Where I am, manuals have been difficult to get for the last few decades, so I gave it up. Actually I gave it up after spending too many hours sitting in traffic in a tunnel under Boston Harbor. Manuals may be a more satisfying driving experience but they sure became a hassle to find and to use

Since then, I’ve learned to appreciate other technologies for what they are. I’ll probably never like the traditional American land yacht automatic designed to just be cushy but there are plenty of sports sedans with outstanding, responsive automatics. I’ve also grown to appreciate the CVT in my Subaru: it’s a nice steady pull that is just always there and ready (CVTs got a bad name from from underpowered cars when the technology was new). But now I have a Tesla and wow! The instant torque and acceleration from any speed are out of this world , and the lack of engine noise makes it feel effortless. I’ll always love to feel the rumble of a big V8, but now it feels quaint, like that really cool steam engine in a museum. All that sound and fury, signifying nothing but noise and pollution.

Realistically the only transmission I hate (aside from traditional American land yacht automatics) is the fakes. Let me appreciate the transmission for what it does well, but when you add artificial shift points and fake noises, I’ll have none of that. I love my Subaru CVT but newer models have fake shift points, so no