We gearheads love our manual transmissions. We’re a minority, though, and as trends have changed, the stick shifts we love are increasingly hard to come by. As it turns out, less than 1 in 100 new vehicles come with three pedals in the US—and it has been that way for some time.
The sad news comes to us from official government statistics. The 2024 EPA Automotive Trends report covers cars, trucks and automotive technology in rich detail. The report can tell you all about the rise of multi-port fuel-injected engines, or how brushless AC blowers are worth minor efficiency gains. It’s a treasure trove of facts and graphs stretching all the way back to 1975, and it’s just been updated with a full slate of data from 2023.
The saddest tale the report tells? It’s that our beloved manual transmission is increasingly becoming irrelevant.
The EPA notes that the decline of the manual is a “notable trend.” Back in 1980, just under 35% of new vehicles in the US came with a manual transmission. It’s been a pretty steady decline ever since, as per the graph above. The EPA report notes that manual transmissions sank below 1% of total production in model year 2021, and have remained there ever since.
Imagine if you filled a parking lot with 100 random new cars from the US market. Only one of those cars would have a manual gearbox. The rest would all be automatics, CVTs, or EVs.
It’s worth acknowledging that there are dissenting statistics out there. JD Power reported there was a big rise in manual sales in 2023, with a take rate of 1.7% of new vehicle sales in 2023. However, this was a partial-year result, so it’s hard to argue against the EPA’s more authoritative full-year results. In the very same time period, data experts at JATO Dynamics similarly concurred with the government—the take rate was definitely below 1%.
Why did this happen? Many will want to point to automakers, decrying them for eliminating manual options in many models. Indeed, as we discussed earlier this year, just one five-speed manual was available in the US for 2024, along with 27 six-speeds and two seven-speed models.
However, this ignores how automakers plan their lineups. They build what sells, and they cut what doesn’t. Manuals were dropped because the broader market was less interested in them.
Ultimately, the decline of the manual seems to be down to what drivers actually want. Automatics have been more efficient than manuals for over a decade now, thanks to the advent of more gear ratios and lockup clutches. They’ve always been an easier drive, too, and most will agree they’re quicker on a race track as well. Most new car buyers want a comfortable car that’s easy to get around in—they have no interest in shifting their own gears.
These days, cars are just appliances to most people. That’s left the manual transmission as a novelty option for a die-hard group of old heads, and only a handful of them actually buy new cars. We love that the stick-shift Nissan Versa still exists, but how many of us are going out and buying them? Similarly, we’ve seen the manual return to legendary names like the Toyota Supra and Nissan Z, but few have laid down the cash for reasons of price, availability, and taste.
I’m not worried that manuals will die out entirely. Automakers are still selling a solid range of options, particularly in enthusiast categories like sports cars and off-roaders. Even if manufacturers dumped them tomorrow, there’s still a ton on sale in Europe, where they still make up a double-digit percentage of sales. Besides, if the oldheads can keep pre-war Model Ts running, we can do the same with our dodgy Fox Body Mustangs and rusty Miatas.
Ultimately, though, the fate of the manual lies with us. It’s up to us to keep it going. I have every faith we’ll continue to do so.
Image credits: Lewin Day, EPA report
I’ll stop buying only manuals when I get an EV, that is the only reason.
This. The manual transmission is so ubiquitous to a mechanical motor to me. They make sense for EVs so I will use one when I get an EV.
Yep. The 2 options I’m looking at right now are GTI and MY. So different, but both engaging. Heart vs. Head. If head wins it will be the first time in 20 years there hasn’t been a stick shift in the driveway. Side note, how do we petition for a stick shift emoji???
I don’t mourn the death of manuals like I don’t mourn the death of coupes. I do however mourn the death of GOOD manuals just like I mourn the death of GOOD coupes.
No one misses the two door manual Chevy Cavalier but I’m sad the the 6MT Supra and Z4 are dying.
We had a manual 2 door Crapelier Z24 years ago. Surprisingly fun to boot around in. Great first car!!! So, respectfully disagree, it is missed. A stick shift makes any car more engaging to drive, from a Dodge Caliber (also had one) to a 911. Crap car becomes less crap, great car becomes more great.
