shit. alright, Chad no homo.

Manual and my preference. Although driving stick in LA can be a severe bitch with the traffic.

I'm pretty sure Blondie rode a horse

Just as a matter of observation it is interesting that last time I looked for cars I seriously do not recall a single car I looked at being manual and I in no way indicated I wanted only automatics, it's just that an overwhelming amount of cars in the lots were automatics. I would have had to really search out a manual had I wanted one. (this is used, but a quick look came up with a figure of 7-9 percent of cars sold being manual) I believe off hand I know of one person who drive s a manual...a female by the way. Yet, Obners are like 2-1 manual fans despite overwhelming anecdotal evidence of their rarity. Is driving a manual somehow related to music boarding?

When the communists or zombies come, i will be able to drive whatever vehicle i get my hands on.

Both are easy, both are fun, both suck in traffic. The end.

I think this has much more to do with the nature of traffic than the way a car gets into gear.

This thread makes me want a VW Thing, though.

Yeah I've been tailoring my route to/from work this year to find the roads with the nicest drivers on them. It's sort of a sawtooth zig ziggy way to get here, takes about the same amount of time, but nobody drives like a maniac and there aren't many stops at all. And when I get where I'm going, I'm really happy instead of all cranked up about somebody who almost killed me (again).

Not sure, but I believe it may be related to snobbery, at least in some cases, judging from the posts in this thread.

There is a certain amount of pride in being able to do things for yourself, as opposed to having something do them for you, which is related to snobbery but not exactly the same. Could be that. (I'm reading Shop Class As Soulcraft at the moment, so take that into account)

woah...4 pages already. I'll have to go back and read this whole thing.

I have never owned a automatic transmission vehicle.
I currently still own my 6th and 8th cars. The 8th one was a little hard to find. It is a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. The dealer said they only make 1/1000 a manual and had to have it shipped from a dealer in Columbus OH (100 miles).

Our 7th car was a Toyota Rav4, but we needed something larger to fit the clan in. Toyota no longer offered the Rav4 or Highlander in manual which is why we went to Hyundai. And the price was about $4K less with a longer warranty.

Manual transmissions rule, unless you live in Chicago or NY or LA or some place with perpetual traffic. It's harder to talk on the phone, but it also makes you pay more attention to your driving. I like that manual transmissions also cost about $750 to $1,000 less than an automatic. Automatics in Europe are almost unheard of because car prices are already so highly taxed.

you get one of these or a subaru wagon when you join the lesbians.

You also have to buy a Subaru wagon if you move to Vermont.

redundant.

I think that's the official Portland vehicle, too.

they should just upholster those things with fleece.

How absorbent?

The only car type I've seen that's unique to VT is the dark green mid-90's Jeep Cherokee, preferably with slightly larger than stock tires. Those fucking things are everywhere up there, and seldom anywhere else.

I'm planning on moving to VT in the next year or so, and need to replace my car soon.

Serious question: I'm looking at 2005-2007 front wheel drive compacts (like a Ford Focus). Is front wheel drive good enough, or should I just bite the bullet, damn the mpg, and buy a suburu or 4wd vehicle now?

Depends on where in VT and how badly you'll need to get around anywhere, anytime. If it's in a decent little city, they probably plow ok where a 2wd compact would get 'er done. But if you're gonna wanna be any old place you feel like, plows be damned, then you need something with 4wd, yeah.

For lower speeds, by the way, you can't do much better than an 89-96ish toyota 4wd pickup. Should be cheap, they run forever, and you can disengage the 4wd and run it 2wd to get mpg's close to 30.

And finally, please don't buy an american compact.

Cap'n's got it. If you end up living on a mountain or end up having to cross over a mountain 4 wheel or all wheel drive is not completely necessary, but ends up being pretty helpful and makes you feel a little more at ease in the snow.

Why not? Do American cars get keyed in VT like foreigns get keyed in MI and OH? Fords are pretty reliable, though I wouldn't look at any other american brands.

I'm not a 'buy american' guy, my last two cars were foreigns (Hyundai and Nissan) and I got 10 years/160+ miles out of each of them. Focuses are just the most common result from the local searches I've done.

it's finally happened. Cap'n is an America-hating, taxachusetts pinko.

Send him to a reGARgication camp.

that's "Republic Of Taxachussetts" thankyouverymuch



No I think the Focus does ok in long-term reliability tests, but not as well as the classics - civic, corolla, etc. They cost a little more up front, but they really do just sorta shut and do their job quietly for years and years. I'm thinking more of the little Chevy when I cringe. Those are garbage. And anything from Dodge. Good god.

commonwealth, dude. Never sell the commonwealth short.