My first truck (also first vehicle) I owned on my own was a stick shift, it was an 86 Chevy Custom Deluxe (full size, they named the trucks whatever trim level it was). It wasn't made for speed or even highway driving, it was strictly a work truck. The transmission was what I call a "granny transmission". It was technically a 4 speed but only had 3 gear made for normal driving, it had an extra low gear so it went L-1-2-3. The truck was also a 2wd but I drove it in the mud and off-road like it was a 4x4. I remember once I went into a deep mudhole at maybe 35mph and the water splashed about 3 times as high as the truck, then it all splashed down onto the truck turning it from midnight blue to brown and kept on going lol. If the truck was 4x4 I would have kept it but I sold it after buying the truck I have now. Now I have a 98 Silverado 1500 Z71 but it's an auto. I'm much rather have a manual but a manual in that body style is few and far between, then even less that are actually for sell that aren't ragged completely out. So I didn't want it in auto but I new I would have probably spent months and months looking for a truck in that body style that was a manual, had a 350 V8 and wasn't ragged out. So I just settled for the auto. With all the shit I did in my truck in the first couple years both on and off road the transmission has held up. I do plan on trading in for a 2-4 year old Silverado 2500HD Crew Cab, if I can find one that a manual I'll get it but if not I'll settle for an auto since they hardly make manual trucks anymore, some trucks aren't manual at all anymore. I know if I ever get a muscle car (classic or modern) it will be a manual, no exceptions and won't settle. A truck I could settle since it would also be a daily driver and not performance, anything I have for performance will be a manual.

Depends on the car and purpose. I kind of like the auto in my old muscle car. Those 60s cars came with very heavy, clunky clutches which kind of suck around town. Agree the manual is the way to go in a sports car or even a modern muscle car.

Manual might be great if you are doing track work or are the next wannabe drift king, but for fast gear shifting you cannot beat an auto. Also, you dont lose boost on gear changes in an auto either. And if it is your daily driver... well you dont need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that an auto is going to be far more comfortable in traffic than a manual. You cant just be ignorant and say Manual is true driving and Auto isnt... like the saying says, Horses for Courses. Then again, when I was a teenager and knew it all, I thought the same thing of manuals as well.

Rotex - Your opinion but actually I don't mind driving a manual as a daily driver since I did that when I was in high school, I even tried out trucking and drove big commercial trucks locally for almost 2 years which were all manuals of course. To me the people that whine about not wanting to shift gears in a daily driver just doesn't really like manuals that much anyways, and yes I did drive manuals in town and city environments. Try driving an 18 wheeler on the weekend up in the northeast in NY state and NJ, 95% of the people up there don't care for being nice while driving and are selfish when it comes to driving. And about the manual is true driving when an auto isn't comment, that's true somewhat but if you're really into performance you want to shift gears since you feel more in control of the car. You decide when to shift, not a computer. It's true that an auto will shift faster of course but if you know how to shift you can shift almost as fast as an auto (especially if you have a short throw in a car), plus you don't lose as much HP and TQ through a manual as in an auto, you lose more power in a TQ converter than through a clutch. Also some autos can be as strong an a manual transmission but in a general sense manual transmissions are just stronger and more durable.

If it ain't got three pedals it ain't for me.

SouthernGuy8503: It's true, so few pickups are sold with a manual today. I'd love to get a big Ram 3500 4x4 Cummins with the 6-speed manual.. Good luck finding a manual truck, and happy motoring! 66Mope: I have a somewhat limited experience- I've only driven a Saturn SC2, Honda Civic, Mazda 3, and Chevrolet S-10 with manual transmissions. So, I haven't driven a large truck, or a muscle car with a manual. However, I wouldn't buy one with an auto. Manual just gives me control over my car like nothing else can. Thanks for reading. Retox: If you lose time while shifting a manual, you're not doing it right. No offense; just stating the facts. Look at comparisons of like-model vehicles, auto and manual. The manual is almost always quicker than auto. And I happen to LOVE driving manual in stop-and-go traffic. Is it a pain sometimes? Yep. But, I enjoy it. I really do. To each their own. Thanks all for reading!

Ask anyone who does a standing 400m in under 10 seconds what they prefer. Most will say Auto :) Anyways, if someone is going to complain about losing power through one gearbox vs another, simple solution - make more power! Pretty sure you will find most, if not all top fuel funny cars and dragsters run auto's as well... if they can put 5000hp through one, then there's no reason why an auto cant be built strong enough for a street car.

I bought my first manual-trans car because I had a tight budget (it was my first brand-new car) and it was $500 cheaper than an automatic. Five years later, I bought my second stick (my '91 Daytona, also brand-new) because I enjoyed driving one. I still have that car, but its best days are behind it. I've pretty much resigned myself to the idea that my next daily-driver purchase will be an automatic. The argument I hear from the manufacturers is that the "take rate" on manual transmissions is too low to justify producing more of them. I have to wonder, though, if that's a circular phenomenon: People buy fewer manuals because they're hard to find because the manufacturers build fewer of them because people buy fewer of them.

