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I refuse to talk about those brakes...

I even HATE automatic transmission.

Among all the people I personally know here in the USA, only one individual (Kevin) knows how to drive a "proper" car with a "decent" manual transmission.

When i went to DMV in Santa Monica to get my DL, i had to take the driving test again. The inspector that tested me simply "heard" about manual transmissions but never saw a car with one. What? A DMV inspector!!!

My car is automatic because I simply couldn't find any manual car here in the US. (Except super expensive sports models completely out of my budget) I dream about driving a decent car again. Almost 2 years driving cars made for handicapped people.

My mom was a defensive and evasive driving instructor, teaching for years at the police academy and at a company that made armored cards for civilians (In Brazil is normal for upper middle class people to drive armored cars because of the violence, all my cars since late 90's were armored and I know what is somebody shooting at my window trying to steal my car or "flash kidnap" me to take me to an ATM and drain my account. I'd have a bullet in my brain if my car wasn't armored).

How can a driver do a drift or whatever other emergency maneuver (drifts are emergency maneuvers to save your life, not for kids show off) if the driver doesn't have full control of clutch, transmission or parking brake?

Second question: How can we apply the emergency brake it it's only a button? how to control the pressure and release it in a fraction of second? Does this electronic crap allow applying at high speed? If yes, isn't it much more dangerous being just a button?

I was involved in an minor accident years ago that I could have used an evasive maneuver to avoid but I couldn't because the emergency brake was on the foot (4th pedal, Ford Explorer).

To make me hate automatics even more, now they have a joystick or a dial like a washing machine (P, N, R, D, Rinse, Spin)

A bit over a month ago Darryl and I suffered a serious accident on the freeway. I was driving darryl's Rav4.

The parking brake allowed me to regain control over the car after being hit on the rear by a BMW at more than 100 miles per hour, then hitting the median, being hit again by the same BMW near my door, spinning like floor polisher and stop the car just inches before falling from the freeway. Without the "hand brake" we would be dead now.
 
My car is automatic because I simply couldn't find any manual car here in the US. (Except super expensive sports models completely out of my budget)

 

I think manual transmissions are still technically available on something other than super expensive cars. Recently, a grocery store here had a Ford Fiesta on display as part of a promotion, and I noted that car had a manual shift. I've looked up info on other cars, and note that a manual transmission is available on them, too.

 

The problem may just be dealer willingness to carry cars with a manual transmission. My father bought a Honda Civic with a manual transmission 15 years ago or so. He said it was the only--only--manual transmission Civic on the dealer's lot. One assumes it would be like that at other dealers. If he'd been in the least bit particular, he might well have had a long, frustrating ordeal to get that Honda...

[this post was last edited: 10/14/2017-14:44]
 
Do they still make Ford Festivas? WOW!

 

Sorry--I should have said "Fiesta" not "Festiva". It's been fixed now...

 

I guess cheap Fords aren't important enough for me to actually keep them straight. LOL
 
I have to say I was impressed by the Fiesta I saw. It gave me the impression of being cheap in price...but not being like one of those cheap cars that's just plain cheap in every imaginable sense. I can't say I'd like the car--I only saw it--but that impression was a lot better than a new (complete with temporary paper license plate) econo box I saw yesterday.
 
FoMoCo used a vacuum release system on the bigger cars (and maybe Cadillac). It was a great idea, it let the ebrake be used like the regular brake pedal. The Aztec uses a 'push to set, push to release' setup that's pretty handy. The rear drum brakes do a good job of holding the car, the Cruze not so much with rear discs.
 
My BRAKE is always on--and my eBrake is as close to a foot-operated (Emergency? Parking?) as it will get--when I'm parked... I think it's nice to pull a little knob & push it back, as opposed to the clumsy, cumbersome, space-intruding lever between the front bucket seats...

-- Dave
 
My 2003 Passat GLX Wagon....

....has a 5 speed MANUAL transmission. It also has the "pull up the handle" parking brake.
I had to special order the VW as the dealer had 99% automatics in stock and the 2 manual transmission equipped Passats were not in colors that I cared for.

I have driven manual transmission cars since my first car in 1974 (1974 Honda Civic 4 speed).
That was followed by a 1980 Honda Accord LX hatchback 5 speed.
I had a 1985 Lincoln Mark VII LSC that only came with a 4 speed automatic -but it was a FUN car to drive!
Then, a 1992 Chevy S10 Tahoe pickup with a 5 speed manual and 2.8 V6.
Then, the 2003 Passat also with a 5 speed manual and 2.8 V6.
The Nissan Leaf (all electric) has no transmission so no shifting required.

