Do you also support that cell phone use should be a preference?

That is the only point I am trying to make. Manual or automatic is a
preference. People shouldn't be rated as "good or bad, smart or not-so"
based on which transmission they prefer.

When it comes right down to it this is the early 21st century and modern
automatics are pretty damn good, and with 4 or 5 speeds and lock up
torque converters are about as economical as a stick.  They are also a
lot better when dealing with towing or extreme conditions such as snow.

Modern cars have cruise control, keep your brakes from locking up, your
wheels from spinning with traction control, keep you cool when it's hot,
warm when it's cold, and some cars will even recognize you and set the
seats, climate control and audio systems the way you like them.

In this world stick shifts are a pretty small deal, and the clutch
mechanisms add complexity.

I like sticks myself, it's about all I've ever had, but if I keep
working where I am my next daily driver is going to have an automatic, a
stick shift in stop and go traffic is a PAIN.

Jeff DeWitt

Does it make you feel more like a man to be able to drive a manual? Sounds
like someone has a complex.

Could have fooled me...Korean pickups are more practical than the american ones.
Any fool that has trouble using a standard transmission is an uncoordinated
syphilitic monkey. I've the coordination of a B movie zombie and I can handle a
standard in almost any situation...haven't had the opportunity to drive arctic
ice or live lava flows.
I agree with a couple others here, people who can't drive a standard are
pussies.

They just don't know any better.

Jeff DeWitt

Yes these are shocking challenges for citizens of the richest nation on earth.

Elsewhere on the planet it seems not to be seen as a problem.

Graham

The average driver is better off with an automatic.  The don't have to
worry about shifting at the right time, starting off on hills, down
shifting for coming down steep hills, lugging the engine or riding the
clutch.  And it's hard to steer, shift, hold a cup of coffee and a cell
phone all at the same time!

But then there are a few oddballs like me who pretty much only drive
sticks... my last car with an automatic was also my first car, a
Studebaker Hawk.  My current car is a Jeep Cherokee and the clutch was
still working perfectly when the throwout bearing went out at 300,000 miles.

Jeff DeWitt

This is utter B.S. because the move to computerized automatics was to better
control the engine and shifting, since many people stay in loer gears too
long or bluntly don't know haw to drive a standard.  As for repairs, I had a
friend that priced a manual rebuild, and it was around $1400 at the time,
approaximately the same as for an automatic.
Roy

Actually, a modern computer-controlled automatic is probably better
than most stick drivers in terms of fuel economy.

However, automatics are more complex and a lot more expensive to
fix, and do not last as long as manuals due to the complexity.

Ted

The US is also a Hell of a lot bigger than Germany or Japan... and most
folks either don't like stick shifts or don't even know how to use them.

And the fact of that matter is that modern automatics are pretty damn
good and the gas mileage difference is pretty minor.

Jeff DeWitt

A more advanced society burns three times as much fuel as Germany and
Japan, and still gets no fun out of it? Funny.

Most of the world also bathes once a week or less too, but that doesn't
mean a more advanced society like ours needs to do the same thing.

Jeff DeWitt

LOL !

It's what most of the world already does.

Graham

GM Shifts to Manual Transmissions for Global Warming

Responding to growing concerns over global warming, General Motors
(GM) announced today that it would make all of its vehicles with
standard transmissions, starting in 2009. Manual transmissions
generally get better fuel mileage than automatics.

GM CEO Rick Wagoner described the initiative at a press conference at
the company headquarters in Detroit: "We've been coddling our lazy
fellow Americans for too long. It's time everyone started using their
left foot. This is what Jesus would do."

Wagoner said that manual transmissions typically get 2-3 mpg better
mileage than the same vehicle equipped with an automatic, and that in
some cases the difference can be as much as 5 mpg. GM plans to focus
on high-efficiency manuals to minimize the company's output of
greenhouse gases. Manuals are also generally considered more fun to
drive and less expensive to manufacture and maintain.

The GM announcement received a mixed reaction. The late Jerry Falwell
rose from his grave to insist that Jesus would have driven a large van
with an automatic, because he would need to carry so many of his
followers. Other religious leaders hailed the effort to reduce global
warming.

On the environmental side, NRDC President Frances Beineke applauded
the move and encouraged other auto manufacturers to follow suit.

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s8i21068

Well, it's all A SPOOF! You knew it, right? You know that, although
making a lot of sense, nothing will make the HUNGRY CORPORATIONS get
into a diet. Well, nothing but THE REVOLUTION...

http://atom.smasher.org/streetparty/?l1=Coming+Soon%3A&l2=the&l3=Banana+Revoluti
on%21&l4=

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