How to Save The Manuals and Why I bought a DCT E92 M3 - POV (Binaural Audio) 

Find my new Podcast "Respect The Drive" on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. How many people have you taught to drive a stick? Can you still find joy driving a car with paddles? Thank you so much to those who contribute to my Patreon and make this channel possible.

Come to think of it, my mom actually taught me how to drive stick in her 90's model grand am when I was 15 😄

I already hear al the europe comments I'm European too and can drive manual

Hello from Germany. I have learned to drive on a manual (Seat Leon). Here in Germany it's normal to drive a manual. We have a Skoda Fabia Manual, Citroen Berlingo Manual. My whole family drives manual, just my grandpa he drives an automatic 😂

"Manual Pyramid Scheme" Killed me 😂😂

The positive for manual transmissions is the lower cost of spare parts and lower complexity which means lower labour cost and fewer parts to service during preventive or corrective maintenance.

keeping manuals alive means buying any and every manual car you can...buying new - not used. This also goes for any style of car you'd like to see more of...a hot used market does nothing for future R&D and lineup.

I’ve probably taught around 10 people. I don’t really mind letting people drive my car because there’s nothing they can’t do that 5 people before them haven’t done.

I'd argue it's also tied to economic equality - most new car buyers are over the age of 30 and are buying vehicles for their families. I think there is a sizeable portion of people who would be willing to purchase manual vehicles, but that same demographic is more likely to work a part time job, have student debt, and thus buy a *used* manual car. So in conclusion - teach someone to drive a manual, discharge their student debt, and mandate a minimum wage of $20/hr :D

Amen to that. The amount of people buying manuals, driving it badly, just because they heard so... or following the hype...

In the U.K. when getting your license you're in the minority learning in an auto

I agree that the macho attitude has to go! People act like driving a manual is this godly thing, when in reality your grandma can probably do it. These days, if enthusiasts are only willing to consider modern, manual cars, they're limiting themselves. Lots of flavors to try!

I was 13 when my mom took me to drive the first time. And of course, since I live in Brazil, everyone knows how to drive a manual. Funny thing is that a lot of people don't know how to drive an automatic here lol.

this video is so underrated, your content never misses a beat!

I just bought my E90 M3 in DCT mostly because of your recommendation. Really enjoying it thus far - hate people that criticize my car for having the “wrong gear box,” or as you said, “not being man enough.”

I had to pause 3 minutes in because you hit two good points right away! My mom always impressed my friends growing up because she could rip in a manual trans. My wife learned to drive in an old 4spd pick-up truck and can drive anything-fast and scary-but can drive anything lol. And my daughter that just got her permit will learn to drive standard before she graduates-I’m sure of it. And you’re right-there is definitely a learning curve with the paddles. Timing and controlling reflexes can be more challenging than one expects.

E92 M3 is my absolute dream car, such a gem of an engine especially with that insanely high redline what a hooligan car it would be for me. Hopefully someday I’ll be able to afford the maintenance and upkeep because that’s what would hold me back considering a 2013 can be had for less than 30k

Learned driving manual myself in a 14’ Subaru BRZ.. great Video 👍🏽

I absolutely love the ZF8; the fact that it locks the torque converter after 1st gear makes it so fun to drive. Yet it can be incredibly smooth when you need it. But I need a manual next!

The manual F type is dead sadly... Since it came out in 2015 my dad knew this was his modern dream car! Last year in October, he ordered the 3rd last manual f type ever produced and the actual last manual with a panoramic sunroof. Of course British racing green and brown seats! Such a great car!

Hi from the Netherlands! one thing that really blows my mind is how the AT market has dominated the US for a very long time! Here in the EU, you would always have to pay extra for an AT, and then they wouldn't even be on par with the manual like you said. Here in the Netherlands, you do your driver's lessons and exam with a manual. you can opt for an automatic but that does get a note on your driver's license which prohibits you from driving a manual car! If at some point you want to start driving a manual car, you have to retake your driving exam in a manual car (and most of the time some driving lessons are very much recommended!). Only recently there's a visible shift in cars that are sold as automatics (without any upcharge). like you said, it's becoming a numbers game. and nowadays automatics have 8 gears (or even more in some cases) providing better fuel economy which obviously is a big thing here in the EU.

