Is your daily driver a manual?

"hethoughtofcars" (hethoughtofcars) 01/15/2014 at 16:48 • Filed to: Manual

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I think it's pretty obvious I'm a proponent of manual transmissions. Way back on Christmas I made this post !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Number 2 on my list was:

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A Manual Transmission in every car EVER.

To which I received this response courtesy of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Not every fucking car needs a manual transmission. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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Now I think it is pretty well established that the manual transmission is the superior transmission, but I've noticed there are still some people who claim that in their daily commute they PREFER an automatic. I've never owned an automatic, and I've been in some terrible traffic up and down the West Coast, living in Los Angeles, driving through Seattle at rush hour, and even where I live now in Portland traffic can get pretty awful. We have the 6th worst traffic in America according to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . (Admittedly I've never tried to drive in San Francisco, I've always taken public transit. Which, contrary to popular opinion, is actually pretty fantastic).

Regardless, I've never thought 'if only I had an automatic, this would be so much easier'. Is your daily driver a manual? What do you drive and where do you commute? Do you wish it were an automatic?

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:50

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I can't drive without my foot in the clutch "just in case".

505Turbeaux > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:51

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30 miles a day from Portland to Saco Maine and back. Drive a stick, only auto I own is slow as death. Love it, light traffic, couple of nice off ranps to hammer down on, and I am at work. Dont want an auto

Sn210 > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:51

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I've owned only 4 cars, but they've all been manuals

André - Volvo4Life > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:52

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Yes. My DD is a manual. :)

Joe_Limon > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:52

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My reasons for owning a manual are different then the usual because racecar aspirations.

I own a manual, because with a manual I can eliminate situations where I am socially obligated to lend my vehicle out, or have somebody else drive. I also don't drink very often so it allows me to play the DD card more often without looking like a party pooper.

Saracen > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:52

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Three cars, 12 years and 240,000 miles all with manual gearboxes.

ddavidn > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:52

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Yes, I DD a manual 30 miles each way to work and back, don't usually wish it was an automatic. Occasionally after an hour and a half in traffic, I wouldn't mind, but 99% of the time I'm good.

Oh, times I have to drive through Portland in rush hour are mostly that 1%...

CAR_IS_MI > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:53

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I have owned 15 vehicles over the past 9 years, of those, two have been automatic, a diesel F350 and my S4. I was okay with the truck being auto (it was my dd) because it served a purpose (keeping the turbo spooled while towing things). If I could have found it in a manual, I would have got it in manual. My S4, I hated. It was a DCT, and not being able to shift a sports car was eating me alive inside. I wont buy another auto unless I 100% absolutely have to.

oldirtybootz > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:53

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I commute on eastern Long Island and DD a Dart Aero 6MT. It's the first manual in my family in over a decade and I don't think I could go back to an auto without encountering more stop and go traffic on my commute.

Roberto G. > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:53

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Yep. Here in Italy we still LOVE the manuals. For us, automatics are for the disabled, the taxi drivers, the old ladies and the fat commendatori... because our gals love the manuals as well.

area man > 505Turbeaux 01/15/2014 at 16:54

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Friend of mine went to UNE, I've been to Saco many times! Small world.

505Turbeaux > area man 01/15/2014 at 16:55

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too bad the operative word is "went" or I would say come back up for a visit

505 - morphine not found > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:56

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I had an automatic DD once, and i can tell you, that in a dense city an auto can take a lot of burden off the driver. So yeah, i can completely see the point in quite a few cars.

But i can happily report, that both of the cars in my possession as of now, are manuals.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:57

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Yessir.

Tulsa; it has eight individual throttle bodies and an 8000+ redline.

Nope.

