Today we live in a society where more people do not know how to drive stick than do. As a lover of driving stick, this is disheartening to hear. Personally, I think that there are a lot of viable reasons to drive stick over manual. And not just because it sounds cool to say you know how to drive stick... ok, maybe just a little bit.

1. The first reason on this list is a simple one. Manual cars cost less than automatic cars do. The convenience of driving an automatic car comes at a price. Well, what I really think is convenient is saving some green when making a big purchase. Given that a car is on average the second most expensive thing a person can or will buy in their lifetime, I’d say that the extra money is worth having. Manual cars also tend to be more fuel efficient than automatics do, so it’ll end up saving you money all the time.
   
   
2. Today driving is full of distractions. From cell phones to aux cords, there is no shortage of things that can grab the attention of your eyes or the use of your hands when you’re behind the wheel. The fact that manual cars require more focus through using the clutch and gear shift means that there is virtually no possibility of using a cell phone or doing other things that can endanger yourself and others. For myself, I definitely noticed this change going from automatic to manual. I used to use my phone while driving from time to time, but once I started driving stick that all went out the window (not literally).
3. Control is a good feeling. Being able to decide exactly how much power is going to your wheels from your engine at any given moment while driving gives you exactly that. With an auto, you have to wait for the car to either up or downshift, whereas in a manual it is all up to you. You can go from any gear to any other. Going from 6 to 1 (not recommended), 2 to 4, 5 to 3, and anything else you can think of is all possible. This is also very helpful in cases of bad weather, where you may have to react to unexpected situations that require very quick action.
   
   
4. For those who appreciate driving and the way a car works, having a sense of knowledge about how the energy moves from the engine to your wheels is great. When driving stick, you feel like you are more working with the car than simply using it. It’s a hard feeling to explain, but there is a cool sense of you have when you know what’s happening in your car.
   
   
5. Driving stick is cool. Driving stick is fun. Your argument is invalid.