I don't crank start my car
Aug 29 '06
The Bottom Line Modern automatics have made manual transmissions obsolete, like the electric starter did with the hand crank. Stick with automatic.
Back in the early days of automobiles, drivers had it hard. A windshield was optional. Drivers had to get out in front of the car and turn a crank in order to get it started. They also had to shift their own gears with a stick shift and clutch. Cars back then were simple mechanical machines that had to compete with horses and carriages. A good many people preferred a good horse over a car. However, windshields became standard, cars got electric starters, and then in 1940, the Hydra-Matic automatic transmission hit the market. That pretty much put an end to using livestock for transportation.
When I first learned to drive, I bought into the myth that stick shift was superior. They're far more reliable and less costly to maintain, they told me. They'll get you better gas mileage, I was promised. You get better control of the car, I was assured. It's more fun, everyone said. I did become a very competent stick shift driver. I could start on a steep hill from a dead stop without rolling back even an inch, and without the aid of the parking brake. Yet, some of the myths were starting to fall apart. At first, the bushings would wear out. I found this to be the case in every car; even Toyotas and Mazdas that had higher mileage had worn bushings that made the gears difficult to find. This made the embarrassing shift from 3rd back to 2nd (instead of the intended 4th) much too easy. The synchros would wear out; in particular, when trying to shift over 4500 RPM from 2nd to 3rd. Oh, sure, I'd adapt and just live with it, but it took away a lot of the fun factor (unless you call a desperate hunt for 3rd when trying to merge onto a highway fun).
Next came the maintenance. Clutches and throwout bearings. Neither the parts nor the labour was cheap as I was promised. Sure, the clutch will last...as long as you keep out of daily rush-hour traffic! If you're like most people, you spend Monday-Friday in stop-and-go traffic to and from work. I assure you, the clutch will wear out quicker than you think.
Now came the comparison. My wife drove a car with an automatic. So did many of my friends and family. To my surprise, I wasn't getting any better mileage with my stick shift than those with an automatic. After some research, I discovered that, for many vehicles, the difference between automatic and manual on gas mileage is negligible. It looks like the manual transmissions had an advantage many years ago, but that simply doesn't exist anymore. As for maintenance, the only maintenance required for these automatics are a filter and fluid change. Many people don't even bother with that, yet the transmission still seems to work fine even when the mileage racked up past my 2nd clutch. It turns out that a fluid and filter change is quite cheap, compared to a clutch replacement. When it comes to performance, I certainly couldn't shift faster than an automatic; particularly with worn bushings and synchros.
I have come to the conclusion that the automatic transmission is to the manual shift transmission what the electric starter is to the crank starter. Likewise, I liken many people who prefer to drive stick over an automatic to be much like those people way back when who preferred a good horse over a car. It still boils down to personal preference, but more and more, we're seeing cars being offered with only an automatic transmission, and we're seeing the stick shift being phased out; just like the old hand crank was phased out. I'm sure there was some people sad to see that old hand crank go. I think I'll stick with progress. I'm glad I learned to drive stick, because it really makes me appreciate an automatic!
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Epinions.com ID:
digitalquirk
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Member: Paul Quirk
Location: Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 64
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Occupation: Slacker Goal: To live life to the fullest before my time here expires
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