GRawesome > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:57

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My DD is a manual and 3 of 5 of our family cars are manual. My wife does not prefer a manual but that is mainly because she never learned, I have since taught her but she still prefers the auto.
For me, a manual is must. I think I will always have a manual DD. I don't think I could ever DD an auto, don't really
like driving them at all in fact unless it is something special. I don't like rental cars because they are all auto (probably best thing about Europe - manual rental cars).
I think the arguments on both sides that have been around forever (traffic, MPGs, cost) are all null at this point given current technologies and it just comes down to personal preference.

camaroboy68ss > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:57

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I live in Beaverton,Oregon (west of Portland about 15min drive on 26) and my current daily is a manual in a 4th gen camaro. I travel into Portland all the time now with work and other car related evets and I don't have any problems with a manual for a DD.

liquid_popcorn > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:58

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I drive a 2013 GTI Wolfsburg with a manual - love it, wouldn't have it any other way. Previous vehicle was a 2010 Ford Focus SE auto, loathed it. Second vehicle was a 1996 Cherokee Sport with a 3in lift, 30.5's, and a 5speed. Loved the shit out of it.

My wife dislikes driving a manual, although she can. So any autos I buy will be for her; I'm okay with that.

Wacko > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:58

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My 2010 SX4 AWD 6 speed, and my 97 jeep TJ.

I think my SX4 is one of the last AWD manual cars out there. That and the Impreza.

So hard to find manual awd cars...

All of my cars I owned where manuals all 7 or 8 of them

Jonee > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:58

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A: Of course. I enjoy driving.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Roberto G. 01/15/2014 at 16:59

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Ha! COTD

JustWaitingForAMate > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 16:59

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Manual.

Tuned VF Commodore SS-V Redline V8.

Drive time to work - 5 minutes at 6:30 am.

Drive time from work - 5-10 minutes at 3:00 pm.

I drive mainly though 50 kmh zones, highest speed is a single 60 kmh zone. I miss all the morning traffic and get hit by all the parents heading to the schools in the afternoon for pickup.

Is the car completely impractical for its current use? Yes.

Should I be driving an automatic? Probably.

Will I? Fuck no.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Roberto G. 01/15/2014 at 17:01

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So, what's the consensus of most of your friends that Ferrari doesn't offer a true manual anymore?

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:01

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1996 328i Manual Sedan in Cincinnati and Kentucky.

desertdog5051 > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:01

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Does a motorcycle count?

MIATAAAA > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:02

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My DD is a manual. I would never want an automatic. Used to commute for hours in Houston. In a manual.

Still never wanted an automatic.

If I lived in San Francisco, I bet I'd get really good at using my parking brake. And I'd love every second of it.

Velocity- Peuguette Connoisseur > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:02

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No, lol. Oh damn it looks like literally everyone else drives a manual. Shit. It's not my fault though :c

STREPITUS > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:02

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Manual DD here as well.

jariten1781 > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:03

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DC metro here (aka the place that's number one or two worst commute depending on the year) and yup I DD a manual, as does the wife. The 'I have a bad commute' is a terrible excuse for an auto.

Now, I can see how it would be awful to have an extremely heavy unsprung racing clutch in bumper to bumper traffic, but any car with one of those would be awful in a commute anyway.

Party-vi > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:03

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My daily driver is not a manual, and I miss my manual transmission a lot. Kickdowns with my car's autobox are never at the right time, the lag between the pedal and throttle response is terrible and in "manual" mode it shifts terrible. I would much rather have a manual in my daily driver.

Now, my other car has an automatic tranmission and I love it. 3 speeds with a shift kit and hot damn it's fun to drive. Shifts are crisp and fast, and with the mechanical kick-down I can always predict when it'll happen or just bump down a gear. I love it. Wouldn't trade that auto for the world.

It depends on the car you're in honestly. I recently had the chance to try out an RS5 and the automatic transmission in that car suits it very well; lightning-fast shifts and you can keep both hands on the wheel as you flick through gear changes. A manual transmission might not have worked as well for the experience.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:06

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Over the last 15 years I've owned 30+ cars and I think only two or three of them had something other than a manual transmisson, one of them had a semi automatic (three speed stick shifter on the floor, but no clutch pedal)

Party-vi > jariten1781 01/15/2014 at 17:06

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Stop-and-go on 295 or 395 and you've never once thought "man I wish I had an automatic"?

