Because if you buy a sports car with an automatic, you deserve to sufferJasonCammisa , 2021

[ice445]

My GT/CS outran a GT350....................maybe he couldn't shift, but if he owns it, he should own that he got OWNED.(by a cosmetic GT)with a 10speed AT

He will drag you after 110 or so lol

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[331GT]

I can’t believe this thread going this long. Why can’t we just agree each person prefers whatever is ok. This debate going on forever.

technology advances all the time , so we just have to accept it

i havent been on this site very long, still a newb and this is like the 3rd or 4th multi page thread/debate ive come across already anyone who takes it seriously needs to step back for a minute. im sure they'll be half a dozen more threads on this by summers end.

 

[troverman]

The number of vehicles with a manual transmission is dwindling fast. I think part of it is those who love them are trying to convince others. Unfortunately, most of the others basically say...yeah, been there, done that...prefer automatic.

GT500 - no manual
Corvette - no manual
Ferrari - no manual
Lambo - no manual
Porsche - fewer and fewer
Ford - just the Mustang, except the surprising availability on the new Bronco.

 

[Qcman17]

The number of vehicles with a manual transmission is dwindling fast. I think part of it is those who love them are.......

Dying?

 

[Robottrainer]

Agreed

So how do you all feel about losing contact point distributors, setting up spark curves and point dwells, changing plug wires, rebuilding/re-jetting carburetors? If things didnt progress, a 1000hp 5.0 litre would be unheard of. Do I miss doing all of the above? I sure do. I knew what was going on, how it worked and could practically fix it with a screwdriver, a pair of plier and a hammer. I hate the black box technology but I love what it does and what it allows you to do. All part of progress. If the "soul" or "fun" aspect of a car depends on what stick protrudes through the floor, than there are other issues present.

 

[Norm Peterson]

The number of vehicles with a manual transmission is dwindling fast. I think part of it is those who love them are trying to convince others. Unfortunately, most of the others basically say...yeah, been there, done that...prefer automatic.

GT500 - no manual
Corvette - no manual
Ferrari - no manual
Lambo - no manual
Porsche - fewer and fewer

All of those marques/models are positioned significantly up-market relative to the Mustang GT.


If I'm trying to 'convince' anybody about anything here, it's the idea that nobody else's preference should ever be allowed to crowd me out of mine. Or force me to adapt at their pace rather than perhaps reconsidering things at mine. I'm more than willing to take a 'live and let live' attitude here.


Norm

 

[Bikeman315]

If I'm trying to 'convince' anybody about anything here, it's the idea that nobody else's preference should ever be allowed to crowd me out of mine. Or force me to adapt at their pace rather than perhaps reconsidering things at mine.

I do not think anyone here would disagree with you on this. Unfortunately, and you know this, the world doesn't work like that. Technology only goes in one direction. So you either follow or get out of the way. The good news is that, hopefully, we have good memories of the things that we have lost.

 

[Arthonon]

All of those marques/models are positioned significantly up-market relative to the Mustang GT.


If I'm trying to 'convince' anybody about anything here, it's the idea that nobody else's preference should ever be allowed to crowd me out of mine. Or force me to adapt at their pace rather than perhaps reconsidering things at mine. I'm more than willing to take a 'live and let live' attitude here.


Norm

I don't think anyone here feels that their preference should crowd out yours, no one is saying, "let's get rid of manuals!" Given that, posting here seems to be the wrong place to accomplish anything.

But many factors may end up making what you don't want to happen, to happen. Autos have gotten better, manufacturers see advantages for them to switch to them, and they have always been popular. Posting here is not going to change any of that. It just gives the impression that you're blaming people who like the auto for you losing your choice, and that's not really the case.

As has been pointed out, you can't get a carburetor on a car any more, and you can't get a 4-speed manual, or a shifter on the steering column, or any number of things anymore that someone may have been really disappointed to lose, but that's just the way things go.