I drive a manual, I’ve really only ever driven manual. I love it, love the experience and the feel. But if you don’t? That’s fine. I’m the one driving my car, and you’re the one driving your car. If you want an auto, get an auto. You can loves cars and drive either. I don’t understand why this has to be a thing people judge each other on. Pineapple on pizza? That’s worth fighting about (not really).
Love what you love.
It is just like guys that hand grind coffee, or vinyl records, hand wound watches, or any number of hobby pursuits where complication is the goal.
Yes there is pre ground coffee yes there are CDs and digital streaming.. some people just like the old ways and just like things more complicated because the inconvenience IS the fun.
The best example I’ve heard is people that ride horses. Of course a car is better in almost every metric than a horse for transportation but people still ride horses and ride in horse drawn carriages. It’s a niche and people like it.
Other than the poorest people in developing nations, there’s literally no one left using horses for transportation (except for the Amish people, I guess). Other than that, riding horses has become a hobby, just like fencing….so it’s not a good example in my eyes. Vinyl records is a much better example, since some people still listen to music that way, even if it’s less convenient in so many ways.
Ok. I’ll take issue with the coffee one.
I like my manuals, and wish more of my cars had em. I still don’t care for the way most automatics behave. BUT, especially as we blend more electricity into our powertrains, a manual doesn’t make a done of sense for your average commuta-car. I don’t fret that my Volt isn’t a 5 speed.
Back in the early 1980s the US military decided to spec only automatics for vehicle purchases as it wasn’t worth taking time to teach recruits how to drive manuals. And the rest is history.
I am 4/4 on my current fleet for manual transmissions. I have a fifth vehicle lined up for purchase shortly and it is also manual. I do sometimes worry about if I get injured or something though since I will be without a paddle.
I nearly bought a brand new Tacoma with a manual transmission recently. Then found a really nice 2022 in green with a 6 speed instead and bought that. Unfortunately, it’s a 4-door short bed, I would have liked a 2 door longer bed but that’s not in the cards volume wise for toyota to build.
We would have so many less distracted driving instances if everyone drove manual.
I agree with this. One of the factors about driving a manual I like is that I am confident it makes me a more conscious driver. It forces me to pay more attention to the vehicle and whats going on because I have to respond more actively to it.
That confuses me. You’re thinking more about something mechanical, intrinsic to the vehicle, rather than your surroundings. I don’t want my brain to have to manage what gear I’m in like that.
Plus you can’t keep both hands on the wheel! A relative was hit by someone changing lanes and they credit their survival and well-being to having had two hands tightly on the wheel.
I may have to focus on an extra thing (though after 25 years, its not really much) but it engenders FOCUS, the primary thing lacking in so many accidents. I can’t let my mind wander off where ever, so I’m more focused the entire time I drive.
See my argument is it makes you THINK about driving. You can’t text and drive easily with a manual. That alone makes a difference. Considering distracted driving is the number one cause of death on the road and less than 1 percent are now manuals, I don’t think your argument holds a lot of water.
Agree. Part of the reason I switched to a manual last year is that I was uncomfortable with how comfortable I had gotten with all the safety features (lane centering, adaptive cruise, etc.). I felt like I was barely paying attention to the road.
Also the manual is more fun.
This, when I drive my parents new outback I find myself drifting off to the point where I am not watching out like I should be. Everything is just so unengaging.
We also would’ve if we’d adopted roundabouts in the 1950s instead of just the last few years, by design they force drivers to pay attention while going through which is a small price to pay for continuous flow.
I learned how to drive 20 years ago. A couple years after, I had to hunt down a manual car, purchased it and had a friend drive it back to my house, where I tortured the thing to teach myself.
The reality, that was A LOT of effort to learn how to do something that just about nobody else around me knew how to do. And this was in 2006! People learn how to drive what’s available to them, and how many young people have a manual car in the family fleet to learn on? A self-fulfilling prophecy at this point.
I was lucky in that my dad daily drove a 2000 S-10 with a manual transmission. I learned to drive manual on it as did my brother. It currently has 231k miles and still has the original clutch in it.
Its true. I daily drive a manual. My toys are all manual. My kids will learn to drive manual because I want them to. But none of their friends will ever know.
And it’s great because you know their friends will never drive it!
