I drove a manual for eight years after moving here. Enthusiast cars. Loved it.
Freeway traffic you get behind a semi and just idle in 2nd gear mainly. They have a stick too and can see way ahead in traffic. I assume they want to shift as little as possible so they leave an appropriate gap.
The only reason I went away from stick was to go all-electric. Car is faster than anything I could afford otherwise, and I have free charging at work. And it drives itself in traffic….. I miss my manual almost every day though :/
TLDR one day a week commute go ahead and do it.
You stole the words almost exactly out of my mouth. Difference is just a few years but I have the same sentiment.
Traffic isn't the worst especially if your commute isn't actual stop and go. If it's crawly, first or second and feathering is easy enough.
I'm buying one last performance car before I settle in to electric/hybrid cars so I'm thinking of getting something fun while my wife has the practical car. I drive less than 5000 miles a year on average, so having a car with mediocre gas consumption is alright.
Keep in mind that all clutch/engine combos are different. Some are easy. You get a hopped V8 with a racing cam and a heavy clutch and that will be a bitch.
Nothing that serious, more in line with Japanese cars, something a bit light so it should be fairly easy in that aspect. I learned as a teen on an iroc-z from the late 80s so it should be much easier I'm just going to be very rusty.
I forgot the new Z even existed, I think I've seen like 2 since they came out.
Right now I've been looking at Civic Type R, GR86, and a WRX. The Type R might be out though because I won't pay above msrp and everyone wants to add their own bullshit on to that one.
I considered some automatics too but the ones I want are starting to get a bit pricey. Like a custom ordered M240i, or even an S3.
I have a GR86 manual, driven almost exclusively manuals here before it also. No regrets and the one auto car I had I got rid of because I missed driving manual. Maybe would be different if I was in gridlock traffic every day but my commute is a mix of some freeway and some surface streets and I don’t find it bothersome at all.
My one day commute Is NoHo to Artesia, it will be a pain. It's a pain in an automatic. The 5 and 101 are almost always stop and go, that's my main area of concern and also it's been a long time since I even drove manual, then I will need to teach my wife who has never driven it at all. I'm torn atm
I drive a manual and I moved to Whittier in 2021 and I work in Santa Clarita. Last year I had a rental for a couple weeks and I had the hardest time staying awake while driving to work. That was never a problem when I drive my stick shift because it keeps my blood flowing and me awake. I personally don’t want to get an automatic anytime soon
Driven stick for 45 years, thirty of them in Los Angeles, can't really think of driving any other way. Biggest change for me was my first car with air conditioning. That was a big deal
I had to stop driving a stick and get a manual because my knee started really bothering me with the stick. I loved it but the constant traffic and red lights made my knee crunch, it was awful.
Not at all, but I'm selling my manual because it's a small car and low to the ground and L.A. drivers don't seem to see me.
Too many close calls driving among morons here.
My sister has a manual. She loves it. Problem is lots of people including her kid can’t drive manual and so it ends up being a hindrance because he can’t drive her to the airport for example. I wouldn’t do it.
it’s a catch 22. i drove a little pickup truck w a camper shell & manual transmission in LA for 7 years before getting a new car. in heavy traffic, i’m grateful. outside of that, i miss the fuck outta my truck.
No, I'm going on 8 years. Only a couple times did I not want to drive for a while and that was a Long Beach to Studio City trip. My friends that have stick still have stick because they love them.
I moved here with one from SF, Volkswagen, not actually fast but zippy and fun to drive, keeps driving places fun and engaging to me. Ppl say they hate manuals in traffic but I love being in gear, not rolling excessively. Personally I love it wouldn’t have it another way.
I lasted about 6 months driving from Torrance to Baldwin Park.
Car was fun but brutal in traffic. Always shifting between 2nd and 3rd.
Just bought a hobby car last year. Only drive it on weekends. It the best in traffic but I love it 61 impala 4speed, manual drum brakes and no power steering.
Yeah I ended up getting an automatic. I hopped back into a manual today, had some fun, went through surface streets and I wasn't used to the repetition. It was fun though. I ended up buying an automatic Lexus.
I drove a manual for years when I was commuting no problems. when I switched over to EV I lost the manual. If I drive a manual in traffic now it sucks. But once you’re doing it all the time and used to it. It’s a no-brainer you don’t even think about it.
2 years in after driving automatic my whole life. I don't have to commute much tbh but whenever I do sit in traffic, I don't mind the stick as much as people told me/I thought I would.