O_o

Roberto G. > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/15/2014 at 17:07

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Well, it's like for the mobile phones that are not phones anymore, but some kinda computers. It's progress, but not everyone likes it. Mostly, these things are liked by the younghuns. Personally, I think I'll like a manual gear till my last day on this planet, even if I'm now using a Windows 8 phone, where to make a phone call you need to first click the handset icon (a BIG one) and next you must touch a (very small) icon of a keyboard, between other four different icons for other four different functions. A quite annoying procedure indeed, if you're in the hurry of making a call. But that is. I cannot have a mobile phone made on my own specifications, but till there's a manual car on the market, that's the car I'm willing to buy.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:08

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I'm on my second car with an automatic transmission, the previous cars I've owned/driven were all stick shift. I drive about 20K miles a year, very little of it commuting on the interstates, with most of my drive time on county roads or interstates, with lots of inner city driving mixed in as well. I don't like auto's, but my left knee can't take pushing a clutch pedal 100 - 200+ times daily anymore. It sucks getting old.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Roberto G. 01/15/2014 at 17:09

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I'm with you. And I'd like to teach my grandkids one day, too.

RazoE > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:12

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Yup, I daily a 5-speed IS 300. I used to daily 3 Supras, all manual.

hethoughtofcars > RazoE 01/15/2014 at 17:19

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Is300s came with manuals? I thought only the smaller engine had a manual option (that they have now killed, of course).

oldirtybootz > Roberto G. 01/15/2014 at 17:20

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The problem with America is that in general we don't love cars anymore. They're equivalent to a smart phone, if not on a lesser status. This country used to love the automobile but now it's little more than an appliance. A manual tranismission complicates that appliance so people don't want to even bother with them. Look at all the car thefts that are prevented when the theif sees a third pedal. For us, it's a further connection to the car, for them it's a hassle.

TwoFortified > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:23

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Yup, my DD is a stick, and that's how I like it.

My wife's DD is automatic. When we go places, I usually drive (because I want to, and she's indifferent; I'd let her if she asked). I'm fully familiar with automatics, and even like her car (an early 2000's Maxima).

That said, I still prefer manuals. I haven't asked her, but her last car was manual. I wonder if she misses it?

BrtStlnd > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:25

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My daily driver is an auto, my weekend car is a manual... but I honestly don't feel like I'm missing anything on my commute. In fact, I don't plan on ever buying another manual for daily use. I've scratched that itch and didn't care for it.

jariten1781 > Party-vi 01/15/2014 at 17:28

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Nope... We actually bought a gti with a DSG and both of us hated it. I do 495 to 395 into SE every day.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Roberto G. 01/15/2014 at 17:34

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Amen, even though some smartphones allow you to customize shortcuts and quick access to things, that's one issue we shouldn't even have to worry about. The phone shortcut should *always* be there.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Roberto G. 01/15/2014 at 17:38

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And if my experience with the Tipo says anything at all, it's that if there's one thing the italians can do is a smooth but unerringly accurate and satisfying shifter. Seriously, I sometimes roll down my windows in slow traffic just so I can match the revs and listen to the gears engaging.

wkiernan > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:44

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Since 1974 my DD has always had a manual. Since 2000 it has been one Miata or another. My commute for the last 15 years or so has been 34 miles each way, and most of the time about a third of it is in heavy stop-n-go traffic. You'd think that would be a drag with a manual but I make a game out of it, driving fast enough that I don't get a stream of guys cutting in front of me, yet slow enough that I'm not constantly on the brakes.

But for a while there I was taking my wife's 2012 Camry hybrid to work on occasion. I know you all are freaking out over the double nemesis of "Camry" and "hybrid," but I really, really like her car. I like it a lot more than any other automatic-transmission car I've ever driven. And the Camry hybrid is at its best in that heavy stop-n-go traffic, because while everybody else is burning up gasoline in vain while either standing still or barely moving at all, I'm in full-electric mode, with gas consumption down at zero and the bars in the little scrolling mileage histogram all maxed out at the top of their range.

While I'm uttering heresy I'll even go so far as this: I would prefer her hybrid Camry to any BMW sedan with an automatic, because if I'm going to drive a sedan with an automatic I'd prefer a reasonably priced one that gets 44 MPG to a ridiculously expensive sports-car wannabe, ruined with a non-sports-car transmission.