I actually thought this exact same thing after I hit the go button 😀
I had a conversation with my dad recently, who was the one that helped teach me to drive a stick on my first car. He was trying to remember how I even got into driving a manual (and he himself had sought out manuals in his cars before marriage and children). It was about that same length of time ago, we had gone to look at used cars, he had wanted to look at a plain auto 1st gen Saturn SL1, but when we got to the dealer a same-year, similar miles 5-speed SC2 was next to it. Long term it was in worse condition than the SL1 probably would’ve been (in hindsight probably why they were priced close), but at the time it wasn’t hard to pick a nicer car when I knew I wanted to learn stick too and he was willing to help teach me and for me to learn. But if I hadn’t gotten that? Who knows when I would have.
It’s a sliding doors moment for sure. If I were to survey every adult i know who can drive stick, I would bet not a single one of them learned how to drive stick past the age of maybe 22? Once you’re an adult, and you have adult responsibilities, you’re far less likely to take the risk on a car you don’t really know how to drive, especially a new one that you probably depend on to get to work. And especially if you have a significant other who doesn’t know how to drive one either.
I bought a car with an M6 this year, so I did my part.
Yup, I did that a year ago. First new car I ever bought… specifically so I could make my “voice” heard.
My guess is the manual transmission will go the way of the manual crank starter.
I’m sure in the old days some people wanted to stick with the manual cranking because the electric starter was “too expensive” or “one more piece of expensive equipment that could break” but eventually sanity won out and electric starters became ubiquitous. They’re just too convenient and good at what they do.
In fact I’m so sick of hearing all the whining about the demise of the manual transmission, if I were king for a day I’d ban all such whiners from having an electric starter, so they could spend more quality time becoming one with their machine and enjoy the experience of crank starting their engine.
In fact crank starting might be too light of a punishment – ban them from internal combustion, so they can spend even more quality time with their car while the boiler gets up to steam temperature.
Technology marches on. Deal with it.
And I am sick of hearing the bullshit about people complaining about the tiny minority that likes to row their own. Deal with it.
I’ll never be king for a day, so of course I’ll have to deal with it. And your take about less distracted driving if we all had them is a very good one.
As for the BS, it’s not the fact that people like to use a manual that bothers me. To each their own, and more power to them. I get that.
It’s the whining that bothers me. Like if someone wants to be a vegan, great, you do you, but I don’t want a lecture about how the steak I’m eating wasn’t a suicide.
Yeah but then you whine about the whining which completely negates your argument. Don’t be a hypocrite.
So, it’s okay to talk about an issue, but it’s not okay to talk about the talk about the issue?
I don’t see how I’m being hypocritical here.
But how would you feel if the vegans got together and banned eating cows? Because that is the real analogy here.
Though at this point, inability to buy a manual has rather fallen down my list of reasons I have no interest in buying any more new cars. Was fun while it lasted.
No, banning manuals is not what we’re talking about. Banning the whining is what we’re talking about.
Companies can and should continue to make manuals available to those who want them (with electric starters, even). Even if it’s a niche market, it deserves to be served.
Nobody enjoys cranking starting a car. Many people enjoy driving a manual transmission. This is a weird take.
but i feel so much more connected to mechanical nature of the car when i turn it over manually. see how it sounds…
Exactly this.
Nobody (or, nobody I know) is saying they like manual transmissions because they are one less thing to break, or because they don’t believe in the technology of the automatic. Everyone knows they’re easier, get better mileage now, and are faster on the track.
We like our manual transmissions because they’re fun to drive. End of story.
Modern automatics do seem to be made out of eggshells and glass, though and it seems the cheaper the car the pricier the failure mode of the autobox.
I have a 6 speed manual in my Miata. I get the fun to drive part.
I also recognize in the not too distant future, I won’t be able to buy another new one.
I do enjoy cranking other things though.
Actually, there are people who enjoy crank starting things. The antique tractor crowd is very much alive in some areas. For a daily driver? Yeah, not so much.
Interesting take, but it’s not about an aversion to the march of technology. The automatic transmission is not a new advance unless you’re 100 years old or something. I just prefer driving a manual. It’s really that simple.
Well said! Indeed, technology does progress. No longer do we need to endure the tedious task of shifting gears ourselves, or even letting the car shift gears for us, thanks to the revolutionary CVT transmission. The Jatco Xtronic model is a perfect example of this perfect transmission. Smooth and efficient, what’s not to love?
