The death of the stick shift is almost here.

[MilesTeg]

The death of the manual transmission is an American phenomenon. Traveling in Europe, the manual is very common. I learned to drive on an old Ford Three on the Tree tranny. I do see the day when all the vehicles will be automatic.

New car manual sales in the EU are dropping like a rock too. Down from 80% to 30% in the last decade. They are just a decade or two behind the U.S. in that respect.

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[GoHawks63]

I will miss the manual transmission if/when it’s gone but I won’t miss dumb posts like this and the gatekeepers that think driving a manual transmission makes them somehow superior. My ex was a dumb as they come and she drove a 5-speed Accord for half a decade.

Driving a manual transmission is extremely easy and the problem is more to do with the change of times and diminishing cultural status of driving. The human love affair with the automobile is diminishing decade over decade as driving is now largely viewed by the masses as a means to simply get from point A to B and an obstacle that keeps drivers off their beloved phones. That’s just the way it is. I’ve had a lifelong love affair with the automobile and have driven manual transmission cars for the majority of my adult life but I’m not going to be an old man yelling at clouds at its death because change is part of life and not accepting that robs one of potential happiness of going with the flow and embracing new situations. Buy and drive manual transmission vehicles for as long as you can but remember that today’s society isn’t the problem. It’s the reality of the world we live in today and you adapt or reduce yourself to the Simpsons old man yelling at clouds meme for the rest of your life.

Back to the quoted post. If you think driving an automatic is making you a moron, it’s more a reflection of your own intellect and that maybe you were probably a moron in the first place.

Very true. Well said.

 

[Smocaine]

ldriving a manual transmission makes them somehow superior.

It very literally does. I think their data beats your anecdote.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a...-transmission-keeps-your-brain-healthy-study/
Justify your decision to drive on easy mode to yourself all you like, but there's no need to project your everyday frustration onto me.

 

[HalfmuleFarmer]

New car manual sales in the EU are dropping like a rock too. Down from 80% to 30% in the last decade. They are just a decade or two behind the U.S. in that respect.

This thread makes me remember my longest stint driving a stick: a couple years in Ireland, in some Irish-built Ford, driving on the wrong side of the road, shifting with my left hand. Can’t say I really miss it!

 

[crzyhawk]

b) nostalgic because they grew up driving a manual. The second group? It is getting smaller by the day. In ten years? Invisible.

this hits pretty close to home. I like my 7MT, but it's not the same as banging gears on the TR3650 in my Mustang. When I bought it, the manual was mandatory. I am not sure how true that remains today. If I were buying something I intended to offroad, I'd probably go with the automatic because it's easier. A new Mustang would still be a manual, but the Bronco? I'm not out banging gears in it. the manual doesn't quite hit the same.

 

[Ducati1098]

It very literally does. I think their data beats your anecdote.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a...-transmission-keeps-your-brain-healthy-study/
Justify your decision to drive on easy mode to yourself all you like, but there's no need to project your everyday frustration onto me.

“There is a caveat worth noting. Kawashima’s comments reference his body of neuroimaging research rather than a single newly published paper, and several outlets covering the story note they have been unable to identify a specific study. Treat it as informed expert opinion rather than settled science.”

Aka, it’s pretty much nonsense and does not actually prove driving a manual makes you superior (or anything else) in anyway.

I like driving manuals as much as anyone else, and still own/drive multiple manual vehicles, but let’s not try to make something out of nothing lol

 

[Q1svt]

And there goes the thread… but hey did get to 4-5 pages

 

[Imaginary Friend]

Just got a low mileage 06 Wrangler LJ Rubi manual. I'll be keeping that one to satisfy wanting to drive a stick.

You dog...I want one sooooo bad.

 

[VirginiaHeritage]

Very few companies (that want to make money) keep making a product that has 0.6% market share.

You’re not wrong, but many companies exist entirely in that fringe. Ferrari’s market share is roughly 0.018% of global auto sales. Rolex is well under 1% of the watch market for units sold. Many such cases.

While it might not be profitable for Ford at the per-unit level, there is probably a business case for giving the enthusiasts what they want and maintaining loyalty to the overall brand.

 

[GoHawks63]

You’re not wrong, but many companies exist entirely in that fringe. Ferrari’s market share is roughly 0.018% of global auto sales. Rolex is well under 1% of the watch market for units sold. Many such cases.

While it might not be profitable for Ford at the per-unit level, there is probably a business case for giving the enthusiasts what they want and maintaining loyalty to the overall brand.

Those products are aspirational and status driven. Most people, not all, but most people who buy Ferraris rarely drive them, and as far as manuals go, they stopped building cars with manuals many years ago, replacing it with the DCT. As did Chevy with the Corvette

Cadillac had a manual for the 1st and 2nd gen V series cars, but then eliminated it for the 3rd gen. They did bring it back for the CT4 and CT5 Blackwings, and last I read, the take rate was close to 50%. We'll see what happens when the next generation CT5-V Blackwing is introduced.

 

[HalfmuleFarmer]

You’re not wrong, but many companies exist entirely in that fringe. Ferrari’s market share is roughly 0.018% of global auto sales. Rolex is well under 1% of the watch market for units sold. Many such cases.

While it might not be profitable for Ford at the per-unit level, there is probably a business case for giving the enthusiasts what they want and maintaining loyalty to the overall brand.

Correct. Which is the only reason they’re doing it now. Ferrari and Rolex are of course not volume businesses, like Ford. At volume, you’re always faced with the problem of not satisfying all your customers completely. And this calculus changes with time. Rolex and Ferrari enthusiasts won’t go away. Stick Mustangs? 7MT Broncos? Maybe 10 years would be my guess.

 

[Dral97]

You dog...I want one sooooo bad.

Took me a good two or three years to find mine.

 

[VirginiaHeritage]

I retired early almost five years ago. I have a "retirement job" managing a car collection (about 130 cars). Not a bad gig and I get health insurance until I am Medicare eligible in a year or so.

I would say 60% of the cars are manuals, so I get my fix driving them when they need to be exercised.

Wow. Does Jay Leno pay well?

 

[GoHawks63]

Wow. Does Jay Leno pay well?

I think Jay has more than that and he isn't the only one in the country with a large collection.

 

[Dral97]

https://www.thecurbshop.com/collect...kw96Dra_Dy3hxkJt__xb0FQPSmKXSXgRoCAzEQAvD_BwE

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