CPT Speedbump > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:47

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Both of my cars are sticks.

RazoE > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 17:51

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Yeah, the 1st gen had a manual option from 2002-2005. It's a W55 (similar to the W58 offered in the SC300). You could also get a 6 speed in the 2nd gen IS250.

Infact, Lexus has always had a manual option:

1989-1991 ES250

1992-1996 ES300

1992-1997 SC300

2002-2005 IS300

2006-2013 IS250

This current generation of Lexus are the only ones without a manual option.

Casper > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 18:22

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I have a manual in all mine, my wife has a paddle shifter in hers because she wears huge high heel shoes and complains about driving a manual, so I caved.

I just hate automatics. I can live with dual clutch systems, but a manual is where it's at for me. Even with DCGs I only run them in manual mode all the time. They would be good, but there are times I don't want to have to change through 4 gears and just want to jump straight to first. There are times when I don't want to lurch to a stop like some king of hunch back beast because the torque converter/stall is holding on tight trying to pretend it's a clutch.

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 18:32

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Manuals are great. I've never owned a car without one (I have driven autos, in rentals and borrowed cars. I hate the throttle response and my left foot habitually air stomps.)

I drive them in heavy traffic (right through LA in rush hour) and in light traffic and I've never once felt like it was too much of a burden. I have cruise control too, but I never use it, and my right foot gets better mpg.

Do all the people who prefer autos in heavy traffic just have really heavy clutches or something? The STI clutch I stomp around isn't exactly the lightest in the world. My left leg gets a workout, but then again, what's wrong with that? Are people really tiring of pushing their left leg half a foot (.15m?) to change gear?

I'm being serious, and those questions weren't rhetorical. I've never seen it go into detail, or if they just prefer a level of convenience that is worth the tradeoff in throttle response. Any ideas, Jalops?

NaturallyAspirated > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 19:11

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My DD is a manual. I live in the LA/SFV area. Traffic can be a bit of a pain but the Subaru has a light clutch pedal so it's not bad. I definitely prefer manual over automatic, even for daily driving.

BKRM3 > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 19:56

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Philadelphia and the suburbs. E90 M3 6MT - wouldn't have it any other way.

thebigbossyboss > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 21:18

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I DD a manual. My only regret is when it's needing power to get through snow. Then I wish I had an auto so I could match it without worrying about the clutch.

hethoughtofcars > thebigbossyboss 01/15/2014 at 21:58

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Yeah I will admit that once I was caught in a snow and ice storm in a 325i with a manual. That was not a pleasant experience. An Audi driver even pulled up to me and told me to 'turn off the traction control.' Appreciate it! You Quattro driving bastard.

getFuckedHerb > hethoughtofcars 01/15/2014 at 22:12

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Of course it is, I am on Opposite Lock, right?!

(I cheat, I work from home, the wifes car is an autobox but my vehicle is a manual)

Party-vi > jariten1781 01/15/2014 at 22:41

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I bet the DSG was really jerky at low speeds. Also, fuuuuuuck that commute!

hethoughtofcars > wkiernan 01/15/2014 at 23:53

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My dad owns a Camry Hybrid. And I must say that I find it kind of fun to try and get the best mileage possible. I know that's weird, but it keeps you occupied. :)

911e46z06 > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 02:38

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Rockin the SMG for the DD. It's the perfect balance. But for 'spirited' driving, only the manual will do.

InvalidnostCCCP > Roberto G. 01/16/2014 at 05:27

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And presumably none of these people are allowed to be Jalops or car enthusiasts in any way, huh?

I've only owned manuals, commuting in Atlanta, Boston, DC, London, and Moscow. I've never wanted an automatic, but I have to agree with Hi, I'm Nibby! here. Not every car needs to be a manual; not every car should be a manual.

Roberto G. > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion 01/16/2014 at 13:46

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I hope your Tipo will last forever! BTW, why don't you write an e-mail to FIAT Customer Service, telling the story of your car? Who knows what could come out of it...

liquid1036 > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:49

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Yes! 2010 Audi A4 6 speed Manual, living in the DC/MD area.