Jatco Xtronic CVT > Automatic > Manual > rowing a paddle
This is the commenter I was waiting for.
What’s not to love about a CVT? Almost everything. They feel weird and make the vehicle sound funny, and they (certainly the early ones) don’t last anywhere near as long as they should.
But they are efficient, so there is a place for them. I do prefer a traditional automatic with actual gears, but hey, that’s just me.
“What’s not to love about a CVT? Almost everything. They feel weird and make the vehicle sound funny, and they (certainly the early ones) don’t last anywhere near as long as they should”
Ah a skeptic. I was once like you but I have since been shown the light.
Here, this helpful video will explain all. Take it slow, there is much to learn and be sure to watch the whole thing right to the end.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zHU2RlSCdxU
All glory to the Jatco Xtronic CVT!!
I just want to say that I love this account. It is weird in a way that is so unique to this site.
It really is part of the fun here to have long running jokes in the comment section.
This account is so good, I wouldn’t be surprised if The Autopian ran a blog exposing Torch as Jatco Xtronic CVT, and then was sent to court, where he was convicted of Transmission Treason, and sentenced to life in a 2009 Nissan Murano.
Hahaha, a Murano Cross Cabriolet at that. Sentenced to a life of automotive mockery!
I lol’d, but I almost think the Cross Cabriolet to be less of a punishment versus the standard Murano. You can take the roof down on the Cross Cabriolet! Plus let’s get real, Torch would probably enjoy owning and being seen in such a thing.
Maybe a Cross Cabriolet with a broken top. That would do.
Yup… practically as good as “Sergio Marchionne” or “Mergio Sarchionne” back on the old site.
Like the Mergio Sarchionne account from the old site. It’s just silly fun.
I’ll say this, you really know how to “stick” to a character!
“In fact I’m so sick of hearing all the whining about the demise of the manual transmission, if I were king for a day I’d ban all such whiners from having an electric starter, so they could spend more quality time becoming one with their machine and enjoy the experience of crank starting their engine.”
Good luck figuring out how to get the crank on a transverse mounted engine. You’d probably have to take the wheel off each and every time.
This is the kind of edgelord take I’d expect from Rob Schneider. You’re doing a hell of a great impression of him.
Stupid analogy. NOBODY bemoaned the loss of the arm breaking manual crank starter. It did not add involvement or fun to driving a car.
If you don’t want to shift for yourself, more power to you. I have never, and likely will never, buy a new car with an automatic transmission (and relatively speaking, I have bought a lot of new cars). Plenty of lovely examples of cars I like out there I can buy instead. Bonus, they are usually cheaper than the new ones.
There is still something charming about kick starting a classic motorcycle. I remember the old diesel Enfield Bullets – you needed to get the piston to the compression portion and give it I swift kick. It could snap back if you weren’t careful and that cold fo some harm.
Automatics are a marketing gimmick to increase margins and it has apparently worked very well.
Living in an area with insane traffic is what killed any desire for my next car to be a manual.
Eh, I lived in high traffic areas for years with manuals. If it’s not a crazy heavy clutch I have never thought it was worse in a manual than an auto.
This. My 2016 Honda is not a chore at all to drive in heavy traffic. I find it better because it is less boring. I hate driving automatics cause I find them so unengaging that I drift off into thought.
yeah my Focus ST had a heavy ass clutch that was no fun to operate in stop and go highway traffic. Sold the stick, got a jag with an 8 speed auto and havent missed it a bit.
Yeah I get that. I don’t think I have ever had anything with a heavy clutch. Some have definitely been heavier than others, but none heavy enough that it ever bothered me. Driving in San Fran and Seattle with a manual was an experience though. I’m glad I had a strong handbrake!
Yeah I think it comes down to that. Clutch feel is a bigger deal than having the manual.
Not worse at all? I drive a manual because I live in a pretty small town. Once a month or so I am in Chicago or Detroit and I loathe having to shift in stop-and-go traffic. It is inarguably an extra burden.
Also, damn I am pretty fit but my left quad still gets tired of shifting in heavy traffic. Are you an Olympic athlete?
