Save the Manuals (Malibooya's Project Thread)

[Malibooya]

Originally Posted by Borski

Yup. I had to special order my 2012 from Ford just to get the manual. It's a damn shame really.


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I've heard this a lot lately, especially in my area. Either veterans don't want to be bothered with a third pedal anymore, or the younguns have no interest in driving stick.

Probably a combination of the two, honestly.

[Borski]

Originally Posted by Malibooya

I've heard this a lot lately, especially in my area. Either veterans don't want to be bothered with a third pedal anymore, or the younguns have no interest in driving stick.

Probably a combination of the two, honestly.

Definitely a combination. I'm 20 years old - and I'm in a vast minority of my generation of college kids who know how to drive a stick. (Let alone even know that cars come with 3 pedals)

I also think that the rise of the SUV killed it. After the SUV boom, now transferring back to smaller cars because of gas costs, people just don't want to bother with stick because they're used to their gas guzzling automatic SUV.

Also it makes it harder to eat, text etc... Which I see as a benefit actually!

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[WiscoGTI]

I love the feel of that stick in my hand..

[indy_11]

o i'd be totally down for this! i pretty much cried when i got my car. not cause it was a focus, but because it was a manual

[karguy427]

xxxx

[2002greenzx3]

tragically my current car is auto, but i can drive manual. i can jump in any car and drive it. whether it's my buddies worked 92 laser rs, or a 2013 gt500. and i will never, ever buy another automatic. i love my focus, but deep down i hate it because it's not manual

[Supernaut]

Originally Posted by Bob G

Wow, was your post timely. I'm in the hunt for a student's car for my son. Ideally a 2004 to 2007 Focus, hatch preferred but a sedan will work. 90k to 100k miles and between $5k and $6k. Lot's to choose from here in West Michigan...except...he would like a manual. From there it's down hill, almost nothing to choose from within a 150 or so mile radius. Most dealers here won't touch a manual trans car cause they have a hard time selling them. I'm thinking we'll have to zero in on one and do a road trip out of state.
Bob

That does sound pretty grim. In Canada manuals are definitely in the minority but you usually won't have to go to lengths that extreme to find them. Dealers even stock a few on the lots.

I'll keep driving the stick as long as we can but we might just have to accept the end of the manual eventually. Who knows, maybe in years past fan boys made a lot of noise about the end of the manual choke, manual ignition timing control, manual steering... etc.

One place I understand it to be pretty much gone is with heavy trucks in Europe. While rowing through 18 unsynchronized gears is a mark of pride for a north American trucker, its pretty well finished elsewhere.

In addition to stupidness and laziness in North America, I think another big blow to the manual car is that they no longer have a fuel economy advantage. Perhaps the final nail in the coffin.

[Bob G]

An update. I found a 2007 Focus SES sedan with a stick for my son. Had a few more miles than I hoped (126,400 miles), but is a very clean 1 owner car and fell within our budget. Had to go to Ann Arbor, MI about 120 miles 1 way to get it, but it's a great car and my son is happy with it. I told him I hope he's happy with it because he'll never be able to sell it, at least around here.
By the way there are quite a few 2005 - 2007 Focus ST's around the midwest if anyone's interested, just do an Auto Trader search and look for manual trans Focus'. Too expensive for our budget (or were wrecked, salvaged cars) but I spotted 1 with 35,000 miles on it and 1 with 28,000 miles on it. In the used car business they would probably refer to these as lot queens. Definately worth a check.

Bob

[ZX4STDoug]

Originally Posted by matmatician

I'd be down for a phone interview! None of my vehicles are auto tranny. And if you want a glaring contrast, look at the motorcycle community. I only know of one motorcycle that even has an option for an auto tranny, which is a joke to anyone who rides seriously. :P

So riders with disabilities aren't serious riders and should just give up riding? There's definitely a market for clutchless motorcycles. A niche market yes, but there's still a market for them.

There's also more than 1 modern day motorcycle available that is clutchless - Honda, Aprilia and Yamaha all offer such options.


At our dealer (Subaru) we have about 80 new cars in stock. 3 are manuals - an STI, a Forester and an Impreza. We can't give away the mtx Impreza and we can't keep the CVT Impreza on the lot. Most are sold before they even arrive. There's a distinct lack of interest in the manuals, as many auto (mostly CVTs) produce higher fuel economy numbers. We also see the general attitude from parents who don't want to have their kid drive a manual or even learn to do it. The common reason we hear? It's another "distraction" for their child. I was taught on a stick and it was the only option I had if I wanted to drive one of my folk's cars. Learn to drive the stick, or walk.


My current car is my 29th vehicle, 25 of which have been passenger cars. All previous 24 passenger cars were manuals. I went with a DSG with my current car, but kept an open mind when I was looking, as I would have taken a manual. But my car came long, the color, bodystyle and mileage I wanted, and it happened to be a DSG.

Is it as "engaging" as a true manual? Nope. Is it fun to drive? Absolutely. Is it easier on my janky left knee in my stop n go commute to work? Definitely. Would I go with a good DSG again? In a heartbeat.

[Crunchy]

Is driving a manual a distraction or would it force the kid to pay more attention to his driving? He won't be texting and yakking on his cell and eating cheeseburgers.