Only 18 Percent Of Americans Can Drive Manual. :(

[peteski]

... my first car will be a manual as they make even the most boring drive a fun, enjoyable experience 

 

And hopefully make it harder to check the emails, Facebook, or text message while driving.

[Pim]

And hopefully make it harder to check the emails, Facebook, or text message while driving.

not an issue mate don't have facebook, I barely get emails and I am of the personal opinion that a text can wait my mobile when I am driving is usually off in the glovebox or at least in the centre console if I am expecting a call(which I'll pull over to answer) but most of the time it is off and the music loud?

[peteski]

not an issue mate don't have facebook, I barely get emails and I am of the personal opinion that a text can wait my mobile when I am driving is usually off in the glovebox or at least in the centre console if I am expecting a call(which I'll pull over to answer) but most of the time it is off and the music loud?

Good for you!  I'm glad to know that you are responsible driver.

[NYLIBUD]

I was driving a 4 spd 93 Jeep Cherokee for years.I loved it.275,000 miles on the original clutch.Not too bad,if I do say so...Then I bought an automatic 2000 Cherokee.I Gotta admit,it took awhile to get used to it.And now,I'm not sure which I prefer.I certainly prefer the auto in traffic....Ah,I guess I go both ways.Ha

[martinfan5]

I love driving a manual,  but I am perfectly happy with driving a auto in city life.

[GT4494]

Learned to drive riding motorcycles. Graduated to a 67 Chevy pickup with three on the tree.  As I've grown older and wiser I have realized that different cars do different things better and I have a problem getting rid of them.  my Model A and 84 Mustang GT are both sticks. Model A is a non synchronized trans. You either double clutch or slide gears without a clutch. Daily driver is a VW tdi with DSG clutch less auto and a Nissan pickup auto.  This being said, after 1 knee replacement, 1 ankle replacement and scheduled for the second ankle, the sticks are just for fun and after a day driving them I pay for it but... there is nothing like playing teenager in the Mustang and snatching gears breaking the tires loose or profiling in the Model A.   Sticks are fun but I now have the luxury of driving when I want and not having to fight traffic daily.

I was impressed when the guy next doors nephew (20ish) came over and was driving a 5 speed. There is hope, if the manufacturers will keep making them!

 

[Tom Geiger]

My daily driver is a 2006 PT Cruiser Convertible with a HO Turbo and auto stick.  It's just dandy for the daily commute, I've put over 20,000 miles on it in the 10 months I've owned it.  Kinda hard to shift with my coffee mug in my right hand, but steering with my left hand... a habit I got from driving a stick.

I still have my 1991 Geo Tracker 4x4 convertible that I bought new. It was my daily driver for a long time, but has been a fun summer and snow car for many years now. It's fun to have a clutch in that duty.

 

[redneckrigger]

I learned to drive in a 1962 Willys Jeep station wagon with a three speed. I have never looked back.....I LOVE manuals, but it is hard to find a manual today, except in performance cars. I had sticks in my GTO's, Mustangs, several other nondescript cars and still have a 91 GT Mustang with the 5 speed. We just went to Europe, and we rented a car in Caen to drive out to Normandy for a few days..................since I was an American, I got the third degree as to whether I could drive a stick. I still don't think the rental girl really believed me. It seems that almost every car we saw in England or France was a manual.......................amazing that our country has gotten so lazy!

Edited May 15, 2017 by redneckrigger

[Ace-Garageguy]

My '89 GMC is a stick. My '74 911 is a stick. My 550 Spyder (Beck) is a stick. My '86 MR2 is a stick. My Geo Metro is a stick. As soon as I get the chance to do it, my '86 XJ6 will be a stick. The '63 Olds convertible restomod (I drove it in HS and it's now in the parts acquisition phase) will be a stick, the tubbed 450 SL (also in the parts acquisition phase), and the pile-o-parts that will be a 'glass '32 Ford roadster will be sticks. Sadly, the little low-miles '06 Neon I'm looking at for a backup car is an auto. But it was a girl's car, so I guess that kinda figures...and for its new role in life, it needs to be something anybody can drive.

I've encountered the same thing overseas that Tom Decker has (see post above) renting cars, and I vastly prefer a manual gearbox in any situation.

I also refuse, and have always refused, to live a life that entails sitting stupidly for hours every week in stop-go commuter traffic. 

[DonW]

Bill! I really like your take on things and like to read your posts on many topics - but 'it was a girl's car, so I guess that kinda figures...and for its new role in life, it needs to be something anybody can drive.' - I have to disagree with that.

My older sister hung out with the rockers in the 60s, her boyfriend rode a Triumph Bonneville and she rode pillion. She rode bikes herself and owned a load of cars from a Messerschmitt Kabinenroller through a couple of GTV Alfas and a  BMW 2002 to a 535i. None of them had an auto, I don't think she can drive one (same as me).