No, not at all. Literally the only time in my life that I have ever had an issue with my left leg getting sore from driving a manual was when I spent 6 hours carving canyons with a Lotus club. That was exhausting and my whole body was tired from that, but other than that it’s never bothered me even a little. I have driven them literally coast to coast and in many big cities in traffic and never once wished for an auto. I definitely agree it is an extra burden, just not one that has ever bothered me to carry it.
It really seems like the emotional nature of this subject is causing people to stake out extreme positions that are impossible to defend logically.
I love driving a stick shift, but it is inarguably more annoying in traffic.
People do have a lot of feelings about this! On the other hand, maybe Brandon just has massive thighs.
I have not driven a single automatic that can decide what gear to be in in very slow traffic (though I’m sure some newer autos are much better at this). The only situations where IMO a manual is actually annoying are:
Both of these are only because I feel bad for my clutch.
Less convenient? Absolutely. But it’s always less convenient because it’s an extra action to do. For experienced manual drivers there is near zero extra thought. I find myself actually annoyed with automatics more for things like excessive shifting, changing too many or too few gears, having extremely unresponsive manual modes, etc…
For traffic level reference I live in the Seattle area. I do avoid traffic like the plague though.
I’m surprised it’s that high of a percentage. It’s hard to find one to buy, especially at the low end of the market. I haven’t bought a new manual since 2008 (Saturn Astra). I currently have 2 manual cars and 1 of 3 kids that wants to learn to drive stick. I also have 0 of 1 spouse that wants to learn to drive stick.
Similar here. My wife can drive stick but she doesn’t enjoy it, my 13 yo has no interest in a manual, by 9 yo is very excited by the idea, and my 5 yo is too young to care haha.
Boo lady from Princess Bride. Over and over again.
What’s funny to me is that, despite a lot of the objectively better things about the various automatics (many of which are faster and more efficient than manuals, which is a reversal of the historical norms), Europe still has a very high take rate on manuals. Is it just tradition or is there maybe some value in combining simplicity, tactility, and lower up-front cost? Yes, eventually you’ll need a clutch and related bits, but manuals tend to start failing “predictably” with slip, or with a higher friction point. A lot of autos fail dramatically. And expensively.
No one likes to hear this, but a big reason for the difference in automotive sales numbers between the US and Europe is that Europeans are poor.
When I lived there, a lot of Europeans wanted to drive cars more like we had (big engines, big size, automatic transmissions) but between high taxes and low salaries couldn’t afford to do so even if they were offered.
I mean, that’s just untrue. The fact of the matter is; in Europe cars are much smaller than ‘merican cars. We have smaller roads, smaller parking spots and generally less need to travel in a monstrosity the size of an f150.
Because our cars are much smaller, they require much smaller engines to power. 1.0l to 1.6l petrols or 1.5l turbo diesels are the norm and a 2.0l petrol is considered a large engine. The auto boxes that are mated up to these small engines are in general terrible. They are unreliable, noisy and really sap any power that you can get from a small engine. Because of this, we all just learn to drive manual rather than put up with sub par auto boxes.
As for Europeans being poor compared to ‘Mericans, https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World_map_of_median_wealth_per_adult_by_country._Credit_Suisse._2021_publication.png#mw-jump-to-license
Notice how most of europe is dark green whereas the grand old USA is light green. That’s because Europeans are by median average more wealthy than Americans.
Of course the USA has more wealth per person when worked out as a mean average, but all that shows is the financial inequality in your country.
This is typical Euro-cope.
European populations are much older than Americans and wealth accumulates as you get older.
Any and every chart of income shows the USA much higher.
Add typical tax burden and the gap widens.
I’m European, and I agree with you. However I think the gap has closed, by a lot, not widened. Just look at the value of the US$ since the 1950s compared to today, that says a lot.
It really depends on the time period we’re talking about, but from the end of WW2 until the 80s, there’s no question that the USA was a lot wealthier than most of Europe, except maybe those mini states like Monaco. And these places are just rich because the are tax havens for the super rich.
Take any metric, and especially take into account how much value the US$ had during that time, and I think you’ll come to the same conclusion. The generation of my parents didn’t drive around in VW Beetles and 1.3 Golfs because they wanted to, it’s just that most families couldn’t afford more than that (and only one car per family, no driveways with a couple of V8s and a truck sitting outside), and that was in Switzerland.
The problem as I see it is how the companies rigged the numbers. Let’s pair the manual with the worst engine possible. What’s that, no one bought it? People must not like manuals.
