Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuller
Yeah, true. More people are buying cars strictly as utilitarian appliances. When I first bought a bmw, I received a number of snarky comments ranging from, "you know that thing will break down after 30k miles", to "If you want luxury, why not just get a Lexus", or "cars are just for going from point a to point b, and a Camry will do that just fine". I think a lot of it has to do with the culture in modern industrialized nations. Everyone's idea of fun is sitting around eating and drinking while being entertained. Even when many people travel, it basically involves simply eating, drinking and consuming some form of passive entertainment in a different location.
Driving, in its purer forms, isn't passive entertainment. As a driver you have to be alert and actively create your own fun. You're the performing artist and the audience simultaneously. Let's be forthright too, and admit that some of the excitement inherent to driving derives from the fact that it's a bit dangerous. In our over-legislated, increasingly nanny-coddled society, there's less and less tolerance for such activities. As a responsible, sane citizen we should look forward to sitting around in a safe, secure, climate controlled environment while consuming whatever is being presented to us. For those that need more, you can use a virtual gaming system to replicate the experience in silica. Who needs actual, loud, polluting performance cars (sarcastically stated of course).
That said I think you can still have a satisfying drive in a car outfitted with one of the better modern automatics. In all honesty, being in an urban area, I'd rather have a transmission like the zf8 speed in a fun dd like a bmw. I do think some cars need a manual though, and as long as these niche vehicles exist, and there's some enthusiasts left to purchase them, there'll be manuals. You'll just have to look to the fringes of the automotive world to get them. It's like how if you're in the market for something like a mustang or Camaro, you're looking for a v8. What's the point of getting a pony car with a turbo 4 or v6 for that matter. It's not as if it's a nice car with high build quality or other amenities to offer. It's all about the raw na v8, regardless of how fast and torquey the eco-boost-whatever is. I can't imagine such cars being offered without a v8 or manual, until the time comes when they're effectively legislated out of existence.
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Excellent post and spot on. I have owned something like 13 cars in my life, 3 of them automatics and spent 9+ years driving manual transmission cars in L.A. Hands down, my current car, a 328i in this iteration, jb+, m sport suspension and this transmission, I easily enjoy this car and the overall driving experience of this car more than any other car I have ever had. I love driving it every day and the ZF8 has a huge part in that. If someone told me I could get my exact car in a manual, tomorrow, at zero cost to me... no chance. I drove the 340i F30 with the 6 speed manual and auto rev matching. It was great. But for a daily driver in various conditions, traffic, no traffic, suburbs, highways, city streets, day in and day out, I want seamless and this is it. I don't ever want tedious.