jazztalk.net

A. Kingstone wrote:Used to drive a three on the tree Ford on the farm.

steve(thelil) wrote:I assume I still can. But it's been decades. I am not a car guy, and I always buy certified 3 year old off- lease Toyota Camrys because they give me a lot of reliability for the buck, which is all I look for in a car. It's been a long time since manual transmissions were available in Camrys, I think. I've been driving Camrys for 25+ years and used to put 30,000 miles a year on my car when I commuted to work, and I have NEVER had a Camry fail to start for me or get me where I was going. And I took shitty care of my first couple.

I assume I still can. But it's been decades.

Scott Dolan wrote:

BeBop wrote:I've never owned a car that wasn't manual. And I mean REAL manual, with a clutch, not the new BS "manuals". The question for me should be "can you drive an automatic?" I wish they hadn't put the brake where the clutch pedal is supposed to me. And my passengers REALLY WISH they hadn't. Since I travel all the time, I end up in rental sometimes. In the US, it's always automatic or (worse!) CVT. The UK often provides me a stick, but it's on the wrong bloody side (...which I can deal with). Europe, lots of sticks for rent. Africa and Asia are all over the map, as it were.

I'm assuming by BS manuals you mean the new autostick transmissions?

Cars still come with actual manuals...

Scott Dolan wrote:Manuals still outperform automatics in MPG's in most models. And I really don't know that the government has anything to do with it. I think there's just so little demand for standard transmissions these days that the manufacturers just don't build many, or any at all. I remember going to test drive a Maxima and asking if they had one with a manual on the lot, and the salesman told me that the only way they could get manuals was by special order from Nissan.

As for Ferrari, the paddle shifters they use are very advanced and designed for the type of aggressive driving Ferraris are designed for, so I can fully understand the logic there.

Ask any F1 or Indy Car driver if they'd prefer to give up their paddle shifters for a clutch and stick design.

Scott Dolan wrote:Actually, there have been many inconclusive tests. I read an article on Edmunds once about the myths of the manual vs. the automatic. Four of five different cars were tested and in some cases the manual still outperformed the auto in mpg. The CVT was definitely king in all the cases I've seen.

As for driver involvement, I'm right there with you. But we're talking about Ferraris. You could put a CVT in that thing and you're still going to feel incredibly involved. It's a world class super car. It does things differently. In that case, even I would prefer the paddle shifters so I can concentrate on wringing shit out of it that only a handful of cars on the planet are capable of.

steve(thelil) wrote:I should qualify. I think I could drive a manual transmission......... but only if it was attached to a car.

walto wrote:Pussy.

Ron Thorne wrote:I learned to drive in the car that brought me to Alaska from Florida, a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air with an automatic transmission.

I learned to drive a manual transmission when I bought my first car, a 1961 Hillman Minx with a 4-speed on-the-column shifter. There was so much linkage that it was rubbery-feeling, so when I learned that there was an optional floor shift kit available (Sunbeam Alpine shifter) with a short, direct throw, I went for it, and it was a dream! No power to speak of under the hood, but a fun little car to drive, post shift mechanism change.

Our 1st new car, a 1967 Saab, also had a 4-speed on-the-column with an unusual feature, free-wheeling.

Later, a 1st-series 1955 Chevy panel truck, 1970 Volkswagen Westfalia Camper and 1976 Honda Civic all had a 4-speed on-the-floor. Patti learned to drive in our cool old Chevy panel truck, Flying Cloud.

Now, we're back to an automatic transmission in our VW Passat. Full circle after 54 years.