There is some of this. The belief that “automakers make what sells” is only half true. Automakers have repeatedly set things up so that what makes them the most money is designed to be the most desirable, for factors that aren’t necessarily related to the item in question.
EXACTLY. Lewin really oversimplified when he stated that in the article. Automakers sell what maximizes margins.
It’s worse than that. People didn’t even have that option, dealerships buy cars from the manufacturers. Why would they stock a niche manual model that might not move for 3 weeks when they could have that same model in auto that will move in 3 days.
Dealerships are unfortunately killing any niche or enthusiast models
Confession time: I cannot drive a manual. I also really love cars. Some Autopians may think those two statements are incompatible.
There was not one in my household growing up, and never really needed to learn it. I also like EVs and have a PEV today, which generally won’t have a manual (or at least a real / not make believe one). Part of me wants to learn how to drive manual, but really not sure if there’d ever be a chance to use that skill. Open to any arguments on why it would still be good to learn…
If you travel to Europe and rent a car, the chances are decent that it will still be a manual (at least this was true a few years ago, maybe not anymore)
I went to Germany in April, and specifically asked for a manual and they didn’t have any. Not sure if that’s normal or not, and I am sure it does vary country to country, but I was very disappointed by that.
Was in Greece this summer, just handed the keys to a manual. It was assumed I could drive it (I can).
I actually gave that as feedback to the tour – hey, most US citizens CANNOT drive a stick shift.
That’s not inherently a bad thing, as it means no one will ever ask to borrow my car (I mean, I wouldn’t let them anyway, but still…).
The last few times I’ve rented a car I’d have no problem picking a manual if I wanted. But, I always choose automatic since I’m driving in a foreign country and I’d rather have one less thing to worry about.
It’s a personal choice for sure. I was always interested, and my grandparents on both sides had them, so I learned on their cars. It’s definitely not something you need to do, but I find it more fun. My wife’s minivan is an auto, but my fun car will be a manual as long as possible.
No shame at all – I first learned stick at a Skip Barber school and soon bought one to own. Modern autos/Evs are BETTER at all driving, all that missing is the engagement. A manual can be FUN but is not a panacea to a car loving lifestyle. You do you.
If you’re under 40, I can see how the opportunities to learn manual were limited.
Honestly I’d say under 50. Manuals were getting scarce in my area when I was growing up.
Yeah I only have half a clue because I worked at a car dealership and we had the rare manual come on the lot, so I got a chance to drive one.
I don’t think my parents ever had to drive a manual transmission and they are in their 60’s.
My parents are in their mid-60s and never learned.
I appreciate a good 20+ year old car. If you find a good one that happens to be a manual, there is no guarantee you will ever find an equally good one that is automatic.
I’ve found the opposite to be true by the early 90s. Particularly for enthusiast cars. The automatics were never flogged as hard as the manuals. So the best version to me is to buy an automatic and convert it to manual. I have a never abused 1990 240sx I got that way.
It’s difficult to do without a complete donor car. That being said, one manual selling point is greater control in the snow so you might find a salt-eaten manual donor car easily enough.
I love manuals. I have daily driven manauls for 25 years. I have swapped automatic cars to manuals. I have put manual transmissions in cars that never had them from the factory. I find it fascinating how many people DONT like manuals, because of how much I like them.
That being said, I think the only thing I would point to as “unenthusiast” is an active refusal to learn. If given the opportunity to experience another part of the hobby, take it. Learn if you can, even if you don’t hunt for the opportunity.
I don’t care for supercars. Zero interest in them. But if someone offered me a ride, or a chance to drive one, sure I would take it. But i’m never going to hunt that opportunity and I am not awed by those who have them.
I’ve bought four manuals new in the last 12 years and will probably buy one more next year.
That said-
Much like the demise of sedans, I find it hard to shed too many tears over losing the third pedal in mainstream models. The benefits in “fun to drive” are limited in a vehicle that isn’t very fun to drive to begin with. And there really aren’t too many other upsides vs modern automatics. As long as automakers are still putting them in sporty stuff (which it seems they are) I am not going to worry too much.
Yes; they build what sells, but also arguably influence sales through builds and dealer stock processes. Try buying and building a car through the option list (in reality 2 build packages) in modern times. Only performance buyers want manuals so on those cars get them in low enough numbers to drive demand.
