End of Manual-Transmission Era - Honda Accord

[Artifex]

Since I probably still count as "The Youth of Today", perhaps my view of cars is worth contributing.

I have absolutely no interest in owning a car for day-to-day use. It seems irresponsible and a dangerous financial commitment. One day I might adopt a vintage/classic vehicle for the occasional outing - but who wants a car so modern that the doorhandles need firmware upgrades? Not me!

 

[Zombie_61]

...About 30 years ago he put in the 350 Chevy engine, automatic tranny, front suspension, brakes, steering, etc. out of wrecked ’78 Camaro. (That was, and is, a common setup. You take the later Chevy front stub frame and pretty much everything attached to it, and graft it on to the original frame.)...

I had a friend from high school who, with his father, would locate and buy old pickup trucks (I can't remember if they preferred Ford or Chevy), restore and update them including swapping out the front end just as you described, then sell them trying to turn a profit for their labors. Trouble was that my friend was an idiot who liked alcohol and other assorted substances too much, and that regularly led to him wrecking whichever truck he and his father were working on at the time, which then required even more time and money to repair the damage. Between the trucks they actually made a profit on and the ones he totaled, I think they came out relatively even. He eventually suffered a neck injury in a motorcycle accident that left him partially paralyzed from neck to waist, and completely paralyzed below the waist.

Since I probably still count as "The Youth of Today", perhaps my view of cars is worth contributing.

I have absolutely no interest in owning a car for day-to-day use. It seems irresponsible and a dangerous financial commitment. One day I might adopt a vintage/classic vehicle for the occasional outing - but who wants a car so modern that the doorhandles need firmware upgrades? Not me!

Wow, the "Youth of Today" have a very different outlook on cars from when I was a youth. Or maybe the difference is "European vs. American". Either way, when I was a teen with a new driver's license I couldn't wait to get a car and drive to wherever. Even now, with all of the imbeciles on the road around me who have no business being in the driver's seat of a motor vehicle, I enjoy driving. "Dangerous financial commitment"??? Who thinks like that? Young vs. Old, Europe vs. America, or some other criteria, it's a very different mindset.

 

[tonyb]

Since I probably still count as "The Youth of Today", perhaps my view of cars is worth contributing.

I have absolutely no interest in owning a car for day-to-day use. It seems irresponsible and a dangerous financial commitment. One day I might adopt a vintage/classic vehicle for the occasional outing - but who wants a car so modern that the doorhandles need firmware upgrades? Not me!

Cars are indeed expensive. And I can easily foresee a day when the personal automobile is mostly a thing of the past. But that day isn’t here yet, and I doubt I will live to see it.

I’ve never been within an ocean of your place, but I’m guessing that conducting one’s daily business sans automobile is far less daunting a prospect there than here, where so much of our environment is built around the personal car. That’s especially true out here in the West, where most of our cities and suburbs, where the overwhelming majority of us live, are younger than the mass-produced automobile.

 

[belfastboy]

Cars are indeed expensive. And I can easily foresee a day when the personal automobile is mostly a thing of the past. But that day isn’t here yet, and I doubt I will live to see it.

I’ve never been within an ocean of your place, but I’m guessing that conducting one’s daily business sans automobile is far less daunting a prospect there than here, where so much of our environment is built around the personal car. That’s especially true out here in the West, where most of our cities and suburbs, where the overwhelming majority of us live, are younger than the mass-produced automobile.

Yes, without a car it takes an hour walk into my small town. It would take forever to provision without a car. Now it takes an hour to do the shopping for an entire week at Costco and the super mart across the street.....can't do that without a car. We have friends that live in downtown Van that we visit regularly.....at the end of the visit I am so looking forward to returning to my home in the, much quieter, suburbs. When I was young I loved the hustle, bustle and noise of the city.....now not so much. Thankfully my car allows the luxury of suburban living.

 

[tonyb]

Yes, without a car it takes an hour walk into my small town. It would take forever to provision without a car. Now it takes an hour to do the shopping for an entire week at Costco and the super mart across the street.....can't do that without a car. We have friends that live in downtown Van that we visit regularly.....at the end of the visit I am so looking forward to returning to my home in the, much quieter, suburbs. When I was young I loved the hustle, bustle and noise of the city.....now not so much. Thankfully my car allows the luxury of suburban living.

The Western suburb, especially, is the child of the automobile.

It’s the way most of us live, and I strongly suspect that at base it’s the way most of us wish to live.