I'm a "control freak" so LOVE shifting the gears myself!

It is true that those who know how to drive a "standard" (stick shift) transmission are a vanishing breed.
 
"We're employing solutions where there's no problem in the first place. "

Actually, it is part of the autonomous automobile (in the grand scheme of things).That electric e-brake can be applied by the on-board computer. Probably not enabled in the software right now. But it will be someday....
 
Manual shift availability.....and many today are 6 speeds

Many Subaru's come with a stick.....

Dodge--
Challenger
Charger
Caliber, and Turbocharged

Ford--
Focus SST....I have my nephews right now, feels good to jump into a stick again....this one is FWD with a EcoBoost Turbo.....a very very powerful car...

I know Mustang and Camaros are available with a stick....

I got plenty of Driver Training while dating a State Trooper....and your right, that emergency brake was a crucial part of defensive driving and control...
 
stick shift

I love sticks. My Corolla has a stick right now. Even though a spinal infection crippled me up somewhat a few years ago, I still prefer shifting. I like the control. When I lived in Houston and worked downtown, and was constantly in heavy traffic, automatics were nice. But otherwise, I prefer a stick.

I looked at getting a pickup to replace the Corolla last summer. Can't even buy a pickup truck now with a stick! Kept the Toyota for now, it's working perfectly.

Does anyone else on here enjoy column shifters? They were so desirable in the late 30's and then, by the 60's, people were wanting stick shifts again. I had a '61 Chevy Biscayne in college with a three-on-the-tree and it was a joy to use and I could carry three people in the front seat.

I always wondered what happened to that Renault automatic from the Dauphine and R-8 days. It didn't have a torque converter and used ferrous dust and an electromagnet for clutching...
 
for 'wayupnorth'

Did you ever drive one of those cars with the solenoid clutch? An uncle of mine had a '63 Rambler with what they called the "E-stick". It was a regular stick shift but there was a solenoid actuated by the shift lever that would operate the clutch. It seemed pretty useless unless someone literally couldn't coordinate the clutch pedal. I dated a girl in college who had one of those VW Beetles with the automatic stick shift, sort of worked on the same principle. The solenoid was always acting up on hers.
 
Toyota: NEVER again in my life after not even one airbag deployed when i most needed, weeks ago.

And there's no excuse to say "the impact wasn't high enough to deploy the airbags". The computer registered ALL the airbags deployed, but none of them inflated.

Darryl was always very responsible with the maintenance, always at the official Toyota dealer even for a silly oil change.

Not to add: Coincidentally, a few months ago the airbags were replaced on a recall.

About 1 month before the rav 4 crash, i suffered a minor crash (driver cut my front and hit my side, not a big deal.) I was driving my Honda Fit.

Side and curtain airbags deployed, in a crash under 30 mph with minor damages to the car body.

My next car has to be AMERICAN, or a Volvo. MY life is more important than anything else. I don't care about powerful engines or high tech features. It has to be as safe as possible.

But honestly, I'm still afraid to drive and postponing as much as I can.

Well, now i can't drive because of injuries because the rav4 didn't protect me.
 
Electric parking brake

Haveing my drivers license for a year and 2 weeks now, I actually never learned to use the parking brake in an emergency.
I did my lessons and test in a Audi A3 with an electric parking brake and 6 speed manual transmission.

In case of break failure, I was tought to activate my hazards lights, getting to the farthest right lane if possible, quickly shift down, gear by gear, using the motor friction to slow down, pulling onto the side strip (where applicable) only once my speed was low enough that I could stop within visibility range.
If a turn I can't take was coming up I was supposed to stear into the side bariers or of the road where most safely.

The self-release feature of that Audi was actually quite handy. It basicly just released itself once you started driving, no matter if the street was even or steep, you started forward or backwards.
Made uphill starts pretty easy.
BTW, one of the worse things I had to do during my lessons: Parking my car backwards on a hill with my front facing downwards. Reversing hill up is hell on earth for me.

I am driving a somewhat old VW Golf IV 99-edition 5-speed manual (the old car of my mum) and from time to time my mums new Skoda Fabia Sport Version 6-speed manual.
Both have a manual parking break.

For parking on a manual, you are tought to engange the first gear on even roads and if you car is facing hill up or the reverse gear if you car is facing hill down. Then you engage the parking break, and only then you turn off the motor. Pull your key where applicable, and turn the stearing wheel until it locks.
For keyless ignitions, the stearing wheel usually locks automaticly.

But, quite honestly, with our TÜV system here in Germany, I rarely heared of any break failures.
Some verry steep Autobahnen however have lanes you can exit onto that lead into a steep hill to slow you down.

