A Warning To Those Who Drive A Stick Shift

[dales]

Carjackers shot and killed a Houston-area father because his car had a manual transmission, which they didn't how to operate, police said.

Pedro Aguilar, a 47-year-old mechanic, was returning to his Harris County apartment about 11 p.m. after dining out with his wife and 10-year-old daughter. The wife and daughter had gotten out of the car and were guiding him to a parking space when a sedan pulled up, according to KHOU.

Two young men got out and pointed a gun at Aguilar while he was still in the driver's seat, police said. They pistol-whipped him and pulled him out because he was taking too much time, according to deputies.

The thieves then got into the car but could not get it to drive because they didn't know how to operate a standard shift. According to the ABC 13, police believe that Aguilar was shot in the chest by one of the men out of frustration over the manual transmission.

The stymied suspects then returned to their vehicle, described as a silver or white four-door sedan, and fled the scene. A third man reportedly was driving the car.

All three men were described as being in their late-teens or early 20s.

Aguilar died at the scene in front of his family.

[rubato]

They are less likely to be stolen.


yrs,
rubato

[Jarlaxle]

For the first time since I was 16...I no longer own anything with a manual transmission.

[Big RR]

I many car brands it's tougher and tougher to get a manual transmission; I wanted to get an infiniti sports model and it only came with the automatic. the sales man tried to tout the shifting option with the automatic, but it's not the same. I have nothing against automatics, but manual transmissions are a lot more fun to drive.

[Sue U]

I had a Mazda 626 with a 5-speed stick, but had to give it up when we had our third kid, since you're required to buy a minivan at that point, apparently. I hate driving, but still miss driving that one.

[rubato]

Modern slushboxes are a lot better than they were. I am tempted, for the first time in my life, to get one on the next car. Stop and go traffic going uphill gets a little old.


yrs,
rubato

[BoSoxGal]

My last standard shift was also a 5 speed Mazda 626 - with a moonroof to boot! I adored driving that car and don't expect I'll ever have another I love as much. *sigh*

[MGMcAnick]

I found this article interesting. https://www.thezebra.com/insurance-news ... automatic/ I'd seen the 96% statistic before, but thought I'd share it here in this manner.

I prefer driving a stick, but admit that it is getting harder and harder to find one. Modern automatics are just as positive in "locked up" overdrive as any manual.

As a complete off track tangent, Packard developed the first lock-up torque converter on their Ultramatic transmission in the early '50s. My '55 Hudson Hornet has a V-8 engine and Ultramatic that Hudson bought from Packard in '55, '56 and '57.

[Guinevere]

I love driving stick (my Saab was a standard transmission, and I use the electronic autoshift on the Jeep on occasion) but not in traffic around here. We just spend too much time in our cars for it to be truly practical (and yes, I am making gross generalizations).

[kristina]

I love my little Scion xB with its 5-speed stick shift, but I don't have to deal with slow-and-go traffic more than once a year. If I did, I'd be looking for an automatic transmission.

[Joe Guy]

Nowadays a stick shift interferes with my texting, talking, drinking coffee, smoking recreational marijuana, checking for exposed nose hairs in my rear view mirror and monitoring my GPS. It's also a real pain to adjust the viewing angle on my dash cam while doing all that.

My next car might need to be a driverless car.

I wonder how long before they will start selling us passengerless cars. Maybe they'll have a drone with a stick shift.

I better get off the computer, I have to take the next freeway off ramp...

[kristina]

Nowadays a stick shift interferes with my texting, talking, drinking coffee, smoking recreational marijuana, checking for exposed nose hairs in my rear view mirror and monitoring my GPS. It's also a real pain to adjust the viewing angle on my dash cam while doing all that.

My next car might need to be a driverless car.

I wonder how long before they will start selling us passengerless cars. Maybe they'll have a drone with a stick shift.

I better get off the computer, I have to take the next freeway off ramp...

I knew there was a good reason never to go south of Novato...

[rubato]

"... My '55 Hudson Hornet has a V-8 engine and Ultramatic that Hudson bought from Packard in '55, '56 and '57.

Neil Cassidy (of "On the Road, and the Electric Kool-aid Acid Test, fame" said that the 49 Hudson was his favorite car for a cross-country trip.





yrs,
rubato

[Gob]

Never owned an auto, always a manual. Driving an auto isn't driving.

[Burning Petard]

I too always preferred a 'standard' shift. It was a mark of true driving skill to be able to shift without touching the clutch. But one Friday pm returning to Delaware from NY City, via the NJ turnpike in evening rush hour, driving a Ford Escort with manual shift-- Was enough to persuade me I was too old for that trembling leg muscle, pushing the clutch and advancing half a car length at a time for endless miles.

snailgate

[Gob]

My first car had no synchro on first, (and often second,) gears. Double declutching is a lost skill these days

[Jarlaxle]

I found this article interesting. https://www.thezebra.com/insurance-news ... automatic/ I'd seen the 96% statistic before, but thought I'd share it here in this manner.

I prefer driving a stick, but admit that it is getting harder and harder to find one. Modern automatics are just as positive in "locked up" overdrive as any manual.

As a complete off track tangent, Packard developed the first lock-up torque converter on their Ultramatic transmission in the early '50s. My '55 Hudson Hornet has a V-8 engine and Ultramatic that Hudson bought from Packard in '55, '56 and '57.

I recall that Allison and Spicer developed it about the same time.

[Jarlaxle]

My first car had no synchro on first, (and often second,) gears. Double declutching is a lost skill these days

Try it with nine gears.

Or four gears, ten metres of linkage, and an air-operated clutch.

[Big RR]

Well I will agree with those who mentioned how annoying manual transmissions are in traffic, but I do love them on the open road. And FWIW, I have had a number of automatics that work fine (most of out cars are automatics as my kids don't know how to drive a stick and my wife doesn't like driving one), but to me, the sticks seem more like driving the car instead of having it drive you.

[Big RR]

From the article linked by jarl, this surprised me:

In fact, Ferrari no longer manufactures sports cars with manual transmissions, writes Edmunds. And Fix notes that, “Porsche, Lamborghini, and McLaren all have automatic transmissions in supercars that were once equipped with manual transmissions.”

Not that I am about to buy any of them, but not even having the option of a stick in a performance sports car seems sacrilegious. Just pushing a lever or a paddle to simulate a manual is a poor substitute IMHO.