re: Driving a manual

A lot less wear on your brakes.

More driver authority.

Anti theft (idiot) protection.

Just a few..

Still drive one and like everything it has pros and cons. In the US it is more of a symbol of past times ,because most new vehicles are not sold with a manual transmission and you pretty much have to request it from the dealer. I live in Germany and a co worker of my wife bought an automatic VW and she hates it ,because it is not common to her. Manuals are pretty much still the norm here though they have been introducing automatics more into the market.

My brother took a manual to a mechanic's shop but no mechanic could drive one.
They told him to drive it in and then after the manager bitched at him about being inside the shop

I have the last manual 5 series that was sold in the US, and it’s a thing of engineering beauty. If all manuals were like this I doubt they would have been phased out. An electromagnetic brake holds the car still for 3 seconds on any hill when the clutch is depressed, so there is no rolling either way...that, and the cruise control is some sort of wizard that allows you to shift through the gears and still be set on a speed. The throw is perfect, the clutch is perfect, and 2nd gets you to 60mph, 3rd to 90 or so...so you always know where to drop it and mash the gas. No turbos, no automatic shifts...means you put the pedal to the floor, going into a maneuver, with confidence like you simply can’t do in modern cars. I’m sure I freak people out on the interstate, at least the one time they see me.

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My brother took a manual to a mechanic's shop but no mechanic could drive one. They told him to drive it in and then after the manager bitched at him about being inside the shop

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Getting an inspection sticker was very hit or miss for me. I had to come back when someone else was on duty or go to a different place because nobody could test drive it.

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Sometimes I hold the gear stick and move my left leg around at res lights so chicks think I’m driving a manual.

It doesn’t seem to help.

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I’ll bet the older ladies appreciate it. Younger ones wouldn’t understand.

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Getting an inspection sticker was very hit or miss for me. I had to come back when someone else was on duty or go to a different place because nobody could test drive it.

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All I drove was manuals from 1994-2009. They were a few K cheaper and that's what I learned to drive anyway. I had a full sized truck that was a manual. Pretty sure they don’t make those anymore.

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Nope, Dodge had a 3500 with a stick the last time I looked.

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I figured they were gone in all but sports cars and offroad vehicles. I had a Ram 1500 that was a manual from 03-09.

Actually sports cars and off-road vehicles are better in automatics...daily drivers are better as manuals, IMO.

My wife's car is a standard, I enjoy driving it unless I am driving in a city where there are stoplights on freaking hills, that part isn't fun. Plus we think of it as a good anti theft device lol!