Interesting Article on AOL Autos...
 

Check The Manual (Transmission): Stick Shift Cars Going Away

He speaks the truth. i worry that in the future we'll have to pay a premium to have a MT in the car. at least nissan is helping to extend the life of MT cars instead of just turning their back on it.

manual transmissions have been dying for a while now. until recently they were restricted to 2 niches, high performance sports and super cars required them because they performed better than auto slushboxes. on the opposite end of the spectrum, they were also common on entry level economy cars because they were cheaper and more fuel efficient. modern technology has rendered both points moot. auto gearboxes now are just as cheap and efficient as manual boxes for economy cars. and modern double clutch automated gearboxes shift faster and better than any manual transmission, so they are now ubiquitous among supercars, most of which rarely come with a conventional manual anymore. ferrari for example doesn't even offer them anymore.

the only arguement left in favor of manual transmissions after the recent technological upgrades to automated transmissions, is the fun to drive factor. whether or not this alone will ensure enough strong demand to keep the manual gearbox alive we will find out in the next few years. like it or not, that is technology, and that is progress. that's how humanity moves forward. everything eventually gets replaced by something better, faster, more efficient, and more advanced. i'm sure half a century ago the addition of synchronizers and therefore single clutching shifts also made manual drivers feel the same about the lack of "fun" and the "dying art" of double clutching.

on the other hand, in 2010 some people still believe that a sports car with a solid rear axle is cool :wtf2: So, maybe manual transmissions will not disappear completely. Heck, maybe the 2020 mustang will be the only car of its era with a manual transmission :bowrofl: at least i hope they would have gotten rid of the solid axle :rolleyes:

I see what you mean. I dont think anyone was complaining when power steering became common place.... that is except for, say, Huge McForearms.

Well said Pharmacist

of course there is one good thing about that which is that most ppl, and by extension most car thieves cannot drive a manual transmission car. i always joke with my friends that my manual gearbox is an antitheft mechanism :D

one of the many reasons why i got the Z was because it is a MT and it might be the last rear wheel drive (not all wheel drive) sports car that runs on gasoline (not hybrid). :)

same here

yes yes and yes:iagree:

You know what you're right though. Not that many people know how to drive stick, its why the US military stopped getting HUMVEEs and what not in stick shift

Manuals started dying out at least as far back as the '70's. Possibly in due part with the demise of muscle cars. My '76 vette in my avatar is an L-82 4-sp. A rare combination for a '76. The vast majority of vettes were sold with autos and that was America's only true sports car according to marketing hype.

lol, Awesome! What is up with mustangs anyway? I know what you mean, everything about them seems a good 5+ years behind--even the new one that just came out.

Yea agreed. This is a spy shot of the 2012

http://www.blackout.nu/2009pics/SUMM...neNo24_400.jpg

Goes around turns like it's on rails!!!! Wait, it is on rails!!!!:driving:

Go back 3 years and the majority of 73 vettes were manual. Same with the 94-96 GTO most were 6speeds. The 4th gen F-bodies had such a demand for 6speeds that in Oct. of 94 when I ordered a Trans Am they said it would take 6 months to get it, so I went with the automatic it was boring so I sold it after 3 year lease and bought a 6speed WS6 T/A, much more car. Oh yea my 94 took 3 months to arrive, a couple order a 6 speed formula the exact same day, they didn't get their car till June.

AT's are better than MT's? Next you'll be trying to convince me that CD's sound better than vinyl. :)

Hello, my name is Blackflag, and I'm in love with manual transmission cars.

Is that wrong of me..?

damn kids these days and their teleporters...when i was their age we drove "cars" to get around and in these "cars" we had to "shift" through "gears" using a "stick" and a "clutch"...those were the days...

And we drove on winding roads...uphill both ways.

And we liked it!

Yes, in the US but certainly not on other parts of the world. Only 10 years ago 9 out of 10 would drive a manual in most European countries. The past decade, however, auto transmissions have become a lot more popular here but in many countries you'll certainly not be handed a driver's license unless you did all your test driving in a manual.

We all have to realize and admit that sports car owners are the minority. We just don't commute -- we drive and love every minute of it. And the manual tranny is a prerequisite to our cars.

I always smile when used sports cars are selling for less and taking a bit longer to sell than auto or tiptronic.

whenever i walk somewhere i look in the parked cars and count how many MT's there are. Usually i get about 2 in 50 cars i walk by. and they're usually a POS that was probably just cheaper in a manual. not necessarily b/c they wanted a stick.

Sorry but your observation is incorrect.
1973 vette production numbers: auto - 17,927, manual - 3,704. Wow, not popular at all imo. Reference: vettefacts.com

The reason why manuals in later years were hard to get was because most were buying autos. Some popularity returned in later years but autos were the tranny of choice. Maybe people are too lazy to deal with a clutch. But enthusiasts prefer manuals. However, faster shifting autos and wheel paddles are catching on in popularity. I'm a die hard manual guy but the tides may be turning towards auto.

Trivia: The '82 vette only came with an auto.:shakes head: Now that says something for the time.:tiphat:

Funny because I'm currently buying a 370Z (I'm french), and the AT is actually an option that cost 2300 euros (3140$)... the question of "do you want a auto transmission" when you buy a car came in France only 5-6 years ago... It's a cultural thing, we don't have huuuuuge long highway to cruise on (even our president is small...), cars here don't have huge engines and basically, at always suffered a bad reputation (fuel consumption, slow down ad uses the engine). Still today, when you takes driving lessons, it's ALWAYS on a manual gearbox.

Even the AT 350z wasn't available in France...

But I tried the auto transmission Z, and that's what I want ! Especially since there is the possibility to use the semi-auto and roar the engine as much as you want !