 

[thompsje]

So how do you all feel about loosing contact point distributors, setting up spark curves and point dwells, changing plug wires, rebuilding/re-jetting carburetors? If things didnt progress, a 1000hp 5.0 litre would be unheard of. Do I miss doing all of the above? I sure do. I knew what was going on, how it worked and could practically fix it with a screwdriver, a pair of plier and a hammer. I hate the black box technology but I love what it does and what it allows you to do. All part of progress. If the "soul" or "fun" aspect of a car depends on what stick protrudes through the floor, than there are other issues present.

I don't think I can agree with this last statement, because fun is subjective. Except for joking around, I don't care what people drive and I can admit that the automatic transmission cars are faster, handle more horsepower, etc... but they're just not any fun for me. Hell, I bought an '18 over a '19 because I wanted to do my own rev matching downshifts. Maybe I'm a masochist, but that's what works for me.

Except for a beater pickup, I've owned one automatic transmission vehicle in my life. I didn't hate it really... I just didn't care about it at all. That part was kinda liberating because I would just leave it in a parking garage or toss the keys to a valet and never care whether that car was seen again. It's not that it was bad... it was a perfectly adequate, reliable car. It just wasn't any fun and the transmission was a major part of that.

 

[troverman]

I had a 2018 RAM 3500 crew cab long bed dually with the Cummins diesel and G56 manual transmission. I loved that truck, and traded it for a 2019 RAM 3500 with an auto because I believed my older plow truck had died and I had no interest plowing with a long truck with a manual. I deeply regret selling that truck. 2018 was the last year RAM (or any full size truck maker) offered a manual. There were plenty of things to gripe about with that engine/ trans combo, but I still enjoyed driving it.

The comment about setting points and adjusting carbs is kind of moot, because there was no widespread love for that. Changing gears yourself has always been a joy and has been celebrated as such for decades. Losing this option would truly be a let down.

 

[CJJon]

All of those marques/models are positioned significantly up-market relative to the Mustang GT.


If I'm trying to 'convince' anybody about anything here, it's the idea that nobody else's preference should ever be allowed to crowd me out of mine. Or force me to adapt at their pace rather than perhaps reconsidering things at mine. I'm more than willing to take a 'live and let live' attitude here.


Norm

Why should auto makers keep making something no one wants just because a miniscule number of drivers want a MT? Why should they consider moving things at a certain pace to accommodate a small fraction of customers?

I get it, things change and one tends to take things personally when it effects them directly and they are passionate about the subject. Hell, I wish Nikon still made film cameras and Kodak still made Kodachrome.

 

[CJJon]

The comment about setting points and adjusting carbs is kind of moot, because there was no widespread love for that. Changing gears yourself has always been a joy and has been celebrated as such for decades. Losing this option would truly be a let down.

I love setting points with a matchbook and screwdriver, timing with a with a strobe, re-jetting a quad 4bbl, etc...

Kids these days have to spend thousands to dial in their cars with magic software "tunes" no one really understands.

 

[Arthonon]

...The comment about setting points and adjusting carbs is kind of moot, because there was no widespread love for that...

I know lots of people that, even if they didn't necessarily consider it fun, felt it was important to have the ability to make those adjustments, both to feel that they were in control of the process, and because it was something they could adjust and not need some kind of computer interface to mess with. They also felt it was something they could fix themselves, and could save money.

 

[troverman]

Why should auto makers keep making something no one wants just because a miniscule number of drivers want a MT? Why should they consider moving things at a certain pace to accommodate a small fraction of customers?

Why does Jeep build the Wrangler when all its other SUVs are unibody crossovers with fully independent suspension? For credibility in the off-road world, and for a link to the past.

Maybe you don't think it, but true enthusiasts like manuals.

 

[Sivi70980]

Skipping to the last page of these auto vs. manual threads like I used to do with the science cancelled thread till I unwatched it...

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