Also, to anyone who says they can shift a manual as quick as a decent auto (not to be mistaken for the ones you find in pos 4cyl econoboxes), I will flat out call them a bullshit artist.

Rotex - I just said that I know an auto can be as strong but I was talking about all stock factory, not where you'd have to tear apart the transmission to make stronger. I'm also not talking about NHRA dragsters, I'm talking about normal everyday street cars made for everyday driving and also cars that doesn't cost 6 figures or more than a Corvette, guess I should have specified. But actually most drag cars I see in the pro level is a manual, just not the typical manual, has a separate lever for each gear. But all in all I like autos to because if I hated an auto I wouldn't have an auto truck, but I just think manual is better. Also the power lost through an auto, my point was if you put 2 cars that's the exact same but one is auto and other is manual, both race with drivers of the same ability (manual driver can shift), the auto will lose (still talking about normal street cars, not supercars or anything that cost as much or more than a Corvette). All in all a manual test the driver's ability and car while the auto just test the car itself. And like I said, with a manual the driver can find the best RPM to shift for better performance, with an auto you can't. So personally, if it's performance I'd rather have a manual, but for a truck or just normal everyday daily driver then an auto is fine. But, you have your opinion and I have mine so neither one of us can be wrong. But I also say if an opinion is based off of facts then the opinion can still be wrong lol (not hinting that I think you're wrong, just saying). So not saying you're wrong, just giving my opinion I guess, but I'm usually wrong anyways.

Maybe it's just me, but I think that people that drive automatics are boring people that have no fun. Whereas manual drivers (depending on who they are) have more fun driving than automatic drivers.

I love manual vehicles, but with anything there is a time or place for them. I feel more apart of the car when i drive w manual but dont knock auto's. And if you say they are "stop" and "go" buttons like a video game? then maybe you should step your gaming up and not play on novice/begginer. I know a few good track racers that train on gran turismo when they cant get to the track due to it being almost an exact simulator. Im going to assume you havent driven a vehicle with paddle shifters like an M6? Now thats some superior shit, smooth as a hot knife through butter baby.

Rotex - You must be thinking about just using the clutch. I've shifted without the clutch, called floating the gears, which make for a fast shift. Autos in a normal everyday car like I've been talking about don't shift lightning fast. If you know how to shift then the little bit of time (literally a fraction of a second) you lose by having to shift you gain back by not losing as much power through the clutch (if it's the same cars).

Hahaha, no need to be so diplomatic :) I see your point though, and yeah I was using extremes to try prove my mine... My main toy is an Auto, and I'll agree the factory setup for the transmission is designed for comfort... this means slower cog swapping and not as good with delivering the power to the back wheels. After having the valve body opened up and being 'shift kitted', as well as a secondary transmission cooler added its a whole new animal and will now be capable of taking up to 500hp at the rears... 1st to 2nd gear changes happen faster than you can even think about it... you get a decent jolt and the back end will chirp even with 275 wide semi slicks on... great fun... except in the wet haha! Really put the hoof into it and it bakes rubber just as good as any manual on the gear change. I guess my angle is that I find a lot of people will quickly jump on the bandwagon about slagging off auto's when the fact is that the vast majority have never had the experience of operating a vehicle with a decent one in it. I used to do the same... always used to argue with my father about it as well who is a engine head from way back... and now that I've actually experienced it, I wouldnt go back, especially in a turbocharged vehicle where a manual gear change means that boost pressure is relieved, so the turbo has to start all over again and build that boost back up in the next gear. I've raced an R32 GTR Skyline before from a rolling start... and we were side by side until he changed gear, once that happened it was all over.... anyways, I digress... tired and rambling now... but yeah... you get where I'm coming from :)

I'm familiar with the shifting technique you're talking about, another term for it is flatshifting I believe. Used to do it a bit in the manual I had previously... and yeah, you can do it fast... but a DSG, CVT, or Shift-Kitted AT will still be quicker I think :)

Agree with all of Retox's points. But shifting yourself is still fun!

Like I said, I'm comparing manual vs auto in the same car, not a manual in one car and auto in a different car which isn't a fair comparison. What if I compared a manual C6 Corvette Z06 with an auto Honda Civic, get my point? Also I say the manual driver needs to know how to drive, for all you know the Skyline driver couldn't shift for shit (granny shifted) but of course you were there and I wasn't so I cant say. That's what I was talking about when I say a manual test both the car's ability AND the driver, an auto just test the car's ability. Also about the turbo thing, that's one of the reasons I don't like turbos, I'm a supercharger person.

And see you're still talking about modding the auto transmission with a shift kit, I'm talking about stock vs stock. If you mod the auto then what's wrong with modding the manual that would make it faster. Stock vs stock and mod vs mod. Why compare stock vs mod?

