Not Much Reason To Buy A Manual, Except To Be A Stubborn Curmudgeon

General Discussion
121

@Triedaq “Three on the Tree” was a little before my time. I used to work with a guy who had a 1970’s vintage Ford F-100 with a “Three on the Tree” so I have seen one, never owned one tho.

@db4690 , I owned the '87 Chevette from 1990 to 1995. Got T-boned at an intersection. Paid a shop $400 to pull out the frame and put on a junkyard door, but couldn’t get the car to roll straight after that. Sold it for $250 to a guy who said he worked at a Chevy dealer and was gonna sneak it into the shop after-hours and work on it. He was sneaky all right. Over the next 2 years I was contacted a few times by the state police about “my” Chevette parked illegally, etc. Apparently he never re-titled the vehicle, just put stolen plates on it and kept driving. Police told me if he gets in an accident / commits a crime with the car, the VIN will lead the police back to me. I guess the car eventually gave up the ghost, 'cause I stopped hearing from the police. . . had 101,000 miles on it when I sold it.

@galant, I’ve gotten used to not drinking coffee. Used to have free coffee at work, but they took it away to improve morale. . . (sarcasm). Usually I drink Diet Root Beer or Orange, without caffeine, .84 or .88c for a 2-liter store brand. I like the carbonation, can’t justify buying water when tap water is (almost) free. (I live in a part of the country where the water is still safe to drink, at least I think. . . )

@jtsanders For now its well controlled with medication. Switched from the slow-release once-a-day to the quick-release twice-a-day. I’m told this kind of thing tends to get worse over time, its good to know there’s treatment like cardioversion available if needed. Funny how I’m someone who hates all this invasive technology we all have shoved upon us whether we want it or not. . . but. . . when I’m in medical trouble, I want everything they’ve got brought in to help me.

122

@“Ed Frugal” They call me the moonlight driver. If you haven’t driven a three on the tree, you haven’t driven a stick shift at all.

123

Have you ever driven a 4 on the tree? 1960 Borgward Isabella.
3 on the tree, 59 Plymouth w/ flathead 6, 64 Rambler Classic
3 on the floor, 60 El Camino
4 on the floor, 61 Fiat Cabriolet, 68 Datsun Bluebird (510) SSS, 90 Dodge Colt
5 speed, 97 Nissan PU, 02 Saturn

124

Crap any thing is easier than the unimog I had to drive before I got my cdl, then crap I get and old sow (garbage truck) with a plow. That so sucked. Then I finally got a plow truck, no wing thank goodness but perfected curb cuts on corners, while plowing the snow turning right with the plow blade next to the curb, hit the gas enough to spin the rear wheels, spin the back end around go forward, and perfect curb cut on 15’ radius corners. It was fun but 8 hours plowing, 11pm to 7am then no allowance to take off work 8 am till 4:30, then go home, try and do your own stuff and get ready to go in if needed at 11 pm, felt crummy after that stint, and felt a couple of days to feel normal again. It was fun and money, but not worth the toll

125

When thinking about the three on the tree manual transmissions, these transmissions reached the peak of popularity in the 1950s. One of the great pop songs back then was “Moonlight Gambler” sung by Frankie Laine. When we got into the 1960s, the 3 speed column shift began disappearing. The last 3 speed column shift that I ever drove was a 1977_Chevelle.
The first four speed column shift I remember seeing was on an early 1950s Hillman Minx–a small car imported from England.

126

@“VOLVO V70” quote: "@Ed Frugal - As obsessive you are it might be entertaining to watch you shop for a coffee maker at Walmart. "

Well, if I’m obsessive, this world we live in has made me this way. Here is an excerpt from a price on tires I got, day before yesterday: (All prices are “per tire”)

Classic All-Season Tires 40k- - - - - - - 55.61
FREE Mounting
FREE Align & Suspension Check
Tire Road Hazard Protection- - - - - - - 11.99
State Tire Tax on New Tires- - - - - - - .80
Computerized Tire Balance- - - - - - - 11.70
Tire Disposal- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.50
Valve Stem- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4.50

The words FREE are in all-caps (like they’re giving you something for free). The “Road Hazard Protection” is assumed I suppose, i.e. they didn’t ask me if I wanted it, its just listed so I’d have to proactively tell them if I don’t want that. So, the 55.61 tires really cost 87.10, or 56.6% more than the alleged price (55.61) PLUS 6% state sales tax of course.

One HAS to be obsessive in this day and age, otherwise “the system” just runs all over you. . .

Its just like the comedian Gallagher said back in the 1980’s, "People don’t want to hear it, they don’t want to pay $75 for tires, so you hear they’re only $49.95, then ya gotta buy all them extras, like, 'Do ya want ‘em on the car?’ 'No, I’ll just leave ‘em here!’ 'You want ‘em balanced?’ 'Whattya gonna tell the guy, heck NO, I like going down the road like . . . . " (visual - shaking side to side violently until his hat falls off his head)

Imagine if Walmart sold coffee makers the same way:

