddy bought a Shelby after he had an Automatic Mustang. He says the Shelby is terrible in stop and go and drives the Automatic instead.
I think the key here is what conditions you are driving in. Open road, not much traffic, yeah the stick would be fun to drive. Stop and Go, inching ahead at 2 MPH for a couple of hours every day with a stick? Forget about it and get the auto.
Faulkner
Member
It's real simple, if there was a decent sized market for manual transmissions in most vehicles the manufacturers would still offer them.
Same reason Smith & Wesson does not still offer some guns they used to make.
Same reason Smith & Wesson does not still offer some guns they used to make.
kozmic
Member
The SS is based on the old Pontiac G8 (RIP)/Australian Holden. The '09 GXP model offered a manual gear box. I've driven one and it's a blast. I have a GT with the automatic. It's still a beast. In "sport mode" the shift points are spot on. The tires chirp going into 4th. Granted, I have a trannie tune, etc., but I can't manually shift near as well.
I can slide mine in to manual shift, but seldom do unless I'm in full boy racer mode or somewhat bored. For day-to-day life I much prefer the "manu-matic". I guess the need to toe/heal drive through the twisties just isn't there much anymore.
I won't argue which is better because it's totally a chocolate vs. vanilla debate. Both have strong points and both have shortcomings. They both worked extremely well in the G8 platform.
GM's history has been to offer the auto in the first and then introduce a manual box later. Heck, the technology is there and the hardware is sitting on a shelf. Some suit just needs to make the call and drop one in. If the SS project makes it into a second year of production I think you'll see a 6 or even 7 speed manual gearbox offered as an option. If they don't I'm sure some performance shop will do it for you.
I can slide mine in to manual shift, but seldom do unless I'm in full boy racer mode or somewhat bored. For day-to-day life I much prefer the "manu-matic". I guess the need to toe/heal drive through the twisties just isn't there much anymore.
I won't argue which is better because it's totally a chocolate vs. vanilla debate. Both have strong points and both have shortcomings. They both worked extremely well in the G8 platform.
GM's history has been to offer the auto in the first and then introduce a manual box later. Heck, the technology is there and the hardware is sitting on a shelf. Some suit just needs to make the call and drop one in. If the SS project makes it into a second year of production I think you'll see a 6 or even 7 speed manual gearbox offered as an option. If they don't I'm sure some performance shop will do it for you.
Can ya even get a Corvette with a totally manual transmission anymore?
Yes, the new C7 has a seven speed manual.
All my corvettes have been manuals 4 of them were 4 speeds and my last 3 have been 6spds, I have always said I prefer to drive my Vettes rather than just ride in them. (AKA stab and steer) I live out in the mountains and having full control of your car while ZIPPING down the curvy, hilly back roads with a manual is the way to go.
Manuals are certainly more fun to drive, but if you’re serious about drag racing (either street or strip) the auto is most normally the winner and the way to go! It’s easier to drive, sort of fast shifting and you really got to work at it to miss a gear. The Chevy auto of today which is in the Vette, even though they are paddle shifters are far from the super good autos on many of the European sports cars. Chevy is working on a much better auto (duel clutch) for release in the future, that box will most likely kill the manual box.
My DD PU is an auto, but as stated for summer fun give me a good manual. I have been driving and racing stick shift cars since the mid 60 and certainly know how to use them. Hills and heavy traffic do not faze me.
jaykellogg
Absent Comrade
While each has its place I'll take an auto. I drive an Infiniti G37S coupe and it has paddle shifters on the steering column. Mine is an '08 so it has a 5 speed auto, but the newer models have 7 speed autos. If I lose anything at all with the auto, I make up for it by having better control with both hands on the steering wheel. My car has 330 HP and is chipped to a max speed of 155 so it is definitely no slouch. I have an '89 F250 with a 5 speed and a 1950 Chevy with a 3 speed manual. I wish the truck was an auto. Years ago it was assumed that if you kept a car long enough you would have to rebuild an auto. This is no longer true, but if you drive a stick, you will replace a clutch. As I said, I like the additional control I have driving with both hands on the wheel and I can still shift manually if I want to.
Comrad
Member
Do you stick shift jockeys like cranky windows and no A/C. Evolution allowed us to walk upright and cars have evolved from crank start and wooden wheels to the beautiful machines we have today. The current CVT transmissions blow every other trans away on the street.
Oh, boy!
Lots of misinformation in this thread.
First of all, I have owned five (5) Corvettes. Just two (2) were manuals. And since my 2009 (now sold) there will never be another stick in my garage. In fact, my 2015 Corvette will be automatic just like the 2012 Range Rover and 2014 Jeep Wrangler in my gagrage. Yes, even the Wrangler is a slushbox.
Fact is, very, very few people can drive a stick as well as a modern automatic. And I am one of them. 
An automatic is flat out quicker for the vast majority of people. Plus, it allows for a far more pleasant driving experience for those of us who reside in well-settled areas.
Consider these facts, the Ferrari Italia is not offered with a manny tranny. Nor is any other NEW Ferrari! And the flagship of the Porsche line, the 911 Turbo, does not offer a stick.
The latest automatics (many are dual clutch units) are far quicker and more efficient than any human operating a stick. And with the latest dual clutch units, power to the wheels is NEVER interupted.