I love manual transmissions! The Th350 in the bird does get pretty boring every once in awhile. I like the low-second-drive technique lol. If I had money, I'd have a badass 6 speed...

I love Manual transmissions. Not only are they fun, but due to relative rarity these days, they make a pretty good anti-theft device for novice car jackers. Oh, you forgot to include the video which I think is hilarious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPAe6w4ypK8

Yes manual IS more fun, but auto is not as bad people make it to be. When I got the Camaro I was disappointed it was an auto, but now I'm happy (kinda) that it is because most of the time I'm sitting in traffic in stop and go traffic. So it really comes down to the purpose of the car but more important it comes down to the preference of the driver.

Standard (Manual) also lets you engine brake, which could be a real life saver in the winter (applies mainly to FWD).

Many automatics come with 3, 2, or L on the selector to allow engine braking as well, but sad thing is most people don't know what those extra gears are there for. But, overall, I agree, I like stick better for everything, especially tackling some pretty rough winter driving conditions.

One of the other cool things I like about stick is that you can disengage it at any time so bring your rpms down to idle and just coast. It's almost like free fuel mileage. When I was stationed in WV, I would take my buddy home. He lived on top of a decent sized hill. I lived at the bottom. I'd drop him off, and just coast back down to my parking spot.

Had to break into this conversation. Haha I'm sorry to break it to the guy in the video, but I can txt and drive just as well with a manual as an auto - I just have to take a break to change gears. Damn us young generation with no regard for human life!. Anyway, to Retox (love how he keeps spelling your name wrong) and SouthernGuy .. As far as I'm concerned, if you don't have a manual transmission, you're not driving the car - the car is driving you. In my mind, that makes all other points moot. That is all.

That's a very tricky choice. I drove and still am driving manual cars, van, buses and trucks. I learnt how to control and drive with them. I have also drove some little cubic capacity cars with an auto trans. It was quite enjoyable i must admit. They are very useful when it comes to driving in a heavy traffic. Am actually driving around a big engine and a normal auto trans. Felt a bit useless on the first days, but it came along well. Didn't have the best of control over the change of gears, but hell that felt good to just step on the gas pedal and and just see the RPMs move forward. My point, it depends on the engine capacity and the type of car for chosing on manual or auto. My next best thing would surely be a septronic, but nothing is better than a good old manual tranny :)

I love a manual car, not only will it be cheaper to buy new than an automatic, it also puts you more in touch with the car. You feel like you're truly part of the mechanism and have more of a feel of the engine and such. For me that's definitely a plus in me driving happy. On another note, I know in France you'll very rarely see an automatic (specially when renting a car) as the terrain is full of bends, curves and hills. A manual gives you more control in breaking/hill climb and going down a hill with a slow enough speed without continuously being on the brakes. I can understand the ease of use of an automatic, like in the city, but that's more for "point a to point b" type of driving. One last thing, you'll also observe that all manual drivers can drive automatics, but the inverse is most likely not always the case ;)

I'll throw my hat in the ring and argue a point for manuals. If you're a GM guy you probably know that if you run a 700R4 or 4L60 you're vehicle will NOT shift into 4th gear at above 75% throttle no matter what speed you run. As an example I have run my 1990 GMC up to just over 130mph, and was still in 3rd gear. I found a formula in a transmision book that I have and based on my speed of 131mph and my 3rd gear ratio of 1:1 I was turning around 5500rpm. That's 1000rpm over redline, and the formula does not account for torque converter slip, which could be as much as another 200rpm in a stock auto tranny. The ONLY exception to this is the Corvette and a few other "high performance" applications of the 700R4/4L60. So while my auto will not shift to 4th while racing, a manual I CAN choose to shift and save my engine from unneeded wear. I for one also prefer the driving experience of a manual. It does not bother me to drive a stick in heavy stop and go traffic. I own a few manuals right now, and prefer them to the autos any day. I'm not going to say that they will outperform the autos, because that's debatable at best. If depends solely on the vehicle in question from a performance standpoint. In a classic car, you either get a 4 speed stick or a 3 speed auto. Assuming both cars have the same final drive ratio (rear end) then yes, the 4 speed is going to have a better set of gear ratios and keep you in your power band better than the auto, not to mention the auto trannies of the past are not known for their fast shifts. On the converse side, with new vehicles the auto trannies have as many, and in some cases more gears than their manual counterparts, and therefore keep the vehicle in it's power band as well as any manual on the market. And with control modules and computers that cars are now equipped with a modern auto will shift faster than all but the most skilled driver in a manual. But the thread was not an argument of what performs better, but more along the lines of what is more fun to drive, and for that I have to put my vote in for the manual.

Good post Shmak.

Whole family loves to drive manual. Of the 12 cars I can remember my family having since I was born 100% of them were manual.