On 26/10/2014 11:32, Recliner wrote:

On Sun, 26 Oct 2014 05:07:58 -0600, Arthur Conan Doyle
wrote:

Recliner wrote:

It's only a matter of time before all cars are automatics: with more
ratios, they're more fuel efficient and perform better than manual
transmissions. In fact, many high performance and almost all Eco cars are
now auto-only. The manual gearbox is going the way of the manual choke,
carburettor, starting handle, etc. It's almost 30 years since I switched to
automatics, and I wouldn't dream of going back.

Finding a US rental car with a manual transmission in the US is near impossible
outside of certain specialist vehicles. This also reflects the private vehicle
market as even cars offered with supposed "manual" transmissions are really
automatics with paddle shift switches.

Isn't it still possible to buy at least some sporty cars with
traditional stick shifts in the US? But, certainly, the mainstream
and rental markets abandoned the stick shift a long time ago. I wonder
how many American drivers would be able to use a clutch pedal?


In the UK, it seems to be quite different and I'm not sure why.

Autos are usually more expensive, and traditionally had higher fuel
consumption. As cars and fuel are already much more expensive in the
UK than the US, I suppose this is a significant factor with the small
cars that are more popular here than in the US. But with the pressure
for cleaner, more economical cars, auto transmissions will become the
norm here, too, as computers can control the (larger number of) ratios
better.


The issue highlighted upthread of the potentially astronomical cost of
fixing an automatic if it goes wrong is also a consideration.