Roberto G. > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion 01/16/2014 at 13:55

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Indeed this is the only negative aspect I've found in Windows phone so far... to make a call, you first need to touch the handset icon here, and that's easy even without glasses...

...but to get to the numeric pad to dial, than you have to touch the ridiculously small second icon from left, and this is just stupid. Couldn't they put a BIG button in the middle of that uselessly empty screen? But what I know... they're Microsoft!!

Roberto G. > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/16/2014 at 13:57

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Thanks!

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Roberto G. 01/16/2014 at 14:12

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Haha, thanks, so do I! I've actually thought about it a few times already, but never gotten round to it. Now that you mention it, I might actually go ahead and do it, as I'll have lots of free time during February, when my internship ends.

f86sabre > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 14:14

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Atlanta

Evo VIII - Manual

Mini Cooper S - Manual

I'm the guy who showed that a bunch of professional race drivers, including Mario, DD autos/flappy paddle. So, I think people should drive what they want. Despite what this group of enthusiasts think the world is largely heading toward autos.

http://jalopnik.com/5952924/mario-…

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BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Roberto G. 01/16/2014 at 14:15

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Could be worse, it could be a kinja phone, haha... But yeah, my large fingers have all kinds of problems with touch screens as well, and the fact that android phones seem to pick a random screen to show up everytime you click the phone icon doesn't help either. In the default setup there already are shortcuts for both the phone and the contacts list on the home screen, but exit the phone from the contacts screen and the next time you tap it, you get the damn contacts screen, giving you virtually two shortcuts to the same screen.

Dimelo > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 16:17

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yes i love my fiesta st

texasfordfan > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 17:47

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No :(

But my car was given to me for free, and right now my mom is still paying for gas and insurance. So I can't complain too much. When I go to my dad's house though, I get to drive his Mini with a stick :)

McLarry > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 18:56

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Yep, my daily driver is a manual, as was the car I had before it (not to mention my wife's current and last car as well). My commute is easy now, but I used to have a 70 mile (each way) commute through Baltimore for a few years, which I drove every day with a stick-shift. When the time came for a new car I'll admit I briefly considered an auto just to make life less hellish in daily traffic, but I decided I wasn't going to sacrifice my drive on every other road I took by choice for the benefit of one stretch of highway that I drove by obligation, and so I bought another manual.

To those of you saying you need an auto for your commute: no you don't, and I know because I've sat in some of the worst traffic day after day... Maybe your knee will ache, but your commute shouldn't dictate how you drive everywhere else, and if it does it's only because you let it. Grow a pair and a get a stick-shift.

McMike > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 19:51

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Every one of my drivers is a manual.

4-speeds only.

Two reverses are next to 1st, one reverse is next to second, and one is next to fourth.

trynthink > wkiernan 01/16/2014 at 21:56

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Completely agree with the last part of your post. I don't really mind automatics in cars that are suited to them (e.g. hybrids, electric cars that don't have a real transmission anyway), but it makes me sad to see people buy otherwise awesome cars and then smother them in automediocrity. It's a little like seeing people smoke in nice cars – nice thing immediately ruined.

leicester > hethoughtofcars 01/17/2014 at 14:03

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yep. Frontier PU, prior to that - two B-series, and a Nissan hardbody (yes, I prefer little pickups).

d16y8 > hethoughtofcars 01/23/2014 at 20:57

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my daily is a 5-speed 6th-gen civic with a loud exhaust. I love it: nothing like engine breaking next to a prius.

TREE88 > hethoughtofcars 01/23/2014 at 22:10

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my daily driver is a harley davidson, so yep- manual

NikolasKontovounisios > Roberto G. 01/24/2014 at 11:19

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same situation here(greece) too... although new high end cars are auto. i have a manual miata btw

Jonnywaffles > hethoughtofcars 01/25/2014 at 13:26

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I live in central Pa so no NYC or DC sized traffic jams but I've never once complained in stop and go with my manual. When I drive an automatic in traffic I actually get bored and wish I had a manual in traffic just to keep me somewhat entertained.

Jon Root > hethoughtofcars 02/09/2014 at 00:28

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Yep. 2004 BMW 330i ZHP - 6MT. It's a total joy. ^_^