Cars were unique and colorful when I was a kid (even if malaise junk).
At least in the motorcycle world the ratio is probably flipped, wonder what slingshots are counted as?
Unpopular opinion: manuals should go extinct. They add nothing to the driving experience but unnecessary complication. I’ve never has less fun in an automatic.
My ’94 SHO was a hoot with the manual, at the same time not all cars or driving situations benefit. Tech advances have removed the manual economy advantage, so all that’s left is FUN. I’m not commuting at rush hour with a manual. I’m taking it out for FUN times. Once had a manual Jimny in Greece for a day – I had a great time with it.
To each their own of course, but when me and my BIL both had miatas at the same time, he hated his and ended up selling it quickly because it was an auto and just too slow to be fun for commuting, whereas we both loved mine and even just a trip to the grocery store was more fun. I also found my 94 accord with the manual to be fun, and despised the 99 with the auto.
An auto Miata is a crime against humanity. That car NEEDS an manual.
It’s a convertible. The whole point of a topless car is a relaxed cruising driving style, which an automatic is best for.
If I’m in rush hour traffic or going down the interstate for hours on end I want an auto. If I’m going out for an evening with no destination and an low traffic, gimme the manual.
Convertibles are a quandary, but a Miata or Mustang must be stick – I’m driving it as a toy. I would cruise in a Sebring or Solara.
I think relaxed cruising driving is sort of the opposite of what a miata is for.
If you want to canyon carve, fine. Get the manual. A miata is for whatever the owner wants.
It’s for canyon carving and pushing to get the utmost out of every one of those hp. Miatas are the most common car at any autox or track day event, and in my experience, less than half have any added power. They are handling cars, you don’t need 300hp to accelerate out of the corner if you never had to slow down for the corner. Nothing about that is relaxing.
That’s my quandary. I’m finally able to buy a toy. Is it a manual Miata or a slush box cruiser? Traffic here in Tampa Bay makes it a difficult decision.
Why not both? Or get a lower fat EV. they are quite a bit more fun than the regular slushomatic commuter.
I think the NDs can be engaging with the auto, but mine was an NA, his an NB. The auto also made it shift at like 6k with the pedal to the floor, when redline is 7k. So it was slower due to 4 speeds, and made worse by not revving properly. I don’t get why it was even made.
I disagree with your viewpoint, but also appreciate it, since it meant my rust-free ’91 Miata was $1300, since I bought it off-season and it’s an auto, so there was really no market for it.
I understand your view, I want one but cannot imagine it without a clutch pedal. I live semi rural, outside a mid-size city. I think I would die inside driving an auto Miata, which would be a solely for fun weekend driver.
I’ve been shopping them and there’s way too many.
This. Low power cars are MISERABLE with an auto. A manual is needed to make them useful and fun. I really don’t see how people can’t understand that.
If the engine is the heart of a car, then the transmission is it’s soul. The transmission has a greater impact on the driving experience than other other part of the car.
Automatic transmissions don’t have souls.
Lol
Finally! I agree almost completely, except for the ‘should get extinct’ part. Simply because I think everyone should be free to drive what he wants, and if somebody actually prefers pushing a clutch pedal hundreds of times during his commute, he should be able to do that. Shifting is a minor inconvenience, but a clutch pedal is a huge hassle, except for a few exceptions (track day, a windy mountain road where there’s so little traffic that you’re not constantly stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle). And most people almost never drive in this conditions. However, stop-and-go traffic is what they encounter every single day.
Plus there’s the financial side: a faulty automatic transmission is usually a death sentence for a car that’s just a few years old (and out of warranty), they are so expensive that it just rarely makes sense. If you’re lucky, your transmission is built well enough to last 300 thousand miles or even more, but I’ve also known friends who had to basically junk a 15 thousand dollar car, because installing a new automatic transmission would have been over 10k. And that was on a mainstream sedan of some of the best known makes of cars, not something ‘special’. I actually think the financial argument is the best one in favor of manual transmission.
I mean your anecdote is pretty irrelevant to anyone who feels otherwise despite advocating for less choice that by admission doesn’t affect you to begin with, so why wouldn’t it be unpopular?
