@lissah well I’m not actually in Manhattan but still I’m right outside of. I’m in Queens but they got speed cameras everywhere. You have no idea how many tickets
Fully manual, with a clutch pedal. I appreciate the connection with the foot to gear, hand to lever, body in tune with the machine. Add hand-cranked windows and manual locks, and it feels honest, grounded. No distractions. Just me and the road.
The car I took my road test in was a 1974 Buick Special with a “3-on-the-tree” shifter. It wasn’t flashy, but it had character abd like the quiet strength of someone who doesn’t need to prove anything.
I prefer vehicles with less technology. Less noise, fewer systems to fail. I believe in K.I.S.S. — Keep It Simple, Stupid. For me, it’s not just about mechanics. It’s about clarity. Control. Peace.
This is the kind of car it was (internet photo)
How to shift a GM 3 in the tree. Another car makers swap Reverse and 1st
Learned how to drive and got my first driver's license on a stick shift. My favorite move is downshifting before a right turn then blasting out the upshift to complete it. Got a sedan now that has automatic shifting on the left side of the gear shifter and semi-manual on the right side (+ and - shifting) that I can switch over in mid-stream. But it's not the same as having the clutch down below.
Well, if a high performance sports car, a manual I like the convenience of an automatic Learned on a manual and drove one for 20 years… Eventually the clutch foot got tired. lol
I prefer the one-gear EV concept which has no transmission at all. You simply press the forward or backward button (Drive or Reverse) and then step on the gas pedal which is really nothing more than a household light switch rheostat.
The further you push the pedal, the faster the car goes. There is no gear changing, no delays in shifting, no high revving of an engine because there is no engine and there is NO shifting of gears at all because there aren't any gears!
I push a button the garage door opens for me, I get in the car push a button and the car remembers my preferred seating, step on the brake push a button and the car starts, as I back up I don't have to look over my shoulder, I'm driving down the road all I have to do is look at my mirrors and not worry about blind spots, I have cruise control, bluetooth, more monitors than I know what they mean and you want to complicate things with a manual transmission. NO Thanks
A lot less transmission issues with manual. My suzuki has 330k on it and still the original clutch. Having said that, the EV is amazing because it doesn't have a transmission or clutch at all. Super fun to drive.