Greetings and thanks

[potownrob]

Wilkommen!!

Looks like you're on the road to standard shift success!! Makes me kind of wish I still had a stickmobile

[Shadow]

Many baby boomers can drive stick.

Maybe many can, but I think the majority of baby boomers can't drive stick. That generation wasn't old enough to drive until the automatic transmission was already fairly common (in the mid-60s) and found in the majority of family cars. My parents and their siblings (both from huge families) are all baby boomers and only my father and two uncles can drive stick. Of course that's just my own family I'm talking about, but I still think inability (and/or lack of desire) to drive a manual transmission vehicle has been around for quite a long time.

[Shadow]

This may be some indication, numbers higher in Europe of course:

http://autos.aol.com/article/stick-shift-love-affair/

Now we come to the year 2010. The ability to drive a car equipped with a manual transmission is becoming a dying art. The sales numbers tell the story: In 1985, according to Ward’s Communications, 22.4% of all vehicles sold in the United States came with a manual transmission. By 2007, the number had plummeted to 7.7%.

A quick check of vehicles for sale on AOL Autos tells a similar story. Of the 4,391,747 vehicles recently listed for sale, only 241,560 -- or 5.5% -- came with a manual.

Yes, I've seen the horrible sales numbers for manual trans vehicles....and sadly, they seem to go down every year. But I still have to wonder how many people out there actually know how to drive a stick shift, but for whatever reason choose to drive an automatic instead. I can't tell you how many times I heard someone say that they chose to go with an automatic because of heavy traffic where they live. And now with all these automated manual transmissions being developed/refined/perfected in modern cars, I really think it's just a matter of time before the manual transmission becomes a thing of the past.

[Fit4Fun]

But I still have to wonder how many people out there actually know how to drive a stick shift, but for whatever reason choose to drive an automatic instead. I really think it's just a matter of time before the manual transmission becomes a thing of the past.

Could be, but here are a couple of interesting comments from the article referenced above. I agree the sales numbers for MT's don't necessarily reflect the number of drivers who can drive MT.

guyclinch
Too much is made of this - in Europe there are lots of manual transmissions. So they will stick around here for a long time as a niche as you can just make one style of car and import it.

caterhamfan
guyclinch is right. About 80% of cars bought in Europe are manuals. You can get an 'automatic only' licence if you can't cope with a manual ******** considered a very poor second to a full licence. So over here nearly everyone can drive a manual and prefers to do so. That isn't going to change any time soon. Some have seen Ferrari's move away from manuals as a sign of the death of the manual for performance cars but if you have a look at the BBC "Top Gear" lap times you will see in 7th place, and somewhat faster than any Ferrari, is the humble Caterham R500 which has a good old manual box.
August 19 2010 at 3:26 PM

[Shadow]

Even today the percentage of cars purchased with manual transmissions in Europe is 80%? Is that accurate? It seems really high, but I guess it's possible.

Well, if that is true, then I have to thank European drivers for helping to keep manuals alive. I mean, if the U.S. was the only market, I'm sure the manual trans would be dead already or at least on life support.

[potownrob]

Even today the percentage of cars purchased with manual transmissions in Europe is 80%? Is that accurate? It seems really high, but I guess it's possible.

Well, if that is true, then I have to thank European drivers for helping to keep manuals alive. I mean, if the U.S. was the only market, I'm sure the manual trans would be dead already or at least on life support.

i don't know any figures (cue ropepusher's next pic post) but i wouldn't be surprised if this is true. when i was in spain 7 years ago the only automatic vehicles i saw were the city buses and MAYBE a couple of the luxury cars (and i looked into and listened to a LOT of cars there). as a slight aside, the mercedes and bmws i saw there seemed to be more mainstream (less luxurious) in general and there were lots of models that looked to be little 2 litres (something like Mercedes C220; BMW 320 etc.; too lazy to look it up) rather than 3-6 litre models, though those of course existed there. What I'm getting at is they are probably so used to driving manual and in traffic (at least the city dwellers with cars) and they don't seem to view automatics the same way the average american seems to, i wouldn't be surprised if it takes a long time for them to really embrace the automatic trannies...(pardon me while i pass out from my melatonin pills)

[Rope-Pusher]

i don't know any figures (cue ropepusher's next pic post)

[Shadow]

i don't know any figures (cue ropepusher's next pic post)

Hmm....something very disturbing about that pic ^^^^

Can't really put a finger on it though...

[IMBoring25]

...But can you count all the disturbing things about that pic on one hand?