I taught my younger sister to drive a manual in a not so easy to learn 3000GT VR-4! I just realized she has owned several manual cars, up to a Mazda 3.

I drove a dct, it was fun and it was impressive with how fast it shifted, even so, i gotta have a manual. Had to teach myself, it was basically a life goal for me to learn.

I'll be honest I drove a manual for 20years, but after getting my m3 DCT, I love it, hitting that m button then shifting down to 3rd with the paddles, it's a rocket.... Beast of a car, but point is try a DCT and you would surprised how good they are

Here in Germany everyone learns driving with a manual car during driving school, to me manual is much more fun in most cases, but for my Z4 35i I opted for the 7 speed DCT instead of manual still 🤷🏻‍♂️ For the E92 M3 the DCT seems better overall. Still I wanna have a manual car again one day

My mom taught me to drive stick. 2006 Scion Xb, basically no power, but it was fun because you could drive it flat out pretty much everywhere, and never get going fast enough to get yourself into any trouble. She owned that car for 10+ years and it was a tank. Still one of the best manual drivers I know, and I thank her for introducing me to the pure enjoyment of shifting your own gears. “The Man Pedal” is a phrase only used by insecure men who think driving a manual makes them better than other drivers for some reason.

what we need is an SMG with an H pattern shifter: paddles for those that want fast, simple, easy shifts and an H pattern and clutch for those that want to do it themselves. In one car!

My dad taught me before my license. I fell in love with it and found a stick shift Subaru Outback for my first car, and I drive it everyday. It really isn’t a hassle to drive at all. I’ve taught 2 of my friends how to drive on it already and they loved it once they figured it out!

I hope everyone and I who hasn’t been taught stick, will gets their chance. I had one lesson before in a ‘07 Mazda 3. It is the most connected car experience between car and driver. Nothing was more exciting than that. In a manual, I feel like you and the car become one. It’s like an illusion to me. When I get taught in a ‘67 Fastback soon, I wonder how the Mustang will change me and my love for cars.

I daily my manual BRZ. No regrets and wouldn't trade it for most cars worth under 50-60k. I plan on driving a manual for as long as I can.

I feel like DCTs got a bad rep from previous iterations of it from transmissions like BMW’s SMG transmission in the E36/E46 M3 and the E60 M5. At the time there was no such thing as a DCT so manufactures had to get creative in making a quick shifting transmission for the track which were clunky and weird to operate but was a step forward in the creation of the DCT transmission. In my opinion If DCTs were given a chance from the beginning they probably would’ve been much more popular than they are today.

I started to love driving a stick, Im 15 just got my learners permit in June ish. Planning on getting a manual for my first car.

Taught myself in my 1998 Honda prelude and also own a frs I let people learn manual in Also one of my buddies down the street let me drive his automatic 86 and I have to say its a fun floppy paddle

This is why always left my friends drive my car just so I can hope they can have fun behind the wheel of it want to buy a manual themselves

In Poland probably all drivers can drive a manual. Manual gearboxes in Poland are as common as automatic gearboxes in the US.

I have a hyundai kona with a DCT, I am learning how to drive it properly and I like it so far!

All about spreading the love! Totally agree that we gotta detach masculinity from manual transmission expertise. So stupid omg. Also, auto rev match in every manual car should be able to be turned off at the press of a button. Don’t make me go into sport mode or turn off traction control or any of that shit. Just. let. me. press. the. damn. button. Also, #respectthestickdrivingmoms

The teaching point is very valid. In Switzerland, it used to be that you weren't allowed to drive a manual car if you did your licence with an automatic car. So that's why almost everyone took the manual car license and is able to operate such a car. But a short while ago, they changed the law and it's now possible to drive a manual car even with an automatic license. Because they assume that very few cars will be available with a manual in the future (EVs etc) and that this old license system is no longer needed. Of course this also means that the amount of people actually knowing how to use a manual will get smaller...

