im not sure why but i know even exotics have mainly become automatic now and or hand gears behind the steering wheel. i think manual is a bit antiquated

my car has shift paddles behind the steering wheel if i want to drive manual but is mainly automatic

I mean if you have a supercar thats even worst. You are reducing the performance. Its like buying a sports car that uses diesel.

yea but im serious.. i think a lot of supercars are automatic now. over here at least

Manual truck crew

ngl it gets annoying driving through cities and bumper-bumper traffic is chitty

wow didn't know about that. thats fuking sad.

manual were still pretty common as an option in the 90s but autos have made up the majority (greater than 50%) of auto sales in the US since atleast the 80s and probably even the 70s. Theyve been slowly phased out of the upper trim levels for normal cars aka sedans like camrys and now even most sports cars they are being phased out. Trucks they are nonexistant these days as far as I know. I would guess 90s would be last time you could get a high trim camry in manual.

Theres less differances world wide between the same model that there used to be. So its super cars everywhere that are automatics.

automatic is some puzzy chit

Manual crew checking in

Just lol @ autocels

So much fun driving manual makes driving more enjoyable

Lets be real tea...The reasons most cars in Europe arent automatics are due to taxes and fuel prices. People buy the tiniest cars because of cramped streets, fuel prices, taxes and keep them forever. These types of tiny crap box cars traditionally came with manuals because they were the lowest and cheapest model....

..and lets be real tea almost every manufacturer switched to automatics for fuel savings. If you buy a new car in Europe today its hard to buy a manual unless its a Euro-Centric model that no one else around the globe wants or will buy.

Not a fan of Auto, they are fazing out manual gears in newer cars now, Audi are replacing it with the S or tip Tronic system which gives you the illusion you still have input into going up or down gears manual, (flappy paddles). I see guys with pick up trucks using autos and never understood it. The whole point of a truck isn't to be lazy and to have some skill and judgment when hauling. If you get stuck you can almost always rock a truck out much easier with a manual, by judging the biting point of the clutch yourself.

No, your car is just automatic, not 'mainly automatic'

Paddles are not the same as manual, the addition of an actual clutch changes things a LOT.

The only box i can think of that was close to a GENUINE semi automatic were the SMG boxes in the e60 M5, but they had a huge list of issues.

I agree though, flappy paddles can help alleviate some of the pitfalls of automatics. Supercars are mostly automatic too with flappy paddles as you rightly say, simply because the modern autoboxes are much faster than manual can everWhen's the last time you want to Europe? The 90's it sounds like. European manufacturers offer nearly every model with a manual box as well as auto, such as BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes, or do they qualify to you as 'Euro-centric models noone else around the globe wants or will buy?'

As stated above, people don't drive the 'tiniest cars' here, over the last 10-20 years the majority of people are buying large 2 or 3 litre diesel german motorway eaters. These 'tiny crap box cars' outperform most American vehicles with half the engine capacity.

There's no excuse for this level of ignorance in 2020.

I have two 6-speed manuals and one 8-speed paddle and one automatic.

America is losing the battle, but I am part of the 'Save the Manuals' crew!

Autos have no soul!

Yes, because Americans could afford that extra premium for automatics early on.hahaha...no
have you seen our driver's education and driving tests?

transmission doesn't make you a good or bad driver

Not true, you can easily find manuals. Easier than autos.You could buy me an auto. I would sell it...

If you drive a manual car here everybody gonna look at you like: "Wtf???? Are you too retarded to learn how to drive a manual or what?" Srs, people gonna think you are handicaped or something. Thats one of the most beta **** you can do.Exactly this.

Its like Free Weights vs Machines...

I've been driving manuals for about 17 yrs. When you consider the purpose of the transmission, the manual makes almost no sense (apart from cost of repair/maintenance). It's a sad truth. Us enthusiasts will hold onto it for as long as we can, but there's just no reason for it to exist from practicality or performance standpoint.

My first vehicle was manual and sometime I wish I still had one, maybe as a second car. But for daily driver hell no not where I live now. Back in my hometown with no traffic it wasn't bad but I hate driving where I'm at now as it is.

Modern automatics are faster than manuals you can't shift faster than a modern auto. They're also more fuel efficient and much better in stop and go traffic.

Context: Have driven manuals for 10+ years and prefer automatics for everything that isn't racing/tracking and I don't do that so.

I live and or travel in Europe 1/4 to 1/2 of the year when Rona hasnt wrecked us.

The manual transmission was finished when automatics started providing better fuel economy while being more convenient...

Lets look at the facts...

