Standard Transmission?

Chris201W

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I've decided that when I buy the first car of my own, it will be a standard, absolutely. The car I have now is a hand-me-down from my sister and is an automatic. I hate it. After a couple years of driving, I'm sick of making the car do what I want by just pressing the gas and brake, and turning the wheel. I've only driven a standard once, but I absolutely loved how I was actually controlling everything the car did. It was a much more interactive experience. I'm the type of person who can derive pleasure out of operating a complicated machine, and that's exactly what a manual transmission allows.

Who here drives a standard? Why do you drive a standard over an automatic? Is it for the fuel economy, the "fun" factor, or some other reason?
 

bobisculous

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My first two cars were standard. But my third current car is automatic. I prefered standard and always enjoy the day my car goes into the shop as I get to drive a standard again. If I have any control over it, I will get a standard transmission on my fourth car.

-C
 

Flying Turtle

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Standards can be fun, unless you have to drive alot in traffic. I've given them up. The newer ones often have a higher overdrive ratio than the manual and will do as well or better in fuel economy.

Geoff
 

etc

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standard is far more reliable.

My last 2 cars had standard.

I love shifting.

I love the idea I can drive almost any vehicle on the planet.

Small European cars with 5 spd are a blast.

Asian are not bad also.
 

Biker Bear

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I drive a standard. The only automatic that tempts me at all is a CVT - partly because of the sheer geek factor, partly because it can be even more efficient than a standard. Standards are less complex than the usual "slushbox" and in my experience are more reliable.

The only automatics I've encountered that don't set my teeth on edge are some of the most recent and sophisticated 5 and 6 speed automatics - anything with less than 5 speeds will drive me crazy. I recently had a rental Dodge Intrepid while my own car was in the body shop after I was run into - the automatic in that thing just about gave me "road rage." I can't imagine how people put up with something that awful - though I suppose a lot of people have never learned to drive properly and thus don't realize how awful the transmissions are in a lot of cars.

IMO, people should be required to learn to drive a standard to get their license... but that's me.
 

Chris201W

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Biker Bear said:
IMO, people should be required to learn to drive a standard to get their license... but that's me.

I agree. The most obvious argument against such a requirement is that people don't "need" to know how to drive a standard. I think this is a wimpy excuse, since knowing how to drive a standard does a couple of very beneficial things. First, it greatly increases the number of cars on this planet you can drive. Also, it gives you a better understanding of how cars and transmissions work in general. Most people who drive automatics just know that they can step on the gas to make it go. They have next to no understanding of concepts like gear ratio and torque. A far lower percentage of those driving standards are so ignorant.

I guess requiring knowledge of how to drive a standard would be more for enrichment than a necessary skill, but you have to admit, it does seem like a pretty fundamental skill...
 

9volt

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I'm all about the standards. When I was learning to drive all our cars were standards and that's all I knew. When I got to driver's ed I had never driven and automatic and had to ask the chick next to me how to operate it. That got me a funny look ;)
 

Big_Ed

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I've had both standard and automatics, and while you might have more precise control with a standard, a good automatic with a shift kit can shift much faster, with no mistakes, no missing a gear. I was all excited when I got my first stick-shift car, because I felt more directly involved with the car. But the novelty wore off the day I went to a drive-through nature park. Basically it was about an hour or so of constantly clutching. I thought my left foot was going to fall off! So in day to day traffic, I think standards are pretty lame. I just want to put it in gear and go. I wouldn't mind having a standard shift in a weekend car, such as an antique car or muscle car. After all, those are for fun. Shifting every day though is a pain.

I agree though that everyone should learn how to drive a stick shift though. My first experience with a standard was learning on my grandma's mid 60's Chevy Biscayne station wagon. It had a 283 with a 3 on the tree. I wonder how many people know how to drive a column-shift standard these days.
 

vtunderground

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advantages of stick shift:

- better fuel economy
- more fun to drive
- better for off-roading (don't have to worry about tranny overheating)
- i can replace a clutch & rebuild a manual gearbox, I definitely can't rebuild an automatic
- my girlfriend can't drive my truck :)
 

9volt

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Big_Ed said:
a good automatic with a shift kit can shift much faster, with no mistakes, no missing a gear.

True, I had a ride with a big V8 and a B&M and that was alot of fun.

I gotta add that Audi/VWs new DSG is awesome. I'd rather have that than a traditional manual.
 

