Who Drives a Stick Shift? Real Men!

[96firephoenix]

I've got a 1996 Firebird.

last June, I took out the Automatic, cut a hole in the floor and put in a Manual.

barring permanent injury to my left leg or right arm, I will never go back.

 

[Caleb]

I drive manual, I learned to drive manual not in the parking lot, but on the road....I was made to learn manual!! But that's ok, manuals are faster anyways(with exceptions to turbo cars). Right now I'm stuck with an auto because my wife's car is auto and I can't afford another car. Good thing I took my sister's late 80's prelude SI for a wild ride to shake off the rust. Damn that honda is fast for being a 2.0L

 

[Bapak2ja]

I've got a 1996 Firebird.

last June, I took out the Automatic, cut a hole in the floor and put in a Manual.

barring permanent injury to my left leg or right arm, I will never go back.

Give this dude a iron mancard!! He deserves it!

 

[Yamaha]

No, my manual doesn't have those, except the power steering. But let's not confuse the issue here. Safety features don't have diddly to do with driving ability. (Neither should power steering be lumped in the same category as traction control or anti-lock brakes.)

Besides, all those safety devices have probably created more poor drivers than good ones. Over-dependence on the feature at the expense of driving skill. Steering out of a skid? What the hell is that?





It's not so much how fast they shift as when they shift. I've never met an automatic that didn't wait until damn near red-lining before shifting if stomping hard on the gas. With a manual I can shift whenever I want to. No amount of faster shifting is gonna outweigh that one for me.

Can autos skip a gear for efficiency? There are times when going through all of them in sequence is worse.

To add to this, my best handling car is a 95 with a 5sp, no power steering, no abs, no a/c, no heat, no traction control, and being a tail happy car takes a lot of skill to drive.......another interesting thing, how many autox guys do you see get in accidents in adverse conditions vs the rest of the population.......much lower if they're any good at it, learning car control is FTW!

Edit: 88gt, I think he's just mad at how much more fun a manual is to drive, but I agree with you....the nanny state stability etc is aiding in the laziness of americans to learn....speaking of which we had a 07 fusion awd try to kill us with stability control taking over in slick spots.....if you corrected on your own, like my sister did, it would spin you out into whatever obstacles were there...she's lucky the fence slowed her down before the tree

 

[Caleb]

I always wanted to build my own speed racer with an bmw 3 series coupe with a swapped in m5 motor and a big turbo to boot....ought'a make a fun car to AutoX with.

 

[Yamaha]

I always wanted to build my own speed racer with an bmw 3 series coupe with a swapped in m5 motor and a big turbo to boot....ought'a make a fun car to AutoX with.

We took an e36 hatch and made 800lbs disappear(total under 2000lbs).....at that point it was dangerous enough with the 1.8L, but thats coming out to make way for a 540's v8 eventually

 

[Caleb]

We took an e36 hatch and made 800lbs disappear(total under 2000lbs).....at that point it was dangerous enough with the 1.8L, but thats coming out to make way for a 540's v8 eventually

Maybe if I ever get around to modding a e36, I'll give you a ring

 

[Yamaha]

Maybe if I ever get around to modding a e36, I'll give you a ring

pending your budget, e46 M3's are getting ludacrisly cheap now....and like the e30's, are true M's(euro engines with ITB's)

 

[starbreather]

If we all drove sticks, I think there would be less phone time for most. I can say all my vehicles have had 3 pedals. My wifes car had 3 pedals, til I totaled it, doghouse was my new address after that. She then decided on mini-van, never seen one with a stick!

 

[96firephoenix]

If we all drove sticks, I think there would be less phone time for most. I can say all my vehicles have had 3 pedals. My wifes car had 3 pedals, til I totaled it, doghouse was my new address after that. She then decided on mini-van, never seen one with a stick!

minivans here in Europe are all stick pretty much.

oddest thing I ever saw was a TurboDiesel manual Chrysler Voyager

 

[kickbacked]

No, my manual doesn't have those, except the power steering. But let's not confuse the issue here. Safety features don't have diddly to do with driving ability. (Neither should power steering be lumped in the same category as traction control or anti-lock brakes.)

