5 Things That Suck Most About Driving A Manual

1. Traffic

Let’s start with the one point that everyone will agree on: Traffic. Not only does it make us late when we’re en-route to a cheeky Nando’s, traffic sucks most for manual drivers because of the constant need to modulate the throttle and clutch pedals while frantically stirring your shifting arm back and forth 50 times a minute. Give me a full auto over this BS any day.

2. Driving a car with a really bad manual gearbox

Some gearboxes are awesome, while other gearboxes make you feel more disappointed than finding out that Father Christmas is your dad.

In many cases, a bad manual shift (either because of weird ratios or the feeling that you’re stirring a pot of runny cake mix) completely ruins the fun of driving and can result in nothing more than frustration and the desire to have an auto.

3. The awkwardness of missing/grinding gears

After 13 years of driving, I’ll admit that I grind or miss gears at least once a week. Even when I’m alone, I can’t help but feel really awkward. It’s not that I’m angry with myself for the rookie error, I’m just disappointed.

4. Stalling

Stalling a car is embarrassing. We all do it from time-to-time and when we do, it’s always in front of a group of friends you were hoping to pull away from without incident….

Aside from this, there are also safety concerns to think about. A very large percentage of crashes/prangs happen in traffic conditions, usually because distracted, idiot drivers don’t see that the car in front has become stationary.

But there are also the people who completely forget that they’re in first or second gear. Inevitably, they take their foot off the clutch and stall into the back of you. I’ve been the recipient of a stalled rear-end shunt twice before and it’s a royal pain the backside. Literally.

5. Inappropriate leg touches

Accidentally stroking your friend’s leg is a common occurrence in a lot of small cars and is something that usually results in your mate saying something like "if you’re gonna touch me, then make it worth my while."

You both laugh it off, but the rest of the journey is spent with closed legs and awkward coughs.

What else is it that you hate about driving a manual?