My brother got a new vehicle the other day - this one has a manual transmission. Growing up on a farm we both first learned how to drive on manuals. All my vehicles have been automatics, but if the right manual came along I'd go with it in a heartbeat.

I'm just wondering what people here have now, and would prefer to drive if they had the choice?

A man grows up, and becomes old enough to shift for himself. That settles that.

I always have preferred manual over an auto.

Manual...(unfortunately my company supplies me with an automatic - a poor substitute for real driving).

I think if it is a small car...manual is the only way to go.
but....
if you are in an area that has any traffic jams and you are getting older and sometimes your knees get tired like mine do...
go for the automatic.
I have a manual transmission (hey, you save about 500 on the purchase price and I thought it would save on gas too)

I drive strictly automatic. Too lazy to learn how to shift.

Automatic...My sister tried teaching me how to drive stick, until she realized it would destroy her first brand-new car in the process. What can I say? I am more than clumsy.

That said, I have learned to drive "stick" since then, with more beatable cars, and more forgiving friends, but it still really isn't for me.

When a difference in gas mileage gets considerable (if ever), then I'll reconsider...


-P

Manual. It's just more fun.

One manual and one automatic. I drive the manual. I find that I get better control on starts and stops when driving in snow and on ice.

As an aside, I learned to drive on an automatic and was very comfortable with that. When I was in Vietnam, I was told that I would be the duty driver for the hospital I was assigned to in Saigon. When I was told to pick up an officer from Tan Son Nhut Airbase and took the keys to the vehicle, I discovered a deuce and a half sitting in the company vehicle spot. Needless to say that I learned mighty quickly how to maneuver that beast through the streets of Saigon before picking up our new unit commander. I have always preferred a stick shift every since.

ARGG! I had manual in my first 3 cars...when I finally got an automatic, I swore never to go back!!! Kinda like going back to not having air conditioning....I once had a 1955 Plymouth that had a sticker in the glove box stating that it was the deluxe model...equipped with a heater!