OT: Talking Cars Tuesday - Return of the stick
So in 2022 sales of manual transmission vehicles increased!
https://www.wsj.com/articles/manual-transmission-stick-shift-cars-929dc155
https://www.theautopian.com/manual-gearbox-popularity/
I think there are a few theories as to why. There were only 42 vehicles available with sticks, and those 42 were good for 1.7% of all sales in the US. We've got a bifurcation of the market, with sticks increasingly being offered in enthusiast models, and people choosing them just because as opposed to for numbers or other reasons. So, is this a dead-cat bounce? Are people buying them because it's their last opportunity? Or are we finding a happy medium - where people are buying irrational cars with irrational transmissions because they want them. Do you have a manual? Are you shopping for one?
My daily is a Fiat 124 Spider with a 6 speed. So much fun to drive, and I wouldn't have that car any other way.
I also have a couple older vehicles with sticks, an 86 Jeep Cherokee with a little Renault diesel engine that only came with a 5 speed, and an unusual Dodge Lancer Shelby from the late 80s with a 5 speed that you could get with an automatic, but the engine performance was lower, presumably because the automatic transaxle couldn't handle the torque.
Interestingly, my wife grew up driving little sports cars, and is as comfortable with a manual as she is with an automatic.
I am old and my first car was a clapped-out '66 Chevy Pickup that occasionally would blow perfect smoke rings, with a three on the tree. Even our drivers ed simulators had 3 on the tree in the mid 70's. Learning to drive a shift car in a simulator with no feedback but a dash light, and was not helpful.
The only downside of a shift car when I was a kid was the limited ability to put my admittedly crappy moves on my date while shifting. I also had a '55 TBird, '76 Lotus Eclat, '72 Porsche 914, '85 Audi, and '93 Audi with sticks. But my wife did not drive a stick so my last stick was a '04 Mini Cooper S that went largely undriven. We needed a new kids' car so the Mini went by the wayside.
The supercharged Mini Cooper, VW-powered Porsche 914, and my brother's Triumph TR6 were the most fun to drive.
In h.s. I had a '89 Mustang Corbra that was manual. That car was so much fun to drive, and the last manual transmission car I owned.
March 22nd, 2023 at 10:02 AM ^
I have a '94 Miata. The Stick makes the car.
There is something about rowing your own gears that puts you that much more in tune with the machine.
I wouldn't do a stick all the time. If I had a hellcat or something similar I'd take the slushbox. But a stick has it's place.
March 22nd, 2023 at 10:06 AM ^
I always used to drive sticks. Ford EXP. Mazda RX7. Several F350s.
But I kept spilling my drinks which made it look like I had wet myself. Now that cupholder design has progressed, this post has made me reconsider returning to a manual. I miss the "feel" it gives you.
Granted, soon I will probably be legit wetting myself...
March 22nd, 2023 at 10:57 AM ^
For the MGoGearheads who are also fans of the Apollo program and manned space exploration in general, I highly recommend "Across the Airless Wilds: The Lunar Rover and the Triumph of the Final Moon Landings" by Earl Swift.
It gives an incredibly detailed, blow-by-blow account of the development of the lunar rovers, with great emphasis on the engineering and scientific challenges facing those who created the rovers.
March 22nd, 2023 at 11:36 AM ^
Spread the word...
The Manual Gearbox Preservation Society
A community of car enthusiasts dedicated to the analog driving experience.
I've driven a stick my entire life. My first car was a 1971 yellow Volvo wagon, it was older than I was. My last two vehicles have both been black Subaru WRXs. I just find it so more satisfying driving a manual. But yeah, on our regular trips to the city (Seattle), I realize that if I lived in a more crowded environment, I'd have to suck it up and buy an automatic.
My last manual was a 2003 Mustang GT, loved that car! Was able to break the tires loose in the 2nd-3rd gear shift at about 70mph. Fun times!
Now that I'm much older, I'm not sure I want another stick even in a sports car. Just too hard on the legs, that said I enjoy being able to manually shift my auto, but some of them are more fun than others. My old Infiniti QX56 was fun, my wife's Ford Edge Sport with paddle shifters is somewhat fun, my F150 not so much.
March 24th, 2023 at 12:06 AM ^
Indifferent to manuals. They suck if you live in a hilly area or have long stop and go commutes. Sure they’re kind of fun (sort of) if you have relatively flat terrain and minimal traffic. When they completely disappear in new cars, I’ll miss them as much rotary dial phones, 8-track tapes, and VCR’s.