Manual Vehicles

[Hans Tucker]

Ok ... who still drives manual vehicles today. I for one do and I want my next vehicle to be a manual. A friend whom has never driven a manual asked why .. my reply ... manuals are fun and I like driving.

Do they even teach driving of manual vehicles today?

My future car .. I am eyeing off either a Honda Civic Type R or a 2022 Subaru WRX. Maybe not a good choice for someone in their 50's.

[LewisM]

Bought a new around-town/work car recently - Honda City. Had the choice between manual or auto, with manual being cheaper. I prefer manual so wanted to go that way but the Financial Control Officer decided she might want to drive it, so....auto it was :(


Can't go too wrong with a Honda. Even the cheap City is darned good. Already done 5000 since buying it 3 months ago, and the only hiccup has been a popped tyre caused by Canberra's effed up roads (potholes everywhere, but we won't get into idiot Barr's "priorities"...)

[m11]

I still occasionally do but its getting much less frequent.

I remember I had to learn manual as my parents didn't want to spend the extra $2k back in the earlier days for automatic.

When we ended up with one car there was only choice (automatic) as the wife couldn't drive manual.

I think its a dying skill - especially as cars are moving to electric as well and there are no manual options.

[xa-coupe]

Rubbish, I am in my 50s and still have 2 manual cars, and if I didn't live in Melbourne my daily would be a manual as well.



No choice between a Type R and a WRX in my view ... Yaris GR :D

[Pepper]

My work Hilux is auto. I much prefer it to the manual. Been a manual guy all my life but autos aren’t as evil as I grew up to believe.
That said, if I were to get another old 240z or a modern sports car I’d go manual.

[Londoner]

I'm 71 and still have an Integra Type R that I bought new in 2000 that was my 50th birthday present to myself. Couldn't think of ever selling it.

Manic car that revs to almost 9k. Paid $40k and could get that price or more still.:D



Mick

[hobbit]

manual mazda 3 here

[raymo]

My old tow car is a 2000 manual Honda CRV.
raymo

[Hans Tucker]

So .. anyone ever drive a Three on the Tree?

[xa-coupe]

In the mid 80s .... then it was Four on The Floor ... then 5 ... then 6

[Rainmaker]

My only manual car in the last ten years was my BMW M3 then I switched to MBs and have had autos ever since...

[xelasnave]

I need an auto these days because I have crook legs...ifI get my sports car even it will be auto..I am following two auto Mazda sports cars but when I say I am getting a sports car folk say at 74 that I am a idiot...which certainly makes me determined to get one..I went for a quick drive days ago and I got up to 140 easily in my Hyundai bottom of the range with a "Sport" badge ..but the roads around here are perfect, good corners, nice little straights..plus one long one that you can top out and then some and no other folk to run into or police ...
I go South to the river, sit there for a while then come via the West to Tabby for a coffee..it is very pleasant...and the only reason I want a sports car is it has rear wheel drive which I am comfortable driving fast around corners with...but mainly just bored which should change as I get the observatory working..but getting my head around an auto sports car has been hard....
Alex

[glend]

Manuals are increasingly hard to find in New cars for several reasons. The move to DCT paddle shifters is clearly not a manual. If it doesn't have a clutch you depress with your left foot it is not a manual. The engine mgt systems are not designed for manual operation anymore. Revs don't fall off, got to control those nasty hydrocarbons, you simply cannot rev match with your right foot, forget double clutch. CVT transmissions, in the lower end of the market are the future. Even the traditional manual in so called performance cars, are being phased out. The remaining models will be niche and have a very limited resale base.
From a nostalgia point of view I miss my old 1979 Porsche, but my left knee says not again. ;)

[LewisM]

See, when you sold that Beemer, you could legitimately write "Been driven by tall old man, twice a week and not over 40km/h" :P :) :D

[Stonius]

I've got a 2006 WRX, and I love it. I'm going to drive it till it dies. I've never liked autos as they feel unresponsive. I'm hoping I can make this car last until cars are all self-driving anyway. Then I won't really care how responsive it is anymore, like being on the bus.


Markus

[Hans Tucker]

I wonder how that will work out.

https://youtu.be/46-EGyn7rwc

[Sunfish]

Driven plenty of those, including a couple of old utes. Although , even back then there were plenty of autos.

Having given away my old manual Japanese car I needed to buy another. CVT is all you can buy. Great car with every safety feature but… I want my manual back. A CVT just does not coast along.

