Manual transmissions?

[randomness]

[Poll #1521419]

Comments

[rmd.livejournal.com]

i used to have a strong preference for vehicles with manual transmissions. this is fading, and i probably won't explicitly seek one out on the next car i buy.

[allyphoe.livejournal.com]

That was me 10 years ago. My current vehicle is an automatic (I honestly don't remember if the one before was), so I'm out of practice with a stick shift. Lack of practice = lack of confidence and lack of preference.

Used to be, you could get a decent car with a manual transmission cheaper than an automatic. Now, you can get the one car that has neither an automatic transmission nor air conditioning that the dealer keeps on the lot for bait-and-switch purposes. I think it's different with trucks, but I'm not a truck purchaser.

[holmes-iv.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna guess that +5 is "manual better than automatic", and -5 is "manual worse than automatic", but I think you have a copy-paste issue. :-)

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm waiting until that's resolved, then I'll let loose on this here poll.

No wait, I get to LEAVE WORK NOW! Wow, that crept up on me fast. Yay for 9 pm.

I hate stick

[cthulhia]

it requires all 4 limbs.

also, every time I've tried to learn manual, it's involved an older male relative screaming at me.

I am clinically incapable of shifting into 3rd gear if 5th is an option, or 2nd gear, if 4th is an option.

HATE.

but, if I had to drive, the first hour would be a lot of stalling and jolting around, but, if I was the only person available to drive stick, I'm guessing there wouldn't be a lot of other people anywhere nearby.

[madbodger.livejournal.com]

Sex is worse, by that yardstick. At least five limbs is recommended for best enjoyment.

[muffyjo]

It depends on where I'm driving to!

[apintrix.livejournal.com]

I learned on a stick shift, but I always stalled it at this one intersection and it shattered my confidence, I had to take the road test in the automatic minivan. And that's just demoralizing to a teen, taking the road test in the minivan. (I failed the parallel park... had to take the test twice.)

But I think that that car was obnoxious, because I've since driven N's car on multiple occasions and I think I only stalled it once.

Still, I bet if you got me in a stick shift driving through my hometown and I got to that stoplight... I would still stall!

*clings to her automatic*

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Are/were you in greater Boston? Was the intersection in Belmont, near the railroad bridge, involving a hill start?

That intersection is why my mother doesn't drive stick shift.

[chrisber.livejournal.com]

On the hybrid - manual transmission divide, I came down on the hybrid side. I used to have a strong preference for manual transmissions.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

5 is "I prefer driving a vehicle equipped with manual transmission, all else being equal", 0 is "I don't care either way" and 5 is "I prefer driving a vehicle equipped with manual transmission, all else being equal"

I need to know which one you meant to be "I prefer driving a vehicle equipped with automatic transmission" before answering. :-}

[tamago.livejournal.com]

For most of the driving I do (around town, at moderate speeds, lots of starts and stops) I prefer automatic transmission, but for long drives, rough terrain or lots of curves, I miss the control of having a manual transmission.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

When I was learning to drive I learned to drive stick, I hated it then so never kept up with it. Now I can't because my wrists can't take the repetitive motion required and it hurts.
But if I had to I could. I just choose not to.

And yeah that question with the +5/-5 is confusing...

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I messed up. :)

[julianyap.livejournal.com]

As others have noted, the +5 to -5 scale description is unclear

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Entirely so!

"We apologize for the inconvenience."

[cubes.livejournal.com]

I didn't answer the manual vs. automatic not only because I couldn't figure out which end was which, but also because it depends entirely on the vehicle and traffic conditions. Sports car on open highway or motorcycle on deserted twisties? Manual all the way! Toting the kids around town at rush hour? Droning along the interstate with 1948973546 other drivers? That's why God invented the automatic transmission (and cruise control, in the latter case).

ETA: Actually a Ferrari with the F1 transmission beats 'em all, but we won't have another one of those in the garage again for a while. ;-)

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

My bad...reposted. :)

[agrimony.livejournal.com]

I answered +3 on the -5 to +5 one, meaning that I have a more than mild preference for driving stick when all things are equal. :)

My current car is automatic. My last was manual. I miss the stick shift a lot. Though, I don't miss it when my knee is annoyed. Part of why the switch away - a) it's the car I could afford, and b) I can get a remote car starter installed without having to bypass a clutch. :)

[eac.livejournal.com]

FWIW, my mother does drive a manual, and every car in every household I've ever lived in has been automatic, so I just haven't had the opportunity to learn. I did drive a manual across country with a friend once in 1994, and I have to say it wasn't much fun.

[woodwindy.livejournal.com]

Neal used to strongly prefer manual, so I made him take me out and show me how to make his car move just in case we ever had an emergency that required such a thing. That was a while back, so I suspect I could probably fumble my way a few blocks down the road to a hospital or some such if need be -- I certainly wouldn't want to tackle a major distance or any highway driving, though.

