What’s that third pedal for?
Drivers disappearing for manual transmissions
AUTONOMOUS vehicle accidents notwitshtanding, it seems inevitable our cars will soon be driving themselves. That will offer advantages to those who have lots of non-navigating duties and pastimes to keep them occupied while on the road. But what about those who prefer the driving experience? That is, drivers who prefer old-school, as-God-intended, real cars with manual transmissions.
Fans enjoy the added engagement needed to operate a stick shift, which they say forces them to stay more focused on where they’re going and what’s going on around them. It’s hard to text when one hand is on the wheel and the other is shoving a gear shift into third while accelerating. Which is a good thing.
And there’s also the purist snobbery factor. “Point-and-drive cars aren’t really driving,” sniffs a commenter on autotrader.com.
But good luck finding the six-speed of your dreams. A recent visit to assorted car dealers revealed a dearth of stick shifts on the lot. One dealer looked doubtful when asked if a stick was available for a test drive. “I think we have one here somewhere, but I don’t know where it is,” he confessed. Another admitted that a specifically requested sixspeed model wasn’t on the lot because it was serving as a promotional display in a local mall.
Maybe a stick can be ordered from another dealer? An area car seller diplomatically dodged that question by offering good deals on the multitudes of automatic-transmission vehicles in stock. He’d make a fine politician.
Fewer than 3 percent of cars sold in the United States have manual transmissions, according to the Los Angeles Times. Several companies still offer sticks on selected models—among them BMW, Mini, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Kia, Subaru, Volkswagen and Hyundai—although they used to offer them across most of their lines.
And not all sports cars have stick shifts. They remain an option on the likes of the Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche Boxter, Mazda Miata, Subaru BRZ, and Audi TT, but sorry, not on Lamborghini or Ferrari models. The lack is blamed on the fact that younger drivers don’t know how to use a stick and aren’t interested in learning—not to mention that there aren’t many mentors around to teach them.
Buyers who take the time and trouble to track down a dealer offering vehicles with manual transmissions can revel in knowing that car thieves—particularly those in the younger generation—are unlikely to target such a car.
They can’t drive it.