# Column shift cars? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [January 2, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451 "2013-01-02T00:20:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![daryleann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@daryleann](https://community.cartalk.com/u/daryleann)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/1 "2013-01-02T00:20:46Z")
I have no use of right thumb so cannot push button to shift in console automatic transmissions. I truly need column shift; are there cars out there that I could purchase? Currently driving Mercury Marquis 2000, but as I age I would like a smaller car. Husband’s car is 2005 Mercury Sable with column shift, which we found used. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 1:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/2 "2013-01-02T01:16:38Z")
You don’t necessarily need a column shift. For cars where the button is thumb-activated, you could probably rig the button to be permanently depressed (which is a slight safety risk but probably acceptable in this case). Some cars, such as my wife’s BMW, use the fingers instead, not to mention that the lever requires very light effort compared to many cars because it’s electronic instead of mechanical. The companies that adapt cars for the disabled might be able to give you some additional suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/3 "2013-01-02T01:18:12Z")
**_Not All Floor Shifters Require Use Of A Thumb. Some Require Using A "Trigger Finger." Can You Not Push The Button With You Palm While Moving The Lever ? Some Cars That Are Available With A “Bench Seat” Have A Column Shifter. Look At The Larger Cars._** CSA ---
**Author:** ![galant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/77aa72/32.png) [@galant](https://community.cartalk.com/u/galant)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/4 "2013-01-02T01:49:43Z")
Some of the newer cars have a dented stepwise shifter with no knobs to push. Not my favorite but would work for you. The recent Toyota’s we looked at (Camry, Highlander) were so. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/5 "2013-01-02T01:52:09Z")
> Some of the newer cars have a dented stepwise shifter with no knobs to push. Not my favorite but would work for you. The recent Toyota's we looked at (Camry, Highlander) were so. My wifes Lexus is that way. No button to press. I like it. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 2:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/6 "2013-01-02T02:22:47Z")
In addition to the dented side shifter, I believe that Chrysler is bringing back the push button shifter in the dash. ---
**Author:** ![Robert-Gift](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/robert-gift/32/356_2.png) [@Robert-Gift](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Robert-Gift)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/7 "2013-01-02T02:34:15Z")
Ridiculous to **waste useable space** for a console shift lever. Many times I could use that space for food, maps, etc. When my thumb was injured, I used my left hand to push the button in. I considered tying the button in, but could see my accidentally pushing it into R while driving. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 2:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/8 "2013-01-02T02:56:37Z")
Yeah, the button is just there to stop you from going into reverse by mistake. You can simply disconnect it to make it inoperable and save the parts to reconnect it when trading. You’re not going to find much with a column shift anymore. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/9 "2013-01-02T03:24:41Z")
You might check out the new Lincoln MKZ. I think it has no shifter at all. Just bottons to push. And you can get a hybrid if you want. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/10 "2013-01-02T07:14:58Z")
@RobertGift, tens of millions of people like console shift levers. What are you saying about those people? Maybe we should all go back to vinyl bench seats and 3 on the column . . . Just so we don’t “waste useable space” ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/11 "2013-01-02T07:39:07Z")
@db4690–I remember when the column shift was considered a real advantage over the floor shift because the column shift allowed three people to ride in the front seat without the center passenger having to straddle the gearshift. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:54am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/12 "2013-01-02T07:54:47Z")
@Triedaq, I’m not saying column shifters have no advantages In a typical truck with a column shifter, bench seating and manual windows and mirrors, it’s easy to just slide over and adjust the passenger mirror, for example. What I don’t like is implications that people who choose the console shifters are somehow being foolish and wasteful. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 8:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/13 "2013-01-02T08:13:23Z")
@db4690–I really never gave it much thought as to where the shifter was located on the cars I bought. As far as three speed manual shift cars are concerned, the column shift on the 1947 Pontiac, 1948 Dodge, and 1954 Buick worked very well. However, the manual transmission column shifter on my 1955 Pontiac and 1965 Rambler did not work smoothly. As far as automatic shifters are concerned, I have had vehicles with the selector on the steering column, on the floor and on my 1961 Corvair and my 2011 Sienna, the shifter is a lever on the dashboard. There are times when I wish the selector was in the same place on both our vehicles. The Sienna which I drive most of the time has the shifter on the dashboard while our 4Runner has the shift lever on the floor. Just after Christmas we drove 350 miles each way to visit my son and his family and took the 4Runner in case we ran into bad weather. I was continually reaching for the shifter on the dashboard which always evoked laughter from my wife. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 8:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/14 "2013-01-02T08:19:16Z")
@Triedaq, you’ll appreciate this. At work, most of the vehicles I operate have parking brake pedals. Then when get into my own Toyota to drive home, I often reach for the nonexistent parking brake release handle on the lower left side of the dash. The problem is that my car has a parking brake handle, not a pedal! ---
**Author:** ![twotone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@twotone](https://community.cartalk.com/u/twotone)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 10:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/15 "2013-01-02T10:19:10Z")
The Jaguar XF has a cool transmission control knob that rises from the center counsel when you start the car. No interlock buttons to push. ---
**Author:** ![galant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/77aa72/32.png) [@galant](https://community.cartalk.com/u/galant)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 11:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/16 "2013-01-02T11:17:15Z")
@Triedaq; My wife drive our Dodge Caravan daily with the sifter on the steering. Since it is getting old, I give her the newer Camry for out of town ventures. Each time she switches to the Camry, on the 1st shift, she grabs the wiper switch arm and is surprised on why the wipers are moving. ---
**Author:** ![kmccune](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/kmccune/32/1237_2.png) [@kmccune](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kmccune)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/17 "2013-01-02T15:03:22Z")
i like column shift because of more space in front of vehicle.thats one thing I never liked about my Frontier as others have said ,it should be fairly easy to defeat-Kevin ---
**Author:** ![oblivion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ab097/32.png) [@oblivion](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oblivion)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/18 "2013-01-02T16:29:50Z")
My 2006 does not have a push button to unlock the shifter–You move the shifter out of the detent, to the right, then down. Upon first getting the car, it seemed like a hassle, but I got completely used to it in a day. I really don’t even notice it–muscle memory takes over once you’ve worked it a few times. It also has the benefit of making it very difficult to inadvertently put the vehicle in park while it’s moving. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/19 "2013-01-02T19:43:21Z")
A Mazda3 would be perfect for you. No button, easy to shift and economical to operate and own compared to your Mercedes. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451/20 "2013-01-02T20:44:28Z")
Good suggestions here. I haven’t been truck shopping for years. BUT GO car shopping at several new and used places, best at an auto mall to see all brands. – Stick solidly to your requirements and tell them right up front your deal breaking MUST haves. – Never feel bad about just walking away…EVEN IF you find one you really like, just put it on your want list and keep looking. DON’T TELL A SALESPERSON THAT YOU LIKE THIS ONE. LET THEM WORK FOR YOUR PURCHASE . If they know they have you hooked it’s harder to deal for the price. Shop new cars too, even if you want to buy used. It will show you the choices and once you know your desired models ask about used ones of those. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/column-shift-cars/76451.md?page=2)