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.
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"...)
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Watch the Car Wizards Utube channel, out of warranty BMWs are the most unreliable cars on the road (or more often not on the road). They are built to expire as soon as the warranty expires, they want you to buy a new one). Engine construction is not designed for longevity, cheap plastic parts, heads put together with adhesive, etc etc. You can spend thousands fixing something, only to spend thousands more months later, and the parts, if you can find them, are horrendously expensive and wait listed.
Btw, Mercedes have the same issues.
Now having said that, if you do have a well maintained 1980s decade BMW or Mercedes, they are gems, but you will never find parts. When those manufacturers changed over from building well engineered cars built to last, to status symbol commodities for the wealthy, engineering excellent was replaced by short-term pose value.
What do I drive these days, a low kilometre 2015 Renault Megane GT Premium, a real gem that I was lucky to acquire off of a NSW Police Commander ( it was his wife's lease car and hardly driven). Handles much better than my old Porsche, and is unlikely to be vandalised when in a car Park. With only 40,000kms, I reckon it's my last internal combustion engine car - electrics are the future.
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
