Do you know how to drive a car with a manual transmission?

I learned to drive in England - you pretty much have to do your test in a stick shift... if you don't, your licence is endorsed with "automatic only". Mind you - when I'm stuck in traffic sometimes I'd rather be driving automatic, but on the whole I prefer manual.

It only took me 10 years and 2 totalled cars to perfect my skill. I now actually prefer a manual to an automatic, it's much more fun! And the steep hills, especially in downtown Seattle, are exciting challenges!!

I love manual and I agree, the hills in downtown Seattle are a lot of fun. The hills leaving Ballard in the middle of a random december snow storm can be quite exciting too. Especially with how well the plows handled the roads this year.

I haven't owned an automatic since '72, and even then I was also driving a '66 Chevy SW with manual transmission. I feel a manual gives much more control in slick conditions (rain & snow).

I was wondering if anyone has an opinion or documentation about the effects on gas mileage of using a lower gear when negotiating Seattle's hilly terrain. Specifically, with the same throttle opening, does using the next lower gear use more fuel than a higher gear -- for instance going from 4th to 3rd to climb a hill while keeping the gas pedal in the same position. I started thinking about this the other day and my thought experiments bore no fruit. I'm asking because I know gas will return to $5.00 a gallon soon, and I'd like to save a few pennies when it does.

P.S.: Knowing how many of these comment pages seem to draw the worst out of some people, I want to say that if you're contemplating submitting a sarcastic or silly answer to my query, do all of us a favor and don't do it. Go surf some other page to take out your anonymous anger and frustrations on unsuspecting victims.

I've only owned stick shifts and intend to as long as they are available. I've had 3,4,5 & 6 speed vehicles. It's much more fun and I'm more in control when driving a manual auto. I have noticed that manual transmissions are becoming more difficult to find on new vehicles. This is a shame. Everyone should at least know how to drive one.

I bought first American car in 25+ years because neither Honda or Toyota had manual shifts available on the models I was looking at. I prefer driving a manual as I think you have more control plus as I began to travel in Europe I found it to be quite the money saver too!

I learned to drive on an unsynchronized manual with 7 gears and 2 ranges. It was a tractor.

I prefer manual transmissions because
* They get better fuel economy. I'm much better than any computer at making the determination of the most fuel efficient gear to be in based on engine RPMs, current atmospheric temperatures and conditions, and injector pulse width every tenth of a second.
* They give you more control over the car. I can stall on a hill and block traffic or spin my wheels by missing a shift on the freeway and swap ends. Try that in an automatic.
* They decrease brake wear. I can put it in a lower gear going downhill, and I take all the money I save from getting an extra 5,000 miles from my pads to replace my rod bearings, piston rings, and differential bearings when they fail 5,000 miles sooner. Replacing engine internals is sooooo much easier than replacing brake pads.
* You can't drive a manual with a broken or missing limb. If you break your shoulder of foot, you shouldn't be driving.
* They are more popular in Europe. I also like to pay for water with dinner but I only leave a 5% tip. Hey, European ways are better.
* I am an immensely pretentious tool with a tenuous grip on reality.

Seriously, manuals are great for racing, but for getting from point A to point B I'll take an automatic any day.

More control is nice (and if you learned to drive in the mountains, you're a pro at the handbrake trick whether you need it or not), plus it's more fun to drive. 95% of all cars sold in the US are automatics; lots of people can't drive one well, either. Sadly, they're getting hard to find in anything bigger than a 'compact'. Toyota doesn't make a manual Camry; Ford supposedly makes a manual Fusion but the local dealer says he's never actually seen one.

I bought a 2008 Mazda3 in December of 2008. Of all the 2008s that were still on the dealers' lots, all but one was a manual. The dealers were all quite motivated to unload them, and I got a great deal.

@bovine9000:
it's all about personal preference... although if your engine works properly it's just as well lubricated decelerating as cruising.... and if you've ever come down a STEEP mountain highway, riding the brakes can kill you if they overheat. I'll downshift, thanks.

It totally depends on the situation. I've got a Subaru WRX right now, ended up with an automatic because I spend a fair ammount of time in traffic and I hate a manual in traffic (I blame my hatred for stick in traffic on my 65 Chevy C-10 with a 3 on the tree and having to drive it between bellevue and kirkland in 405 rush hour traffic...my leg dang near fell off a couple of days). But on the open road and for quick starts from traffic lights and such, a manual is definitely preferrable

Never again. I used to love stick shifts but since I moved to the Bay Area forget it! Try getting across the Bay Bridge, stop, go, stop, go two feet, stop...my clutch leg would look like a pro-bowler' arm!

More control is nice (and if you learned to drive in the mountains, you're a pro at the handbrake trick whether you need it or not), plus it's more fun to drive. 95% of all cars sold in the US are automatics; lots of people can't drive one well, either. Sadly, they're getting hard to find in anything bigger than a 'compact'. Toyota doesn't make a manual Camry; Ford supposedly makes a manual Fusion but the local dealer says he's never actually seen one.