$19.97 - - - - - - - - - Price of Coffeemaker
$ 2.17 - - - - - - - - - Destination Charge
$ 2.03- - - - - - - - - Shatter Resistant Treatment for Glass Carafe
$ .86 - - - - - - - - - LED “Coffee Ready” indicator light
$ 1.42 - - - - - - - - - Power Cord in “Safety White”
$ 1.02 - - - - - - - - - Environmental Recovery Fee; Copper Heating Element
$ .97 - - - - - - - - - Sustainable Plastics Initiative Fee
$ .77 - - - - - - - - - WMT S. C. S.* (Special Customer Surcharge)
$ 1.16 - - - - - - - - - Disposal of Old Coffeemaker
$ 1.01 - - - - - - - - - Municipal Appropriation Fee
$ .67 - - - - - - - - - NRSL* Fee (Not Required by State Law)
$ 1.00 - - - - - - - - - A.R.P. (Additional Retailer Profit)

(. . . and be sure to sign up for the extended service plan. For a low monthly fee, deducted automatically from your checking account for your convenience, we’ll send someone to your house 4 times a year to run a vinegar solution through the coffeemaker and check to make sure the “Coffee Ready” indicator light is still operational).

127

At one time in the 50s and 60s nearly all manual cars were 3 speed column shift. My first car, a 47 Chevy had a 3 speed column as did my next one, a 57 Plymouth 6. After that all my cars were automatic, with the 65 Dodge Dart having a 3 speed shifter between the seats, followed by a 66 Chevelle, 71 Mercury Comet, 84 Impala, 88 Caprice, all with column shifts. My 77 Dodge Colt and all subsequent cars had bucket seats with the shifter on the console.

Once the bench seat disappeared, the shifter ended up on the console permanently.

128

@texases, perhaps a better word would be controversial. There are as many complains about the 9 speed in Land Rovers and Hondas as there are in FC cars. Software aside, it does have the right idea of using 2 dog clutches to reduce viscous drag and hydraulic demands from the wet clutches. My point is that when a major transmission producer didn’t continue its research on CVT, it doesn’t give me the confidence to buy one myself.

129

Most of the tires that I have purchased were carry out. I don’t mind at all that the tire and the labor are priced separately. Tires are a competitive business and price of the tire and labor can very from one tire shop to another.

Shopping for $55 tires may be the problem, where saving 50 cents per tire might be important.

130

I learned driving with a 3 on tree, it was a Chevy Nova; I think the wiper motors on that car was stronger than the Prius engine but that is a different story. To me it wasn’t particularly difficult, but then I was 7 yrs old and all I could think was things that moved (bike, skateboard, roller blades, motorcycle, cars, you name it).

131

My BIL bought a new Dodge pickup in 1978 when he graduated from college. It had a 3-speed column shift.

132

I learned to drive on a 1952 Ford Ranch Wagon - three on the tree, and no synchromesh in first gear. My Dad bought this thing from my uncle around 1960 or 61 for $200 and it was our “fishing car”. Everything else I’ve driven since then has been easier.

To this day I prefer to drive manuals.

133

It’s interesting that the column shift actually replaced the floor shift. Before 1939, most cars were three speed with a floor shift. Pontiac did offer as an option a column shifter in 1938. In 1939, all but the Ford products had the gear shift on the column. However, the column shift, with a,vacuum assist, was an option on the 1939 Chevrolet. Most of the 1939 Chevrolets had the column shift option. Ford made the column shift standard in 1940. My parents had a 1938_Chevrolet that got wrecked. With the insurance settlement, my dad bought a new 1939_Chevrolet. He thought it was an improvement over the 1938 as it had a, column shift rather than a floor shift and a bench seat instead of bucket seats. As a kid, I thought a,modern car was a car with the shift on the column. One after market item that came along in the late 1950s was a floor shift conversion kit for the three speed column shift. The floor shift kit, when installed, allowed for faster shifting than did the column shift. I don’ t remember when column shifts first appeared in half ton pickup trucks. I do remember my uncle waited until 1951 to replace his 1940 Ford pickup because 1951 was the first year the Ford F-1 was available with the column shift. Chevrolet may have offered the column shift in 1949,_but my memory is hazy on this.

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Triedaq: My 1949 Chevrolet pickup had a 3 speed M/T with column shift.

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@sgtrock21 I would bet 1949_was the first year for a column shift on the Chevrolet series 3100 half ton pickup. The advanced design came out in mid 1947 and lasted through 1954, although the grill was changed in 1954. Also, 1954 was the first year that Chevrolet offered an automatic transmission in the pickup. Ford and GMC offered the automatic a year earlier in 1953. Today, a manual transmission isn’t even available in a half ton pickup.

136

In pickup trucks with bench seats I think the gears being “on the tree” makes more sense than on the floor, because it allows better use of the full seat. Your girl can cuddle up to you.

I also think for automatics dash-mounted pushbuttons (or shifters, or rotating selectors, or whatever) make more sense than floor shifters, because more use can be gotten out of the console.

But, then, nobody ever asked me… :smile:

137

My brother’s '91 Nissan pickup has a bench seat and 5-spd on the floor.

138

My first vehicle, a 1974 Ford F-100 had a 3 on tree.

139

keith: I have driven 4 on the trees. All foreign (European). One of my Father’s cheap work cars was a Simca coupe with one (late 1950s) vintage. A buddy had a Fiat station wagon of about the same vintage. It was an inline 6 and a fairly nice car.

140

I’ve owned three vehicles with a column shift. I’ve also had motorcycles that shifted with the right foot, left foot, normal pattern, neutral on the bottom, reverse pattern, that was before the DOT mandated standardized control locations and shift patterns for motorcycles.