Hot take: manual transmission is just a nostalgia tax at this point

I traded my 2019 Civic Si for a 2024 automatic and my commute through Atlanta dropped from 45 minutes to 35. Everyone says manuals are more engaging but I was just fighting traffic and grinding gears for no payoff. Modern autos shift faster and save you gas... who actually benefits from stick shift anymore except people who want to feel cool?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma6851mo ago

You say "modern autos shift faster and save you gas" but that totally misses why people still want manuals. Faster shifting means nothing when you're actually driving for fun, not just surviving a commute. I live in a rural area with empty back roads and my manual WRX makes every trip feel like an event, not just transportation. Plus the gas savings are tiny, like maybe 2 mpg difference, and replacement clutches cost way less than a CVT rebuild that totals your car at 100k miles. You mentioned Atlanta traffic but not everyone deals with that nightmare every day, and for people who enjoy the connection and control, a stick shift is way more than just feeling cool. Manuals are cheaper to buy, cheaper to fix, and way more reliable long term, so the nostalgia tax argument only works if you ignore the actual ownership costs.

vera_campbell1mo ago

Ever notice how manuals make you a better driver overall even in an automatic later?