I hope the thing's got decent cup holders so you don't spill your chai latte on your beige trousers.

Nah, I need me a shifter car. Have to get a truck up and down steep dirt roads, need the control.

A lot of people say that once you go auto it is difficult to go back to shift. For me, I've only had one auto and I fucking hated it. Made the drinking of my tea easier, but other than that it took the little joy left in driving a car completely out.

What on earth do you get out of shifting a stick?

I get it if you're actually drag racing or if you need to shave those vital seconds off your lap times or even if you own a sports car but for everyday use when you're driving to get from a to b and just want to be able to go fast when you have to?

Oop, need to turn here lets go back down to second. Gotta speed up now so let's go back up to third. Oop we've hit some traffic so it's back down to 1st. Up to second... oh no it's back to 1st.

Admittedly I'm being deliberately obtuse and know where you guys are coming from. While I enjoy driving and like driving nice cars I've never been a car nut so have never been caught up in how a car is 'supposed' to be driven so have always taken a logical view on it.

There was once definitely a benefit to driving manuals—back in the day when autos didn't have enough low-ratio alternative settings, you genuinely could get a bit stuck.

I think the lowest gearings on autos are now enough for most of those occasional tight spots, like when you're trying to get up the gravelly hill at a holiday spot, or you wanted to pass someone in a hurry at high speed.

I've always driven manuals, it's easy and I prefer it. I hope I'll get to switch from manuals to a driverless vehicle in a decade or two. Meanwhile I'll try not to kill myself falling off motorcycles, currently nursing a sprained elbow from dirt biking in the goldfields.

Manual

goon wrote:

What on earth do you get out of shifting a stick?

I get it if you're actually drag racing or if you need to shave those vital seconds off your lap times or even if you own a sports car but for everyday use when you're driving to get from a to b and just want to be able to go fast when you have to?

Oop, need to turn here lets go back down to second. Gotta speed up now so let's go back up to third. Oop we've hit some traffic so it's back down to 1st. Up to second... oh no it's back to 1st.

Admittedly I'm being deliberately obtuse and know where you guys are coming from. While I enjoy driving and like driving nice cars I've never been a car nut so have never been caught up in how a car is 'supposed' to be driven so have always taken a logical view on it.

Because it's so much fun, even the most mundane commute can be enjoyable if you rev the shit out of your engine or if you know your power band well. It's even better if you actually have a decent car (which I don't have, only have 130 horses at the moment ). A manual car on a good road is a great experience and it even manages to brighten up a boring commute imo.

In stop start traffic it's annoying when you're constantly going from 1st to 2nd to 1st again, but overall it's a much more involved experience. Honestly, driving an automatic is sleep enducing.

What bike do you have bw? I'm finishing up my motorcycle license at the moment, I'll probably pick one up for next summer and sell my car.

I'm between bikes, currently looking at Triumph 865s because hey, quite pretty. My last was a CBR500R, before that I had a Virago and a CB250 when I was getting started.

I guess something like a BMW road bike would be nice but I can't really justify it to myself. Maybe when I'm properly settled down.

Take care if you do get one, I've had a couple of accidents now in the past three years, either my reflexes are going or it's more dangerous than I thought.

I want the driving to be as effortless as possible, if it feels like sitting in a comfortable chair while listening to music then I'm all for it. Then again I drive a Prius so I'm probably as far away from an autophile as you come. A friend of my has a Tesla, and it's definitely something I want when I have a proper job.

Hyperloop comes across as a glorified Maglev to me.

My wife has a manual and I've got an auto. Best of both worlds. I used to only drive manuals, but I now prefer the auto for most situations (both around town and long drives), but the manual is nice for weekend country drives etc.