The average car in the EU is 11.1 years old.
The average car is of sub-compact compact size
There is a RAPID decline of manual transmission purchase percentage in the EU/UK. The decline would be faster if it wasnt for the average age of car in the EU and slow replacement
The main European manufacturers are moving away from manual transmissions (BMW/VW) outside of a few enthusiast models. BMWs last manual is being phased out in 2024.
In 2018 2% of all global vehicles sold were manuals
The current trend is that manuals will be globally obsolete for new vehicles in 10 years
Electric cars will probably put the final nail in the manual transmission because of tax incentives in the EU/UK-IE


These facts do not line up with your opinions/statements. I have proof, stats and links for everyone of these statements if you want to continue to go down this path. So maybe not call me ignorant unless you actually know the facts.

Most people can't even drive a manual if they had to

I can't stand automatic cars, makes me so sad that they are being pushed now. Can't get a manual S4 after 2011, no more manual R8's for a while now.

Personally i think automatics are just plain lazy.Maybe it's a U.S thing due to automatics being all most people drive but it's not hard to not destroy your clutch.

What opinions/statements don't they line up with?

I simply pointed out most people, especially commuters are driving German motorway eating diesels, not tiny little ****boxes as you claimed... i'm sure many people have tiny little ****boxes to nip to the shop, but that's the same most places. In terms of commuting.. if you'd spent as much time as you claim driving on European motorways you'd see that we don't just drive 'tiny' cars that have 'no power', companies throw around 3 series, passat, audi diesels etc as commuting cars here like candy these days and whilst boring they have bags of power, especially the 6 cylinder diesels

You also claimed you can't buy many manuals NEW unless it's a 'euro centric ****box that isn't sold worldwide' or something similar, so i pointed out nearly every European manufacturer still offers a manual option in most of their range if you buy new (YOU made the claim that it's difficult to buy manuals in NEW cars). I never claimed manuals won't be phased out, i never claimed autos aren't more economical or have better performance, i never claimed less people are choosing the manual option, i simply claimed manual is still an option most manufacturers in Europe offer., which is directly the opposite of what you said. In fact if you take the time to read back through this thread, i'm generally in favor of automatics. You can go on the BMW site now, pick a model, and spec it with a manual. If i recall, the only ones they don't offer with a manual are some of their top performance cars like the g30 M5, and some of the soft top high powered diesels due to the torque.

The rest of your post is simply a strawman argument, completely unrelated to my post, refuting claims i never even made. I don't deny most of your points... in fact we're on the same page with regards to manuals eventually being phased out.

The reason i called you ignorant is because your original post came across (to me)as just talking chit about Europe, but i think i misunderstood, so i take that back.

Manual trucks are non existent now. I can count on one hand the number of V8 4WD trucks I've seen with a stick that were made after 1990. The Jeep Wrangler is the only 4wd I can think of you can still get a manual in

Brah, it's not even just a minority. Only 20% of the models sold in the US have an option for a manual. They make up less than 5% of the cars on the road. Less than 20% of the population even knows how to drive one.

The simple fact is an automatic is far more convenient for the average driver. And with advancing technology, flappy paddle semi-manual transmissions are faster than a full manual will ever be. Manual transmissions are really just a novelty these days. My current truck is an auto, but once I can afford the Corvette I'm after, I'll still be looking to get it in a manual, just because it's fun.

buncha ****ing rookies in this thread.

Manual was always popular in Europe because: small engine to use less fuel, but the cars would have a 5 or 6 speed to utilize as best as possible that small engine. You could usually eek out another 4 or 5 mpg if you're driving conservatively behind a good stick.

Auto is popular in american because gas prices don't have taxes applied to them and driving is dirt ****ing cheap. IE Big engine, and small tyrannys. 4 speed with over drive was popular in the 90s and 80s before car tech caught up to double clutches and cvts, etc - so now we're in 6 speed and 8 speed land for autos.

Maybe my post came across harsher than intended...It really wasnt meant like that and if thats how it read, apologies extended. There isnt much use going through your original post pointing out where I take disagreement because it appears 90% of our opinions align. It would just be pedantic and silly when most of our opinions seem to align. Im not really into e-fighting -LOL

So repped to you and good day sir...Sorry if I came across "cranky" as that was not my intent.

Eh to be honest it's probably partly my fault, this is an American dominated forum so anything like that i read as talking chit about Europe and probably get triggered too easily. Only on the misc can two people end up arguing when they mostly agree lol

Anyway, i appreciate your grace, have a good day.

Two human beings can treat each other respectfully and with dignity in 2020? How does this happen!

Have a great weekend my misc brother.

^^^^ We need more of this around here!

I am glad to see it for once.

funny enough even most supercars/sports cars are automatic now days.

and op, are you sure you've driven an automatic? You would instantly know why people prefer automatic to manual if you did.

-super comfortable smooth ride. You "turn your brain off" when driving and the car does all the shifting for you. no "rolling backwards" when stopped on a hill in bumper to bumper traffic the list goes on and on.

Granted I have a manual (2020 civic Hatch sport) took me about 5 months to even find the trim make, model and color in a manual and had to have it shipped to me from Iowa (i'm now in California). i'm also glad that autos are more popular becasue I don't trust that people around me know how to drive.