Here's why I don't really care about manual transmissions

"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
03/18/2015 at 21:59 • Filed to: None

I consider myself a car guy. I also consider myself a jalop. I've owned six cars and exactly one of those have had a clutch pedal. I don't dislike the manual, but I also don't seek them out. I just don't care. And here's why.

My first car was a 1983 Datsun 280ZX with a three-speed automatic courtesy of Borg Warner. Now were that car to show up on a NPoCP article on the front page, the commenters would cry and rage for a 5-speed to replace the auto-tragic.

But here's the thing: I loved that car. Probably one of my favorite cars ever. And that's because I love the experience of the car. I love the way a car looks, smells and sounds. How a car drives is only a part of the overall experience for me. I know some people only care about pure speed and for those people, C5 Corvettes and Nissan GTR's are over thattaway —->

I don't feel like a transmission can make a car fun or not fun. The car does that. I'm tired of hearing people say "but it's a manual!" about their otherwise dull car. A manual transmission is like a bikini: It makes hot girls look hotter but you can't make an unattractive girl look attractive by getting her to wear a bikini. In the same way, I don't think you can slap a clutch pedal on a humdrum car and make it a driving revelation.

I'm just tired of people acting like a manual is some secret elixr that can transform a car. It makes some cars more fun but I just don't care that much. i care much more about the car that shifter is surrounded by.

End of rant.

DISCUSSION (37)

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:01

Just like the Miata fanboys? :p

misfitmascots > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:02

I agree completely

Jedidiah > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:03

SOMEONE FINALLY SAID IT

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Jedidiah
03/18/2015 at 22:03

Internet high five!

For Sweden > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:04

Get a manual or the beard dies

Jedidiah > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:04

Kinja'd!!!

dogisbadob > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:05

Kinja'd!!!

awesome shifter

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > For Sweden
03/18/2015 at 22:05

Not my beard. It's a still from this video I shot http://driving.ca/volkswagen/aut…

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:06

Agreed, all points. I've driven manual, and I've driven auto, and the manual does not make the car. I know people that would take a manual Yaris over a Laferrari "because they are connected to the machine."

Yeah. Sure. Whatever. More cool cars for me.

dogisbadob > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:06

So a Camry with a manual doesn't mean it's fun and sporty? :(

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha sorry, I had to!

The Swift was that one manual you had, right?

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:07

Finally!

bob and john > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:07

lol, oppo meet up in dec...ALL AUTOS :D

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:09

Kinja'd!!!

For Sweden > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:09

that changes nothing

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > dogisbadob
03/18/2015 at 22:11

Yup! The Swift was a manuel

Your boy, BJR > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:13

I've owned more or less a 50/50 split auto v manual. Honestly? It's all the same to me. I don't think manual makes you a driving superhero just like I don't find autos to be soul sucking. A car is a car is a car is a car. Time to stop acting like being able to drive stick makes you special, people. It's just a transmission.

bhardoin > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:15

I feel almost exactly the opposite. I don't care if a fast car is manual or not, cause these days autos are quicker. But the opportunity to rev the piss out of some shitty 1.6l four banger totally improves economy cars for me. I've driven the auto and manual variants of a few cheap economy cars, and every time with a manual it makes driving way more fun for me. Same goes with lumbering powerful stuff like trucks or muscle cars, its just feels way more fun with a stick. The only time I prefer an auto is when shifting would get in the way of just cruising around, a la land yachts.

Opposite Locksmith > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:15

clutches = fun.

In Greece we had a nine seat VW transporter with a stick. Finicky and quirky, but i loved driving it so much.

Some people really just like being hands (and feet) on involved with the action of squeezing out the power and speed we need

Nibby > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:17

It's a choice or preference. It doesn't make you any better than another driver if you drive manual or automatic.

It's the same shit like Mac OS X vs Microsoft Windows. Both do the same thing at the end of the day, just differently.

vwbeamer > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:18

LOL, so you can't drive a stick without stalling it or you roll back on hills and hit the car behind you. It's ok, you can still be a car guy.

GhostZ > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:19

It is not about whether automatics are better than manuals, but having the choice between them, and either one being of acceptable quality.

A car is more than just its transmission, but a shitty transmission (auto or manual) can ruin the experience.

Dsscats > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:21

Some comments on this:
It is extremely rare that I find myself saying "I wish my Z was a manual." Maybe just once a month.

On the boring cars with manuals: I drove a manual Honda Fit. The shifter wasn't bad, but the clutch sucked. It was super vague and the take-up was so ill defined that I wasn't able to do a hill start with any kind of consistency without the handbrake.

The R53 Mini is definitely an example of a car made by it's transmission. The clutch and shifter are some of the best that I've ever used and make a good car with a good engine a truly awesome one. It's also worth noting that this car is the exception to the rule.

