August 6, 2008 at 1:09PM
by Jeff Yeager
Learning to drive a car with a manual transmission might not only
save you some major embarrassment in life, but it can also save you gas
and some serious money.
Consumer Reports found that cars with manual transmissions
get two to four miles per gallon more than the same models with
automatic transmissions. If you drive, say, 15,000 miles per year,
that's going to save you about $350 annually at today's gas prices.
But that's only the beginning of the savings. New cars with manual
transmissions generally cost about $800 less than those with automatic
transmissions, and a manual transmission is less expensive to repair or
replace when the time comes. Plus, because you're using the car's
engine to help you decelerate, manual transmissions are easier on the
brakes, which means added savings on brake maintenance and repairs.
All told, you'll probably save about 5,000 gallons of gas and
$30,000 or more by only driving cars with manual transmissions over the
course of your lifetime. And with a little practice, driving a stick is
easy, fun, and oh sooo cool.
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