Getting2Work

I had mentioned that I used to drive a stick shift.  I also know that the number of stick shift cars are diminishing.

Back in 1980, more than 35 percent of all cars were sold with a stick. … By 2005 only 6 percent of all buyers bothered with a stick.

With the advance in development, the new automatics actually are more fuel efficient and can switch faster than the manuals.  I can believe that with everything being computer controlled.  Sure some of the sport’s car makers said they will always have manual shift.  But if they are the only ones left, what difference does it make for common folk like myself.  I can’t afford them sports cars!!!

Even though I had the link to the article where I quoted above, here’s the title of the article about “The End of Manual Labor? The stick-shift is a fast-fading icon” and Lawrence Ulrich is one luck guy to get to drive some of these great sports cars.  So jealous!

While doing my Saturday morning news surfing on MSN.com, one of the headlines “Stick shift means fuel savings, Consumer Reports says” caught my eyes because I used to drive a stick shift.

Positive things about driving a stick shift that’s mentioned in the articles:

1. Better mpg (= less carbon dioxide emissions)
2. Cheaper
3. Less likely to be stolen (most car thieves can’t drive with a stick shift) LOL!
4. Fun to drive

Definitely agree with it being fun to drive.  I was driving a stick shift Honda CRV when I started my long commute.

I remembered one day while wandering at the Honda show room killing time as I waited for my car to be delivered after a service.  A salesman tried to convince me to trade up to the latest model.  One of the questions I asked him was what were some of the complains owners had with the CRV with my year of CRV.  He said that some owners complained that it wasn’t powerful enough.  I was pretty surprised by the answer because I had always felt that my CRV had plenty of power.  It was more than able to keep up with the rest of the cars and with plenty to spare if you know what I mean.  Maybe the manual transmission had something to do with it feeling like there is enough power.  Beside driving a stick shift made me feel like I was driving a “real” car and not just a go-cart (that has speed).  At first he wasn’t going to give me very good money for the trade off since it was a stick shift becaues he said that he would have a harder time turning it around.  Eventually he gave me a great deal.  I would walk away with a brand new car and no money out of my pocket.  Well, it didn’t matter because I winded up not trading it in.  I was attached to my stick shift and I didn’t like the way the new model looked.

I drove my manual CRV for another 2 years before I finally gave in and traded for a Honda Hybrid.  Obviously the hybrid is an automatic transmission (actually it has a continuously variable transmission (CVT) to be precise), and it has a smaller engine than my old CRV so it does not have the same power.  On the car’s sticky it said, EPA-estimated 40 city/45 hwy mpg.  But I had tried this out and found that if I drove more like a “sane” or conservative driver (however way you like to label it) I could actually get better mpg.  If I stayed around 70mph or just below, I was able to get 47 to 49 mpg.  If I stick with 75 or higher (and I won’t say how high), it definitely dropped down to their estimate of 45 mpg or even a bit less.

But I am okay with all that (driving a go-cart) because it is more green for our planet AND more green in my pocket book!