Just a curiosity, in Brazil most of our cars still being manual. I don't know exactly why, but the automatic transmission started to be a trend just in the middles of 2000's. When we have the lessons to get our driver license, all the cars are manual, so in fact, everybody that has a driver license in Brazil knows how to drive with the stick. #SaveTheManuals

nice opinion dude I have a lot of respect for you

Well said sir .....🔥

I want to learn manual but I don’t know anyone with a manual :(

i used to be only person out of all my friends who liked manual cars (in high school when no one had a car) and now almost all my friends are learning to drive manual

For those asking about 7:48, the song name is Yello - Oh Yeah.

here in Spain we usually see the whole "oh i drive a manual ok" personality a lot of US youtubers have like "do you want a prize or something? a pin to show people?" cuz like, even my grandma drives manual, the weird thing here is seeing people with automatics that aren't old people

Mazda with the mx5 are the only one that put priority on manual box now, there are a couple of others but they come and go and its hard to beat a mx5 gbox , better than any Porsche shifter I've tried yet, great video dude cheers...

Brilliant.Teach more people to drive manual. Such a simple yet effective solution. I will always own a manual. I definitely don't miss it in my daily like I thought I would, but again a DCT is great daily and does have a learning curve. And you have to hone your craft frequently with the manual. And maybe we could call it a badass pedal, since people who can properly drive a manual are badass?

My problem is I have a tedious daily drive with heaps of stops and starts to uni and have to reverse parallel park on 25-30% grade hills and I just dont want to do that with a manual, I couldnt be bothered. Its a struggle for my car's DCT, it absolutely hates it and i feel bad for it ever time. If I could have a second car I totally would have it as a manual its just inconvenient as my only car.

Remember back in couple years ago, back when I bought my first car, an e30 318i manual, i had never driven a car, let alone manuals, all my “driving experience” are from arcade games like battle gear 4, the one got actual 3 pedals and a gated shifter. Anyway, so i called up the seller, told him to bring the car to my place, was super hotheaded so didnt even negotiated with the price, paid the guy and got the key. Since i didnt know how to drive a stick, a friend who “told me that he know how to drive” was with me, turned out he didnt know shit about it just like me, we were super awkward and asked the seller if he can teach us some basic and drive the car to the parking lot next to my place, the guy was super chill and taught us how to drive it at 10 pm at night. After learning the basic me and my friend were basically learning from youtube how to drive a manual thru out that night. This is the story id tell my friend who wanted a manual but dont know/not sure how to drive one, just do it, you will get a grip on it after a few stalls.

I used to be upset about watching manuals dissapear. But once I started with automatic gearboxes I dont wanna go back 😂 Veteran cars can have them. And some newer cars if they have +300hp. Might be fun then. But regular slow boring cars has no use for a manual stick. Its just unecessary. If im gonna do the extra work with stick and clutch. It has to be worth it 😅

Great choice buying this Beamer it seems like the perfect daily driver

I am from germany and in my opinion, the best is when u can choose. So if you learned how to drive a manual you simply can drive every version of a car. For those who don't know: In Germany if u get your driver's license for automatic, you'e not alowed to drive a manual. In the other case u are alowed to drive both. It is listed in the license. So how is it in america or other countries?

I like your vids a lot and agree with your perspective on “save the manuals.” Also what color interior is that, on camera at least it looks light blueish? Nice trim 👍🏼

DCT works well, as essentially it’s a manual with an automated clutch. I love the dct on my e92 M3 Comp pack.

0:04 living the RetroWave / Outrun / Miami Vice life for real :D

I like both.

