I've known a lot of cops in my life (and my next-door neighbor is a retired deputy sheriff for this county), and they have all said that they prefer a stick to an automatic in their police cars, and civilian cars if available. They tell me that transmission response is much faster than on an automatic transmission.

I also know that Special Forces troops I've spoken to prefer a stick when they are driving vehicles appropriate to the role (such as civilian vehicles in urban areas and suchlike). For long, overland hauls, they prefer automatics, however; it reduces driver fatigue. An that was in general the US Army's reasoning to switch to an all-automatic combat fleet -- reduction of driver fatigue.

I know only automatics, but I'd like to learn how to drive a standard because I'll never know when I'll need to.

At work, we have a Chevy Colorado (actually an Isuzu pickup), Ford Ranger (IIRC, actually a Mazda) and two Pontiac Vibes. I like the Colorado the best because it has a five cylinder engine, the headlights come on automatically and so on. I step on the gas, it takes off like a rocket. The Ford Ranger, OTOH, is a pig, it is slow, sluggish and you really got to floor it to get it to go fast. It has the 2.3 liter engine, a small 4 cylinder. My mother's Hyundai Sonata has a bigger engine than that, her's is a 2.4 liter, 4 cylinder. The Vibes are OK.

Chuck M.

Right on brother. I feel the same way.

Let me hear a second AMEN!!!!

The automatic I drive now, grrrrrrrrrr I wait and wait and wait for it to shift it is painfuly slow, whereas on my former truck with a manual, poof when it felt right, shift.

The "three on the tree" column mount manuals were pretty common back in the day, and I kinda want to track down an old beater with one just for the heck of it. In high school I had a friend with a three speed manual on the floor in a 1969 or '70 Mustang. Reverse was way left and forward I think. 1st was not as left and not as forward, 2nd was straight back from 1st, and 3rd was right and forward. If you weren't careful when racing the shift to 3rd would sometimes result in cracking you're knuckles against the radio knobs or dashboard trim... Also the clutch effort was brutal. After a couple of runs up and down the street in that car my (already battered) left knee was an absolute wreck. That really made me appreciate the hydraulic clutch in my 280ZX.

On a side note I once met a hill-billy type guy that claimed to have a 5 speed in an old Plymouth Duster. When I questioned him on the matter since I knew damn well that the only Dusters to come with a 5 speed were the front engine newer ones he replied: "I've got 4 on the floor and a fifth under the seat!" as he reached for the whiskey bottle.

Actually the Mazda pickups were copies of the Ranger after Ford kinda swallowed up Mazda. With a manual transmission those Rangers and B2000s are not bad at all, but Ford's automatics have always been no fun in trucks. The gearbox and final drive are set up for dragging loads, not having fun. Having driven Rangers with that same engine and both transmission choices I have to say that the manual makes a huge difference. Hell, even the V6 Ranger with an automatic was a dog because of the way it was set up.