[Rainmaker]

Hmmmm..... This was not your run of the mill, South African built 3series....
This had a hand built 3 litre engine that pushed it easily to 260kph at Queensland Raceway...
I sold it to a friend who drives it as hard as I did and it now has 300,000 klms on it with only oil changes and plugs... Never had a mechanical malfunction.... But I'll grant you that parts weren't cheap... Pistons would have been $1k each, but then I never needed to buy any

[Stonius]

Love that film!

[mura_gadi]

Three on the tree - HQ where on occasions you'd have to jump out at the lights to jiggle the linkages free or you couldn't get a gear.

Or four on the floor - the HB where the gear stick would come out and you'd have a great view of the road passing by underneath.

Love my manuals, but, could be temped by paddle shift tbh.

[raymo]

One of my early acquisitions was a 1954 Chev with 2 speed Powerglide auto;
what a slug. I had a Studebaker Lark which was even slower, and a side valve Rambler which was faster when being pushed than when being driven.:D
I've driven them all, 3 on the floor and/or the tree. 4 ditto + twig on the
dash [Citreon ID19 onward]. Also full and partial synchro, and crash boxes.
Hans, there are plenty of very responsive autos out there, historically manual
models were always quicker than their auto siblings, but these days some autos are quicker through the gears than the manual versions.
raymo

[Hemi]

I’m currently debating this with my 15yr old Son…
I say he should learn to drive on a manual, but the Mrs and he are firmly opposed, “what’s the point” they say. For most, driving is purely functional.

I only have Auto cars now, as I rarely drive for pleasure. I get my manual fix on a low rider!

[AdamJL]

My first car was a manual.
All of my cars since, have been autos. When I hire them overseas, it's a 50/50 split.

I enjoy driving manuals, but for fun and it needs to be the right car with some grunt.

I wouldn't drive it as my daily around the city. That would be too frustrating.

[tlgerdes]

I drove a 4 on the tree in a Toyota Dyna campervan :lol:

[Gary47]

My grand daughter got her licence last year, insisted she wanted a manual licence so she spent time trying to knock the teeth off my Patrol's gearbox and kangaroo hopping around town. She is now on her third car, by choice all manuals.

[JA]

A manual can be fun in say a sports car, except for city peak hour traffic on a long incline ! Nowdays, for those considering it, one of the newer EVs should give you all the torque/ummppfff you need and still maintain the simplicity of an auto.

Best
JA

[Hans Tucker]

Ah ... the challenge of a Hill start and the bane of the Driving Test. You don't get that thrill from a Auto.

[JA]

Yes Hans- I don't mind the hill start and all part of the manual experience, BUT there was ONE MORNING that stood out in my driving experience...

I was on the way in towards the CBD travelling on the Princes Hwy/Dandenong Rd/Alt 1 just past Chadstone Shopping Centre. The morning traffic was seriously bumper to bumper and on an incline section maybe 100-200m long, and they're been some sort of traffic incident/breakdown making matters worse. Anyway - I can't even remember how many handbrake starts were required. Luckily I don't drive a manual too often in that sort of traffic.

Anyone that's in Melbourne and wants to give their learner manual driver a challenging experience, travel east along Toorak Road and set up in the left hand lane at the Toorak Road/Tooronga Rd intersection and stop at the red light for a handbrake start. That'll get the co-ordination going. :D

There's also no shortage of similar experiences around Sydney.

Best
JA

[multiweb]

Automatics were a rarity back home back then. I don't think you could take a driving test in anything else than a manual. I made a point to teach both my kids driving manual. I trained them on gravel roads around badgerys creek before it was locked. Low traffic and plenty of hill starts and driving on loose surface. The idea was that if you can drive stick you can drive an automatic. It's a skill. Like swimming. Then it was their choice when they eventually got a car.

[Hans Tucker]

Ok not really Manual Car related but when I was at 2FTS Pearce, which is the Advanced School for RAAF Pilot Training before they graduate, I remember a Pilot Course whom most were selected to go to Fighter aircraft. This was at the time of the RAAF transition from Mirage to F-18/A Hornet. Each member was given the option to either go directly to Hornet Conversion or go to Mirage and convert to Hornet later on ... every member elected to go to Mirage ... it would be the last pure flying they would ever do. Hornet is Fly-by-Wire and every command from the Pilot goes through the Flight Computer. Effectively the computer is flying the aircraft ... Pilot is just there as a Computer Operator to Input the Commands. The aircraft can compensate for most Pilot errors or mis-calculations.

