^^^Nope. I guess I'll have to see because now Im intrigued!

 

In response to the OP... And there's plenty of people too who wish their morning commute could entail stepping into their personal-transport bubble-pod, press a button, and have it automatically navigate them to their workplace. Odds are high the protagonist in the economist article can relate to that concept.

If there's -ever- a choice between the two, I will -always- select a manual trani over a slushbox. My C43/55 would be such an animal w/a manual, and I still am thinking I may oneday to the tranni swap ($$$ be damned). Every manual vehicle I've had was always so much more satisfying to drive. Stop & Go commuting? It's still a manual for me.

 

Alright I thought since i was on topic id mention i havent drove an auto in a lonnng while but last night i drove my gfs auto honda civic and man i forgot how much i hate autos. ok when you come to a stop and dont hit the gas it shouldnt drive forward for you, that is SO uncomfortable. i will def. drive manual for the rest of my life. i missed my clutch and stick shift 10 seconds after driving her auto.

 

Automatics you steer, Manuals you drive.

I think Manuals will become more or less a lost art. One of those things that most people aren't too familiar with except the enthusiasts and the "Drivers"

 

I switched to automatic when I had a child and had to multi-task when driving. Now that she's older, I could not wait to get back to a manual transmission.

Sure, auto is easy, but I don't feel a connection to the car or to the road. Now that I have my MINI, I know I'll never go back to auto. My hubby has a nice Lexus, and that's a nice ride, but I'll take my MINI any day for the pure joy of driving.

 

Now I'm a steer. I feel completely emasculated.

 

 

Exactly... but it's the bling (horns) that count. ********* are soooo 20th century.

 

^^^

 

Well said. However if I were you I wouldn't bother switching the Benz over to a MT. Unless its an AMG or something (sport tuned and the like) then I'd say keep it as is because it is more of a luxury based car anyway. Back then Mercedes made some damn good quality parts, as their belts were chain in some cases, etc. That's just my .02. That would be really expensive to do and you could probably mod the heck out of a MINI and be shifting your way past cars you wouldn't have thought you'd be passing!

 

Yep it's an AMG, all 2 digit Benz's are factory AMGs. Point taken. At the risk of being very OT.... Oh, I know that would be the pinnacle of the "more money than brains" philosophy I've followed when modding that car.

Bought new, started life as a C43 AMG. I wished the C55 was brought to the US. It wasn't. I looked for E55 engines, but they were $15K, and who would do the swap? (everything [electronics/fuel system/ignition system/exhaust system] are the same between the E55 and C43 so the swap is plug & play] When I finally met up w/a guy that had the the swap done by an incredible mechanic who was a buddy of his, and pointed me to an affordable engine, I did the swap of putting an E55 engine in my C43! Then came the totally custom suspension removing most all rubber bushings w/adjustable links, as coil-over isn't supported it used the same parts but with separate custom adjustable spring perches to raise and lower the car w/a bolt, and Penski 8100 dual-adjustable racing dampers. ...euro COMAND nav w/in-dash video enabled, analog sound system and hands-free phone changed to all digital, blinking mirrors, other stuff.

Ya, the tranni swap would cost me over $10K in parts and labor; more likely $15K. Adding to the cost of labor and tranni, and all custom parts -- and the thing that's kept me from doing it is -- I'd have to switch to a stand-alone controller like a Motec, as the stock engine ECU [that I had flashed w/a modd'ed E55 program] needs a signal from the electronic tranni controller to operate. Though the guy that did my engine swap runs the Motec on his [big] turbo'ed C36 he built from a crashed car and turbo-specific engine from the MB parts bin (ya, "he's good" is an understatement), that's a move I didn't want to make, even though I despise the way the tranni+engine ECU "detunes" operation [what they call "adaptation"] if I don't pound on the go-peddle; but w/a all that torque ontap, I prefer not to go WOT especially off the hiway.

So that leads me back OT nicely... I so wish that car was a manual transmission too so I wouldn't be looking for the JCW MINI to bring fun back to my driving... (though I still wanted something fuelishly efficient, so I'd probably still be making a move but probably to a non-JCW if the C43/55 was manual... )

 

All I can say is it's about time!

The big problem I've always had with manual tranmissions is that they are so primitive and unfriendly.

They were designed with the engineering limitations of the early 20th century. Hanging on to them is like trying to hang on to coal burning engines.

The safest place for both your hands (to keep control of the car) is always on the steering wheel - why design something that constantly requires you to take one hand off the wheel?

Why design something that if operated incorrectly will stall your engine? It's like having a computer that will just power itself off if you click the wrong button.

And it's so very male to design something that really does look like a big you-know-what sticking out of the middle of the dash, and then to cover up all it's shortcomings under the guise of requiring skill to operate it properly.

 

Interesting perspective. The world's a big place so I'll of course give you that... but I'll never be of like mind.

 

That's a pretty screwed up view, good luck with your various issues.

 

I'll take ********* over Bling anyday. Wait...

 

I remember reading something in "Road & Track" or "Car & Driver" about twenty years ago that "Volvos are for people that just want a car to get them by until someone invents the teleporter." I know Volvo has begun making more interesting cars in the last two decades, but I still think of that quote and laugh any time I seen an old 240DL or similar Volvo on the road.

 

We (the manual transmissionists) have been Freuded! Dang, I wonder what getting in the car signifies?

 

Returning to the mothership, so to speak.

 

manual transmissions? I'm more concerned with the endangered oil dipstick...

 

in response to the electrics people have been talking on here, be sure to google PML Mini. Its got a hub motor in each wheel acting as both a motor and a brake. Each motor has peak power of 160hp. Thats 640 hp total, and 4 seconds to 60! How about DEM mini apples!

 

Can you shift it?

 

The minions of BMW say we don't need no stinkin' dipstick! De-Freuded, de-frocked, de-dipsticked... it's a sad, sad day.

 

Ok. First of all, how many people actually drive autos with two hands on the wheel? Really? When driving and auto you are too comfortable and you can lose focus more easily, as driving an auto is boring, monotonous, and requires no real skill (for the every day driver). So you fill your hands with phones, salami sandwiches, cigarettes, and other things that are lethal both on and off the road. Blimey please don't take this personally, as I know you're an engaged auto driver.

When you drive a manual you know how fast the car is going because you know what gear you're in at all times. You can't drive a manual while drunk as easily either- you might not be able to drive. YES, A GOOD THING INDEED.

"And it's so very male to design something that really does look like a big you-know-what sticking out of the middle of the dash, and then to cover up all it's shortcomings under the guise of requiring skill to operate it properly."

- WTF? Since when does an auto car not come with a shifter? They look like male parts as well!

 

..what's wrong w/ men liking women who have the skill to operate a stick a properly

 

dunno I got lucky and test drove a 135i with the steptronic paddles and it was pretty damned engaging--and smooth. And no I didnt tempt the Gods and eat salami sandwhiches either tyvm

Plus, I have a medical reason for having at least one auto in the family: I have a degenerative left knee and if i have to get surgery I still wanna be able to motor

I remember selling light duty Chevy trucks a decade ago and stick shifts were becoming hard to find then. I wonder if its the same way??