I have always liked to drive manual transmissions but most of the cars I have owned a manual was not an available option. I was also married for a time and my wife did not like manual transmissions to the point where she would make rude comments about anyone that had one. So I sold the wife and got an R58 with a 6-speed manual.

 

Heh, I kept looking for that elusive third pedal when I went to pick up some stuff with the old Cherokee. I'v only been driving stick for about 3.5 months and I don't think I will ever (willingly) go back to auto.

 

I traded an auto VW Golf for my 6-speed manual MCCS. LOVE IT!!

My wife traded her manual VW Beetle for an auto Mazda 2 and misses her stick.

 

i learned to drive a manual in 1970 in drivers ed class in high school in a 1969 chevy biscayne, no power steering, no power brakes, 3 speed on the column ... learning to parallel park in that beast was a challenge!

i have owned 10 autos/trucks and all but 1 have been manuals. the one auto was a 2 speed gm powerglide, had to manually adjust the clutch bands every 20 k miles per the manual, in reality it was more like every 10 k miles

not counting that car with the auto, i have racked up over 1 million miles and have yet to replace a clutch or throwout bearing, throw in my motorcycles, and the total goes to over 1.5 million miles, still with no clutch replacements

my last vehicle before the CMS All4 (i still have it and will be keeping it) is a 1997 GMC Sonoma V6 5 speed 4x4 extended 3 door cab, 287,000 miles and still going strong on the original clutch (and engine, mobil1 oil and 5k oil changes since new, 0w40 winter and 15w50 summer)

my CMS All4 is the first 6 speed i have had and i really find 6 gears to be too many, i would be happy with 4, spaced out wider, ie my 4th would be geared as 6th is now, or a 5 speed with 1st thru 4th close ratio and 5th a tall overdrive

the mini S engine makes enough low end torque and high end power that 6 gears is just a marketing tool ... i will concede that that non S engine and 6 speed are a better union

motor on!

scott

 

Same here! I drive my mom's Prius sometimes and it freaks me out not finding a clutch next to the gas and brake.

 

yep, nothing like trying to press in a clutch that isn't there and catching the corner of the brake pedal...

Love manuals, will be sad when they are all gone.

 

Sign me up. When I bought my first car, I didn't care what kind of tranny was in it. When I bought my second and third, I wanted a stick, but was limited by what was available -- both purchases had to happen immediately -- but finally, with the Roadster, I was able to get exactly what I wanted.

 

Count me in my MINI is a manual. I prefer one. Probably because my Dad required me and my sister to learn to drive one. Both of our first cars were manual. He said if you learn to drive one you will never be stuck anywhere. That advise has come in handy a few times. Still to this day we both prefer manual.

 

I tried to teach myself a long time ago on a 2002 Ford Focus 5MT. It was terrible. I hated that car. Then I bought a 1997 Subaru Impreza 5MT and I loved it. Now I have my MINI and there's no way I'd even consider an auto MINI.

 

I actually bought my mini new without knowing gowns drive a manual.......let me tell you, getting it out if Boston was, ermm, interesting.....

Took me about a week of stalling to finally get the hang of it.......now I am SOOO glad I did not get the automatic.

 

Been driving Manual for years, to include the only type Trans I've driven during my past 4 Deployments. Wouldn't have it any other way...

 

I learned manual as a child, on an early 80s Chevy Luv (anybody remember those?), but hadn't driven stick since college, when it was sometimes necessary to take the wheel for someone who had had too much to drink.

So, yeah. Getting home from the dealer was an adventure.


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Learned to drive stick on my dad's bimmer way back.... So much fun! Every car I've owned since was manual. When I ordered Anderson, my MA asked, "automatic?" When I replied heck no! His response was, "you really know how to drive!"

 

Learned to drive a stick on a 1977 VW Beetle with a 4 speed. That was 1986. I've never personally owned a slush box for my car. I have a 1998 Audi A4 Quattro with a 5 speed and got 206,000 miles out of the clutch, which is the car my son learned to drive on last year. I'd like to think I could have gotten 250,000 miles on it had it not been a teaching machine. :-)

My CMS is on the way, and has a nice 6 speed.

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Another proud manual driver here. my one weird automatic quirk is I noticed that i always start automatics with my left foot on the brake.

 

I learned to drive a manual out of necessity. I was trading in a brand spanking new 1986 Mercury Sable. What a hunk of crap. I had the car for about 4 months with tons of problems and needed to get rid of it. Ironically, that was the last new American car I've purchased since. I decided to go Japanese and got myself a 1987 Acura Integra 3 door hatchback. The manual was the only transmission available at the time. I had never driven a stick before, and I had about two weeks before I took delivery. A friend gave me a necessary crash course. I spent many nights after work, practicing in the empty local community college parking lot. It wasn't that hard and became more fun the better my driving became.

When I ordered my Roadster, I thought back to my old Acura and how much fun the manual was to drive. I test drove both the automatic and manual and felt the manual best fit the character of the Roadster. I am completely satisfied with my stick.

 

Heh heh.


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05 Justa with manual, teaching my 17 y/o son to drive manual on the Justa. He's about 40% trained, I'd say. Going to pick it up fine, just have to be patient with him.

JCW Hardtop on order with the stick too. He will not be driving THAT one.

I feel like I'm only guiding a car with an auto tranny but with a manual gearbox, I'm DRIVING.

 

6-speed manual with a Tyrol Sport ssk set at 40%. My wife would not drive the car until the ssk, now she wants to drive anytime we ride together!

 

6 speed here been driving manuals since 1989 mostly without syncros so I can float gears without using the clutch. The trans in these MINIs is delicate to say the least lol.

 

I learned to drive on a 1970 Jeep Gladiator J-3000 with 4WD and a 4-speed manual transmission (actually more like a 3-speed + a creeper gear -- first was basically only for pulling tree stumps, moving houses, etc.).

Almost every vehicle I've owned has had a manual transmission. My last one, a 2003 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning, was only available with a 4-speed automatic -- a great one, but still, not as much fun as a manual. 10 years later I ordered my 2013 MCS with the 6MT and couldn't be happier to be doing my own shifting again!

 

I'm in. The car is a 2013 BRG MCS Clubman with manual trans. It's my second MCS - the first was a 2005, also BRG, also manual. Wouldn't have it any other way.

 

2 Minis....2 sticks! 2004 R50 with 110,000 on a midlands (knock on wood)

2013 Baker Street Edition R56 with a 6 speed. Dealer tried to get me to settle for an automatic, told him that I would just go buy and Abarth instead. He ordered my 6 speed the next day

 

Oh, almost forgot...first car I drove with a stick was a 1993 Z28 with a cam and storked to 6.0....talk about a serious "trial by fire" teaching my Fiance how to drive stick on the non-midlands tranny

 

Count me in! 6-speed MCS R53.
I tried to learn in various VWs...Mk2,3,4 GTIs and a Corrado...bought a Mk3 Cabrio and taught myself. I'll never go back.