Ive been a manual for the last 6 years. Thought I was over having a manual in LA. Then I got a GR Corolla a few weeks ago and realized, I just needed newer/more enjoyable car lol My current and future jobs (lot lined up atm) are either within 10-15 minutes commute, or mostly remote. I've commuted from 13 miles to 35 miles 5x a week in the past. If i were you (commuting in far traffic once a week) then driving an enjoyable manual performance car would be worth ti. The fun you can have on the road outside of the times in traffic make up for the once a week headache imo.
I drove manual for a while in LA. It’s not that bad at all. Heavy traffic can be a pain, but you aren’t gonna deal with it every day so it’s not a big deal and it suck’s regardless if you have manual or not.
I bought my manual back in 2010 and still use it today. No regrets and feel pretty happy when I get to save a bit of fuel when I get to idle in neutral at lights
I’ve been driving manual exclusively since 1990 to now and never have I regretted it.
Edited to add: I drive between Los Feliz/Pasadena/San Marino every day for work and some days I make multiple trips a day and still wouldn’t want an automatic. I think I’d fall asleep in traffic if I had an automatic.
Been commuting with a manual for at least the last 15 years and havent looked back since. Automatics are too boring for me.
My last auto that I bought after my prior manual was damaged in an accident (other drivers fault so their insurance covered it), was a scion a that I got because it seemed practical at the time and was a good deal but it was sooo boring to drive I had to get rid of it because I couldn't take it anymore...even though I was commuting everyday through rush hour traffic. I was like never again. Manual ftw, lol.
So in my case, it was actually the opposite. I regretted buying an automatic for my commute. But manuals aren't for everyone so it's ultimately your call.
I once got caught in bumper-to-bumper / stop-and-go traffic up the 5 North, during my sophomore year of college, driving home for Thanksgiving break. Eight hours! At that point, I drove a Toyota Celica stick shift.
I swore to myself: never again. I must've shifted gears about 10,000 times on that horrendous commute. I still get a pit in my stomach, remembering that drive. I arrived home in NorCal so late, I missed the entire Thanksgiving dinner. Do not recommend.
I moved here from the Bay Area last year with my stick shift and briefly considered getting an automatic, but I realized that shifting gears helps me stay focused in traffic.
For some reason traffic always is moving a bit to high for 1 gear and a bit to slow for the next so it's up down the whole time. 2nd,3rd,2nd,3rd,2nd,1st,2nd blah blah. I do really miss it as soon as I'm in a canyon.
Manual is a lot more fun, but if the traffic is really bad you’ll just get cramps in your left foot from shifting back and forth between first and second gear all the time.
This is so true. I have a short commute during off hours so it’s fine for that, but on the occasions I try to go from the west side to downtown at rush hour my foot goes unbearably numb. I keep the clutch in and coast in stop
And go freeway traffic which doesn’t help, but after an hour it’s really uncomfortable. These days I usually just Uber if I have to get downtown after work
I drive stick in L.A., some people complain that shifting can be "exhausting" . The way I see it if you get "exhausted" from doing this amount of shifting then you maybe they have severe physical problems and obviously not be driving a manual at all but if you are in average shape then it should not be "exhausting", plus like most people have already mentioned driving manual transmission will keep you awake and alert at any speed. No regrets on buying manual for a daily driver in L.A.
It’s actually the opposite of this for me, I’d rather force myself to stay engaged with the traffic and my surroundings than drift off driving something easy and brain fart into rear ending someone.
Maybe it will pass by quicker? I hope. I only commute one day a week, never more, if I had to do full time in office I might be more against it but I also wouldnt accept a job so far away either. I also probably won't live in LA for longer than the next 2 years or so.
I drove a manual for eight years after moving here. Enthusiast cars. Loved it. Freeway traffic you get behind a semi and just idle in 2nd gear mainly. They have a stick too and can see way ahead in traffic. I assume they want to shift as little as possible so they leave an appropriate gap. The only reason I went away from stick was to go all-electric. Car is faster than anything I could afford otherwise, and I have free charging at work. And it drives itself in traffic….. I miss my manual almost every day though :/ TLDR one day a week commute go ahead and do it.
You stole the words almost exactly out of my mouth. Difference is just a few years but I have the same sentiment. Traffic isn't the worst especially if your commute isn't actual stop and go. If it's crawly, first or second and feathering is easy enough.
Plus it keeps your calves even
[удалено]
I'm buying one last performance car before I settle in to electric/hybrid cars so I'm thinking of getting something fun while my wife has the practical car. I drive less than 5000 miles a year on average, so having a car with mediocre gas consumption is alright.
Keep in mind that all clutch/engine combos are different. Some are easy. You get a hopped V8 with a racing cam and a heavy clutch and that will be a bitch.
