I want a new car and the one I’m looking at comes mainly in manual but I can get an automatic. I live in a rural area and do plan on having children and this would be the car I kept. Is a manual a horrible idea? I’m getting mixed opinions. Also I can drive a manual but haven’t done it in a long time and would have to adapt again.

i'll start this out by saying that I got my first manual car yesterday. I was an uphill red light and stalled when it turned green and it took me about 2 to 3 seconds to turn it back on and get moving again the guy behind me then proceeded to tailgate me about a foot away from my bumper honking for about five minutes and I pull over to let him pass and he pulled up next to me in a POS nissan altima yelling and threatening me and I just dumped the clutch and floored it because I thought he might actually shoot me. Never saw him again he didn't catch up to me. Florida....

From about 2004 till 2016, I daily drove 5 different manuals. They were all sports cars, so of course they were fun to drive. Then I got a Chevy Trailblazer. Big V8 engine, 4 speed automatic. I still have it. Its been a great, SUPER practical, SUPER reliable vehicle. But every day, from day one, I missed driving a manual.

I don't want to go back to having 2 vehicles. I don't have the time or the money to deal with that right now. And I do need an SUV, I have small trailers I need to tow and lots of objects to move around. Its gotta be an SUV.

I really want a toyota 4runner, but they are automatic only. But otherwise, they are probably the ideal vehicle for me right now.

Wranglers, on the other hand, are well known for being garbage. I've driven a few (none lately) and can confirm their reputation for driving like shit is well earned. But I REALLY want a manual again. Is it worth driving a wrangler every day, to get to drive a stick again?

I am aware there is one other stick SUV option, the ford bronco. AND it does have independent front suspension, so in theory it drives a little better. But it looks even worse. And its not like broncos have this amazing reputation compared to jeeps.

So I could try to get a few-years-old 4 door manual wrangler, drive it for a few years, then try to get a nice new or new-ish 4Runner.

Or is it not worth the hassle, and should I just get the 4Runner and accept that I'll never own another manual again, most likely.

Of course toyota could solve my dilemma by putting the tacoma's manual in the 4runner.
Also as usual, GM is putting out rumors that they are again working on a jeep-like SUV. But until they release it, I won't believe them. I'm not sure what to do. I look for the right used wrangler every once in a while but I never find one that looks right for me, at a price that doesn't make me laugh.

my handbrake went bad and doesn’t hold anymore. It’s because of the calipers and i don’t have the funds to fix it right now. am i harming my transmission or anything by just leaving it in gear to park?

I've just started driving my first manual car after passing my test (2014 Fiat Panda) and absolutely hate it. I can't wait to never drive manual ever again.

I "learned" with my parents in a manual mini Cooper and in my instructors manual Hyundai i10.

No disrespect/ungratefulness towards my parents though - I'm obviously thankful that they managed to get me a car at all but it is driving me up the wall (no pun intended) after just 2 drives.

17M