What's up guys! Today I'm in my E46 M3 explaining WHY you should learn to drive manual. We all know that modern day automatic transmissions are much better at shifting gears to optimize fuel economy or, in the case of high performance vehicles with dual clutch transmissions, minimize time to shift between gears. So why should you even bother to learn to drive stick?
1. Manuals are cheaper to purchase and therefore insure. Although there are less vehicles that come from the factory with a manual transmission, there are still some fun and affordable options out there. It seems that for a lot of brand new vehicles, the automatic will add anywhere from $1,500 - $3,000 to the sticker price when compared to the manual, so it's easy to see that these cars will save you a couple dollars a month on your car payment if you choose to go that route. Since the value of manual vehicles are technically lower than automatics, they’ll also save you some insurance money as well. The same story goes for used vehicles, and you can find really good deals in the private party market since the amount of people who want to, or even know how to drive a manual is significantly smaller than automatic transmission buyers, which limits your competition.
2. Manuals are, in theory, cheaper to maintain than their automatic counterparts. Although most modern day automatic transmissions are really reliable, there’s certainly room for more things to go wrong when compared to the simpler manual transmission. And in the event that something does go wrong, you can expect to pay more for the automatic transmission repair than the manual. This point also reinforces the notion that manuals are cheaper to insure due to the fact that the transmission costs less to replace. However, it's important to note that both transmissions will require routine fluid changes to keep them running in top shape. But, the manual transmission will likely need a new clutch somewhere between 30,000 - 100,000 miles depending on your driving style. Clutches are fairly inexpensive, but the labor required to remove the transmission will definitely drive up this expense when you have to face it.
3. Learning to drive manual is basically a right of passage for car guys. Obviously this isn’t a gate keeping requirement, but being able to drive manual allows you to build a pretty much instant bond with those that share this dying skill. On top of that, this skill may be a conversation starter with people that can't or don't drive stick. There are also a ton of interesting cars that were never fitted with an automatic transmission, and by mastering the art of the stick shift you allow yourself the opportunity to drive pretty much any car on the road.
4. Manuals are cheaper to rent overseas and may be your only option in some regions. I feel like this point is way underrated since in most cases when traveling overseas you can save more than 40% on a rental car by booking a manual. This allows you to free up some cash to do something fun, and adds to the excitement of the trip by giving you the opportunity to really live like a local.
5. This last point is pretty much unanimous across the car enthusiast community. Driving stick is all around more fun and engaging than driving an automatic. In the manual, all four of your limbs have a responsibility and you have to constantly be thinking about what gear you want to be in. Your opportunities for texting and driving are pretty much eliminated which forces you to be more present when you’re behind the wheel. Plus, I like having control over the entire rev range. The computer may know when the optimal time to shift gears for best fuel economy is, but I know when I want to make my car scream to the redline. This is one of the many reasons why I love driving stick.
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