WNG

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Manual transmissions for me! I enjoy driving, and mastering a standard manual transmission is part of the whole driving experience. Also, I agree with all the afore mentioned advantages. No one likes to be stuck in traffic, and clutching compounds the frustration. But equating that as advantage automatics, is like treating the symptoms and not the cause of a problem. Afterall, it's also a PITA to clutch while awaiting your turn in a drive-thru. Don't be so lazy! Park the car and walk inside.
Unfortunately, cars are becoming appliances in the 'states. And people are doing everything but actually drive in their cars/SUVs. It's become a lost art/skill to drive a manual with finesse.
Yeah, an automatic will get you there with less effort, but that's like equating heating up a TV dinner in a microwave with cooking a hearty meal from scratch, using culinary skill.
 

Topper

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I disagree with most you guys sorry but I do.
I had a Nissan 200SX 5 speed don't remember what year.
It was fun but fact is in normal driving in town it was always in between gears? I am not sure I am expressing that correctly but it was reved to high for first a slightly lugging in second. On the highway no problems.
I had a Dodge Challenger (81 or 82 maybe) little bitty 4 cylinder (might have been a big 4 cylinder I don't know squat about cars) it was Brand new (only brand new car the wife and I ever owned) 5 speed with a Mitsubishi engine I loved squealing or barking the tires in 4 of the 5 forward gears I spun that sucker in a 360 at around 80 in fourth gear straitened out and down shifted to third what a fun car. I burned three quarters of a tank of gas just driving to Memphis the third week we had it (about 82 miles). Yep barking squealing going from 0 to 80 in a few seconds the speedometer stopped at 110 but you could make it bounce off the peg. But in town I was once again "in between gears" almost all the time, that gets old real fast. If I ever get rich I will buy a stick to play with but if I am just driving to work and back well an automatic will be my choice.
To each his own. Oh my cousin worked in a auto store and told me that my little Challenger was one of the most dangerous cars that year for wrecks and injuries just not sure what year it was.
It was fun when I was young.
Topper :huh2:
 

Diesel_Bomber

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All about standard here. I learned to drive on one and have only owned one automatic in my life. The automatic wasn't bad per se, but I could have gotten more out of the car with a standard. My friends have had all kinds of problems with automatics, but never been stranded by a standard. Standards will get real sloppy and fall out of gear when you let go of the stick, or their clutch will go out(and give you lots of warning ahead of time), but they seem to keep chugging along. Standards require a hand throttle or well practiced heel-toe(difficult in a truck with the pedals far apart) for some offroading, but that's no biggy.

Yep, I'll stick with standard. :buddies:
 

SolarFlare

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Standard? is that a manual (stick shift?)?


You take your test in a manual car in the UK. If you can't cope, then you drive an automatic, and you'll be recommended to drive one if you can't cope with a manual, says it all really.
Manual (standard) all the way
buttrock.gif
, much more fun and a more involved experience, and frankly once you're proficient a much safer drive too
smile.gif
 

yuandrew

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I'm pretty much used to an Automatic myself as well but I do occasionally "manual shift" on certain hills in my area just to hold the car in a gear for a longer period when going up and downshift sometimes to control my speed going down the hill. This is just with a normal automatic; not the "shifttronic" stuff where you can rock the shifter in a certain position to change gears; just L, 2, 3, D, then Overdrive On.

I do get a little more fun with the push button Allison transmission in my neighbor's motorhome by using the up and down arrow buttons to change gears on hills but for most of the time, it's just "Press 'D' " and let it do the work for you.


I do have to admit that there is probably too much "automatic" equipment on modern cars and fewer people are knowing how to use normal equipment. Recently, we purchased a Highlander and my dad always reads about the features comming out in new vehicles.
Well, when it rained a couple weeks ago, my dad came home from work and complained the headlights and windshield wipers were not working properly. I tried them and they did work but when my dad saw me turning the switches on, he said "Hey, I though the windshield wipers are supposed to turn on automatically when it rains" (Our car was not equipped with rain sensing wipers.)
 

nerdgineer

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I've driven both. You can have more fun with a manual unless you're stuck in traffic in which case you'll have less fun (unless you're in San Francisco in which case you'll have less fun no matter what...).

Doesn't make that much difference to me these days. I drive an automatic right now because that was what the best deal used car I found happened to be...
 

SolarFlare

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I'm gettin this all wrong :laughing: a standard isn't even a manual is it?

You lot over there need to get more stick shifts, learn how to operate machinery properly :p
 

benighted

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Manual? Automatic? I actually prefer the manual over the regular automatic but my car has a CVT that works more like a differential than a transmission so its more reliable than even a manual. No shift shock, pure efficiency. And its way smarter than your average Automatic in that you can tell the motor (with your foot) to do any RPM's you want while the planetary gears change smoothly without changing the speed of the motor.
 
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