Cars with manual transmissions are slowly disappearing so fewer and fewer students are learning how to drive them. Most students drive cars with automatic transmissions at BSM, but there are still a few students who have learned how to drive a manual car. Students see benefits to both, even though there are fewer opportunities to drive manuals.
Senior Matthew Litchy drives an automatic transmission but has been able to drive a manual every once and a while. He thinks that it’s a much more fun experience driving a manual, and loves to drive his cousin’s car, which is an old manual BMW, when he goes to visit. “I don’t feel as cool as the people that drive manual, and I feel like you don’t need to think about driving [with an automatic] but with manual you need to think about traveling,” Litchy said.
Senior Jo Lealos usually drives her automatic BMW to school but always drives her family’s manual Jeep when she has the chance. Her dad started to teach her how to operate a manual car even before she was learning how to drive, so she’s known she was around a stick shift for a while now. She loves the experience and thinks that it’s worth it to learn. ” It’s more fun. I feel like it’s way more involved and engaging,” Lealos said.
It’s hard to drive in the snow with it because it’s very slippery, so I prefer [driving] in the summertime over winter
— Jo Lealos
Operating a manual during the wintertime can definitely be stressful and seen as a large downside. When driving in icy or slippery conditions, it’s tough to manage both keeping control of the car, and making sure you’re in the right gear. “It’s hard to drive in the snow with it because it’s very slippery, so I prefer [driving] in the summertime over winter,” Lealos said.
Often, students don’t have a choice of what kind of car they drive, such as senior Andreas Laue. He drives a Volkswagen Golf GTI, which is an automatic, but has paddle shifters which you can use to manually change gears. Using these paddle shifters are still fun to use, but they don’t offer the same experience of an actual manual transmission. “My parents got me [my car] and I didn’t really have a choice. They also thought it’d be easier to learn how to drive with an automatic,” Laue said.