If you're an older driver who never learned to use a manual transmission, or if you have teen drivers and are wondering whether it's worth teaching them to drive stick, this article's for you. Since many of today's vehicles are sold with automatic transmissions, you may assume there's not much of a point in learning to use stick shifts, but there are a few reasons why we think it's a valuable skill.
Emergency Situations
If you're ever stuck in a position where your friend can't drive and owns a stick, it's a smart idea for you to know how, unless you want to waste money taking a cab.
Better Control of Performance
Many high-performance cars are offered with manual transmissions for a reason. If you're a driving enthusiast, you won't want to miss out on being able to really take advantage of the performance attributes that sportier cars offer. At all times, you get to decide how much power to send to the wheels, which makes for a more exciting driving experience. Just check out the 2014 and 2015 Nissan 370Z with standard six-speed manual transmissions and, on select trims, SynchroRev Match.
More Time to Concentrate
If you decide to purchase a Nissan with a manual transmission, like the 370Z or base models of the Nissan Versa and Sentra, then you'll also find that shifting gears means you have to concentrate more - which is a good thing. When you have to control gears, there's less time to get distracted, so you'll likely keep your hands off your phone and avoid things like eating or putting on makeup while you drive.