My mums Skoda has a distance control system with distance alarm and automatic break priming. A radar sensor checks for the distance to the car in front of you, shows a warning in the board computer display for driving to close, and if the car in front of you gets far to close or suddenly decelarates, it sounds an alarm and primes the breaks to apply the biggest possible breaking force as soon as possible.
I had an encounter with that while takeing a route around a traffic jam near Hamburg on the way back home from our holiday. A car in front of me suddenly pulled over into my lane a few meters from a red light and stopped. I was driving about 20km&#92h and was about 15m away. I was looking to the right at a trafic sign. As the alarm sounded, I just pushed the break and clutch padle all the way by reflex. The car came to a stop basicly immediatley.

These systems are avaible as self breaking systems as well, which can prevent collisions 100% independently up to a speed of 20 or 30km&#92h.

On the topic of touchscreens:
Some features are useless.
However, some basics are really nice on some touchscreens.
My mum has a fully speced entertainment system in her car, just without a build in navigation system.
Calling via bluetooth handsfree speakerphone is really easy. Hit the phone button and the picture of the contact you wanna call.
Choosing a different radio station is hard though as that menu has a scroll function that us somewhat touchy. That is better done via steering wheel remote and the board computer display.
And, most usefull: You can hookup your phone via USB and have Google Maps or simmilar show your navigation on the big main screen. No long looking at the small phone anymore.

thomasortega:

I'm verry soory to hear about your misfortune, I hope you get better soon.
I heared of absurdley many recals of a lot of Asian manufactured cars. My grandma drives a Hyundai ix20, which had a recall because of a parking break which could randomly stick while driving and thus cause accidents.

But with your case, and wihout suggesting that often at all, I think you'd have a verry good chance with a lawsuit against the manufacturer, the shop that executed the recall repair or the manufacturer of the airbags.
The airbag system is a cruical part of a cars safety system, and if the system clearly malfunctioned without any issue on your side, you most likely will have the right to a compensation for your pain and the loss of revenue by you.

I'm not one to talk bad about manufacturers much, but as soon as they compromise on saftey standards without any way of knowing about it, I get REALLY pissed of.

Edit: I just remembered why you never were supposed to use the parking break for eergency stops.
As that system usually uses a cable to activate the breaks, the ABS is bypassed, potentially blocking your cars wheels, thus makeing it possible to loose control and spin out.
Even if 3 of your wheels don't have any breaking power anymore, you can stop your care safely as the stability control and ABS can compensate for that. It will be a long breaking distance, but you'll stay in controll.[this post was last edited: 10/15/2017-03:32]
 
Skoda

I've read the British 'Car' magazine for decades. I always found those Soviet-era Skodas to be fascinating. I'm sure you know that they were based on the Renault Dauphine, restyled and refined over a bunch of years. They were still prone to wagging their tails, but at least in the UK, offered a lot of car for a decent price. Of course, they never came here to the US.

You know what I'd try to find if I lived in Germany today? One of those 'little stinkers', the Trabant. Testament to German ingenuity in light of the deprivation of the East Germans for so many years.

My second car, here in Texas and in high school, was a 1957 BMW Isetta, all white. I loved being able to step through that front door! It's amazing how much good examples go for now. I got rid of it when I went to the Univ. of Texas in Austin because it would've never made the hills. We never got the cool Isetta 600 like you have in Europe. Would I drive one now? Even in the small city in which I live now, I'd be awfully nervous having my legs being the 'crumple zone'...
 
Trabants

Nah. 2-stroke engine that is uber inefficent and tops out just above 100km&#92h. And not even seat belts in th back.

The real pinacle of german car design in my opinion is the VW Golf and Polo and all cars based on those (like the Skoda Fabia).
Verry compact yet you can comfortably drive huge distances, incredibly easy to drive, verry safe, quite efficent, can be bought in basicly any configuration, from verry basic and cheap up to verry well equipped high power car, and most of all verry durable (for the most part).
 
johnrk wrote:
"Did you ever drive one of those cars with the solenoid clutch? An uncle of mine had a '63 Rambler with what they called the "E-stick". It was a regular stick shift but there was a solenoid actuated by the shift lever that would operate the clutch. It seemed pretty useless unless someone literally couldn't coordinate the clutch pedal. I dated a girl in college who had one of those VW Beetles with the automatic stick shift, sort of worked on the same principle."

The VW semi-automatic used a sort of torque converter or fluid coupling, but the Rambler E-stick was pretty off the wall. The engine had an extra large oil pump, and as the oil pressure rose above idle, it was oil pressure that engaged the dry clutch. A crazy system, but it did get the same MPG as a standard shift car.
 

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