The thing with manual cars is that as time goes on they get harder to find & manual cars are more expensive. Are DCT M3s more expensive than manuals?

i had one automatic then my trans blew and i manual swapped it. it was my daily now i have 4 manual cars, and im really considering another automatic for a daily.

Have you driven an E92 M3 with an Autosolutions short shifter? It’s a big difference. I have one in CT if you want to give it a try!

My mom taught me stick when I got my first car, a Mini, while my dad has no clue how to operate one! The “man pedal” to him is the accelerator hahaha

Back then my dad used to teach me manual, now seems like my dad wants to buy me auto as my first car...

People forget that the DCT is fundamentally a manual with a computer controlled clutch engagement mechanism. My perspective is it is both the best manual or the best automatic at the driver's choice.

My wife prefers manuals, too. So not only can we drive each others' cars, there's no disagreement over what to buy next!

Suacy POV footage as always ;)

A thing that many US citizens don't know is the fact that in Europe or partically the European Union you have to do your driving test on a manual or if you don't you're not allowed to drive a car with a clutch pedal which is shown with a certain number on your driving license. So the first car as a cheap option is then of course mostly a manual. Moreover fuel is way!! more expensive in over here than in the US so for long that little fuel consumption advantage was enough of a selling point and moreover most cars have pretty small engines to be more frugal so an automatic would've killed all perfomance that was left. Now more and more cars are coming with good automatics and we will go through the same process as the US does now in about 30 years. I like a good manual any day but I also have an E500 W211 M273 with an automatic and even if they'd sold with a manual I still choose the automatic because come on a Mercedes has to be automatic period. Moreover Mercedes manuals suck and their automatics are supreme. Just drive a Mercedes RWD with a manual and you'll understand.

Had a 2012 Focus with a 5 speed and loved it, then traded it for a Jeep with a auto 9 speed (Pure junk) and hated it, finally just traded it off on a 6 speed Kia Forte GT and love it again. I've offered to teach people but no one wants to even try...

Here in Europe, if you want a cheap (used) car, it will be a manual in 95% of cases. Practically everyone: men, women, young or old... knows how to drive one and probably owned one. I have to admit though that slowly but steadily we're also reaching a turning point in favour of AT's when it comes to new cars, because they have indeed become so good.

I'd love to learn stick but the only car I have access to is a 2017 Hyundai Tucson with a DCT (and not a great DCT) but it's fine, still a fun car

Am I insane for thinking of learning to drive stick in an e90 M3? I know you mentioned it’s not a special manual transmission but I have no frame of reference.

Put on the parking brake and don’t let them roll away?

This conversation will be a thing of the past when EVs dominate the market worldwide in a few years.

11:22 that sound effect lol

You just described me I have a stick A4 and a CVT Nissan as a daily

Can confirm, mom taught me how to drive manual in a '94 Integra

Binaural highlight at 7:48

I'm from a relatively poor European country that used to be occupied by Soviets, and when I look at local auto market, cheapest cars still come with manual only option. I too drive an old car (average ago of cars here are approximately 12 years) with manual, not really smoothly, but good enough to move around. And if I really hate something, it's those drivers who break right before tram rails or cobblestone streets. F..! It's not like your car's suspension will fall apart from riding over that! Unless it's really stiff and will shake your spine out of shape. XD

I’m so glad I’m a manual.

On my 2nd manual e92 m3 if I could do it again I would have gotten an auto e93 m3

I just went to an italian car show and this lady with a fiat 500 abarth had a shirt that said "Real women use three pedals".

i’ve successfully taught 3 of my friends manual, and 2 of them actually went and bought manual cars. the 3rd guy will probably get one when his current car gives up

Great explanation!! Also, remind me never to rent you my car...

