• Meowoem@sh.itjust.works
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    2 years ago

    It’s funny manual is the standard here so there’s no ego boost to driving one, people always tell me it’s because we have more corners which has never made any sense (I e. You need to go into second or third at roundabout which I think older autos would have a little lag with or something, certainly not a problem in cars from this century)

    I would love an automatic, i think it would make my driving safer in several ways, for a start not having to focus on gears at key moments like navigating road changes and corners or pulling away in a busy carpark. When I drove in the US it was so nice not having to constantly be doing stuff in traffic that I wasn’t anywhere near as tired which again is a big safety issue

    • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      I grew up in the UK, learning on stick, moved to us drive a manual.

      i live in a city, I work in an office, I don’t have any hobbies that require something I can’t lift with two hands (except my piano, but I hardly take that around with me).

      I can’t for the life of me think of a reason why I would need a stick. its so pleasant to be able to drink coffee or water while driving, have an arm out the window, or even just being at rest driving.

      I dont get the appeal.

  • yojimbo@sopuli.xyz
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    2 years ago

    For me the only reason to drive manual was becase automats used to be less effective. With current generation, the computer with its 12 gears is much more ecological then my macho hand lovingly stroking my cars stick can ever be…

    • freebee@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      i very recently learned how to drive. Learned manual because it is still the majority of cars on the roads here… Looking forward to the majority of the vehicles being automatic! It makes a lot more sense

    • AttackPanda@programming.dev
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      2 years ago

      I drive a manual because all through the 90s a manual was a lot more reliable and cheaper to fix than an automatic. I also hated the automatic gear selection. It was always in a gear I didn’t want. I recently had a rental car which was a Ford with a 10-speed automatic and yeah they have come a long way. I’ve only ever owned manuals but I think my next car will be an auto. I hear reliability is good now.

  • limelight79@lemm.ee
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    2 years ago

    My car is a stick shift. I love it.

    But our pickup and my wife’s car are both automatic. Those are fine, too. Stop and go traffic - I’m gonna want an automatic. The pickup is for towing our trailer, and while I understand theoretically a stick would be better for that purpose, I’m glad to have the automatic and not have to worry about it. Plus then my wife can occasionally drive it as well.

    I’ve driven fast automatics, and I’ve driven slow stick shifts. It’s never just ONE thing about a car.

    • MuffinHeeler@aussie.zone
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      2 years ago

      Our pickup, you can push the gear stick left and it becomes basically manual with no clutch. You tell it to change gears and it will except when it says “no” ie high speeds and you ask to change down a gear when it’s high revs in current gear, it beeps at you and won’t change.

      We’ve found that more than adequate for towing a 19ft caravan.

      • limelight79@lemm.ee
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        2 years ago

        Our Mazda has “manual” control of the automatic where you can tell it to shift by clicking a button or moving the gear selector. But like yours it won’t do anything stupid. I’ve played with a few times, but I just can’t get into it.

        For towing (or hauling heavy loads in general) - you definitely need to be able to lock out higher gears sometimes in the mountains. If your transmission is hunting between gears, then lock it to a lower one. Our pickup has a tow/haul mode that handles this automatically; the motorhome I had before just had an “overdrive” button that locked out the overdrive gear for the same reason.

  • sLLiK@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    I do, too, and drove one for many years. I’ll be the one to splash cold water on the conversation, though.

    Driving a stick arguably requires the use of both hands and legs, which is great and partly the reason why so many enjoy it - that sense of engagement. It’s far less boring.

    But here’s the deal. Injure any one of those appendages and driving a manual becomes a whole lot less fun. In some cases, you can get by, but it’s less than ideal. Having your arm closest to the shift in a sling, for example, makes your vehicle undrivable.

    It won’t matter to most people… right up until the moment it does.

    • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      I’m a manual aficionado, but my mother hasn’t driven a stick, despite teaching all her children how to, since I was born due to her arthritis. Apparently her knees don’t like having to clutch constantly. I’d rather have her mobile and active as she is now, than have her stuck at home reliant on my dad to give her rides.

    • June@lemm.ee
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      2 years ago

      I was a manual purist, until I move to a large city and had to drive in it often.

      I still miss my manual cars, but god damn it was a pain in the city.

    • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      Those piss me off for reasons beyond manual supremacy - they’re bad UI design too. A knob is for controlling something (like volume) which varies continuously over a range. It is not for selecting from a short list of discrete options!

  • iegod@lemm.ee
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    2 years ago

    Every car I’ve owned has been manual and I hate my latest decision since 99% of my driving is stop and go. Honestly I’d prefer no cars at all.

  • bi_tux@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    Do automatic cars even exist outside the US? I’ve never seen one in middle or eastern europe

    • TimeNaan@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Of course they do. But the default is still manual in europe and most drivers prefer the control it gives them over their cars. In the US it’s the opposite.

      My guess is this is due to different styles of driving in the us and europe due to different infrastructure.

    • Waker@lemmy.ml
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      2 years ago

      I’ve read an article that they were about to get a lot more common outside of the US. Apparently they can better “tune” emissions that way and since there are heavy fines and a lot of control going forward that’s the argument they are using.

      Also apparently manual gears are more expensive to manufacture, I think. Again I read this on an article sometime ago so it could just be BS, I can’t seem to find which it was.

      Imo, they just want to greenwash this change. In reality they can save money and improve scalability and just standardize everything.

  • guyrocket@kbin.social
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    2 years ago

    It is very difficult to find manual transmission in a passenger car in the US now. I would like one but good luck finding what you want used. Even new, very few models have a manual option. And I think it costs more for a manual transmission now. It used to be cheaper.

    • bloodfart@lemmy.ml
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      2 years ago

      The cheapest car I know of off the lot is a base model versa which comes with a manual that’s decent.

      The noob trap is “upgrading” it to get the automatic. It’s maybe the worst new cvt you can buy.

      • guyrocket@kbin.social
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        2 years ago

        Nissan Versa?

        Does the base MSRP of $15,980 have the manual transmission?

        Imma have to test drive that, I think.

        • bloodfart@lemmy.ml
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          2 years ago

          Yeah the lowest trim level has a manual (or can be had with a manual). Call ahead to the dealership to make sure they have it in.

  • Kidnose@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 years ago

    I agree but… As a shift week commuter I must say I much prefer the automatic in terms of both convenience and comfort. I drive long stretches at a time and having to constantly switch gears manually quickly turns into an annoyance. Also eating food or doing something else with your right hand is so much easier when you have an auto.

    But if I once were to buy a leisure car it would be manual without a doubt.

  • bjfar@reddthat.com
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    2 years ago

    I used to enjoy manual but now I just kind of hate driving in general so I am happier with auto where I can eat chips or something while driving to make the traffic feel less hellish. Looking forward to self driving cars so I can just take a nap while getting from A to B.

  • TeckFire@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    If I could afford a new manual car, I’d love to, or convert my current car into a manual. The only issue I have with that option is money.