Driving Manual is a diminishing skill few people appreciate. The last of pure driving IMO ... others will dismiss and disagree.

Everyone yearns for driverless cars ... not me.

[UniPol]

Back in 2016 I bought a 6 speed manual 5L Ford Mustang and it had the hill start feature which was a real boon here in the Blue Mountains. Unlike a lot of Holden and Ford muscle cars back when, the clutch and gearbox on the Mustang was a delight, light clutch and super smooth gear shift. Loved that car but sold it when someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse, there was a waiting list of about a year at the time.

If anyone cares to read the instructions on the hill start feature, here it is:


Ford Mustang Owners Manual: Hill start assist

Ford Mustang Owners Manual / Transmission / Hill start assist


WARNING

: The hill start assist feature does not replace the parking brake. When you leave the vehicle, always apply the parking brake and shift the transmission into position P for automatic transmission or position 1 for manual transmissions.

WARNING

: You must remain in the vehicle once you have activated the hill start assist feature.

WARNING

: During all times, you are responsible for controlling the vehicle, supervising the hill start assist system and intervening, if required.

WARNING

: If the engine is revved excessively, or if a malfunction is detected when the hill start assist feature is active, the hill start assist feature will be deactivated.

This feature makes it easier to pull away when the vehicle is on a slope without the need to use the parking brake. When this feature is active, the vehicle will remain stationary on the slope for two to three seconds after you release the brake pedal. This allows you time to move your foot from the brake to the accelerator pedal. The brakes are released automatically once the engine has developed sufficient drive to prevent the vehicle from rolling down the slope. This is an advantage when pulling away on a slope, (for example from a car park ramp, traffic lights or when reversing uphill into a parking space).

This feature is activated automatically on any slope that can result in significant vehicle rollback.

Using Hill Start Assist

Note

: If the engine is revved excessively, hill start assist will be deactivated.

1. Press the brake pedal to bring the vehicle to a complete standstill.

Keep the brake pedal pressed.

2. If the sensors detect that the vehicle is on a slope, the hill start assist feature will be activated automatically.

3. When you remove your foot from the brake pedal, the vehicle will remain on the slope without rolling away for approximately two or three seconds. This hold time will automatically be extended if you are in the process of driving off.

4. Drive off in the normal manner. The brakes will be released automatically.

Disabling and Enabling the Hill Start Assist Feature

Your vehicle comes with hill start assist already enabled. If desired, you can disable the feature by following the procedure below.

The following procedure must be completed within 45 seconds or the process will have to be repeated. Begin this procedure with the ignition turned off. This procedure is for both disabling and enabling the hill start assist system.

1. Apply the parking brake to make sure the vehicle is not moving.

2. Turn the ignition on.

3. Place the vehicle in neutral gear.

4. Slowly press and release the brake pedal five times – make sure the brake pedal is completely released each time.

5. Rotate the steering wheel at least one full turn to the right and return the steering wheel to the original starting position.

6. Rotate the steering wheel at least one full turn to the left and return the steering wheel to the original starting position.

7. Slowly press and release the brake pedal five times – ensure the brake pedal is completely released each time.

When the procedure has been completed successfully, the ABS icon in the instrument cluster will flash:

• three times indicating that the feature has been disabled.

• twice indicating it has been enabled.

Once the feature is programmed as desired, it will remain in that mode until the above procedure is repeated.

Note

: When the AdvanceTrac® system is disabled (see the Traction Control chapter in your owner’s manual for information on how to do this), the hill start assist feature is also disabled for the duration that the AdvanceTrac® system is in that mode. Re-enabling AdvanceTrac® will also re-enable hill start assist.

Note

: If you have used the above procedure to disable the hill start assist feature, then enabling or disabling AdvanceTrac® will not effect the hill start assist system.

[Peter Ward]

Manual? You mean one of these? Oh...I guess they are still OK. :D

[Hans Tucker]

Awwww ... how cute .. a guide plate ... so you can ensure you get the lever in place. Makers of Mustang really think for I mean of their drivers.

[jahnpahwa]

I think that's a different horse ;)

[Peter Ward]

Might be.... :whistle:

The gate shift is spring-loaded to snap from 1st to the 2nd gear gate position by simply pushing forward on the gear lever.

