Death of Manual Transmission ETA????

[2knees]

F1 drivers don't use their left foot. The clutch pedal is obsolete and has been replaced by better technology. You don't use the clutch pedal to shift a sequential manual transmission.

just sayin that comparing driving a stick shift to using completely painful and antiquated ski equiptment doesnt compute for me. leather boots and wooden skis would hurt. and suck. driving a stick shift is fun and easy. however old it may be.

 

[ctenidae]

just sayin that comparing driving a stick shift to using completely painful and antiquated ski equiptment doesnt compute for me. leather boots and wooden skis would hurt. and suck. driving a stick shift is fun and easy. however old it may be.

I like my antiquated clutch- can't dump the clutch with those flappy paddle shfter things.

 

[dmc]

I haven't had a stick for my last 2 cars...
I really don't miss it.. I use the Triptonic to downshift on hills and for snow.. I use the sport mode for performance...

I learned on a manual and took my drivers test with it... 72 Ford Pinto...

 

[Marc]

I like my antiquated clutch- can't dump the clutch with those flappy paddle shfter things.

OTOH you're less likely to drop a transmission or a diff.

 

[campgottagopee]

I am buying American from here on out. I hope you sell a million Subies but they were never my cup of tea. My buddie just blew his head gasket on his little sporty Subie. No match for the SHO.

But at least his brakes are covered for 3 yrs or 36000 miles :-D-----your SHO is a cool lookin car, hope you have great luck with it.

 

[Marc]

But at least his brakes are covered for 3 yrs or 36000 miles :-D-----your SHO is a cool lookin car, hope you have great luck with it.

Well camp, my next car will likely be an '09 WRX. So long as my experience with my '04 continues to be happy, as it has been so far.

 

[campgottagopee]

Well camp, my next car will likely be an '09 WRX. So long as my experience with my '04 continues to be happy, as it has been so far.

Cool---little more juice in the 09 too!!! You mess around with the computer in your 04 at all, or is she stock.

 

[Glenn]

A car has to be running hot to blow a headgasket, correct? Or can it happen through normal use? Seems to me people aren't paying attention to the temp gauge.

Sometimes they just go. I had one in my 2.0 VW engine go. Then again, they used a fiber material in the earlier builds of the MKIII run. I replaced it one weekend with a newer metal/rubber/whatever they used version. Held up great, no more issues.

 

[deadheadskier]

But at least his brakes are covered for 3 yrs or 36000 miles :-D-----your SHO is a cool lookin car, hope you have great luck with it.

Has a recall ever been considered for head gaskets on Subarus? I've known or heard of more people having it blow on them, including myself than an other brand. Not a cheap fix and the #1 reason Subaru is off my radar for future purchases.

 

[campgottagopee]

Has a recall ever been considered for head gaskets on Subarus? I've known or heard of more people having it blow on them, including myself than an other brand. Not a cheap fix and the #1 reason Subaru is off my radar for future purchases.

The h gasket problem is a thing of the past---the reason for the "issue" , as I understand it, was do to the cylinder walls being too thin therefore creaqting too much heat for the headgasket to handle resulting in a leak. Since 05 we/I haven't seen them go anywhere near like they used to. Think now they're good till 200k instead of 70k-80k.

 

[Geoff]

I haven't had a stick for my last 2 cars...
I really don't miss it.. I use the Triptonic to downshift on hills and for snow.. I use the sport mode for performance...

I learned on a manual and took my drivers test with it... 72 Ford Pinto...

+1, except my first car was a 72 Ford Maverick with 3 on the tree. I almost flunked my driver's test because I was doing it in a driving school car that seemed to have a 2 speed slush-o-matic. On the test, I was fiddling with the throttle trying to get it to shift into a 3rd gear that probably didn't exist.

My first driving was in a 1957 Willys utility wagon with no synchros. I learned to double clutch at age 15 on a Vermont learners permit.

The DSG transmission on my MK V VW GTI is way better at shifting than me and my 6 speed on my MK IV GTI. My biggest gripe is that the engine braking down hills with the 2.0t engine isn't as good as on the old 1.8t. I have to use 2nd gear and fairly high RPMs going across East Mountain Road and down Bear Mountain Road. I don't like doing that in the winter when the car isn't fully warmed up so I use 3rd and have to feather the brake for speed control. I'd have the same problem with a 6 speed and a clutch pedal.

 

[eatskisleep]

Manual is still more popular in pretty much everplace but the US; we are just lazy. Go over to Europe and you'll pay more to special order an automatic than you would to get a standard off the showroom floor.

 

[deadheadskier]

The h gasket problem is a thing of the past---the reason for the "issue" , as I understand it, was do to the cylinder walls being too thin therefore creaqting too much heat for the headgasket to handle resulting in a leak. Since 05 we/I haven't seen them go anywhere near like they used to. Think now they're good till 200k instead of 70k-80k.

good to know. mine was an 04.

200K matters to me. I just turned 101K on my 3.5 year old Sonata and need to hold it until 200K. So far zero major issues. Will see how it does in it's second half of life. LOVE the new Sonata Turbo outside of no manual trans. 274 HP, mid 5's 0-60 and 34MPG highway and I hear the handling is light years better than the old gen. pretty impressive. 100K warranty is a big selling point for me as well considering the miles I rack up.

 

[ctenidae]

Manual is still more popular in pretty much everplace but the US; we are just lazy. Go over to Europe and you'll pay more to special order an automatic than you would to get a standard off the showroom floor.

I've always wondered why getting a standard was an option.

 

[dmc]

Manual is still more popular in pretty much everplace but the US; we are just lazy. Go over to Europe and you'll pay more to special order an automatic than you would to get a standard off the showroom floor.

Well - I'm not lazy I can assure you... I like my automatic transmission...

I do miss the old front cranks that people used to start cars back in the day... Now that was great...

Also - When I was in Germany last year I went into a VW dealership.. There were automatics on the floor..

 

[dmc]

I've always wondered why getting a standard was an option.

Used to be the other way around

 

[ctenidae]

Used to be the other way around

Yes, thank you.

 

[Geoff]

Well - I'm not lazy I can assure you... I like my automatic transmission...

I do miss the old front cranks that people used to start cars back in the day... Now that was great...

Also - When I was in Germany last year I went into a VW dealership.. There were automatics on the floor..

In past years, the reason people drove manual transmissions in Europe was because they got better fuel economy than slush-o-matics. Since they tax the heck out of gasoline and diesel, the extra few KPL was a big incentive to go with a manual transmission. With modern technology, that's no longer the case and the true-ism of a decade ago just ain't the case today.

I wish I had a front crank on my Mountaineer. Because of the way I've been using the car, I keep killing the battery. That then shortens battery life so my 18 month-old replacement battery no longer holds much of a charge. I have the same problem with boat batteries.

 

[Glenn]

In past years, the reason people drove manual transmissions in Europe was because they got better fuel economy than slush-o-matics. Since they tax the heck out of gasoline and diesel, the extra few KPL was a big incentive to go with a manual transmission. With modern technology, that's no longer the case and the true-ism of a decade ago just ain't the case today.

I wish I had a front crank on my Mountaineer. Because of the way I've been using the car, I keep killing the battery. That then shortens battery life so my 18 month-old replacement battery no longer holds much of a charge. I have the same problem with boat batteries.

What keeps killing the battery on the Mountaineer?

 

[Marc]

Cool---little more juice in the 09 too!!! You mess around with the computer in your 04 at all, or is she stock.

Stock stock. Enough power for me the way it is, and I like the gas mileage I get.