I'm suddenly reminded of some ai-death clock site I saw recently. It predicted my death on May 13st.

I've always had a manual car. I love them. That is until I ended up dating a younger woman and we moved in together. Several years later the manual turned into the second car only I drove. That got sold and we now have two cars she can drive.

One day I might teach her how to drive manual. We live in a really flat area with no major hills, so it shouldn't be a problem. One day maybe,

Bought a new car last fall and looked everywhere for a manual, they are indeed getting rare in the US. Ended up with a Jeep Gladiator sport because it's a convertible 4x4 with a stick shift and so far the driving experience has been nice. You can tell Stellantis cheaps out on some of the plastic trim stuff and we'll see just how reliable it is after a few years. Would be sweet if Toyota would make a convertible or T-top 4runner with a stick shift in the US.

Wife owns an automatic, it's fantastic for when you're stuck in traffic, but GOD does it make shitty decisions. Of course it cannot anticipate whether or not you're going to be climbing a slope, so it goes up a gear, but then when it struggles to climb it has to immediately go back down a gear, but you lost all speed already and it's raining and you can't pick up traction again so you slide back down the slope and try again. It's also only really effective for the most tranquil driving, and it has a huuuuuuge inertia when accelerating, like a good half second of not obeying your pedaling, which is 1.frustrating and 2.dangerous in situations where you have to get out of the way urgently. So, would only recommend for old people or people frequently stuck in traffic. The technology has ways to go still

Funnily enough, I have a few friends who really think like this. Personally, having driven manual for 20 years before I switched to electric a year ago, I don't see it, apart from a certain comfortable nostalgia. Automatic is better in cities and it's a lot easier for kids to learn. Handbrake starts on hills? What a weird thing to be nostalgic about.

I suspect it's just these people think handling the gearstick makes them special. It's the one thing they can be smug about,completely discounting the fact that any old idiot can learn to drive manual if they just practice a bit. Reminds me of my grandpa who insisted that it's better to chop down trees with an axe and a handsaw, instead of using these modern chainsaws. He was a stubborn old dude.

When car companies start charging for heated seats.. that’s why I stop buying brand new cars and go for older ones

I own a 2020 Subaru WRXSTI manual and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

During Covid, I put together a budget sim rig. Played a looooot of VR Assetto Corsa. Learned to drive a manual, then went and did a manual Porsche race car on a track in Vegas. It worked! It was one of the best things I've ever done. I was flushed when I got out of the car. It was overwhelming.

Anyway, I was ready. So I took the natural next step. I bought a manual 1984 Ford F-250 with a ~7L (7.4L?) engine, dual gas tanks that held more fuel than I could ever afford. It was a beast. Long story short, I was not ready. Oh, did I mention I lived in mountainous Utah at the base of said mountains at the time?

PUT IT IN "H"