Those with Manual Transmission...why?

It is just more fun to drive, plus knowing exactly where you need to go when you need a little extra something is nice. I never liked the feeling of stomping on the pedal in an automatic and hoping that the truck would give me what I wanted.

 

Because I like seeing 19 year old females (usually driving Buick Encores - but the more expensive Mercs are the best) heads explode in my side view mirror when they finally realize they are following the slowest vehicle on the Planet and I’m still ahead of them

 

Simple. I enjoy it.

 

Wow, so many "it's fun" comments here. I kind of envy you guys, but barely. That "fun" shit wore off for me within the first year of getting my drivers license, when I was kid, & driving was fun because I was a kid. Now driving is just a means to get around... But I do love the thought of you older guys zooming around town, shifting those gears perfectly, with a huge "this is so fun" smile on your faces, only to get to the store to buy ass cream, or chicken broth, or tampons for the misses. Or what about, "Hey, Aunt Sally died. But it's cool. At least it'll be fun driving to the funeral." So fun!

 

Real men drive manual transmissions.

Apparently I became a pu$$y when I bought my new truck. I miss my v6 6-speed manual. Before this truck, the last auto trans I had was a '67 Mustang I sold in 1984 to get my first Taco. If I could have found my truck with a manual, I would have bought it.
Great theft deterrent too.

 

Because I value reliability, control, value retention, ease of maintenance, and driving engagement. Never have owned an automatic.

 

is this the most passive aggressive use of sarcasm I've ever seen or am i just not getting it? lol

 

Yes. And, with a dose of ageism thrown in as well. Just another day on the internet.

 

@DWD484: dude. what are you even on about? having a "fun" vehicle is the best way to get those mundane chores/errands out of the way lol. gives you more reason to get out of the house and behind the wheel.

 

Neither. I stated exactly how I feel about hearing people say that driving is fun... The thrill of driving anything never lasted long for me. & I honestly laugh out loud at the thought of peoples facial expressions while they're having so much fun driving to work, or to the store, or anywhere, really. It amuses me... That being said, no one is wrong for enjoying driving so much, just like no one is wrong for not enjoying driving. Peoples definitions of fun vary greatly. Driving isn't one of my passions. I was only stating my thoughts, which seem to have made you feel a certain way...

It's ok to feel that way about driving. I don't, and that's cool too. Thanks.

 

Dave's not here.

 

Fair point, well said.
My first two vehicles were motorcycles, so I was always shifting. I only bought my first car to let the speeding tickets drop off. The shifting always helps keep me engaged as a driver and enhances the experience for me. For others, as a practical matter, driving is to get from point A to point B. To each their own. Cheers.

 

And what I'm not seeing here yet is:
About the BEST theft-deterrent there is these days..

 

It gives me a false sense of superiority. One with the machine... blah blah... all that bull.

personal preference. gives me more to do, and I always get complimented on my toned left calf muscle.

 

I would have chose a manual trans but I wanted the crawl control feature and dynamic cruise. I prefer driving a manual.

 

You meant adaptive cruise? I have it on my 18 MT.

 

Fun article where they accuratately describe the brilliance of the Tacoma MT.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a34524075/why-the-hell-isnt-there-a-toyota-tacoma-spec-series/

 

That's pretty much what I suspected. A lot of "I like it more", "It's fun", "I'm old and stubborn and haven't bought new underwear since the Reagan administration" or "I'm better than everyone else".

Avoiding unnecessary downshifting during acceleration or hills and the ability to immediately remove power from the wheels in low traction environment are the only objective benefits I gather from this thread.

 

I too have always enjoyed having that control of choosing the gears rather than feeling an auto hunting all over the place constantly like a bad case of ADHD. I also never liked the momentary pause you get when you stomp on the gas and the auto actually has to engage in thought and second guess what you’re wanting it to do. You’ve pulled out into the passing lane, the auto is having this one on one debate with you if you’re actually wanting to go fast RIGHT NOW and you’ve got someone on your a$$ with a manual not having this discussion.
Another reason is in an auto on icy roads approaching an intersection and you need to come in slow and controlled and that auto is constantly propelling you forward when you need to stop. If you haven’t disengaged it you’ll be on the brakes harder and chances are locking up the front brakes (on ice remember) while the back wheels are still pushing.
Think about the physics of this for a moment (driving on ice). If you NEED to stop and you weren’t given that half a city block to prepare for it, and every inch of stopping energy counts, wouldn’t you like to be able to have that braking power without the propelling energy of the auto transmission?
If you’re a good manual driver, you’ve already approached that icy intersection in a gear that’s assisting the brakes.