She's quicker than most even now.

All generalisations are untrue.

Cheers,

-Don.

-

[Ace-Garageguy]

 

All generalisations are untrue.-

 

I should have put a wink after the "girl's car" comment.

A woman I'm still friends with after 34 years was driving an MG Midget when I met her, and replaced it with a Fiat 124 Spider after the MG was totaled (not her fault). My first very-significant other was riding a motorcycle the day I met her (just a little Honda, but you had to shift it) and a girl I was with for 7 years ran a TR-6 and an early Capri. A girl I almost dated ran a 911 in SCCA solo events (autocross), and I've known quite a few others who were entirely competent with manual gearboxes...but not for some time.  

[DonW]

No worries, I think I had a sense of humour failure! I'm usually pretty good with irony...

Cheers,,

-Don.

[426-Hemi]

My Wife can't drive stick........... but I can, and will teach her one day with the right car, as I don't plan to teach her with my '67, no way, no how!!!! Its a 9 speed Allison!

Edited May 15, 2017 by 426-Hemi
typing

[High octane]

I should have put a wink after the "girl's car" comment.

A woman I'm still friends with after 34 years was driving an MG Midget when I met her, and replaced it with a Fiat 124 Spider after the MG was totaled (not her fault). My first very-significant other was riding a motorcycle the day I met her (just a little Honda, but you had to shift it) and a girl I was with for 7 years ran a TR-6 and an early Capri. A girl I almost dated ran a 911 in SCCA solo events (autocross), and I've known quite a few others who were entirely competent with manual gearboxes...but not for some time.  

Some women drive an automatic with two feet just like a go-kart, so driving a stick shift car would be very hard for them.

[Tom Geiger]

Back when my sister was 18 she was dating a lug that my father didn't like.  He had an old Chevy pickup with a clutch and my father made me teach my sister to drive a clutch so she could drive the pickup home if boyfriend got drunk.  It backfired,  my sister got good at it and drove that pickup all the way to California!

My wife learned to drive on a 1964 Chevy Biscayne wagon with a three on the tree.  Her first car was a Datsun wagon with a 4 speed.  The first family car we bought together was a Nissan Stanza 4 door hatchback with a 5 speed.

 

[Rob Hall]

My sister learned to drive in a '68 Cougar w/ a 3spd manual w/ manual brakes and manual steering.  She's had many cars w/ manuals over the years--4 Datsun/Nissan Zs from a '78 280Z to a '90 300ZX Turbo, a Saab 900 Turbo and an Acura Legend coupe...

I've had five manuals over the years--Ford Escort diesel, Mustang LX, Mustang GT, Bronco II, and a BMW M3...probably will have another fun car w/ a manual eventually, but for a daily driver I prefer my Jeep w/ an automatic..(the 8spd auto in my GC is very smooth).

Edited May 16, 2017 by Rob Hall

[426-Hemi]

You know guys....... I NEVER had a "automatic" till I got married come to think of it, ALL 3 trucks I've owned 3rd one I STILL own, were stick. first one my '78 Power Wagon was a 3 on the tree originally and when was done was 4 on the floor! Then the '77 Club Cab Dodge Adventurer I had was a 4 on the floor! My current '67 Power Wagon is a 9 Speed Allison with a splitter!!!!

[GT4494]

My Wife can't drive stick........... but I can, and will teach her one day with the right car, as I don't plan to teach her with my '67, no way, no how!!!! Its a 9 speed Allison!

Taught the misses to drive stick in a VW diesel.  enough torque to be easy teaching clutch control, low max engine speed so she had lots of practise going up and down the gears while still in the neighborhood. ☺

[PARTSMARTY]

I've always preferred stick-that's just the way i am.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Some women drive an automatic with two feet just like a go-kart, so driving a stick shift car would be very hard for them.

Depending on the car and conditions, I often left-foot-brake when driving an automatic, and I don't have any problem making the switch to a manual and back again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On another note, I wonder what percentage of people today can check their own oil, tire pressure, other fluids, jump a battery correctly, or change a flat. Hell, as far as I can tell, most people, even a lot of "mechanics", don't even vaguely understand what makes a car go and stop...including those who bill themselves as "car guys".

I've encountered people who think you check the engine oil with it running, or the auto trans oil with the engine stopped. I once saw a woman adding oil to her engine until it was "full" (not looking at the dipstick) and when I politely offered to explain and help her, was told rudely "I DON'T NEED HELP FROM ANY DAMM MAN !!!".  OK, hope that's working out for you. I've heard dweebs explaining that a car that's idling doesn't use any gas, so it doesn't affect fuel mileage to sit in traffic, and I routinely hear cars screaming in all sorts of mechanical agony, trying desperately to let their oblivious owners know they need help.

Ignorance is so popular, it must truly be bliss. I'll never understand.

