03.28.09
Shopping for a car with a manual transmission
My car, a Hyundai Elantra was recently in an accident. We were rear-ended by another driver and pushed into another car. The Elantra was declared a total loss. The Elantra was a good car, basic transportation with excellent fuel economy. It also had a manual transmission. I went looking for a new car with a fairly open mind, but my first requirement was that the new car would have a manual transmission.
What I came to discover is that most manufacturers make a manual transmission available on their lowest trim line model and if you are lucky it is an option on the mid-trim model. A manual transmission is seldom available on the highest trim or luxury car models. Typically you will not see a manual transmission on a six cylinder motor either. Now if you compare vehicles across trim levels from your chosen brand you will find the mpg ratings for the manual transmission models are always the best. Finally if you watch TV commercials or see a print advertisement and check the mpg ratings you will see the advertised mpg ratings are typically taken from the manual models! You might think I’m after a little bit of truth in advertising, but what I would really like is the manual transmission available on the higher trim levels.
There are some noteable exceptions to this - some expensive cars manufactured in countries that take driving very seriously have a manual transmission available for very nearly all models.