Both our cars are now automatic, partly because we do wind up switching every once in a while and partly because the used Hondas with automatic were more tempting than those with manual when he last needed a vehicle. :)

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

afaict, manual is more complicated, more error-prone, gives me control over parts of driving i don't want control over, and causes cars to have more parts to break randomly and cost money.

i understand why some people want to drive stick, but all i need is the basic skills so that if I *must* use a vehicle that has a manual transmission, i am able to.

also-- the most important lesson to learn when driving stick is: the clutch is not binary.

[hawver.livejournal.com]

It's a scientific fact that chicks dig dudes who can drive a stick, and I'm not even trying to make some kind of innuendo here. I know it's scientific because I asked a bunch of girls a few years ago and they all agreed. Science!

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Yes, but do chicks dick CHICKS who can drive a stick?

[nathanjw]

I'm probably a little rusty on a manual transmission, since my manual-transmission car hasn't moved in quite some time, but I still think I prefer it. Every so often I'll be on the highway or something in an automatic, floor it, and be very, very annoyed that it won't pick up my hint to downshift.

Also, automatic transmissions have creeped me out ever since I learned that they weren't just manual transmissions with some cleverness attached, but were in fact a different and somewhat alien technology.

I no longer have the confidence and/or stupidity that made me capable, when I was in high school, of driving a stick-shift car in NoVa traffic while eating fast food with whichever limb was momentarily available.

[cerridwynn.livejournal.com]

Are you offering lessons????

I have wanted for years to learn how to drive a manual -- i just feel it's important to know. But i can't find anyone with a stick they'll let me practice on.

Just the other day, though, i was pointing out that i NEVER want to own a manual. Because i get far more motion sick riding in a manual, no matter how good the driver.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Are you offering lessons????

I have been, yes. A couple of people on my flist took me up on the offer, too.

Right now the car I teach on has a couple of problems and in part I'm wondering if I should spend much effort on fixing them.

[totient]

I strongly prefer manual transmissions in nearly any circumstance. I'm not going to come back and fill out that question later, though, because it has enough noise in it already that fixing it is hopeless. I suggest making a new poll for just that question instead.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's what I'm about to do.

[whitebird.livejournal.com]

I chose +5 for "I really prefer to drive a manual transmission car over an automatic transmission car."

[contrariety.livejournal.com]

Fascinatingly, I am the only one so far (according to comments, anyway) who assumed you mean -5 to be strong manual and +5 to be strong automatic. Just so you know when you assess my vote. :)

[whitebird.livejournal.com]

You appear to live up to your LiveJournal nick, at least...

[whitebird.livejournal.com]

My folks made all of the kids take the driver's test in a manual transmission vehicle. I'm perfectly capable to switch back and forth as need be, but I certainly prefer a manual transmission, and both 240Zs and the RX-8 are manual shifters.

Of course, my folks also made all of the kids prove that they can change a tire, and be minimally useful with a wrench if need be, so they might be outliers.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my Dad did that, too.

I now have no problem with changing a tire in a garage--particularly with a lift; that's just fun--but I still call AAA to come out to do it if I need a tire change on the road. Too many drivers who can't seem to resist hitting people on the freeway to make changing a tire a really safe operation.

[docorion.livejournal.com]

Well, I ride a motorcycle, which pretty much requires a manual transmission. In a car, I generally prefer a manual, but my partner doesn't like them at all (although she can drive one competently-I've been there when she's done it). Since I don't own a car currently, and rentals come with automatics by default, I generally drive an automatic.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Well, I ride a motorcycle, which pretty much requires a manual transmission.

I was surprised to hear of motorcycles with automatic transmissions.

[quietann.livejournal.com]

I failed in my first attempt to learn to drive stick shift, back in high school. The next time I tried, I had a good motivator; I was just out of college and my parents offered to give me a nearly new car with manual transmission, if I could learn to drive it. Needless to say, I did!

I had to order my current car from the factory because I wanted a stick along with some upgrades. Have been quite happy with it, though I suspect it will need a new clutch soon (with nearly 150K miles on it, I am not complaining!)

The only time I do not prefer a manual transmission is when driving in heavy traffic. The constant shift-clutch-shift-clutch makes my left hip and back very sore. I suspect a lot of people who prefer manuals switch over to automatics because of physical issues.

[noire.livejournal.com]

You do not have a possibility for "I feel more confident driving with a manual transmission than with an automatic transmission."

The truth is, I am MUCH more comfortable and confident with a manual. I have made dangerous mistakes (foot hitting the brake when going for the non-existent clutch) when driving an automatic.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I confess I made "9" do duty for both the states of "as confident" or "more confident with a manual", because I figured it was rare enough.