The Manual Transmission...

Or the "Stick Shift" or Three on the Tree or the Wilson Preselector, but we don't have to go back that far...

For the most part the Transmission, regardless of it being Manual or Automatic, used to outlast the metal on the vehicle.

In other words, the car would rust out before the engine or transmission would give out, and that holds true today and if you have watched Fast and Loud you'll see that old cars can still run with the original equipment, but not with the cars and trucks of today.

Today the transmission lasts about...an hour before it goes out, well not really, more like an hour and 15 minutes :-D...

This is the dirty dark secret of the Auto Industry, and since 1999 the "Overdrive" transmission that have been produced have been extremely unstable.

Never before has a transmission failed as much as the transmissions have prior to 1999 and they continue to have problems.

The biggest problem has been with the Overdrive portion of the transmission, that's the D with a Circle around it that comes after 3 on your cars steering column.

If you go out on the web or if you talk to us we can confirm that this overdrive has been the downturn in the Transmission industry and has cost drivers thousands and thousands of dollars.

1999-2007 you had to put your lever into 3rd if you were climbing a steep grade because if you didn't the little teeny weeny tiny overdrive gear would burn out and burn out your transmission.

Then they said that you don't have to do that anymore and that the car would adjust itself automatically hence Automatic Transmission, but it doesn't and gets stuck in 3rd gear.

The auto industry owes people that have had problems with their transmissions thousands of dollars, but don't hold your breath, because it took them 56 deaths to recall a 32 cent part.

They are criminals in the 1st degree, but Oil and Gas rules apply with them so they will never see the inside of a jail cell...ever!

The other reason why America has more Automatic transmissions over Manual is because they are more expensive and America loves its money.

In Europe 80% of the cars are manual transmissions and they are that way for multiple reasons, more power, better fuel economy, flatter roads and cheaper to fix.

It's sad that Americans these days don't know how to drive a manual transmission, because if they did they might not be texting and driving and they would be better drivers.

With google's Autonomous car that they are trying to come out with will be the beginning the Jelly Fish person's car.

In other words, people will be carried out to the car, the car will be voice activated so all they have to do is say, Work and the car will then take them to work and so on.

When they get to work they will be lifted out from the car or the seat will then roll out of the car and wheel them into their cubicle where they will be plugged into and Intravenous Tube.

This tube will feed them while they work and never will they lift their arms or fingers and very little voice activation will be used only retina navigation will be used to prevent them from any exercise.

 ...hence the Jelly Fish.

Meanwhile, people are forcing people to learn stick shift, and this is the wrong approach for anything.

You don't throw your kid into the deep end of the pool to teach them how to swim, and throwing them into a stick shift car and sending them out on the highways is the equivalent of that.

Plus, you need to start teaching kids how to drive at a very young age, and right after they learn how to walk is when you begin teaching them how to drive.

You teach them how to ride a bike and you teach them how to drive a car and if they want to learn to drive a stick shift they will ask you, or you can ask them if they are interested, but do not force it.

Stick shifts are fun to drive, but in the city they aren't too practical because of the constant stop and go.

Stepping on the clutch, riding the clutch stop and go situations burn out the clutch very fast and it's expensive to fix a clutch 400 dollars and up.

The automatic transmission is the beginning of the end for people in general and will soon phase out completely and people will be transported in tubes by forced air.

Plus they can't keep up with the roads anymore and they waste money on stupid tunneling projects that do nothing but create more taxes for people.

Things are going to the air, so google and their autonomous car is short minded at best and won't be the future solution for transportation.

The American car has turned into a POS, and the warranties validate that, plus our economy thrives on the buying and selling of goods in order to maintain, so having a car that has a 100,000 mile warranty or better in America is counterintuitive to our way of life, and that's sad :-(

Anyway, don't force your kid to learn a stick shift, if they show interest in learning and you take the time to invest in your kids interests then yes, by all means teach them how to drive a stick shift, otherwise, do what you do best...

...buy them a car leave it in the driveway with a note that says, had to go to work, don't have time to teach you how to drive right now, it's easy, just don't wreck it, or else!

It's the famous quote from a parent, "Don't do what I do, do what I say", but they don't say anything, they just scream and yell when you do something wrong caused by lack of training...and that's a fact!