Death of Manual Transmission ETA????

[Geoff]

I agree that having less people who don't want to drive their cars behind the wheel, the better for everyone. However, I see driverless cars as being the first step towards making it illegal to actually drive your own car. Just look at all the safety crap the government already mandates on cars as it is. It's clear that they don't think the public can handle driving (and they're probably right in many cases), but instead of educating people, they continue to give away driver's licenses to almost anyone who shows up, and instead dumb down cars with some more (mandated) technology.

Agreed here too. I have an older car without a lot of the new safety auto-stuff, but it does have cruise control. That doesn't work (I don't think, maybe I just never tried it), and I'm perfectly fine with that.

Self-driving cars will fix the traffic jam problem. A computer can put cars bumper-to-bumper at 50 mph. You don't have the moron nailing their brakes and creating stop & go traffic. I foresee a time in the near future where there are self-drive lanes that crawl with stop & go and computer driven lanes that zip along at 50 mph. It won't be long before all commuters convert over.

My Outback has Subaru's Eyesight adaptive cruise control. Ever since Vermont and NH state police started using speeding tickets as a revenue source, I've been driving exclusively with the cruise control on Vermont Rt 4 and I-89/I-93. Footless using the accel/decel buttons to change speed. With adaptive cruise control, I only touch it when the speed limit changes. If I coast up on someone, the car automatically matches speed. I'm exactly the speed limit on secondary roads and speed limit + 9 on the interstate highways. I don't trust it in heavy traffic but it certainly eliminates most of the driver fatigue because I can move my legs around and keep the blood flowing.

Eyesight also has a lane crossing warning. It has clearly demonstrated that I drive just like every other d-bag a-hole a-wipe on the road when my nose is in my smart phone. I've been using my voice controls on the iPhone almost exclusively.

 

[buellski]

Shifting and drifting!

 

[deadheadskier]

Self-driving cars will fix the traffic jam problem. A computer can put cars bumper-to-bumper at 50 mph. You don't have the moron nailing their brakes and creating stop & go traffic. I foresee a time in the near future where there are self-drive lanes that crawl with stop & go and computer driven lanes that zip along at 50 mph. It won't be long before all commuters convert over.

Conceptually it makes perfect sense, but I struggle with picturing how the self driving lanes will work with real world variables.

What happens when it snows? Do the lanes shut down until the roads are clear?

How do you account for poor maintenance of an individual's car? Someone could have crappy tires that cause issues with wet or icy roads. If their car breaks down, how does the system react to the blocked lane.

With people relying on the self driving system, actual driving skill and common sense will likely diminish. Does this create more accidents in person controlled vehicle situations? Is it worth the trade off?

Lastly, there's liability insurance. Who takes the responsibility for the self driving car? The individual or manufacturer.

Even though we're seeing the self driving technology now, I think we are decades away from implementation due to all these variables. At that point, maybe we are talking about self flying passenger drones instead of cars.

 

[wa-loaf]

Tear your left ACL and then try driving a stick. Did not work so well.!

Drove my stick home the night I ripped my left ACL ... and for the next week until I finally went to the Drs.

 

[ctenidae]

How do you account for poor maintenance of an individual's car? Someone could have crappy tires that cause issues with wet or icy roads. If their car breaks down, how does the system react to the blocked lane.

I think this is one of the most interesting implications (and massive business opportunity) of self-driving cars. If your car drives itself, then why buy a car? A car has the highest cost and lowest utility of just about anything you buy- it spends the vast majority of the time sitting idle (unfortunately, my skis have done the same for the past 4 years...), so you might as well timeshare it. I can envision a whole tiered pricing structure, along with route mapping to make car pooling efficient. If you can have a car at your location within 5 minutes that will take you exactly where you want to go, why would you pay for 90% downtime? Instead, you pay for only the 10% of the time you use the car.

Google, Tesla, Uber- the car companies of the future.

 

[wa-loaf]

I think this is one of the most interesting implications (and massive business opportunity) of self-driving cars. If your car drives itself, then why buy a car? A car has the highest cost and lowest utility of just about anything you buy- it spends the vast majority of the time sitting idle (unfortunately, my skis have done the same for the past 4 years...), so you might as well timeshare it. I can envision a whole tiered pricing structure, along with route mapping to make car pooling efficient. If you can have a car at your location within 5 minutes that will take you exactly where you want to go, why would you pay for 90% downtime? Instead, you pay for only the 10% of the time you use the car.

