Stick users 90% here?

[Mustang Dave]

An automatic in a Mustang is just WRONG! And when I bought my Mustang I didn't realize how fortunate I was to find a V-6 Mustang with a "bolt action".
Automatics are OK as long as they are firearms.

[TEiN]

We recently bought a new Honda Civic sedan with a manual transmission. Only available in the cheapest two versions. I would have liked to get the high-mpg HX model, but it was auto-only, and that is a deal killer. The dealer did a locate to find a manual: there were only four in the state.

[War_Wagon]

The 95% automatics for the "general" population seems a bit high, if only because there are a lot of people out there driving older cars, and older cars have a higher chance of being standard. I remember reading an article years ago (sorry, I can't source it) that said the military in the USA was switching to automatics for the simple reason that the majority of the new recruits couldn't drive standard! So, let me get this straight, you can teach someone how to use an automatic firearm, or to survive in the wilderness with no supplies, but teaching them how to use the 3rd pedal is too hard?

In the 1990s when I used to buy and sell a lot of muscle cars, a 4 speed car always brought a premium. After all, if there were 3 '71 Demons for sale, and 2 were automatics, you'd go look at the 4 speed car first. Then when stick cars got too hard to find, people started converting autos to sticks. I think that ecomodding friendly cars will end up in a similar situation. The majority of people today won't want to buy a used car with a manual transmission, so they will end up getting scrapped as they get too old to be worth anything. I like my Civic station wagons, but up here they are hard to find in general, and even harder to find with a 5 speed. A few weeks ago I spent 6 hours on a return trip to go pick up a beat up wagon with an automatic and a lot of miles on it, simply because I can see the pattern repeating itself. It was cheap, wasn't rusted out, and while at the moment it wouldn't be worth converting to a standard, 5 years from now when gasoline is at $$$ who knows a gallon, I might need a reliable vehicle with a lot of room in it that gets great mileage. A rusted out Civic CX hatchback parts car with a 5 speed will be dirt cheap, and a 5 speed swap will actually make sense in terms of operating costs.

Just my 2 cents, but as someone that owns 2 first gen Insights, and a first gen Prius, the whole comparison to the death of the muscle car in the '70s due to the gas crunch makes perfect sense, only in reverse. High gas prices killed the hemi 'Cuda and the SS 396 Nova, and high gas prices will also create a demand for cheap cars that no one paid attention to 5 years ago that get decent mileage.

[cfg83]

Hello -

There are about 6658 cars in the garage right now. I went into the garage and searched for manual trannies. Unfortunately it only shows the first 1000. Soooo, I went back year by year until 1971 and found 2915 manual trannies. 2915 / 6658 = 0.437 => 44% => there are *at least* 44% manual trannies (in the garage) on this forum.

CarloSW2

[gone-ot]

...although this is rather 'dated' information, it's source and content seemed VERY appropriate for this subject:

• Source: Dale Jewett, "Americans prefer two pedals to three," Automotive Industries (AI) magazine, November 1999, p. 15:

"Americans began making the shift to automatic transmissions almost 60 years ago, when Oldsmobile introduced the Hydra-matic Drive. Today, less than 20% of the vehicles sold in North America roll out of the dealership with a clutch. At General Motors, the automatic is the undisputed king--nine out of every ten vehicles sold in 1998 had an automatic.

Europeans, faced with high gasoline prices that put a premium on fuel economy, are the polar opposite. Barely more than 1 in 10 vehicles sold there in 1998 had an automatic transmission.

The middle ground lies in Asia. Even though gasoline prices in the region occupy the same lofty position as in Europe, narrow streets and traffic congestion prompted nearly 50% of car buyers in 1998 to opt for an automatic transmission.

But the future growth for transmissions lies in hybrid combinations of automatics and manuals--primarily in the coming wave of continuously variable transmissions (CVT)--as automakers seek to claim some of the fuel economy benefits of manuals without need for a customer unfriendly clutch pedal. GM, Ford and Nissan are among the automakers with large-scale CVT production plans for the early part of the next decade. Toyota is also in the hunt with a CVT, and also plans to offer "clutchless-manual" transmission in the MR Spyder two-seater."

Overall Industry 1998 Calendar Year:
• North America...83% Automatic / 17% Manual
• Asia-Pacific....47% Automatic / 51% Manual
• Western Europe..13% Automatic / 87% Manual
• Global..........45% Automatic / 55% Manual

General Motors 1998 Calendar Year:
• North America...90% Automatic / 10% Manual
• Asia-Pacific....60% Automatic / 40% Manual
• Western Europe..90% Automatic / 10% Manual
• Global..........65% Automatic / 35% Manual


...I posted this info before, but couldn't find it, so I hope you all don't mind my being "redundant."

ADDENDUM -- found it!: http://ecomodder.com/forum/209670-post78.html

[euromodder]

Europe is shifting towards automatics though.
Double clutch automatics mostly, but still ... automatics.

[Cd]

I don't like standards because I can't text while I'm driving . *



* ( wink ! )

[Gealii]

Originally Posted by Cd

I don't like standards because I can't text while I'm driving . *
* ( wink ! )

i can time to update that radio to bluetooth calling u just talk ur txt message and it writes it out and sends it

[vskid3]

My last 3 vehicles have been stick. My Escape is only automatic because no manual SUV will come close to the same mileage without a ton of work. I will always try to get a manual vehicle, but the options are getting fewer and fewer as time goes on. Automatics are just boring to me, the only reason I can stand my Escape is the challenge of getting into and staying in EV mode.

My sister is currently learning to drive, and my dad is starting her out in their manual Civic. All the drivers in my family can drive stick. I would say that it should be mandatory to learn to drive stick (if physically able), but that would just make it harder for me to buy one. :P

[bobo333]

I don't like standards because I can't text while I'm driving . *
* ( wink ! )

ive only ever owned manuals and i can still text while driving :P

(i dont do it often though)

automatics bore me and frustrate me because they are never in the gear i want to be in when i want to be in it, every time I drive an auto i shift manually if i can

i cant see myself ever buying an auto either