When Was The Last Time You Owned A Manual Transmission Car?

With the warm days of spring come stirrings among cruisers, anxious to again hear the growl of the engine and feel the union between driver and machine shifting gears on the open road.

But like the powerful V-8, the stick shift — or manual transmission, common to beloved muscle cars and older vehicles — is fading into the annals of automotive history.

Sales of vehicles with manual transmissions have hovered around 4 percent the past two years, down from a decade high of 8.5 percent in 2002.

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LexSucks - 4/12/2012 10:02:44 AM

-14 Boost

2008. Clutch pedal is an archaic device.

LexSucks - 4/12/2012 6:20:56 PM

-11 Boost

I guess some of you guys would like to go back to the days when we had to hand-crank the engine to start it? Or are some of you guys upset that cars don’t have "Chokes" anymore. Don’t those make the driving experience more "involving"?

I’m sorry but I don’t need to look like I’m having a seizure to enjoy gear shifting. The jerking motions that you have to do to accomplish a gear shift looks out of place in a modern vehicle. I understand that some folks feel as though the clutch pedal makes the driving experience more involving. But what if you had to wiggle your hips to accomplish gear shift? Wouldn’t that be more involving as well? It isn't any different.

FromThePassengerSeat - 4/13/2012 4:07:03 PM

+3 Boost

The stick and clutch give the driver a feeling of control and connection to the car that can't be matched by automatics. I like to be in charge of my revs. They also enable burnouts.

85bmw745i - 4/13/2012 8:40:20 PM

+3 Boost

If it takes all of that drama then obviously you just don't know how to drive a stick smoothly. All it takes for me is the flick of the wrist, and thats in my 87 BMW 325 I drive to work, which doesn't have the shortest throw shifter. I'll row my own gears any day. I can certainly appreciate the smg gearboxes, and in todays 5-600hp cars it is the logical choice, but if I am not driving a supercar, then give me a manual.

jeffgall - 4/12/2012 11:16:35 AM

+5 Boost

Right now. A 2006 Mustang GT convertible and a 2012 A4 2.0T. Had a 2009 A4 2.0T with a 6 speed auto. The manual in the 2012 has improved the driving experience drastically.

focal - 4/12/2012 11:38:53 AM

+5 Boost

I row my own gears so no one else can drive my car.

last 4 cars along with my current one is a manual. Next one is a given to be a manual

AlleVier - 4/12/2012 12:00:41 PM

+3 Boost

"I row my own gears so no one else can drive my car."

As do I. But, I have to admit that sometimes I think that's going to backfire on me, as in, "I'd love to take you to the emergency room, but I can't drive a stick."

topneuro - 4/12/2012 11:45:10 AM

+3 Boost

Today.

wac77 - 4/12/2012 11:56:36 AM

+3 Boost

I still do. And will, as long as can. That's the reason I drive a 5-series.

GTR35 - 4/12/2012 12:14:04 PM

+1 Boost

I currently own an 2nd gen infiniti G35 Sedan 6 speed manual. Awesome car.

commander104 - 4/12/2012 12:55:35 PM

+2 Boost

if i was single I'd be driving the Golf R.

jeffgall - 4/12/2012 1:42:36 PM

+6 Boost

I respect my wife so much for driving manual. I hate the weak excuse of, "I can't own a stick because my wife can't drive it.". LAME!!!

LexSucks - 4/12/2012 6:02:18 PM

-9 Boost

Wow!!! Now the insults are unprovoked. What did I do to you? LOL!!!

freeagent - 4/12/2012 2:25:58 PM

+3 Boost

today

pcar4evr - 4/12/2012 4:47:02 PM

+5 Boost

today, and until the day they no longer make them.

LexSucks - 4/12/2012 6:07:41 PM

-10 Boost

Looks like you won’t be driving a Ferrari, Lambo, or a Bugatti. None of those cars come with a clutch pedal anymore and won’t ever again (why do you think that is?). The Clutch pedal is an old, dead, counterproductive, archaic device that has been surpassed. It’s just going to take a while for that to sink into people’s cranium.

LexSucks - 4/13/2012 4:29:37 PM

-2 Boost

"..most people won't, dumb analogy. People don't aspire to owning one simply because it has a stick."

- What the hell are you talking about?

FromThePassengerSeat - 4/14/2012 2:24:19 PM

0 Boost

Very expensive cars are foregoing manuals because few people buy them, therefore, they aren't economically viable on low-volume cars such as Lamborghinis and Ferraris. Of course, I wish it weren't that way, but it is. And actually, the Gallardo is still available with a manual.

TehShibbs - 4/12/2012 6:40:32 PM

+3 Boost

Today. Manual transmission is so much more fun.

CactoesGe1 - 4/12/2012 7:20:02 PM

+1 Boost

Today, got 3 MTs, 1 SUV.

bfghemicuda - 4/12/2012 8:11:41 PM

+1 Boost

Always. My A833 4 speed behind my 426 Hemi to a Dana 60 w/456 gears.

t_bone - 4/12/2012 11:36:11 PM

+1 Boost

I have always owned stick shift, probably around 400,000 miles of driving, but I'm looking forward to dual-clutch when I get my next car. I'm not hung up on the "cultural" aspects of owning a manual, I just want the absolute best connection between the engine and the road.

Baby - 4/13/2012 12:43:51 AM

+1 Boost

A 1984 Mazda GSL-SE. Those were some fun times~

JUGNU - 4/13/2012 6:01:23 AM

+1 Boost

One of my permanent car 2009 Subaru Legacy 3.0 H6 is manual.

montyz81 - 4/13/2012 11:55:05 AM

+1 Boost

Right now. 2006 G35 Sedan with sport package

montyz81 - 4/13/2012 11:58:50 AM

+1 Boost

Actually, i have a summer car in my garage that is an automatic. I have a manual transmission for it in the cellar. It will be swapped hopefully this year.

IhavearedS2000 - 4/14/2012 4:44:01 PM

+1 Boost

I owned the car with arguably the best manual - an S2000...until it was stolen from 3 years ago :-(

damn i miss that car...

skytop - 4/18/2012 11:22:30 PM

+2 Boost

I drive a stick and always have. Automatics remove the driver from the driving equation and turn driving into a boring, sleepy task.

A driver has far more control and input via the manual transmission. Besides, auto is for lazy, brain dead people.