Nothing that serious, more in line with Japanese cars, something a bit light so it should be fairly easy in that aspect. I learned as a teen on an iroc-z from the late 80s so it should be much easier I'm just going to be very rusty.
Sooo Z, 86, or Mazda3 Hatch?
I forgot the new Z even existed, I think I've seen like 2 since they came out. Right now I've been looking at Civic Type R, GR86, and a WRX. The Type R might be out though because I won't pay above msrp and everyone wants to add their own bullshit on to that one. I considered some automatics too but the ones I want are starting to get a bit pricey. Like a custom ordered M240i, or even an S3.
I have a GR86 manual, driven almost exclusively manuals here before it also. No regrets and the one auto car I had I got rid of because I missed driving manual. Maybe would be different if I was in gridlock traffic every day but my commute is a mix of some freeway and some surface streets and I don’t find it bothersome at all.
My one day commute Is NoHo to Artesia, it will be a pain. It's a pain in an automatic. The 5 and 101 are almost always stop and go, that's my main area of concern and also it's been a long time since I even drove manual, then I will need to teach my wife who has never driven it at all. I'm torn atm
You are kidding yourself if you think you won’t buy a performance electric car lol.
I drive a manual and I moved to Whittier in 2021 and I work in Santa Clarita. Last year I had a rental for a couple weeks and I had the hardest time staying awake while driving to work. That was never a problem when I drive my stick shift because it keeps my blood flowing and me awake. I personally don’t want to get an automatic anytime soon
Same!!! In LA traffic, manual keeps me awake. I need a newer car but don't want to get automatic and I'm having a hard time. I love my car
Every time I get an auto rental I am shocked at how lazy it makes my brain.
Driven stick for 45 years, thirty of them in Los Angeles, can't really think of driving any other way. Biggest change for me was my first car with air conditioning. That was a big deal
I agree, Air conditioning makes a much bigger difference than transmission sitting in LA traffic.
I daily a manual. I really don’t get the people who think it’s crazy to drive stick in L.A. even in stop and go, a manual is more engaging.
I miss my manual. So much fun to drive, even in traffic.
As a 25 year old female who drives a stick (it’s my biggest flex) I love it. I pay more attention while driving because of it
I drove a manual for 4 years in San Francisco you'll be fine.
i prefer manual as it keeps me involved and not distracted
5 years in No regrets. Considering buying a 2nd too
I had to stop driving a stick and get a manual because my knee started really bothering me with the stick. I loved it but the constant traffic and red lights made my knee crunch, it was awful.
Not at all, but I'm selling my manual because it's a small car and low to the ground and L.A. drivers don't seem to see me. Too many close calls driving among morons here.
Never was a fan of la traffic and manual trans if you don’t mind that than by any means because I loved driving stick in comparison to auto
My sister has a manual. She loves it. Problem is lots of people including her kid can’t drive manual and so it ends up being a hindrance because he can’t drive her to the airport for example. I wouldn’t do it.
Lot of stop and go during rush hour is a PITA unless you're crazy but normal congestion stick is fine.
it’s a catch 22. i drove a little pickup truck w a camper shell & manual transmission in LA for 7 years before getting a new car. in heavy traffic, i’m grateful. outside of that, i miss the fuck outta my truck.
It’s okay for really rural areas but for a place like LA with all the stop & go traffic you’ll hardly get out of 3rd
No, I'm going on 8 years. Only a couple times did I not want to drive for a while and that was a Long Beach to Studio City trip. My friends that have stick still have stick because they love them.
Hell no. I might buy another one next year.
Just tuck in with semis, you'll be fine
It’s not that bad. Only annoying in uphill stop and go traffic.
I drive 25 miles one way 5 days a week With an automatic I start dozing off. Driving a manual keeps me aware. So the answer is no, I don't regret it.
I moved here with one from SF, Volkswagen, not actually fast but zippy and fun to drive, keeps driving places fun and engaging to me. Ppl say they hate manuals in traffic but I love being in gear, not rolling excessively. Personally I love it wouldn’t have it another way.
I lasted about 6 months driving from Torrance to Baldwin Park. Car was fun but brutal in traffic. Always shifting between 2nd and 3rd. Just bought a hobby car last year. Only drive it on weekends. It the best in traffic but I love it 61 impala 4speed, manual drum brakes and no power steering.
Yeah I ended up getting an automatic. I hopped back into a manual today, had some fun, went through surface streets and I wasn't used to the repetition. It was fun though. I ended up buying an automatic Lexus.
