Funky_Catskills
Well-known member
Funny... Put a stick in a guys hand and he get all manly... 
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Death of Manual Transmission ETA????
- Thread starter deadheadskier
- Start date
I had no idea I was a testosteroney cool, hardass driving around in my little Mazda. Maybe I should buy a leather driving jacket.
Maybe where you're from.
Long haired hippies driving around old beat up VWs in the hills of New England? Kind of the anti cool / manly thing
Long haired hippies driving around old beat up VWs in the hills of New England? Kind of the anti cool / manly thing
Funky_Catskills
Well-known member
ctenidae
Active member
I would argue that the manual increases my safety and comfort when driving. I hate when driving some ATs that when you let off the gas, they don't really slow down- it feels like they speed up, since you overreact to the lack of the expected sensation. Knowing that I have that extra measure of control makes me feel safer, which makes me more comfortable. I can honestly claim I have never sat in traffic and wished I had an automatic.
Now, for chest thumping and testosteroning, motorcycles are great. They're fun, too, but not as useful on a daily basis.
Well until they start in with all the "shift or your lame stuff"...
Like I said, never met such a person.
Funky_Catskills
Well-known member
Funky_Catskills
Well-known member
You're right, Jim G and the rest of us all must have bruises on our chests........
Everyone thinks differently and it takes all kinds.
I used a figure of speech to convey my enjoyment of a manual. I have no attitude other than I prefer controlling my own car. That will continue.
And I can certainly listen to and allow for other viewpoints I don't agree with since most have their own measure of value.
I used a figure of speech to convey my enjoyment of a manual. I have no attitude other than I prefer controlling my own car. That will continue.
And I can certainly listen to and allow for other viewpoints I don't agree with since most have their own measure of value.
Funny... Put a stick in a guys hand and he get all manly...
Said the drummer with 2 sticks.
marcski
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Ftw. Lol.
ctenidae
Active member
Funky_Catskills
Well-known member
Funky_Catskills
Well-known member
It's the manual shift attitude... You totally have it..
You all have - why not embrace it?
Why can't it be about chest thumping? Being excited and happy for this act of fun that you so extol over the mundane life of us automatic shifters?
ctenidae
Active member
I was thinking about it this morning- it's not (necessarily) chest thumping or bravado. Aside from the safety and control aspects that some (myself included) enjoy, there's the simple pleasure in doing something right. The 4-2 downshift, the smooth row up the gears, the 5 miles of stop and go traffic with nary a brake light. It's no different than cooking a steak a perfect medium rare, or a perfect fishing cast, or a flower arrangement that's just right. To be sure, there's some fun in wrapping up a gear, in the little turbo snort as you upshift, or dropping a gear (and the hammer) in a tunnel.
I enjoy manual transmissions because I like the connection, I prefer the control, and I indulge in the enjoyment. You prefer an automatic because you use your car as a tool, driving is a necessary chore, and it works just fine. That's why they make both kinds. For the moment.
Funky_Catskills
Well-known member
Excellent...
As I was downshifting my Automatic transmission using TipTronic I was thinking about this thread as well..
Don't get me wrong... The thought of screaming around a mountain road with a Porsche - downshifting into a turn makes me stoked!!
marcski
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Agree. A good downshift while accelerating through a turn lets you feel the g-forces build (while eveyone else in ATs are braking and working against the forces, a MT uses them to slingshot out of the curve) gives me a similar feeling as a really good carved turn on skis.
The thing is though.......you don't need a Porsche to have that kind of fun on winding roads. My little Mazda handles like a go cart on the back roads. Super fun car to push. Also super efficient when I just need to get from point A to B.
xwhaler
Active member
+1 Mazda has always made great cars with an eye towards handling. My daily commuter is an '06 3 with 188k and steering/handling still feels very tight.
It's too bad the rust is starting to get to it around the wheel wells and on the trunk taillight. A common issue I see on 3's of this vintage.
Feel I will need to make the call within the next yr or so whether to replace panels (friend with an 05 3 did this) or scrap the car with the major mechanical components still in great shape.