Even in most “city” neighborhoods out here in the Wild West most people live in single-family houses with off-street parking.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I wouldn't have a car if it wasn't a necessity here -- we have no public transportation, and to get anywhere outside of walking distance you have to drive. If I lived in a city with a subway/trolley/bus/whatever system, you'd never see me behind a wheel again.

The upkeep on my Subaru is presently jousing with my medical bills for the factor most responsible for pushing me toward the cardboard box in which I expect to live out my declining years. Just had to put $1300 in the damn thing to fix the brakes. At least with the Plodge I could live in the back seat if I had to.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^
Yeah, the days of the $50 brake job are far behind us.

A financial advisor type on a Saturday morning radio show several years ago told a caller that the cause of her money problems was in her driveway. Did she and her husband really have the need (and the means) for three late-model cars?

I used a line of credit once to buy a car, but other than that, in my nearly 50 years of owning cars, I have never had one for which I couldn’t pay cash. Oh, and I have never owned a brand-new car, either.

Not everyone is nuts who finances the purchase of a car over five or six years, as is common these days. But I’d never do it. As with all shiny new objects, the novelty wears off in a matter of months.

 

[tonyb]

And ...

There’s a light rail station less than half a mile from our generic suburban rambler in a generic suburban neighborhood (change the vegetation and it might be outside Phoenix or Minneapolis). The dewy-eyed bride rode the train pretty much every day before this COVID business. I rode it once, a couple-three years ago.

I’m not proud of it, but for as long as it’s feasible, I’ll operate my own car. I am among those thoroughly steeped in the lifestyle the personal automobile affords. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn I was conceived in a car.

A friend who gave me a place to crash when I had business to tend to in Seattle suggested I take the light rail from the airport. “Public transit?” I said. “Seriously? Me?”

An uncle, a self-made guy who has had many a high-end car and who has restored several “classics,” had a stroke and other health problems which have him hanging up the keys. It’s killing him. I understand it.

 

[belfastboy]

^^^^
Yeah, the days of the $50 brake job are far behind us.

A financial advisor type on a Saturday morning radio show several years ago told a caller that the cause of her money problems was in her driveway. Did she and her husband really have the need (and the means) for three late-model cars?

I used a line of credit once to buy a car, but other than that, in my nearly 50 years of owning cars, I have never had one for which I couldn’t pay cash. Oh, and I have never owned a brand-new car, either.

Not everyone is nuts who finances the purchase of a car over five or six years, as is common these days. But I’d never do it. As with all shiny new objects, the novelty wears off in a matter of months.

I have been fortunate in my career to either be in sales or a contractor with generous car allowances.....either a monthly fee or a per mile reimbursement. When in sales I was driving 50-60k a year so a new car every two years was the rule. When I became a contractor my mileage dropped considerably so kept cars for 8-10 years. The upside was generally drove a car for free. The shock of retiring was having to foot the car bill on my own dime. But now a tank of gas lasts me upwards of 3 weeks and my 10 year old Hyundai was paid for long time ago. It is time for a new ride and the sticker shock is real!

 

[St.Ignatz]

The frame on my 95 YJ finally cracked and disolved at multiple locations. Wound up with a 2023 Subaru Crosstrek. It was the only manual transmission on the lot. It's a car. Good mileage, especially compared to the Jeep but after driving CJ's and YJ's for nearly thirty years it's just no fun anymore. At least it's a stick and keeps me engaged in the act of actually operating a motor vehicle.

Tom D.

 

[scottyrocks]

If you're going to own a vintage car, you'd better understand the maintenance involved -- greasing, tune-ups, brake adjustments, all the stuff that's "maintenance free" in a modern car. Either you do all that stuff yourself or you find a local mechanic who knows how to do it and won't bleed you dry. And you'd better stock up on spare parts, because you never know when some random whatsit is going to fail.

And with all of that, you've got to deal with the reality that driving an 85hp car at 40mph is going to annoy the jumped-up doofus in the jacked-up pickup behind you and that he's going to roll coal in your face as soon as he can pass you. That is to say, if he doesn't actually run you off the road and into a ditch first.

I enjoy my '41 a lot. But I enjoy it on its terms, not necessarily mine or anyone else's.

And this seems to get worse as time goes on. During this past year it seems I cannot drive my VW without some f-tard either right up my ass and/or then blowing by me and cutting me off simply because.

But regarding manual transmission cars, in general:

I leased my then new 2015 Honda Civic LX 5-speed in June of that year for three years, extended the lease another year, and then bought the car outright in June 2019.