Putting the "pedal to the metal" in first will have the red line up in about second...and you don't want to miss the gate for second gear.....

Not recommended practice on the P-Plate driving test. ;)

[Hans Tucker]

My bad ... yes this is a prancing pony (Ferrari) which I mistook for a Galloping Horse (Mustang).

Explains why the gear shift has to be precise.

[wavelandscott]

I drove several manual transmission vehicles in my youth and many farm trucks/vehicles of various sizes. My favorite was an old powder blue VW Beetle with a large white CB whip antenna on the back bumper…the memories come flooding back.

We still have (in my families garage) a 4 speed manual transmission 1964 Valiant Convertible with a slant 6 engine that still makes it out for an occasional joy ride. I installed a “cutting edge” 8-track tape player in the day and still enjoy listening to my music of the era.

[xelasnave]

The first auto I ever drove was a valiant... AND the 8 track ..I bought one and was the envy of everyone...

Alex

[taminga16]

Hans, my second car is an '09 six speed Mazda Mx-5 and I would not want it any other way. PS. I am 66.

[Wilsil]

When my oldest daughter was ready for her L's we bought her a manual Jimny.
Even I drive it and I like it.
My wife can't drive it anymore even though she has done for many years back in Europe.
That's one the reasons to go for manual. When the borders are open and you go to Europe, most cars are still manual.

[AstralTraveller]

Given the age demographic of this forum a large percentage of experienced manual drives is no surprise :lol:. My troopie is manual and I wouldn't want a automatic 4WD. I know the new decent assist and traction control is supposed to work (and I've seen videos of it working) but I wouldn't feel comfortable.

Thinking about this reminds me of the following little anecdote. I last drove a 3 on the tree in 1985, yet just a few (maybe 5) years ago I backed out of my drive, stopped to drive forward and my left hand moved as if I was shifting a 3 on the tree from reverse to first - I hit the wiper stalk. I don't where that came from, I hadn't been thinking about old cars.

[xelasnave]

Cant you select gears in an auto..I have not bothered..I just dont like trying to drive a front wheel drive on the edge so I guess it not being manual, plus the leg problem means I no longer care.
I have been seriously looking at a little Mazda sports job and actually arranged a test drive yesterday but as hard as it is to think auto in a sports car thats what I must accept...the only reason I want a test drive is to see if I can get in and out without painful effort...old age and failing bits changes ones approach...but the things that have me interested are..rear wheel drive and 50/50 weight distribution..that suggests to me you could drive it hard....you can get 1500 cc or 2000 cc..and when I think about it low power does not worry me given I can scare myself in my 1600cc auto Hyundai. But 1500 cc auto is hard for me to accept..plus resale will be real crook...for the estate so should I care?
If I can get in and out is all I am concerned about.
Later I am going to drive this manual Xtrail I got as a bush basher just to see if manual is as bad as it was in the city..but around here once its rolling first gear is all you can use really.
Alex

[glend]

Electric vehicles have no transmission, wheels are direct drive off the motors. No need for a heavy complicated transmission. Electric motors supply full torque from start, which is why they are consistently faster than ICE vehicles. Watch some of the Tesla EV laps from the Nurunberg track, earily quiet, and no shifting. Turn the sound up and watch this.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=em4I4V-AvBo

[SkyWatch]

What's an auto? ;)
I have a manual 2011 Forester with low range: pretty hard to find nowadays.
My first car was a 1954 Vauxhall Velox which I bought for $50 on my 16th birthday and then did up over the next 12 months. Three on the tree of course. I couldn't fix the synchro though (too expensive with zero budget), so it was double de-clutch every time I had to change down: this was always fun when the poor old thing ran out of puff on a steep hill...
A great car with some interesting features:
- the windows were simply push up and down with no winders, so it was instant air-conditioning when you hit a bump
- the window wipers were geared to the engine speed, so if you were in heavy rain you either had to go faster or double de-clutch down to increase the revs in order to be able to see
- I could walk across the roof without denting it (an awful lot of steel in those cars!)
- when creek crossing with deeper water you simply had to open the doors to let the water out after each crossing
- it had turn indicators operated by a little switch on the top of the central part of the steering wheel; none of these fancy stalk things!

Luxuries too:
- valve radio
- all leather seats

Ah, those were the days. :)

- Dean