Is it time to say goodbye to the manual transmission?

Opti said:

torque converter autos have made some huge improvements recently. I have no qualms with automatics. I prefer them in my trucks and drag cars. Id probably never want one in a toy that wasnt a drag car.

This, 100%.  Automatics are faster and more reliable but manuals are more entertaining.

I think pretty much every fun car could be improved with a manual transmission. I also like the simplicity and longevity of a nice manual.

I think any engine over 3l or so is dull enough to be better off with an automatic, though.  (Big engines like that are not fun to me, so they have no place in a fun car regardless)

I have 2000, maybe 3000mi on the trans I rebuilt for my 100hp car, the car that I want to keep at 100hp so it does not shred drivetrain parts, and it now makes the most alarming noises in 2nd and 3rd gear when under sufficient load.  Combine that with its evil twin's appetite for transmissions that had them requiring a change more often than the oil filter on the engine, and I'm going to have to politely disagree that manual transmissions are superior for longevity...

Recon1342 said:

In reply to AGGELIAFOROS :

Nah. Clutch operation is a fine art. If you've got to stretch on one side, adjust the seat. Multitasking? Try riding a motorcycle, where every limb is doing something different, sometimes all at once. 

Yep. Operating the clutch is why I like driving a manual.  Although I can shift without using the clutch when called for - I had a Toyota pickup that went through clutch master cylinders.  It was definitely an education driving to work in stop-and-go traffic and trying to avoid using the clutch since every press would puke a little more fluid onto the cab floor.  I had never really tried to drive without the clutch before that point, but necessity is often the mother of invention... or skill learning... 

Traffic often depends on the vehicle. Stop and go driving in my 2003 TDI was easy because the clutch pedal action in that car was incredibly light so it wasn't tiring at all.  My 1978 F150 with a mechanical lever clutch, on the other hand... whew... stop and go traffic in that truck was brutal. 

Woohoo!