Why is driving stick a sign of one's manhood?

[Moonbeam]

For those of you suffering from left leg uselesness, you can break with it or sit on it like I do.

"Sticks are for people who enjoy driving....." Bull! Autos are what make driving pleasurable.

 

[RossGr]

Jezz! I had no idea, I learned to drive in a '51 Willeys and a '55 Chevy PU. I never saw a auto tranny in any of those rigs. Guess you have do what you have to do. Any young punk who thinks driving a stick is a sign of manhood probably ain't got nothing in his pants.

 

[Muadib]

I recently had to make the same choice. I went with an auto (actually it's an autostick, but I don't wan't to have to slap anyone. ) because I like my coffee in the mornings, and my gf can't drive a stick. Since you said it's going to be a commuter, your choice is easy. Sticks are horrible to have when dealing with traffic.

 

[samarth]

If you will be driving near hills, then get a stick.
I have an auto and going uphill it will change gears a lot of times.
With stick, you have much more control over these type of situations.

-samarth

 

[Emulex]

hay mauddib, you gotta teach your gf to work that stick!!

I make my gf practice while i'm driving muahahaha

You can rag a stick and spend $400 on a new clutch. Replacing clutch packs in an auto tranny would be 2-3X that amount

Plus you get 5-10% more wheel horsepower from an auto. On top of weight reduction..

Of course a stick completely blows in traffic. But since i only drive 2 miles to work even the worst traffic doesn't bother me.

 

[Kilgor]

<< I prefer a stick in rush our traffic as it gives me the control and power to dart in and out >>



Darting in and out in rush hour traffic is a good way to get shot.

I had to commute on the DC beltway for 7 years with a stick because I wanted to save money. Getting a stick was the biggest mistake I ever made. I now have a much more enjoyable commute with an automatic. I just put on the AC turn up the radio and enjoy my coffee.

 

[Windogg]

0 - 60MPH - Auto Normal: 6.9s
0 - 60MPH - Auto Sport: 6.5s
0 - 60MPH - Steptronics: 6.5s

Plenty fast for me. Too much bumper to bumper traffic here in Boston. I borrowed my brother's car for a week and I swear I still walk a bit sideways from the constant clutching.

 

[xraymongral]

Yup, I have had lots of cars with manual trannys, and a few with auto's. Have to say, that I prefer most autos. Though ya have to test drive the perticular car you want, as some autos do really suck, especially with 4 cyl. engines. But I am sure Honda has a quality solution in there car.

 

[Muadib]

hay mauddib, you gotta teach your gf to work that stick!!
Uh, that's Muadib. And just which stick are you talking about? I thought we were talking autos???

 

[Dean]

I used to drive only standards, after so many frustrating days and years of driving in city traffic i went to auto about 5 years ago, and glad i did.

If i did own a second car though it would be a standard, because they can be fun, just not everyday.

 

[desertdweller]

Sticks are ok, but they're a pain when you want to put your arm around
your girlfriend/wife and cruise.

Unless the car is a toy for you to play with, sticks get old.

DD

 

[OS]

<< Unless the car is a toy for you to play with, sticks get old. >>



I think that sums it up for me, since this car is going to be a commuter car and not a super-expensive weekend toy

 

[LordMaul]

THat header can be taken 2 ways.

On this board, they are, &quot;Nasty!&quot; and, &quot;Nasty!!&quot;

One or the other.

 

[randomlinh]

see, this is what you do.. get the sports car stick for joy riding, and for you everyday commuting, go auto

 

[kaiotes]

i have an auto, and i want to get a stick next time time iget a car, proably never
but since i'm gonna be moving to LA, and probably brinign along the car, yea the traffic, stop and go is better for auto.
the auto is just way &quot;too boring&quot;

 

[geno]

I love driving standard - I have an extremely strong clutch too, and I have no problems with it, even after driving for hours. Auto's never let you get into the powerband of the engine, they always shift at like 2500 unless you floor the hell out of it - boring.

 

[AndrewR]

One consideration not mentioned yet: If you are getting a weaker car (like a Sentra or something), strongly consider stick because it allows you better acceleration in sticky situations such as entering a roadway. My mother almost was killed a couple times because the little Escort she had back then was pathetic with a dinky engine and an auto transmission. BAAAADDD combination.

I'm looking at that extra $1000 and opting for stick on my Dodge Dakota.

Stick IS better on snow and ice because you can manuever around without even using the brakes if you do it right -- I drove on 1 inch think ice (not snow, not even frozen snow -- solid ice, like a rink) with a stick shift with few problems. Would NOT have happened with an automatic -- if I hit the brakes, the car immediately slid. Of course, that's an extreme case and not exactly something to base a decision on.

Oh, and autos are for wusses.

 

[OS]

<< If you are getting a weaker car (like a Sentra or something), strongly consider stick because it allows you better acceleration in sticky situations such as entering a roadway. My mother almost was killed a couple times because the little Escort she had back then was pathetic with a dinky engine and an auto transmission. >>



It's probably going to be Civic EX coupe. Those GT stangs were out of my range I think the acceleration is ok on them, but you have to be willing to rev it to that 6750 rpm redline, which I have no problems doing

I think it depends on the car also of course, I had an old ass auto cavalier back in the day that did 0-60 in half an hour.



<< Stick IS better on snow and ice because you can manuever around without even using the brakes if you do it right -- I drove on 1 inch think ice (not snow, not even frozen snow -- solid ice, like a rink) with a stick shift with few problems. Would NOT have happened with an automatic -- if I hit the brakes, the car immediately slid. Of course, that's an extreme case and not exactly something to base a decision on. >>



Yeah that's not really a consideration for me, I live in socal. It's snowed once here in the 18 or so years I've lived here. And the snow melted the instant it touched the ground.




<< Oh, and autos are for wusses >>

 

[deejayshakur]

good boy. stay away from those mustangs. for god's sake, a d@mn camaro's better than a mustang. civics are good too. you can rice em up. ...although, the new ones are kinda repulsive. but let's not get into that right now...

 

[mmaleki]

Cause only a real man can
drive a stick.

 

[Emulex]

id rather have a woman drive my stick.

 

[CJM]

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this yet, but the weight difference is only one of the reasons that a car with a manual is faster than the same car with an automatic. Cars with automatics have torque converters, which is what allows the car to sit at a complete stop without shifting into to neutral or stalling the engine. This device reduces the amount of horsepower being transferred from the engine, through the drivetrain, to the wheels. The other reason is that cars with manual tranny's generally have 5 gears (or 6) while autos usually have 4 (sometimes 5 in some expensive models). This allows the gear ratios to be spaced closer together which makes better use of the engines powerband.

ok now that i've typed out a reasonably well thought-out paragraph, let me just say - real men drive stick
and yes, i am old enough to drive, have a license, and drive a manual transmission car (and motorcycle) everyday

 

[slunk]

Camaros are not better than Mustangs. Camaros are also damn ugly. Mustangs are just too darn heavy. Stay away from both Mustangs and Camaros.

 

[Emulex]

fox stang's are pretty light for a v8 car

I agree camaro's are pretty fugly, but you can't dis that RAMAIR snout on the firehawk or whatever. looks mean in your rear view. Tails are uber ugly on camaros.

 

[Viperoni]

<< Auto's never let you get into the powerband of the engine, they always shift at like 2500 unless you floor the hell out of it - boring >>



I notice that in my tranny especially --- it seems like the tranny is struggling to shift ASAP whenever I press the gas.