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In reply to the discussion: Name an item/items that Boomers bought or use that will be gone when they are gone. My pick are those God awful Thomas [View all]PoindexterOglethorpe
(26,050 posts)I'm 75 years old, and it's depressing how hard it is to find the manual transmissions. My son was needing to replace his 1997 Honda Accord recently, and had a very hard time finding another manual.
The thing about automatics is that as soon as you take your foot off the brake they start moving. You don't have to actually press on the gas pedal. That seems very dangerous to me. Plus, automatics do have a lower gear or two than "drive", and I've only ever known one person who actually makes use of a lower gear in her automatic.
I will add this: that same son was unable to learn to drive on a standard when he was learning. He's mildly autistic, which I think was the underlying problem. So I helped him buy an automatic, and he was fine, although not a very good driver. A couple of months after he got his car he came to me and asked if he could try driving my car again. Sure. And he absolutely nailed it. After that, he drove my car any time I'd let him. And about a year later he asked he if I could help him buy a stick shift. Hooray! The thing is, that on the manual he is a vastly better driver, and I've been with him more than once that he's negotiated some tricky situation.
And I doubt I'll ever have my car stolen.
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