Interesting article here:    http://rcars.co/2016/10/24/cars-and-their-enemy-blissful-ignorance/

Edited May 28, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[espo]

I have been mad at Fiat/Chrysler since late 2010. I am one of those who check fluids and tire pressure and such, particularly when the temp changes. The reason I'm upset is that your 2010 Charger doesn't have a transmission dip stick. The service manager told me it was for their techs to better  care for my car ???????  They don't offer a dip stick that I could purchase and the only thing I could find was a universal cable/dip stick. This thing is more than two feet long with a flat piece on the end with  a  bunch of numbers. You take the reading on the stick and compare it to a chart included with the universal dip stick. There are several cars listed most of them built in Europe so this must be a wide spread problem. My next new car will have to have easy to check fluids or I'm not buying it.      

[Ace-Garageguy]

I have been mad at Fiat/Chrysler since late 2010. I am one of those who check fluids and tire pressure and such, particularly when the temp changes. The reason I'm upset is that your 2010 Charger doesn't have a transmission dip stick. The service manager told me it was for their techs to better  care for my car ???????  They don't offer a dip stick that I could purchase and the only thing I could find was a universal cable/dip stick. This thing is more than two feet long with a flat piece on the end with  a  bunch of numbers. You take the reading on the stick and compare it to a chart included with the universal dip stick. There are several cars listed most of them built in Europe so this must be a wide spread problem. My next new car will have to have easy to check fluids or I'm not buying it.      

Agreed 100%.

And if you really want to get your azz chapped, try being a mechanic and having to DRAIN the oil from those transmissions that no longer come with a drain plug in the pan prior to servicing anything internal. It's practically impossible to drain the fluid from these things without taking a bath in the stuff (in spite of what all the internet "experts" say).

Some early Smart cars came with no engine oil drain plugs either.

Pretty stupid, if you ask me.

Instead of just letting gravity do the job, you have to have a pump to get the fluid out cleanly. Another case of mindless over-complication for NO GOOD REASON...though there are plenty of "expert" justifications floating around too.

But then, cars today are designed mostly by people behind computer screens who don't open hoods and couldn't tell you what a wrench is for. Decision making is driven by cost-accounting and marketing, NOT competent engineering, and ease of servicing wasn't ever really high on the list of design priorities at most companies anyway...with some occasional delightful exceptions.

Every now and then, I'll get something in the shop that actually DID have somebody who'd obviously once worked on a car give a little thought to the poor SOB who'd have to fix the thing when it broke. Not often, but it happens.

Two cases in point:

1) The little Chrysler Corp. Neon has notches in the front wheel bearing carrier hubs so you can get the wheel studs out (and new ones in) when Bubba at the tire store inevitably strips them or breaks them off with his 300 lbft air wrench. Most manufacturers don't bother with the notches, and require disassembly of the front suspension to do the job.

2) The PT Cruiser initially required dropping the fuel tank to service the pump. Slightly later production versions actually included a small removable access panel in the rear floor to make the job easier.

(On the other hand, replacing the timing belt on the 2.4 liter PT Cruiser is one of the most needlessly difficult operations in the history of the automobile. Just an extra 1/2 inch here and an inch there could have made it a walk in the park...and I know it would have been easily possible to slightly modify the design with no additional cost to production. This is one of the reasons you'll see fewer and fewer PTs on the road. The third owner isn't going to bother to read about the required replacement interval in the owner's manual anyway, and if they DO, they'll be hard pressed to spend the $1000 to have the job done on a car that's only "worth" $1500. When the belt strips...and it WILL... the engine stops, and the little cars go to the crusher.)

Edited May 28, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[Tom Geiger]

And I hate the cars with drain plugs that are set to be drained by a technician 0n a lift, with the car flat.  That causes havoc for the poor guy with the car on ramps with the nose in the air. The oil shoots out at a chassis cross member where it rides the length of the L channel dripping all over the place.

[High octane]

And I hate the cars with drain plugs that are set to be drained by a technician 0n a lift, with the car flat.  That causes havoc for the poor guy with the car on ramps with the nose in the air. The oil shoots out at a chassis cross member where it rides the length of the L channel dripping all over the place.

Try changing the oil filter in some late 60's Mopar B-bodies, as they're located at the front of the engine and are in a horizontal position. Once it is unscrewed you have to wiggle it out between the K member and the lower radiator hose. Talk 'bout a mess.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Try changing the oil filter in some late 60's Mopar B-bodies, as they're located at the front of the engine and are in a horizontal position. Once it is unscrewed you have to wiggle it out between the K member and the lower radiator hose. Talk 'bout a mess.

Look where Ferrari put them on the 365 GTB4 Daytona. The 330 GTC and others use similar mountings. Even with the correct filters (which often the cars don't have when they come in), and procedure, you're almost always going to get a mess.