Stick Shift beats automatic any time of the day. 

So, I have owned a stick since I was a teenager. And I’m sorry, but if you love cars, there’s nothing and I mean nothing that hugs the road the way Stick Shifts do. It has an amazing control over the road, especially if you’re driving through curvy roads like Sunset Blvd, Coldwater Canyon, Mulholland, and the unknown paths provided by Waze and Google. And that zoom zoom sound when you accelerate and change gears is like music to the ears. It just gives you this feeling of freedom and speed which is hard to explain until you get to drive one. Of course, my family and friends think that I was a race car driver in my past life as they admonish me about my driving. 

With that said, most people living in L.A drive an automatic because out here, the traffic is awful which makes owning a Stick Shift a pain in the behind. I used to get a lot of speeding tickets, and did a lot of crazy stupid things. Nowadays, there is nowhere to speed to as I sit in a bumper-to-bumper traffic on the 405 parking lot. And maybe that’s a good thing. It pushes me to slow down, reflect, and drive wisely. But even so, I have always special ordered manual gearbox because I like it and because many dealers in L.A don’t have any in their stock. Of course, I always get that speech from salespeople, “You can get one with paddle shifter.” Contrary to what reviewers say, there is absolutely and resolutely no joy in paddle shifting. If you are a serious driver, you will never want a Paddle shifter, trust me. 

Unfortunately, I may have to sell my Stick Shift and buy a hum drum automatic. I have an injured left knee. It started two months ago and is not getting better. Not sure exactly how it happened, but it prevents me from going on long walks and doing things that I enjoy. Changing gears aggravates it even more, especially when nervous drivers love to brake every two seconds. I’m going to see a physical therapist next week. If that doesn’t work, I may need surgery. Hopefully, it won’t come down to that. I’ve always been a healthy person, but for the past several months, things have not been going all that well for me. I’m working on turning things around.