Some of us very much enjoy the complication. I have less fun in an automatic every time I drive one. I have an NC Miata with a stick and my son has an ND Miata with an automatic. They are both fun, but it’s not even a contest for me as to which I enjoy more to drive. The stick is so much more fun and engaging. Anyway, you do you, but there’s no reason to keep others from enjoying a stick by wanting them to go extinct.
Awww. Sorry you’re not good at it.
Not good? No. Not interested.
You said it’s unnecessarily complicated. It’s not. So, why do you think it’s unnecessarily complicated? Probably because you’re bad at it.
Yes, it’s unnecessarily complicated. It adds more complication to driving than an automatic transmission. And in today’s cars, that’s unnecessary.
Something can be unneccessarily complicated without actually being difficult to use. Skill has nothing to do with it. The manual gearbox is more of a fossil than a transmission.
See that is a lazy argument to me. You sound like someone who doesn’t even want to drive. Might as well just take an uber or get a driver. At what point does it become so lazy that people don’t even drive themselves anymore? Also if you think manuals are complicated you obviously have never worked on an automatic transmission. That is the single most complicated part ever in a car.
I love driving and I drive for leisure almost every week.
Sorry you think that way
You mean you half drive. Not shifting gears means you only do so much. You have the car do the majority of the work. Might as well just hook up a sim rig at that point.
And people wonder why I despise most car enthusiasts.
If you think that everybody around you is an asshole….
Assholes isnt the word i would have used. You’re a bunch of smug gatekeepers.
I guess that’s kind of assholish behaviour, so you’re right. Everyone around me is an asshole.
None of the manual transmission enthusiasts are advocating for automatics to go extinct.
You’re the one who wants to remove other peoples choice of what they find fun.
The primary “gate keeping” happening is that all vehicles should be appreciated and enthusiasts embraced even it it’s not your particular thing.
This might not be the right website to voice that opinion, lol.
There’s gatekeepers in every community, but I’d wager that they car community is mostly gatekeepers.
You’re calling people smug gatekeepers while voicing your opinion as though it is fact and advocating for less choice in the automotive marketplace. What an interesting decision!
Fair, and I’m sorry people are being dicks. You’re entitled to your opinion and I respect it. I will say, saying that something many of us love should go extinct is like slapping one’s mom in the face. You don’t have to ever drive one, but arguing that it should die is a step too far.
Exactly. Just like every time you look in the mirror. You don’t get to be the pot and call the kettle black.
What’s unnecessarily complicated is 9-10 speed automatics with $500 ATF drain and fills every 30k miles to save a half mile per gallon. You’re just shifting the complication to a different, bigger complication.
Adding complication is not the same as unnecessary. Automatics are more expensive, require more materials to be made, and require more maintenance consumables. THAT is unnecessary complication.
Cope
Doing wonders for the “everyone around me is the asshole” allegations, I see.
50 bucks says Frown Victoria’s next move is telling someone to touch grass.
Troll
I mean, the account name is Frown Victoria after all.
Why does it need to die just because you don’t like it? I don’t care for Vinyl records, but I’m not going on music forums and complaining that their passions should die because I think records sound bad. These absurdist positions of “I don’t like it, therefore it shouldn’t exist” are so common, and so disappointing, every time.
I read an article yesterday that stated that Gen Z are increasingly finding shopping malls to be an interesting break from online shopping — and might even be the cohort that helps save brick & mortar. Let’s hope they can discover manuals, too 🙂
I’m less surprised by the overall number and more surprised whenever I walk past a Fiat 500, Miata, or virtually any small 4-cylinder car and see an automatic in it.
I know I’ve read stories that say they have.
Not just a Gen Z thing, there’s a baseline number of people who enjoy analog and tactility. There’s a reason that Vinyl has made a comeback as an audio medium.
I think the difference is experiencing it and living with it every day. Fun vs a chore.
I have been theorizing that real, tactile life experiences will be the next wave in luxury. The masses will have chatbots and Amazon Prime while the truly wealthy will enjoy in-person interactions and experiences.
I owned an auto 500 for 12 years and I loved it.
Zoomer here! My housemate is also a zoomer and between the 2 of us we have 6 manual cars and 1 automatic. The automatic is the least driven out of all of them.
Next weeks headline:
“Cars make up less than X% of Car sales”