
As I’ve mentioned, we bough a new (used) car a couple of weeks ago. It’s a stick shift. I’ve just read that only about a quarter of new cars sold in Germany are stick shift, the trend is definitely toward automatics. Driving a stick shift will be a forgotten art in a few years.

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I really don’t want to drive an automatic either. Too many expensive things to go wrong. Like electric windows in cars. Ours went wrong recently. Cost a mint to sort out. And really – how hard is it to change gears in a manual car?
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totally agree, plenty to go wrong and you don’t have the fun of driving manual vehicle
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I didnt know driving was ‘fun’. It’s just a job, like washing up, or hanging the clothes on the line!
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Depends on the road! Give me bends, hairpin perhaps, and some steep inclines….
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Right! (see my answert to Margaret). Getting to know a new car is fun!
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😂😀
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Aaagh.
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😂
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Driving can be a lot of fun! If there aren’t too many other drivers on the road. Just on Friday I drove 3 hours (both ways) through the Odenwald to a meeting that didn’t happen (because we weren’t notified of the cancellation). Since it was a totally useless drive, something I try to avoid these days because of, well, the environment, I enjoyed the landscape, the roads (winding and not busy), the trees, and the feel of the new car. No A/C but open windows all round, almost like a cabrio.
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I see!
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Totally agree. But — our used car is only 15 months old. It has a 10.4 inch tablet (called “infotainment”, first name Ida) mounted on the dashboard that has the weirdest functions. They didn’t waste much paper, the instruction manual is deceptively thin – it basically says: IDA will tell you. (i.e. I’ve done a lot of googling).
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👍
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Well, driving an automatic is just functional to get you from a to B. To my mind, boring.. Driving manual transmission is much more fun, you get a feel for the Road
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This!!
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Aaaargh!
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All of my cars used to be stick shift cars. But then in 2022, I bought my first electric car. EVs have only three gears: park, reverse, and drive. So there are no gears going forward to shift too. Just “Drive.”
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That’s the future.
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