Google, Tesla, Uber- the car companies of the future.

Where are all these cars going to be stored? I'm holding out for a hover bike! http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/22/us-military-hoverbike/

 

[ScottySkis]

Google car can't wait so ready to stop driving

 

[bvibert]

Self-driving cars will fix the traffic jam problem.

No doubt. The thing is, I don't ever drive in traffic jams, so I really don't give a shit. To me traffic is when the jerk in the left lane is only going 70 and won't get out of the way. Now, if the government let me mount a push bumper to the front of my car, and allowed me to push people out of the way, that would be an automotive advancement I could get behind! :lol: :lol:

 

[bvibert]

I'm holding out for a hover bike! http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/22/us-military-hoverbike/

Cool idea, but people can't even figure out how to drive in 2 dimensions, let alone 3!

 

[Funky_Catskills]

the future is always scary..
But once it gets here it's so cool...

My dream is you have your car body - your "pod" as it were.. Detailed for you - decked out for you.. Comfortable for you..
you want to go someplace you make a call on an app... A chassis shows up and docks with your pod... You get in and go..

 

[Not Sure]

Google car can't wait so ready to stop driving

Haha .... so if your not driving you can't be charged with DUI?

 

[JimG.]

they're getting harder and harder to find. IIRC you have an Outback, which you can no longer buy new with anything other than CVT.

Got rid of the Outback drive a Legacy 6 speed now. It was the only car on the lot with MT. Got a great deal on it too.

I will drive MT until I drive no more. There are cars available with a stick, just gotta look hard.

 

[JimG.]

Stick shifts are for the "cool dudes" or dudes that think they are hardasses.....

I'm not cool.. I like automatic.. I'm OK with this..

I'm not cool or a hardass.

Why do I have to be any of those things to prefer a stick?

 

[JimG.]

you guys crack me up..

I'm so ready to not have to drive..
Unless I'm screaming around the mountain roads having fun - it's just a pain in the ass...

Technology is going to take over your car.. Assisted driving is happening and being phased in right now..
Auto lane change... Auto slow down with cruise control... auto parallel park.. Or how about just cruise control...?

It going to happen.. sorry... not sorry...

We disagree on this one. And I hope it does not happen until I'm dead.

With my shift knob in my hand.

 

[Funky_Catskills]

I'm not cool or a hardass.

Why do I have to be any of those things to prefer a stick?

It's just a chest thump thing to some... They act all manly and testosterone'y...

I could care less - I just want to go from point A to point B safely and in comfort...


I am buying a motorcycle for all that kind of fun..

 

[Funky_Catskills]

We disagree on this one. And I hope it does not happen until I'm dead.

With my knob in my hand.

 

[JimG.]

Oooops!

Driving is still fun to me. I stopped judging how or why others drive like they do, that just makes it stressful.

I do not want to find out what other people are going to try to do while they are mindlessly rolling from one place to another in what amounts to a big slot car. Frankly, the last thing we need is more "convenience".

 

[Funky_Catskills]

Oh Im all about convenience...

The more the better... Means I can spend more time doing stuff i really want to do..

Can't WAIT until the slot cars come out...
Mindlessly reading books or having discussions rather than staring at headlights and cursing Jerzey drivers......

 

[deadheadskier]

It's just a chest thump thing to some... They act all manly and testosterone'y...

..

I've heard this said for ........

Driving a large truck
Driving a sports car
Driving a fancy luxury vehicle
Riding a motorcycle


Coming of driving age in VT, most everyone I knew had MT rusted out Saabs, VWs and Subarus. They were cheaper to buy, easier to work on, got better mpg, handled better in the snow and dirt roads and yes, were more fun to drive with the low power engines of those cars. I'd bet my 82 Honda Accord or 88 VW Fox had less than 100HP engines.

23 years of driving later and this is the first time I've ever heard someone suggest people drive a stick because it's "manly"

I had no idea I was a testosteroney cool, hardass driving around in my little Mazda. Maybe I should buy a leather driving jacket.

 

[Funky_Catskills]

It's less about the vehicle and more about attitude..

things like "pry x from my cold dead hands" - etc......

thats attitude...