Manual cars might dissapear from new cars, but manual will never go away. Never. There will always be manuals driving around, and there will always be people taking their license with a manual so it always has to be available. Manufacturers should however, make it possible to choose between real manual and automatic.

bro where outside of boston is the road youre driving on cause i need to know as a bostonian 😭😭😭

People who gatekeep being a 'car guy' over whether or not your car is manual or auto make being part of the hobby exhausting. I drive and own cars in both automatic and manual. Both are fine. If it's an old car from the 80s or 90s I will probably choose a manual because the torque converter automatics of that era are garbage and unfun to drive, but even modern torque converted autos not just DCTs can be made to shift quick and hold onto gears. Add paddle shifters and they are almost as fun as a manual.

I think that driving schools should teach manual first. If you know manual you can hop into an automatic or dct and get your head around it within some minutes. If you only know auto and hop into a manual you will have to learn how to drive again basically.

I think what most people don't consider is that if something breaks on a DCT it's very expensive compared to a manual transmission...

It's kind of fucked up to rent someone's car so someone can learn stick on it. Unless they knew and agreed to it.

The nature in your area is so beautiful. So much green 😍.

Try Z4 with SMG...

Where are you driving in the states?? The roads around your hood are so nice!!

I really liked this video and Spencer Berkes comparison on dct vs manual. I just got the privilege to test drive an E90 m3 dct that we have at my work for a great deal. Unfortunately coming from my s2000 (not a manly car) i found the dct to be a deal breaker for me. I searched these videos to try to talk myself back in to it because the price but at the end of the day i guess its just circumstantial, i only have one car at a time so id really like it to be more engaging. Definitely excited to get into an e9x someday though, because my local west michigan roads dont have enough curves for my s2000. 🥂

The funny thing is; within the actual "community" of manual drivers, there is also a superiority complex as well. If you don't heel-toe or powershift or double clutch, etc. you get labelled as amateur. I have an E46 M3 which I autocross, and when I started I was constantly reminded of my lacking shift skills. It took me a good year i'd say to properly learn to heel-toe. Slight irony!

I’ve taught over 10 friends to drive stick. 2 of my friends have bought vintage manual cars in the past year, that they couldn’t drive because they were manual, and neither of them were car enthusiasts. Now they daily them. Bragging about having a manual to car people is pointless. Getting people who don’t give a shit about cars to change their mind is a much better use of time. So tell your friends and be kind to those who have questions. Please.

Good video I like the topic. A few points though I'd like to mention: How do I teach my NON enthusiast friends? They make up the majority of the car buyers. I'm afraid to use my own car and I'm not about to ruin someone else's car with Turo. And you really think someone who's not interested in cars in the first place is gonna invest in even a cheap manual car? Then you talk about how rev matching is numbing the experience... Say I was a non car enthusiast, but I was convinced to try it out. Rev matching would be something nice to have as it would be a "gateway" to manuals. This also goes against your argument about being "macho" about manuals. Sure, it's still not 100% manual, but it's closer than a DCT or automatic. I say rev matching is a good thing in that case. Ultimately I get what you're trying to say. We need to be more inclusive and get more people on board, that's how we save the manuals. Just wanted to mention what I think are some challenges.

The way to save the manuals is to buy manual cars new. Car enthusiast always buy cars used but where are all the used cars gonna come from if no one bought them from the dealer in the first place

I've had many friends who had cars with manuals but most of them didn't want to teach me because they said that having someone learn manual on a car ruins the clutch.

like 15% of cars in the US are manuals lol who makes fun of ppl driving automatics when it's actually rare to find a stick shift

Manual in bmw’s are rubbery crap with long throws. And I own a manual m3 (which is far better than smg). DCT definitely fits the e92 and F80 M cars better than manual. They’re too big of a car to be in manual anyway

I moved to Europe and for some reason I told myself im going to get a manual so not only am I driving on the opposite side of the road i taught myself to drive a manual. i still aint the best but I know how to get from A to B. the only thing is I still struggle with hills lol they make me nervous but other than that I honestly do enjoy a manual its pretty fun. when I come back to the US im going to get one manual and one automatic. thing is I live in Cali so I need to perfect driving on a hill Lmaoooo

If i had the money i want one so bad the e92 is so fucking cool