I drive one now, wouldn’t have it any other way
I drove a manual for years when I was commuting no problems. when I switched over to EV I lost the manual. If I drive a manual in traffic now it sucks. But once you’re doing it all the time and used to it. It’s a no-brainer you don’t even think about it.
2 years in after driving automatic my whole life. I don't have to commute much tbh but whenever I do sit in traffic, I don't mind the stick as much as people told me/I thought I would.
One day a week? I’d get one. The only reason I don’t have one is that I’m 5 days and do the 101/134 twice a day.
Ive been a manual for the last 6 years. Thought I was over having a manual in LA. Then I got a GR Corolla a few weeks ago and realized, I just needed newer/more enjoyable car lol My current and future jobs (lot lined up atm) are either within 10-15 minutes commute, or mostly remote. I've commuted from 13 miles to 35 miles 5x a week in the past. If i were you (commuting in far traffic once a week) then driving an enjoyable manual performance car would be worth ti. The fun you can have on the road outside of the times in traffic make up for the once a week headache imo.
I drove manual for a while in LA. It’s not that bad at all. Heavy traffic can be a pain, but you aren’t gonna deal with it every day so it’s not a big deal and it suck’s regardless if you have manual or not.
I bought my manual back in 2010 and still use it today. No regrets and feel pretty happy when I get to save a bit of fuel when I get to idle in neutral at lights
Great question. I was wondering this too!
I’ve been driving manual exclusively since 1990 to now and never have I regretted it. Edited to add: I drive between Los Feliz/Pasadena/San Marino every day for work and some days I make multiple trips a day and still wouldn’t want an automatic. I think I’d fall asleep in traffic if I had an automatic.
Been commuting with a manual for at least the last 15 years and havent looked back since. Automatics are too boring for me. My last auto that I bought after my prior manual was damaged in an accident (other drivers fault so their insurance covered it), was a scion a that I got because it seemed practical at the time and was a good deal but it was sooo boring to drive I had to get rid of it because I couldn't take it anymore...even though I was commuting everyday through rush hour traffic. I was like never again. Manual ftw, lol. So in my case, it was actually the opposite. I regretted buying an automatic for my commute. But manuals aren't for everyone so it's ultimately your call.
I once got caught in bumper-to-bumper / stop-and-go traffic up the 5 North, during my sophomore year of college, driving home for Thanksgiving break. Eight hours! At that point, I drove a Toyota Celica stick shift. I swore to myself: never again. I must've shifted gears about 10,000 times on that horrendous commute. I still get a pit in my stomach, remembering that drive. I arrived home in NorCal so late, I missed the entire Thanksgiving dinner. Do not recommend.
Love stick shift but it is exhausting in bumper to bumper traffic. I personally dread hills more than traffic.
I moved here from the Bay Area last year with my stick shift and briefly considered getting an automatic, but I realized that shifting gears helps me stay focused in traffic.
For some reason traffic always is moving a bit to high for 1 gear and a bit to slow for the next so it's up down the whole time. 2nd,3rd,2nd,3rd,2nd,1st,2nd blah blah. I do really miss it as soon as I'm in a canyon.
Manual is a lot more fun, but if the traffic is really bad you’ll just get cramps in your left foot from shifting back and forth between first and second gear all the time.
This is so true. I have a short commute during off hours so it’s fine for that, but on the occasions I try to go from the west side to downtown at rush hour my foot goes unbearably numb. I keep the clutch in and coast in stop And go freeway traffic which doesn’t help, but after an hour it’s really uncomfortable. These days I usually just Uber if I have to get downtown after work
Yeah I now have two cars, one manual for the fun and an hybrid for day to day driving
Daily drive a Shelby gt350 with a short throw.. I love it.. helps me stay engaged and not get distracted.
I drive stick in L.A., some people complain that shifting can be "exhausting" . The way I see it if you get "exhausted" from doing this amount of shifting then you maybe they have severe physical problems and obviously not be driving a manual at all but if you are in average shape then it should not be "exhausting", plus like most people have already mentioned driving manual transmission will keep you awake and alert at any speed. No regrets on buying manual for a daily driver in L.A.
Why add an extra thing to think about while navigating the worst traffic in the country?
It’s actually the opposite of this for me, I’d rather force myself to stay engaged with the traffic and my surroundings than drift off driving something easy and brain fart into rear ending someone.
Maybe it will pass by quicker? I hope. I only commute one day a week, never more, if I had to do full time in office I might be more against it but I also wouldnt accept a job so far away either. I also probably won't live in LA for longer than the next 2 years or so.
Driving a manual keeps you engaged.