Dsscats > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/18/2015 at 22:23

Exactly. Go ahead, please tell me why the Pagani Huayra, a 730 HP, RWD car without traction control is a disconnected experience because it has paddles over a clutch and shifter.

Jedidiah > bhardoin
03/18/2015 at 22:24

I see where your points come from, but it seems like it depends on the car.

The manual must contribute significantly to the experience of the car.

I wouldn't turn down some classic muscle because it isn't a 4 speed, nor would I turn down a beastly truck like a Jeep Gladiator or Power Wagon because it wasn't a manual. It being an auto wouldn't ruin the experience of the car. Whether the experience is improved seems to be up to how you use it.

For example, I wouldn't want a rock crawling Rubicon with an auto.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:35

Counter point: The second generation 4Runner with a manual gets to 60 up to 5 seconds faster than the auto, and it also gets 4-5 mpg better all together. I find myself longing for a manual every time I go somewhere that I'll have to pull out onto a highway without a light. It's the difference between I can make that, and I'll just wait another 5 minutes for a bigger gap.

Vicente Esteve > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:42

While I completely agree with you that a transmission doesn't make a car "unconnected" some cars do benefit from having a manual. Other cars are oddly surprising and oddly satisfying to find them with a manual.

For example, a Ford Raptor won't be better with a manual.

A Chevy Spark or a VW Beetle will be more enjoyable with a manual for sure though.

IMO, I like the feeling that manual gives me. When I go back to auto I feel I want to be in another gear and how I would drive it if I could control the gears.

XJDano > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 22:42

I believe the GTi only came in manual 4cyl.

bhardoin > Jedidiah
03/18/2015 at 23:01

Agree. I guess my point was that the cars OP and I seem to disagree on a couple segments that are kinda pivotal for me.

PS9 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 23:29

Kinja'd!!!

THE HERETIC HAS BEEN FOUND! WE'LL END 'EM!!!

(Just kidding lol)

 V8 Rustler > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/18/2015 at 23:51

Kinja'd!!!

Jalop bait

Katsumoto > Dsscats
03/18/2015 at 23:51

My DD is a stock Fit. I agree, even with a slight upgrade over stock clutch, flywheel, pressure plate it still feels meh.

There are some cars made by an manual, like the Z06. Up uuntil the C7, the 5 and 6 Z06s were manual. You knew when you saw a Z06 it had the correct transmission in God's Chariot.

I know after many years of my DD/beater being a stick. My next DD is a slushbox.

I'll take the shit from my friends and coworkers for owning an automatic. But 60 miles to work one way, 20-30 mins of traffic each way, yeah, automatic for my ass.

Arch Duke Mayenko, knows about Cincy morning traffic. Makes you wish you could shoot some people in the face and get away with it.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/19/2015 at 02:43

Interesting. Im in the exact opposite boat. I cant fucking stand driving my one vehicle with an auto. I hate it. Has no feel and no soul. Im also constantly pushing a clutch in and there isnt one there on that car.

duurtlang > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/19/2015 at 03:23

I don't think you can slap a clutch pedal on a humdrum car and make it a driving revelation.

Absolutely true. A manual Corolla is still shitty to drive. However, a decent manual on any car with at least a modicum of character and which isn't a barge does make the driving experience more interesting. A 280ZX with a 3-speed auto might be great to drive, with a manual it would be even better.

Pixel > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/19/2015 at 08:47

I'm right with you on this one. It also matters what you want from a vehicle.

My little buzz-box DD with 108hp? Manual is going to make that a bit more fun to drive(helps that the xB has a pretty nice setup)

My super basic old work-hours pickup? Gotta be a manual, If I don't need the optional passenger sun visor, I don't need no fancy automatic.

The classic car I'm vaguely looking to buy to go to car cruises in and take on road trips? Gotta be an automatic, I need that arm to put around my best girl. :)

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/19/2015 at 10:20

You make an excellent and underrated point. A good car is a good car, whether or not it's a stick, and a stick doesn't make junk into greatness.

For me, it's really going to boil down to the particular car. My Civic would be a fine DD whether it was a stick or not (it is), but I feel my Jaguar is substantially better with an automatic. I wouldn't throw it out of the garage if somebody had converted it, but nobody could convince me that that car would be better with a third pedal.

It was a brave thing that you just did. But when you're right, you're right.

Your boy, BJR > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time
03/19/2015 at 11:02

so if I can drive it without confusing it for a manual and retaining my soul and passion, does that make me a better driver/person? I think yes

I HAVE CONQUORED THE SOUL VACUUM AND MASTERED THE DUAL PEDAL! BOW BEFORE YOUR NEW GOD!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/22/2015 at 23:27

A manual makes the experience of a crappy car a little better, and an automatic makes the experience of a great car a little worse.

I just love the involvement/interaction...