People have said to me, how can you buy out your lease? That makes no financial sense! I'll tell you how:

I initially put down less than half what I would have had to put down to buy the car, and the monthly payments were also less than half, with a 0.9% interest rate for less than half the price of the car, than if I had bought it. Lots of less-than-halves and a low interest rate works for me.

It makes more sense to me to buy my own used car and not someone else's because it's my own used car. I know exactly what was wrong with it, which was nothing.

And I will keep this car for whatever my forever is because:

I like it. It's fun to drive with the MT.

I like the way it looks (2 door coupe).

Hondas are pretty much dead-nuts reliable.

Did I mention I like Hondas?

Honda Civics, not including the Si, have not been available with a manual transmission since the year of my car, 2015, the last year of the 9th gen. In 2016 they went to the 10th gen which does not offer a MT on models below the Si. I like basic cars, and have almost always bought the base model (one time I splurged on a Monte Carlo SS).

I'll never not have a car, and it (they) will never be looked at as just an appliance. I enjoy driving, and the smaller, lighter, and simpler, the better.

 

[Tiki Tom]

I miss my manual transmission. These automatic transmissions suck the fun out of driving. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said “warning: equipped with a millennial anti-theft device: A stick shift.” Cracked me up.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Funnily, back in the 90s, people looked down on Kia, but in fact, they did the manual transmission next to other things buch better than all the european manufacturers, which had often problems with notchy shifts.
Don't know, if Kia had even the gearbox production licended by Mazda from the Ford-Mazda-Kia development joint venture. At least, they had the same gear transmission ratio as Mazda.
The gearbox on the Kia Rio 5 was a step backwards. Notchy.

 

[GHT]

I miss my manual transmission. These automatic transmissions suck the fun out of driving. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said “warning: equipped with a millennial anti-theft device: A stick shift.” Cracked me up.

There is another aspect of having a clutch pedal, if you know how you can double de-clutch. Changing down by doubling means that the transmission acts as a brake making the slowing of the vehicle much smoother. In her working days my wife was a paramedic in the ambulance service, part of their training under emergency conditions, was to learn how to double de-clutch. It gave the patient a much smoother ride to the hospital, essential when you have broken limbs or internal injuries.
Nowadays our ambulances are all automatic.

 

[Gary in NC]

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for manual transmissions. Our family has no less than four of them, and did have five until my wife traded in her Z4 and couldn’t get it in the BMW she wanted. My two kids (now in their 20’s) own straight drives - and my daughter actually learned to drive in one and has never had an automatic. We’ve got a Jeep Wrangler that’s a straight drive and also a ‘73 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia for fun. My Jeep truck was available in stick but I had to go with auto because of the increased towing capacity.

So anyway what I’m saying is that I think a lot of people like manual trans and would buy it in new cars if it happened to be available. I was talking to a Jeep dealer a few months ago and he told me it’s a matter of time before it’s gone even in the Wranglers. It’s as if the car makers make them less available and then say, “See! Manual sales are going down so we need to make even less next year.” It’s like a self-fulfilling prophesy of sorts.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I was talking to a Jeep dealer a few months ago and he told me it’s a matter of time before it’s gone even in the Wranglers. It’s as if the car makers make them less available and then say, “See! Manual sales are going down so we need to make even less next year.” It’s like a self-fulfilling prophesy of sorts.

It has to do with parallel Parking Assist, & the coming of self driving vehicles.

 

[Gary in NC]

That makes sense. Electric cars too. I guess it’s also possible that fewer employees at car dealerships are capable of driving stick shift cars around the lot.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I wish Ford would bring back the 1926 - ‘27 Tall T with their 3.50L Coyote engine & 4-wheel disc brakes, but it ain’t gonna happen. They call that progress in the name of safety.

 

[GHT]

I wish Ford would bring back the 1926 - ‘27 Tall T with their 3.50L Coyote engine & 4-wheel disc brakes, but it ain’t gonna happen. They call that progress in the name of safety.

View attachment 458768

It's something of a: "grows on you," kind of car. Now if the 1930's MG WA were to be brought back...........................

 

[BobHufford]

This is what happens when a "vintage" car is brought back"

The Chevy HHR was modeled after the '47 - '53 Chevy Suburban

Then you end up with something like this (and about half the size):

I'd have been interested it they had retained the old body style (and made it safer) and put that on a modern truck platform. We had already been driving Suburbans/Yukons for years. The smaller size made it a no-go.