Badenoch

The argument about manuals in heavy traffic or in hilly locations is a North American excuse. Europeans seem to manage driving in London, Paris, Rome and Madrid in heavy traffic and the drivers in cities in the Alps, Pyrenees, Apennines, Carpathians et al seem to do just fine.

Vaucluse

Manual is fine for weekend driving, not during bumper to bumper rush hour traffic.

WorldLux

Slightly different to Stop&go in SFO. Having to constantly set of on inclines is certainly going to kill your clutch a little sooner. I'm not aware of too many traffic jams in the Alps, Pyrenees, etc...

I've driven enough manual cars in traffic jams in Europe and up and down the Alps to know that I wouldn't wanna be stuck with a manual in traffic in downtown San Francisco. While it's doable, it's certainly not going to be fun.

(PS: You will think of me, when you'll be stuck for over an hour or so in slow moving traffic (≤15 mph) and your left ankle starts to ache from pushing/releasing the clutch every 30 seconds or so )

Badenoch

Then you've never driven in places like Eibar, Spain, and area. Lots of hills and more traffic than you'd expect.

I drive in slow moving Toronto traffic regularly. An hour is a light traffic day. My left leg is doing just fine.

wolfie_cr

THISSSSSSSSSSSS for heavens sake this has been the thread of the excuses "I have never seen traffic jams in the alps" well it doesnt have to be a traffic jam it could be a very steep hill with sharp turns (lots of those all over the world)

and cities with pedestrians, slow traffic , all that......dont worry guys we can cope (We know those that drive primarily automatic have lots of issues, its ok guys.....really)

ah yeah, our calves /legs are fine, if yours are weak there are plenty of exercises you can do at the gym.......

yytleisure

This thread is hilarious. If someone prefers an automatic, that's cool. I like a manual. It doesn't make me better, or them worse. Preference is just that, an opinion.

My friends are always throwing the same lines at me. But hills. But traffic. But but but... it's like an inferiority complex for no reason for some. I live in a city with the hills of sfo, narrow streets and 10 feet of snow a year during 6 months of winter. I get along fine and so do my automatic friends.

I've driven in manhattan rush hour or through mountain passes, like millions of other manual drivers and my leg is never sore. Does your right get sore switching fromgas to brake constantly? Same thing really just using both instead of one.

Did I mention this whole argument is hilarious...

YVR Cockroach

I think it's more tedium personally.

Loren Pechtel

I've never been in Philadelphia, let alone driven there. San Francisco is the worst place I've driven for manual transmissions.

It's not the engine, it's the transmission. Horses don't do you any good if they're not driving the wheels.

Loren Pechtel

I will partially second this. I do agree it becomes just about reflex (I have 300k miles of stick driving in my life) under easy conditions. However, with hills or constant speed changes it's an issue.

VH-RMD

Learnt to drive on a manual transmission, all my early cars were manual transmission until a '67 Galaxie 500 with a slush box.

Gotten very used to automatics over the past twenty years, getting back into a manual only takes a couple of stalls before it all clicks in again about the need for clutch.

Have to say am lazy now and like the auto - have the paddles which are responsive in both my Porsche and Benz.

lloydah

My Honda Fireblade is manual, when it goes to the continent I don't get many problems changing from right to left hand drive

Cars, you can keep 'em.

jburns513

I learned to drive in my father's pickup (with 4 pedals) and my first car was a 4-speed manual. My last five cars have been automatics, with over 1 million miles driven...yet on starting a drive, I still find myself often stamping my left foot onto the floorboard looking for a clutch pedal.

deniah

lived in heavily-trafficked area most of my life and clutch-pedal cars have ever, ever, ever been an issue. as well obviously with most of the entire world's population.

but that's also heavily dependent on the car. there are poor drivetrains in both "manual" and "automated" transmissions.

a good manual transmission has the proper pedal placement, pressure, engagement point, friendly motor, and a satisfying shift throw.

my honda s2000 had a really, really, really pleasant transmission to use.
almost every car ive owned, including the current and last 5, all operate with clutch pedals. but it is unquestionably on the way out, and i lament its death. its really going to be difficult to find that next car with one. and yes, i prefer mechanical wristwatches, bolt action rifles, rotary knobs and dials. not all thats "new" is better.

djk7

I've had agents in Europe point out that I had reserved a manual trans, apparently expecting me to ask about an automatic instead.

I've also had a couple of upgrades (one by about 4 car classes) to automatics where the agent didn't say anything, but probably assumed I couldn't drive a manual, or didn't want an American trashing their clutch. Since I've owned several manuals and put collectively over 450k miles on them and never needed to replace or repair a clutch, I like to think I wouldn't.

One thing renting a manual in the UK does is make me aware how lefties must feel shifting with their right hand in the US. Shifting with my left is no where near as natural as shifting right handed.

I'll also agree with the posters that noted that if you've driven a manual enough, it's second nature and doesn't add to the driver workload.

t325

The agent said the same thing to me when picking up a car in Auckland. I found it amusing, I guess they have to ask all of us Yanks. I purposely reserved a manual Mini Cooper with the intention of having some fun on rural NZ roads, it did not disappoint.