I like a girl that can drive a stick :)

I remember our old family car I kind miss the winding windows even when it got old and you got to wrestle that thing up or down. Made fro great fishing practice in some cases

People this days probably stop using cars using Manual...

T34/38 said:

People this days probably stop using cars using Manual...

soon enough we'll loose the steering wheel

T34/38 said:

People this days probably stop using cars using Manual...

The problem was the current main agenda in automotive industry is to go green, which means hybrids and electric. Neither of which can be used with manual transmission hence why it is shelved today. Besides, fuel consumption of modern day vehicles is now way better than it was, rendering manual transmission fuel consumption advantage obsolete.

Oteck said:

soon enough we'll loose the steering wheel

I'll doubt that the steering wheel will go away. Even with improvement in self driving capability, IMHO a steering wheel and other basic necessities such as gear and pedals needs to stay because in case of emergency on the road a human can immediately take over the controls since I don't really trust the technology that much.

Adolf95 said:

The problem was the current main agenda in automotive industry is to go green, which means hybrids and electric. Neither of which can be used with manual transmission hence why it is shelved today. Besides, fuel consumption of modern day vehicles is now way better than it was, rendering manual transmission fuel consumption advantage obsolete.

I'll doubt that the steering wheel will go away. Even with improvement in self driving capability, IMHO a steering wheel and other basic necessities such as gear and pedals needs to stay because in case of emergency on the road a human can immediately take over the controls since I don't really trust the technology that much.

Or more simply: a steering wheel puts the liability in the car owner's hands. Software-only puts it in the manufacturer's hands. They're NOT footing that bill, tyvm.

Memories of driving to high school in my beat up 95 Nissan Sentra.

gonzomehum said:

Or more simply: a steering wheel puts the liability in the car owner's hands. Software-only puts it in the manufacturer's hands. They're NOT footing that bill, tyvm.

And also the fact that users like to be in control (or at least, the illusion that they are in control)

Adolf95 said:

The problem was the current main agenda in automotive industry is to go green, which means hybrids and electric. Neither of which can be used with manual transmission hence why it is shelved today. Besides, fuel consumption of modern day vehicles is now way better than it was, rendering manual transmission fuel consumption advantage obsolete.

And yet enough people will keep driving the beat-down manuals simply because its a shitton cheaper. If I have to choose between a €35.000 hybrid car that saves me about €1.000 per year or a €500 semi-wreck that I'll have to maintain myself because the manufacturer just doesn't make the parts or manuals anymore, I'll pick the cheap pile-o-sheet because I ain't gonna own the hybrid long enough for the price to catch up.

Technically you can have a manual hybrid, most people just aren't good enough drivers to make use of it though, myself included seeing how much trouble I have driving the hybrid LMP1 cars on the computer I assume I would suck even more IRL.

FWP said:

And yet enough people will keep driving the beat-down manuals simply because its a shitton cheaper. If I have to choose between a €35.000 hybrid car that saves me about €1.000 per year or a €500 semi-wreck that I'll have to maintain myself because the manufacturer just doesn't make the parts or manuals anymore, I'll pick the cheap pile-o-sheet because I ain't gonna own the hybrid long enough for the price to catch up.

Also car enthusiast mostly prefer manuals so hard they're actually very elitist about it. If a new performance-based car suddenly has auto or only sold on auto, they'll fume and rage.

Adolf95 said:

The problem was the current main agenda in automotive industry is to go green, which means hybrids and electric. Neither of which can be used with manual transmission hence why it is shelved today.

I used to have a manual-shift hybrid; it was the standard configuration on the Honda CR-Z. They stopped making that, though, and I don't know of any others that are available that way now. Still, it is technologically possible.

Automatics already had a huge share of the market before the hybrid fad, anyway, because they're more convenient, and convenience is popular.

Well, it's more like, ONLY a gearhead cares about having a manual. Other people use a manual only when it's a cheaper car. Any other standard driver just wants a car that gets them through their commute with as many creature comforts as they're willing to afford.

And for the luxury/performance cars, they offer stupid things like "floppy gearshift" that is just a lever hanging off the steering wheel, with no clutch, because of course that's automatic.

Basically, manual exists nowadays in anything but the cheapest jalopies for the same reason as vinyl records: for old-school purists willing to pay more just to be old-school purists.

NWSiaCB said:

Well, it's more like, ONLY a gearhead cares about having a manual. Other people use a manual only when it's a cheaper car. Any other standard driver just wants a car that gets them through their commute with as many creature comforts as they're willing to afford.

And for the luxury/performance cars, they offer stupid things like "floppy gearshift" that is just a lever hanging off the steering wheel, with no clutch, because of course that's automatic.

Basically, manual exists nowadays in anything but the cheapest jalopies for the same reason as vinyl records: for old-school purists willing to pay more just to be old-school purists.

I dunno, I know a number of people who just like manuals for no defined reason, seems common over here(The Netherlands).

I actually remember that a BMW dealership had a action where you could get a free automatic if you bough a new car and people refused to get the automatic and just wanted a stickshift, except apparently for the one guy who wanted a sequential but got told that they didn't sell that factory standard.

Oh man, this brought up some good memories, going to school in my hand me down 1993 Buick Regal, it had that massive 3.8 V6 which made it very speedy and i have fond memories of me gassing it at bridges and long roads... ah, i really miss the old guy.

I'll also point out another reason to go for a manual that my old man told ages ago, which has proven true in my experience: more precise wheel speed control. This matters specifically in slick conditions, specifically snow and ice.

Sometimes, an automatic's shifting will cause just enough of a torque change to break you loose from the icy road.
And when you're sliding, it's a hell of a lot simpler to disengage the engine from the wheels with the clutch pedal than moving a hand over to put it in neutral.

Lugin said:

I'll also point out another reason to go for a manual that my old man told ages ago, which has proven true in my experience: more precise wheel speed control. This matters specifically in slick conditions, specifically snow and ice.

Sometimes, an automatic's shifting will cause just enough of a torque change to break you loose from the icy road.
And when you're sliding, it's a hell of a lot simpler to disengage the engine from the wheels with the clutch pedal than moving a hand over to put it in neutral.

Which is basically the reason why the muscle-car in My Summer Car is shit since it has too much torque and not enough grip on the horrid dirt roads you have to navigate all the time.

And also reminds me of something in the manual of the business-van's automatic gearbox, it actually blocks you from going to neutral when you are in motion whether it is forwards or reverse.

At least Ryuujou has the sense to sit high enough in the car to see the ground, unlike some people I see in the rear-view mirror who barely have their eyes above the steering wheel!

I prefer driving a manual transmission because of the level of control. Sometimes I know I need to come out of a turn in 3rd gear or something, but the automatic transmission wants to stay in 5th and it doesn't know I want a lower gear until I push on the gas pedal for a couple of seconds. The car can't predict what you want to do or what the road is doing up ahead without a bunch of sensors and AI.

As far as steering wheels, I think it will be a while before they get rid of mechanical steering on cars. Without it, if your electrical system dies or your hydraulics get a leak, you will lose all steering control pretty quickly. In an aircraft with redundant systems, trained flight and maintenance crews, and mandatory inspection intervals, you can have full fly-by-wire control and stuff with a good margin of safety. But for consumer cars, with lots of people who don't necessarily follow the maintenance schedules/procedures or know how to take care of their vehicles, it could cause a variety of problems.