I would put my money where my mouth is too as driving a car is already boring

[theking]

So just imagine driving one with an automatic tranny (just shift to 'D' and forget about it)...When ever there's a manual option, I have and will always opt for it so yes, I would put my money where my mouth is:

An Outlandish Plan to Bring Back the Manual Gearbox


This past week, I was at an open-lapping day at Thunderhill, in Northern California, and I happened to run into a fellow who, in past years, had been a well-respected racer in a big-bore SCCA National class. He'd run a Corvette back then, so it was no surprise to see that he'd brought a brand-new Corvette Z06 with all the track trimmings to this event. What was a surprise: He'd chosen to buy his new track rat with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Now, you don't get to the pointy end of an SCCA grid without knowing your way around a clutch pedal, so I didn't figure he was afraid of shifting his new Vette manually. When I asked him why he'd chosen the automatic, he shrugged his shoulders. "It's less hassle, and it's just as quick," he said. "I don't miss shifting it myself." Well, I couldn't really call him a wimp or a wannabe, so I settled for keeping my mouth shut on the matter. Apparently there's at least one bona-fide race driver out there who would rather put it in "D" and forget it, even when he's turning laps in the two-minute range around Thunderhill.

The day after I came home from the track, however, I read that prices of manual-transmission Ferraris were reaching new heights. Clearly there are some contradictory things happening here. On one hand, seasoned racers are buying automatic-transmission track cars, even when they have a choice to get that same car with a manual. On the other hand, stick-shift Ferraris are soaring in price.

It's not just the Ferraris. Have you priced a previous-generation Porsche 911 GT3 lately? Or a GT3 RS? How about the RS 4.0? They're changing hands at nearly half a million dollars a pop. Absolutely insane for a car that probably can't stay within sniffing distance of a no-options current-year 911 GT3. Meanwhile, down here where us regular people live, manual-transmission C4-generation Corvette Grand Sports are still commanding more than half of their MSRP, 22 years after leaving the showroom floor. That's more than twice what PRNDL Vettes from the same year are worth.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you what stick-shift Honda Civics from the 80s and 90s are worth, right? There's clearly real market demand for cars that don't shift themselves, and if we can judge accurately from transaction prices, that demand is climbing. Yet the vast majority of first-rank sports cars available today can't be had with a clutch pedal, and it's virtually impossible to get anything bigger than a Honda Accord without settling for an automatic.

The real question is whether we, the would-be purchasers of manual transmissions, are willing to put our money where our mouth is. I know that I personally am; the vast majority of new cars I've purchased, up to and including a 1997 Land Rover Discover, have been manuals. I specifically bought my Accord Coupe two years ago because I could shift it myself. If Acura came out with a stick-shift TLX-or even, whisper it, a stick-shift RLX-I'd trade in and buy that.

We have to get used to the idea that the manual transmission will be a connoisseur's option.

Insofar as the "standard" transmission is no longer standard in 2016, however, and given that well over 90 percent of the cars sold in this country are automatics, we have to get used to the idea that the manual transmission will be a connoisseur's option in the future, just like the Mark Levinson stereo systems in a Lexus LS460 or the unique interior packages available on a Bentley Mulsanne. It's going to cost extra.

The question is-how much extra? It's expensive for an automaker to develop a powertrain combination and to certify it for sale in the United States. It's also troublesome for dealers to have stick-shift cars on their lots. That's why Honda, for example, severely restricts the options and even the colors that you can get with their manual-equipped cars. No dealer wants to stock ten different colors of six-speed Accord coupes.

I'm going to throw out a number that is mostly made up but does come from some conversations with engineers in the auto business: 50 million bucks. That's a ballpark estimate of putting a commercially-available manual, like a Tremec, into an existing car and certifying the powertrain with the EPA. For some cars that's obviously high; it would cost Honda virtually nothing, for example, to sell a six-speed manual Accord V6 sedan. And for other cars it's probably low; think of what it would take to develop and engineer a stick-shift for the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT, which ride on a platform that in its current form has never had anything but an automatic.

[Hitokiri]

You know what annoys me? Electric throttle bodies. I hate the delay in them mostly when the mash on them. I miss my manual throttle body when I mashed the accelerator the car actually accelerates the rate I want.

[thePoster]

You know what annoys me? Electric throttle bodies. I hate the delay in them mostly when the mash on them. I miss my manual throttle body when I mashed the accelerator the car actually accelerates the rate I want.

Thats why I made sure my s2k was going to be a 2004 or 2005 model..

Drive by wire..  what is that?!!?!?  I had that on a rented sonata and hated it, the delay was like 2 seconds!

Yes paddle shifters are faster but..  I prefer sticks...

[theking]

Used to drive an old Chevy pickup with a 3 speed manual that uses a steering wheel column shifter and although I prefer the center console manual tranny shifter more, that steering wheel shifter still offers more human input than an automatic (just shift to "D" and forget about it)...

Yeah, I'm sure the majority prefers an auto tranny so their hands can be free to do other things or so they can just focus holding onto the steering wheel and keep it straight but I would opt for a 'real' manual tranny every chance I get and no, paddle shifter don't count for me...Tried it, not the same.. :

[hua]

You know what annoys me? Electric throttle bodies. I hate the delay in them mostly when the mash on them. I miss my manual throttle body when I mashed the accelerator the car actually accelerates the rate I want.

It's most likely just the  ECU/traction control, etc keeping the throttle from opening instantly so you don't spin out or lose traction, etc...  I notice our Rav4 is the same thing.. kinda laggy when you mash the pedal in normal mode, takes a little bit for the car to respond. But when you put it into sport mode, it seems to react better.

My R1 had fly by wire throttle and that thing will instantly respond. The newer ones have all sorts of power modes and traction control etc...

[Hitokiri]

kinda laggy when you mash the pedal in normal mode, takes a little bit for the car to respond. But when you put it into sport mode, it seems to react better.

My automatic has a sport mode and it does work better then the regular drive option but it still sensitive. You have to carefully step on the accelerator and then the car well start to pick up speed progressively. If you mash on it the car well hesitate for a second or two then go like a bat out of heck. I hate it. I hate it so bad. I even programmed my car to override this but the ECU is smart and won't allow it.

This is how it feels like to me..

*Hito steps on gas aggressively!*

ECU: "What?! Did he just mash on the gas?! Why would he do that? This is a SUV....nah...h aha.....it's gotta be a mistake. Who would do that? Wait...what?! He is doing it! He really does want to take off quickly. THROTTLE! THROTTLE! OPEN UP! This guy means business! OPEN UP! OPEN UP NOW!!!

Throttle: "WAAAAAAHHHHHHH HHHH *opens it's mouth*

*Car jerk forward aggressively not the way I wanted*

*Hito tries to think positive thoughts*

[Sifu]

I sold my manual tC for an old 1996 manual 2 door Accord.  Then I sold the manual 2 door Accord for my old tC.  All my other project cars are manual.  My future cars would only be mania if they're offered but lets face it they're not going to be around forever.  It's become the standard to the niche feature.  I think purists will understand what I mean with analog technology.

[Sleipnir]

Yeah, it's sad to see manuals fade away with these newer cars... 

I could live with it when mass production daily drivers went automatic only (with cheesy paddle shifters...)  but when cars like the Evo and Nissan GTR went automatic with no 6 speed manual option, that was really upsetting...