Besides, all those safety devices have probably created more poor drivers than good ones. Over-dependence on the feature at the expense of driving skill. Steering out of a skid? What the hell is that?


Those aren't necessarily safety devices those are driver assist. And they have a ton to do with driver ability.



It's not so much how fast they shift as when they shift. I've never met an automatic that didn't wait until damn near red-lining before shifting if stomping hard on the gas. With a manual I can shift whenever I want to. No amount of faster shifting is gonna outweigh that one for me.

Can autos skip a gear for efficiency? There are times when going through all of them in sequence is worse.

when you are racing someone do you prefer to shift at 2500 ? im lost as to why you think the car should shift earlier when accelerating

 

[jason867]

I learned to drive with an auto, with my own 78 f-250, and through driver's ed. I didn't need to take that course, but it was easy credits and since the class was split in half for lunch, we'd eat at restaurants every time we were out driving

When I was a lot younger, my dad let me drive his 5spd tempo in my grandpas large backyard. I didn't get good or anything, driving in 1st & 2nd, but from then on I knew the basic concept of driving a stick.

After I got my license, my dad had got a good deal on a mazda miata manual. I learned to drive stick good with that.

Sometime afterwards, I needed to buy a smaller truck for better gas mileage. Being broke, I bought this POS 1988 Ford Ranger. It had a carbed 2.0L engine (otherwise known as the "2sl0w"), 5spd stick (the shifter had about a foot of slop in it, you'd have it in 3rd and think you were in 1st), manual brakes and manual steering. I had trouble adjusting to that after driving the mazda

Also, I taught my wife how to drive stick when she fell in love with a 5spd Dodge Neon. She's a real pro now, and claims she kills her car less than I kill my 5spd. She says she prefers stick now cause it's more fun

 

[slow1911s]

My first car was a 1980 VW Diesel Rabbit. Got 53 mpg on the highway, but couldn't get over 57 mph, unless I drafted something. I could hold the 65 speed limit up I-65, if I was 4 car lengths back on a big rig.

Hoe-lee-shet!!! I had an 81' and tell the exact same story, except I throw the ...going down an overpass with a 30 mph tailwind. in there.

My last three cars (2 Mazda 3s, and the current VW CC) have been manuals. The wifesky and I both had manuals growning up. And, save our SUV and our Z28, we've always had manuals.

Now, what needs to come back is the 3-speed column shifter on a pickup. That right there is a MAN'S pickup.

I only wish I could get rentals with manual trannys.

 

[Bummer]

OK, HDSilvrStreak and Bummer, you guys clearly have earned the right to a gold engraved man card! What are you riding? Harleys?

I ride an '06 Yamaha Royal Star Venture.

While I like Harleys, in the sense that I like all motorcycles, I haven't had one in years. I prefer the Yamaha's liquid cooled V-4 with shaft drive. As comfortable as it gets, and cranks like a crotch rocket.

 

[Naptown]

I miss my 5 speed. Wasn't the fastest car in the world, but it was an incredible 2nd vehicle. Flowmasters from the beginning, X-pipe, cold air, Mass air meter, plenum, and some other minor mods. By the way, the house in the background is FOR SALE for cheap!

 

[JLB768]

I drive a manual

 

[drgnrobo]

First car was a Ford Maverick w/ a 3 on the tree (shifter on the steering wheel column) & my current fair weather vehicle is my Ford Mustang Cobra ( 5 speed).I havent taught my kids yet (20 & 19) just because ,Well I know Im going to need a new tranny by the time im done with the lesson & I love my Cobra.

 

[dholmtime]

Banging gears still. Better driving ability and gain a few MPG for the life of your car save yourself some money

 

[LLDJR]

I pilot a land jet, manually of course

 

[Sylvain]

I learned to drive on a manual car and I always drove manual cars ever since.
Why would I need an automatic car if I have two legs and two hands to handle a manual car?
The only automatic I have rides on my hip.