I had no idea mechanics could be so fucking dumb until this thread.

 

A few thoughts, I don't want a manual because I have driven many a manuals in my lifetime and while I did enjoy driving most of them sometimes you just don't want to shift, manuals are not trouble free, clutch discs go bad pressure plates break springs throw out bearings eventually will squeal and syncronizers will get worn. My wife does not drive a manual and has no desire to learn, I can still pretend I am driving a manual by using the paddle shifters. Lastly I purchased an extended warranty to protect myself for such things being automatic OR manual.
I can appreciate your thought John, but you can't change the whole world to your thinking. If in 3 years everyone here who bought a CVT loses a transmission feel free to come back to rub it in, but also bring with you any info regarding any transmission or drive components you and your buddies have endured.

 

Lol, that's another way to put if. I don't come here to bash others and expect the same from others, opinions are like buttholes, every has one.

 

I can't agree. The manual is the simpliest and most reliable type of a transmission. Just look at semi-trucks.
The reason they are less common than autos is because of American culture... desire for comfort and not having to do something when possible (i.e. avoid shifting gears). This goes back from 1940s-50s.

The reason the reliability of manual transmissions is not appreciated by the majority of American public is due to ignorance, carelessness and a simple fact that most americans don't know how to drive a manual or what it really is. Watch this video, the guy is right:

 

I have to admit I've gone from hating it to liking it. Granted, it's been three days and about 200 miles, but it's smoother, quieter and I like the gas mileage. It's not a 0-60 beast, but with the right amount of finesse, the 10-60 is much better than my 2010. No regrets so far.

 

Back in the Olde dayes, drivers had quite a bit of control over the various functions of their cars:



Note the controls for spark advance, carburetor mixture, etc.

Yes, back then drivers set all of these secondary functions for themselves along with their primary function of controlling speed and steering. As time went by it was found that automatic systems were superior to humans for controlling these functions. The last secondary function left to the driver on modern cars is the manual transmission and attendant clutch. How much longer will the manual shift hold on now that computers can do the job better?

 

With that statement, you confirm what the gentleman is saying in his video that some people can't be bothered to learn MT so they don't know the advantages.

A computer will never do better than a human at shifting. Most modern super cars and race cars are electronically shifted since obviously machines can shift gears faster than a human but it is still a human that selects the appropriate electronically shifted gear. This is a completely different concept than an automatic transmission that uses a torque converter and impeller to chose when to change gears. Granted, modern auto transmissions are fantastic, there's just nothing like having absolute control of over your gear selection. I can however understand why certain people like auto trans.

 

Actually, automatics are banned from F1 cars and the drivers are required to shift for themselves. The reason is to make the driver more of a factor in the competition because the transmissions would shift perfectly every time. They're giving the drivers a chance to make errors in shifting!

I learned how to drive on a stick and every car I have purchased has been a stick. I've driven three-on-the-tree, 3- and 4-speeds with granny low, 5-speeds, 6-speeds, and even sequential manuals. I'd say that I've paid my dues as far as learning to drive stick.

Even a die-hard like me can see that the only reason people stick with sticks is tradition, the sporty flair, or because the stick costs a bit less. Nobody has Sebastian Vettel's level of concentration all the time while driving so their shifting will not more efficient than an auto.

 

Sorry, but computers can make calculations a lot more quickly and accurately than human beings. Manuals can be fun to drive, but if you're like me in a state with a lot of traffic and not a lot of decent roads to drive in a "fun" way, there's not much benefit to them. Back OT, I hope no one looking for a Fit is scared off of a CVT by outdated generalizations about automatic transmissions or unsubstantiated claims of unreliability. There's no current data to support this particular Honda CVT (or any recent CVT from Nissan, Mazda, etc) has any long term issues relative to any other type of transmission, let alone in and of itself.