Yes. Age 30. Learned at age 16 on a test drive. That was interesting. The first car I bought was a standard, and I've currently got a standard (although my truck is an auto - which I prefer in a truck anyways). I feel substantially more engaged, and there's no better feeling than mashing the throttle, getting just under redline and kicking up a gear.
Can't double clutch, never driven anything that required it. Can't do the old shift with out the clutch trick either. Kind of scared to try.
I'd say about 80% of my friends can drive stick, but the industry I work in probably skews those numbers. Looking back at my group of friends in say college or even high-school it would probably be 30-50%, being generous.
The whole tiptronic/shiftomatic/automanual (whatever your prefferred brand calls it) being touted as some fancy new feature drives me nuts. You could do the exact same thing 15 years ago in an auto except now it's a push button instead of moving the shift lever up and down. It's still going to override your input if the ECU feels you're revving to high, and won't always drop down when you want it to. I'm convinced the only reason it exists is because it would be really awkward to have all the gears 6-speed auto transmission on a handle at the steering wheel or in the console.
I remember going on a test drive a few years ago and asking if that specific model came in a standard. To which the reply was "More or less - it has a manual mode". Buddy, that's no where close to "more or less".
Paddle shifting is actually pretty cool, but still not the same.
I remember when I bought my car how embarrassingly hard it was to find a used one in manual. Considering a manual transmission was one of my must-haves it was rather frustrating.
However if I were to buy a
new sports car I'm not sure I'd go with a manual. With the new 8-speed double clutches the autos are now surpassing lap times over the standards.
Nah, who am I kidding. I'd still go with a stick.
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Originally Posted by Old Yeller
It used to be when buying a new car, standards were cheaper than automatics... is that still the case?
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I've seen a few that now charge extra for a standard, if it's even available.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda
there's no real advantage to a stick other than the fun factor,
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Cost - clutch/throwout bearing replacement is around $1500, vs $4000+ for an auto trans replacement.
Power - Especially noticeable on underpowered cars. You'll get better mileage and more useable power with a stick.