Be safe.
Lots of misinformation in this thread.
First of all, I have owned five (5) Corvettes. Just two (2) were manuals. And since my 2009 (now sold) there will never be another stick in my garage. In fact, my 2015 Corvette will be automatic just like the 2012 Range Rover and 2014 Jeep Wrangler in my gagrage. Yes, even the Wrangler is a slushbox.
Fact is, very, very few people can drive a stick as well as a modern automatic. And I am one of them. An automatic is flat out quicker for the vast majority of people. Plus, it allows for a far more pleasant driving experience for those of us who reside in well-settled areas.Consider these facts, the Ferrari Italia is not offered with a manny tranny. Nor is any other NEW Ferrari! And the flagship of the Porsche line, the 911 Turbo, does not offer a stick.
The latest automatics (many are dual clutch units) are far quicker and more efficient than any human operating a stick. And with the latest dual clutch units, power to the wheels is NEVER interupted.
Be safe.
jframe
Member
When I bought my '99 Corvette this past summer, I was sort of searching for a stick. I ended up with an auto, and haven't regretted it. I've drove stick Mustangs for over twenty five years, and, while I still enjoy a manual, it definitely wasn't a deal breaker for me with a Corvette.
Old TexMex
Member
I miss my '59 Mercedes 219. It was an ex-taxi from Berlin, and had a four on the column (behind an inline six). That'd keep you busy staying on the power band (probably 100h.p.). I was 17 years old and learned a lot.
And the tangled shift linkage on the old chevy pickup with the 235....up next to the firewall, along the steering column, whacking and prying....in the rain and cold.....I learned some more...
My 50 dodge pickup never gave any trouble, it had a top shifter 3 on the floor.
Then the '69 BMW 2002, that was fun to drive--the flying fishbowl we called it.
I just don't care much about shifting gears in a cage. Cars are just appliances now. And that's sad.
And the tangled shift linkage on the old chevy pickup with the 235....up next to the firewall, along the steering column, whacking and prying....in the rain and cold.....I learned some more...
My 50 dodge pickup never gave any trouble, it had a top shifter 3 on the floor.
Then the '69 BMW 2002, that was fun to drive--the flying fishbowl we called it.
I just don't care much about shifting gears in a cage. Cars are just appliances now. And that's sad.
mkk41
US Veteran
Yes, this is technically correct. Clutches, which automatic transmissions lack.
Huh? Obviously you've never rebuilt an auto trans! They have several multi-plate clutch paks .
STREET RACE OVERHAUL KIT | B&M Racing and Performance Products
The real unspoken bottom line vibe I'm getting from the nay-sayers is that stick shifts are just more macho cool!
That's why the sportier cars have the shifter on a floor console , so ya can pretend yer shifting.
That's why companies like B&M sell really trick looking shifters for automatics. Even if your's isn't rebuilt with a manual valve body.
http://bmracing.com/?page_id=47
Just wait till motorcycles have true automatic transmissions , not just centrifugal clutches.
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kamloops67
Member
its definitely fun to have a 4 speed in a muscle car, if you have room to drive it. otherwise ill take an automatic. my 67 is painful in traffic under 12 mph or so...gas,brake,clutch gas,brake,clutch,look at engine temp...gas,brake,clutch
all my work trucks are auto now ,i spill less coffee that way
all my work trucks are auto now ,i spill less coffee that way
Im my DD. I appreciate the slush box especially in traffic. I drove my MACH1 for the first time in a couple months yesterday and man did I enjoy rowing the gears. I prefer stick or select D and go just appreciate the auto in traffic.
mkk41
US Veteran
I'm seriously considering swapping my BW Super T-10 for a Doug Nash 5-speed in my project 'Vette.
Harrison
US Veteran
Nowadays even tanks have automatic transmissions. There is no real advantage to a stick shift, so why bother. If I want to shift gears I can start my auto out in 1 and go all the way up to 5, but its easier to just put it in D, and it saves on gas.
I have things a little backwards. My daily driver is a 2012 Mazda 6 (made in Michigan) with a six speed manual. It is a fun car to drive where an automatic would probably not be. It does, however, suck in city traffic.
My toy is a supercharged 2010 Dodge Challenger with an automatic. I drive it in autostick so that I can control when it shifts and keep MDS off.
My toy is a supercharged 2010 Dodge Challenger with an automatic. I drive it in autostick so that I can control when it shifts and keep MDS off.
OP
Don, I will speak for myself...for me, it's not a question of laziness per se, it's how I view the driving experience as a motoring enthusiast.
I love cars and I love driving. I'm 60, got my driver's license exactly 44 years ago today, have owned 20-some cars -- all of them sporty or high-performance cars -- and have never owned an automatic transmission.
Traffic in and around Baltimore is terrible, as it is in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C., all places that I visit regularly with crowded roads and a lot of stop-and-go traffic. I drive about 25,000 miles per year as well. I still don't want an automatic transmission.
I have driven a couple of these dual-clutch automatics. Yeah, they're fast, and yeah, you can feel like a real-live Formula One guy tapping those paddle shifters, but in the end, it's still an automatic transmission: if you don't tap the paddles, it will shift when it -- not you -- thinks it should.
As long as I have a left leg and a right arm, I will drive a standard transmission, the Good Lord willing...
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