For me the 'man card' comes from
not caring even the slightest bit how my choice of transmissions is perceived by others.
I prefer an automatic in my vehicles because I drive them off-highway, on unimproved and often very rough terrain. This often means moving snail-slow (to avoid damage to the vehicle) while requesting large amounts of torque from the engine (due to steep incline and heavily laden vehicle) - so these circumstances mean one of three things:
- Using a manual, juggling pedals and burning clutch to keep speed down and torque up
- Using a manual and driving too quickly over technical terrain, risking damage and safety to avoid stalling the engine
- Casually and safely oozing over the terrain with an automatic
Well, easy choice.
That said, a good manual *is* fun on a little, light car. If I had a track car, I'd definitely want it to be a 5speed.
