Hey for everyone living in the New York area (Any of the boroughs or Long Island) what is it like driving a manual transmission everyday? I was reading it can be annoying in tight stop and go traffic? Which is usually how it is here during rush hour. I’m in Long Island if that helps anyone here. Opinions on getting one, or stick to automatic?
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Never forget the time I took my 5 speed kia with a stage 2 clutch into rush hour traffic in Manhattan. My knee still hasn’t forgiven me.
You’ll get use to it to be honest I’ve been driving manual in queen’s for over 8 years sometimes I drive into the city.
What you won’t get use to is shitheads scratching your car and driving away while you’re parked
Driving everyday period in NY would probably suck
You could use the transit, and if you need a car, just get an auto unless weekend driver
I have done it (bk native) and it’s fucking awful. Some manual purists might justify it in anyway possible, but unless you plan on using your car for spirited drives in less condensed areas, skip the manual.
As a European that’s driven manuals all my life in cities its something you get used to fast. At some point you don’t even register whats happening, its all done subconsciously.
Only reason pick an automatic if its one with all the whistles, like if it can drive in traffic completely automatically. Thats a nice feature.
Non issue, it is a habit. Once you get the experience and it becomes second nature, automatics may confuse or anger you 🤣 Also, unless you’re driving a sports car, the “my leg hurts from the clutch” argument is moot. If the clutch is too heavy, something’s wrong with the car, or yor leg.
Stick is awful in the city. I drive stick because I rarely go to the city traffic.
It’s fine in the city. It’s so second nature that it doesn’t even matter.
Where exactly is your commute? I’m on Long Island as well. I used to commute on the southern state daily, and hated it with my manual.
luckily with the torque of the LS2, I used to let the car idle in second gear to creep slowly in traffic.
You can do that in pretty much any manual. I always just spaced myself out and idled in 2nd when everyone else was stopping and starting.
Puts hair on your chest.
Have driven 154k miles in Atlanta over the last 5 years with manuals. Never been an issue. Leave a gap and creep in first or second during highway congestion. For backed up surface streets where you’ll be waiting 3-5 light cycles take you foot off the clutch.
Yeah this sounds like embarrassingly common sense. And yet every time the topic comes up people complain about shakey knees and getting sore🙄🙄
If it’s once or twice a week and not during rush hour, sure.
If you have to go through Manhattan or the BQE, especially during rush hour? You’ll rethink that manual real quick and wish you had adaptive cruise control with lane assist.
This also depends on how comfortable you are with stick. If you’ve been driving it the last ten years weekly, it should be alright. If you’re going over to a stick from an automatic… good luck!
When I lived in Long Island for 4 years going to school there I owned an 08 Honda Fit manual and drove into the city and pretty much got my road rage from that. Every time I drive into the city and get stuck in traffic near Penn Station, I always smell my own burning clutch and throbbing sore left leg.
It’s absolutely no problem at all, after a while it becomes second nature.
Source: Drove manuals for 15 years in NY and Boston traffic and the only reason I don’t today is that family sized cars with manuals don’t exist anymore.
I’ll drive manual in any city. The only times I ever wish I had an automatic are major traffic jams on the highway after like a truck tips over at rush hour and you’re just creeping along at 1mph for 6 hours or something like that