Are manual cars still a thing? Is there even a future for the old gear stick?

[Nemus]

I would swop my manual car for an automatic any day of the week
Why anyone still wants to change gears by themselves is beyond me.

Those would be the same people who say they put the steering settings on heavy (less assistance) as it makes them feel "part of the car and one with the road.." or something like that..
Sure.
I love turning with 1 finger.

 

[marco79]

I have been choosing to drive my wife's auto more often the last few months while she's not using it. My next car will probably also be an auto.

 

[Moosedrool]

I still feel that licenses without any driver disabilities should be done with manual transmission. No paddle shifting either. Clutch and stick.

I’m convinced a person who learned how a manual transmission gearbox feels and works is simply a better driver.

 

[Colin62]

I’ve always owned manual. But my next car could easily be auto, and I’m not sure if it’s because the autos are so much better these days or because I’m now an old fart. Probably both.

 

[Kung Fu Porkchop]

All my cars have been manual, but I'm seriously considering getting myself an auto when I buy something else.

 

[Geoff.D]

No longer. It's 50/50 in SA these days with new cars.

Not because "they" asked the motoring public. Just because "they" decreed it to be so.

 

[Geoff.D]

I don't intend to buy anything anytime soon, so the problem does not exist for me.

 

[themba990]

Given that the new Porche 911 Carrera sports a 7-speed manual, I don't think manuals are going anywhere anytime soon.
Whether the private ownership of cars will still be with us in 10 years time is another matter altogether so the manual vs. auto discussion may be moot.

 

[Crowley]

I drove manual only for 20 years, bought my first auto (CVT) last year and then upgraded to S-tronic this year. Won't ever buy a manual car again.

Almost broke the teeth on the gearbox last week when I moved my mothers i10. Completely forgot about the clutch.

 

[Willie Trombone]

Not because "they" asked the motoring public. Just because "they" decreed it to be so.

Yes and no. I imagine there are only a few instances where people have chosen auto over manual because of stock availability. I nearly did once. Mostly people are just saying 'automatics are more common now and spares aren't as expensive as they once were and the difference in vehicle price is neglegible so let's do auto'

 

[Geoff.D]

I drove manual only for 20 years, bought my first auto (CVT) last year and then upgraded to S-tronic this year. Won't ever buy a manual car again.

Almost broke the teeth on the gearbox last week when I moved my mothers i10. Completely forgot about the clutch.

Yup autos turn competent drivers into mindless automatons.

 

[Crowley]

Yup autos turn competent drivers into mindless automatons.

Why not convert to the better option?

Axe -> chainsaw
Coal stove -> electric stove
Donkey cart -> automobile
Manual -> Automatic

 

[Dan C]

Yup autos turn competent drivers into mindless automatons.

 

[Willie Trombone]

Why not convert to the better option?

Axe -> chainsaw
Coal stove -> electric stove
Donkey cart -> automobile
Manual -> Automatic

Auto is less fuel efficient and more expensive to maintain.

 

[HunterNW]

I would swop my manual car for an automatic any day of the week
Why anyone still wants to change gears by themselves is beyond me.

Control. I want control.

 

[Dan C]

Auto is less fuel efficient and more expensive to maintain.

Less fuel efficient ? Huh ?

 

[Solitude]

I've always driven manual cars until my current one which is an automatic. Don't think I'll go back to manual. If I do want to drive manual then I can just use the paddles.

Automatic is just so convenient.

 

[Crowley]

Auto is less fuel efficient and more expensive to maintain.

On the fuel efficiency, not true. Might have been 20 years ago but not any more.

Myth 1. Manual cars always get better fuel economy than cars with automatic gearboxes.
In the past, it was pretty much a given that vehicles with manual transmissions would be more fuel-efficient than their automatic counterparts. But as modern automatics gained additional gears and relied less on a torque converter, they have now overtaken manuals in terms of fuel economy.

Source

 

[Drifter]

MOTORING: Are manual cars still a thing? Is there even a future for the old gear stick?

Indeed, they are, but no, they are not coming with us to the future. If the increasingly competent automatics don’t annihilate the manuals, the electric vehicle will.

www.dailymaverick.co.za

Do you fap with your feet?

 

[BuckRogers]

My car does not ever have a manual version.