26th Aug 2018, 01:54
Hooray for confirmation bias and a small sample size!
Look at the trend in manufacturer’s offerings in transmission options, and tell me that manuals are what people want.
26th Aug 2018, 01:59
LOL: “stock car” racing!
I’m sure that your Monte is a finely-tuned performance machine. Much like a Saab is “inspired by jets”.
26th Aug 2018, 12:34
Low production options doesn’t mean it’s not desirable. Not everyone wants to pay more for a manual. Convertibles often cost more today to order as well. It used to be the reverse. I have scoured the country for well equipped classic sports cars with manuals and with air and amenities. I have a lot of friends with higher end sports cars. What I seem to see a lot is many automatics as well. A lot of guys buy a new car with automatics so that the wife can perhaps drive them. A high end purchase often purchased that way to get the blessing of the spouse. Some of her income perhaps has gone into its purchase. And yet it’s rare to ever see the spouse anyway and many of my friends wish they had manuals. I know that sounds bad, but it is very common. My wife always liked and had sports cars before with manuals, convertibles and cars that were not slugs. I thought she was incredibly cool to be single then with one. But she now has an automatic work car now. Let the car do it’s thing, being older now. One friend bought a new twin turbo Porsche with an automatic. I cringed. And his wife doesn’t drive it unless he’s with her anyway. I get that many paddle shift automatics can win a race today vs automatics. But nothing compares to winding back roads with a manual. The new cars have tight short shift ratios. Often I turn the Sirius radio off to listen to the car (a far better sound). Lastly I cannot find anything more boring than having an automatic in a sports car. A real disappointment. If you look at most new regular cars however they are fine with automatics. If I get to where I cannot handle a clutch someday, I may add to your statistic as well. But modern cars have a light effort clutch and are easy to shift today. Try one!
26th Aug 2018, 14:43
Supposedly, the "millennials" (which the media breathlessly report on ad nauseum) apparently are not that interested in cars... or driving. Thus, the decline of manual transmissions (and the eventual rise of self driving cars). Soon, they will be able to go anywhere they want without ever having to take their eyes away from the screen of whatever is in their little hands...
27th Aug 2018, 11:24
I grew up in a different time. Simple. You had a home, 6 channels of TV, a stereo with maybe 12 or so records. However you had some of the most desirable autos ever made affordable to the middle class. The cars that once graced our driveway were amazing. Driving through my neighborhood are vehicles fairly indistinguishable from one home to the next. Most I cannot tell the make or manufacturer. Til I see the L on the back of the crossovers. Lexus. It’s almost like you need one to live in the community. Ultra conservative types, but there are a few like us with some hot machinery inside. I have zero regrets growing up. I would sit and talk with my dad and grandfather, handing them tools in their garages Grew a great appreciation without cell phone interruptions, checking social media etc. That’s quality time you cannot really get with family. My kids Facebook and send texts etc as their days are so busy. We didn’t miss any of that as it wasn’t a reality. We were having fun driving our 6 year old GTO Convertible to drive ins instead of texting one another til midnight.
28th Aug 2018, 16:03
Even though comments on this thread have resurfaced, there is still no explanation to my original question towards comment 23:05 March, 2017 on how the Monte Carlo styling "copied the Cadillac Seville" when in essence they look nothing alike.
28th Aug 2018, 18:32
I bought a brand new 1978 Monte Carlo which looked in many ways like a Cadillac from that exact time. Front grille, some of the trunk elements when viewed across the rear quarter panels. Loved the styling then... can’t stand it now. Overall it was a very reliable car with the 305 engine. Would have preferred a 350. 73-77 was a larger body car and I didn’t like their styling either. The first gen was and still is in my opinion the nicest. They also did not look like Cadillacs. I also liked the one year design rear 78 taillights.
28th Aug 2018, 20:11
Most likely because a: the person who posted that comment has long since forgotten about it, and b: nobody else really cares.
29th Aug 2018, 05:16
It's not that I'm not interested in cars. The dollar today doesn't go as far and I can't afford it. None of us "millenials" can. You used to be able to buy a Big Mac, fries, and a drink for less than a dollar. Today, that same meal costs over $9.
I earned my Bachelor's degree in IT from a Big 10 University, completed three internships, served as the student body president, and it was still 20 months before I found a job, and not even in my field. No one would look at me without a master's degree. Fast food places wouldn't even hire me because I was "overqualified." It's not like I sought degree in history or weaving baskets, either. I went for IT and computer engineering.
Try earning a master's degree, earning $12/hour after you're done, having to be connected to work email 24/7 because your boss watches your every move, having to volunteer to meet people and network, and needing five years of experience for an entry-level role. Then you can moan about no one being interested in cars.
Let me break it down: I take home $800 every two weeks ($1600/month, or $19,200 annually after taxes). Actually, it's less than that but let's use round numbers. Right off the bat, $400 goes toward a car payment, $200 goes toward car insurance, and another $300 goes toward rent (because I still live in my parents' house, usually that number is closer to $600). That's more than half my income right there, for a car that's a decade old with 130,000 miles. Student loan repayments are $300 each month, and don't get me started on health insurance. So, that's about $400 left over for sewer/water bill, garbage service, car maintenance, electric, clothes, gas, business expenses, volunteer expenses, and other necessities.
Sure, I'd love to own a Corvette, Mercedes roadster, or even a Supra. But, I literally cannot afford to have cars as a hobby. Let me say that again: I literally cannot afford to have a vehicle as a hobby. I literally cannot afford to have a Corvette sitting next to my Corolla in the driveway. So, don't you dare blame me for being on my phone; I'm likely reading large newspapers and financial journals to figure out just how to live. Or I'm using a calculator because schools don't teach you how to subtract or balance a checkbook anymore. I'm putting my most prized outfits and possessions on Craigslist and Ebay just trying to make a buck. I'm not sending pictures of my junk to girls or playing Pokemon Go. My couch is four milk crates with a bath towel over them. I only bathe once a week because I can't afford it. For you to think I'm chatting with my friends constantly through all hours of the night, you're dead wrong. Dead wrong. I'm writing comments like this to you and to the rest of the world about how millennials got cheated in life because of YOU.
Between needing to pick up extra hours just to afford my generic prescriptions, make ends meet, more car insurance for a second car, saving for a one-room apartment, and trying to retire before Social Security is sucked to a pulp by the baby boomers, I'm left trying to figure out if I can buy two pounds of deli turkey this paycheck or just one.
And, here's a tip for you: one pound of turkey for two weeks isn't a whole lot of food. Just a thought.
16th Mar 2017, 16:17
Much agreed that any vehicle with a manual becomes instantly more fun. I have a little 4 banger Tacoma with a 5 speed manual. It's not the easiest gearbox to deal with, but after owning it for 20 years it feels natural to me. It's about 200% more fun to drive than the automatic version a friend has.
That said... if you want to experience something really nice, try anything with electrically driven wheels. We have a 6 year old Volt, and though it's heavy, it will really launch from a stop light. All of the torque is available up front. It's a very satisfying feeling!