There are many ways to get a vehicle into gear, especially today where you don’t even need a mechanical connection between the transmission and the shifter. Today’s vehicles use a variety of buttons, rotary dials, switches, and other doohickeys. But you know what’s still great? The column shifter.
Thomas asked about how we should define column shifters in an era where there are a million different ways to shift. I just got done testing a 2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty and I think I’d call myself a purist. It’s oh-so-satisfying to clunk that column shifter into gear. Likewise, column-shift manual transmissions are also just fantastic.
I’m with you JaredTheGeek:
I love column mounted shifters. My truck and my full-size Bronco had them and that clunk was always satisfying. They also free up room elsewhere but add linkage. Now that they are almost all electric shifters now, I will go with if it’s a PRNDL on the column its column shift. Flappy paddles are not column shift because you usually have to select drive, reverse somewhere else.
Yesterday, Jason wrote about the $20,000 Indian market Tata Curvv. Now, if you’ve been to India or seen a video of a busy Indian intersection, you know drivers and riders use their horns for communication frequently and freely. GoesLikeHell got me with this:
After a trip to Bangalore earlier this year I think that any EV in India should also advertise how many beeps of the horn it has per charge, surely that will cut into the range.
As did Ecsta C3PO:
Turn your horn from Eco to Sport mode for more power at the expense of range
Part of why I’m laughing is because I finally got to live out a horn-related dream. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a New Yorker and blast the horn the millisecond a light turns green. Well, last year we had a small convoy to the LA Auto Show using David’s BMW i3 in front and his Nissan Leaf following. I drove the Leaf and caught David ahead at a light. I started crying laughing when I honked the moment the light turned green (never mind that I was in LA and not NYC). Thank you GoesLikeHell and Ecsta C3PO for the memory.
Jason wrote about Volkswagen Rabbit facts. I love ’70s and ’80s cars for the silliness Jack Trade points out:
That DIESEL rocker panel stripe is the best. I wonder if in like 10 years, putting large “ICE” decals on vehicles will be the new mildly transgressive/screw you society/No Fear license plate frame or truck nut accessory?
Matt wrote about used car prices in The Morning Dump. Ever wonder why people intentionally lose money by trading cars to dealers? Here’s one reason why from Mrbrown89:
I traded a Ford Escape with 60K miles that started to feel tired and we needed more room for the whole family growing, they gave me around 4K less than market price if I sold privately but I avoided the headache of selling in Facebook marketplace.
And Pupmeow:
People will poo poo you for losing out on the money. But in my opinion, avoiding FB marketplace is worth at least $10K.
Thanks for commenting, everyone!
I’ve only had one car with a column shift, but all but one of the family’s trucks was column shift
Column shifts win. You get that satisfying clunk into gear, they’re out of the way, and it’s way easier to rock an automatic when you’re stuck in the snow with a column shifter. Winning all around.
All automatics should be column shift. My grocery getter is an auto with a column shift and it’s brilliant.
I’ve been divesting my video game collection – takes up a lot of space, have other ways to play – and there have been time where I took the (often significant) cut to sell it at one of the second hand shops because I just don’t want to deal with marketplace for $60.
Shifting a manual three in the tree is way more satisfying to me than feeling the clunk of a column shift auto going into gear.
I prefer going to the dealer for the trade and not private party for the most part. I would not do that with a 1969 Plymouth Valiant Signet but with a 2019 Dodge Charger Scat Pack I would Age of the car has a lot to do with how much sense it makes because as others have said dealing with the public through Facebook marketplace or other means can be aggravating.
I loved the column shifter on my ’96 Taurus. It was a flatter paddle, so you could shift from R to D without taking your hand off the wheel.
Column shifters rule. All automatics should be column shifted. Floor/console shifters just waste space.
I love column shifters (would love to have four or five on the tree). My next purchase, hopefully, is a Suzuki Wagon R Column – this special edition received a column shifter and silly headlamps.
https://picture1.goo-net.com/110/1101576/J/1101576A30230310W00202.jpg
https://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/SUZUKI/WAGON_R/700110157630230310002/
I’ve actually made money by trading in. I used a manufacturer trade-in promo that was worth more than I would have gotten from selling privately, nevermind the logistical nightmare of having to deal with people. The car just barely made it into the dealership under its own power, but running is running.
What? You don’t enjoy posting a car for sale for $14K firm, and then receiving hundreds of messages asking if you’ll take $950 and an old pair of boots?
Trading into the dealer will also provide tax benefits in most states. If the vehicle you are trading in is worth enough it might offset some or all of the increased revenue from selling on Marketplace/Craigslist/street corner and eliminate the hassle.
We usually trade our previous cars in so probably have lost thousands, BUT, the main reason we’re usually buying something else is the old car’s tired and got some issues, I’d rather it go to a faceless dealer to do with whatever, than private selling to some poor shmoe knowing all the issues the car has or potentially will have. Even though the faceless dealer will still probably turn around and try to sell it to the poor shmoe, at least they have some options if things do go south legally.
This is why my Craigslist car posts are novels detailing every issue I can think of: if my shitbox breaks down on its next owner, I don’t want it on my conscience.
The worst part of being an engineer and a car enthusiast is that the “issues” listed include poor design decisions that *may* cause the owner problems down the line.
I do that too, and it actually works out very well for me. I don’t have any guilt when I sell a car, and when people come to look at it they can’t “get me” with some sort of gotcha issue that I didn’t disclose and ask for a way lower price. My past few sales have all been at what I’m asking, if not very slightly less. I do also tend to price the cars pretty fairly, so that probably helps.