Driving stick gives you no positive points nearly as for being more musculine, but being unable to drive manual transmission is a form of a handicap , and it will impact negatively every girl as toward competence of her man, more or less.

Driving stick is realy simple and fluent, I would call it as simple as automatic. You also have less fuel consumption and can accelerate and decide about your car to more extent (how you call it, those engine rotations). But automatic transmission can give you a bit more comfort. I have cars from both types, and I switch between them nearly daily, I have automatic Z3 roadster cabriolet, I gave her name Sick Zoe (it is a mad car with drive at the back and engine in front, plus being a long roadster so it behaves like batmobile)

I'm also looking into buying a Z3 or Z4. I saw some really nice ones. I might end up getting a manual transmission just because I may end up liking it more.

Shogun.

In the UK it wouldn't matter if you went manual or automatic in this case as the BMW Z3 and Z4 are already considered girls cars. This isn't my opinion as I actually drive an MX5 which is also considered to be a girls car. Pretty much any 2 seater open topped roadster (except maybe the Boxter S) is considered to be exclusively for ladies.

can easily afford a porsche

Well, then you can also afford a Tesla. Which has direct transmission, solving your dilemma.

Now please don't tell me driving an electro vehicle is unmanly because that would so totally depress me. I've been driving hybrids, retro-fitted plug-in hybrids, and pure electro vehicles for the last ~15 years.

Driving manual transmission cars is fun when you're young (Golf GTI, huh) or in your mid-life crisis, and it can be a stunning out-of-life experience (I remember that one Renault in the early '90s... Dude, WTF?). I still sometimes enjoy driving Smokey-and-the-Bandit-style when on holiday (when it's not my car!), but for everyday I wouldn't want to miss the simple comfort of a car that only knows "accelerate" and "brake", and which does either of them without change in sound, hiccups or other noticeable... things. Never want anything different again.

Used to be (in the '80s) that automatic transmission meant you needed an additional liter of fuel per 100km, but that's kind of history.

manual transmission seems to be the default choice here in Australia. Automatic transmission is a luxury feature that you get if you don't mind paying more for the car, and more for servicing, and don't like driving manual.

Of course, automatic transmission is generally somewhat more prone to failure, too. So if you do mind dying in the outback with nobody around to help within 200 miles, you probably don't want that. With that said, I've never had a serious failure on any type of car, not even on the hybrids, which are as complex (and thus error-prone) as they can get.

if we could just get rid of ABS brakes, so the wheels would lock up properly, I'd be happy

ABS has saved me more than once. Admittedly, you don't really need it most of the time, and sometimes when you kick the brake harder than you should have, it's outright disturbing. But when you do need it, it's awesome. Not only can you still steer the vehicle to some extent rather than following Newton's law of motion, but also less is more here. Means that the vehicle actually decelerates more quickly than it would if blocking the wheels.

Really wish Tesla would make a manual version of their car. I might actually be able to justify the price if they did.

Are you kidding? It's a single speed gearbox. There's nothing to shift, manual or automatic, except for reverse.

Yeah that's why electric engines are amazing. We're doing a racing game, so in our physics engine we've got stupidly complex shaped graphs for torque-vs-RPM -- and then the specifically chosen gear ratios in the transmission to try and allow you to maintain some magic optimal RPM range that will actually allow your combustion engine to actually output a decent amount of torque.
For our electric cars, that torque curve is just a flat line -- 100% torque output from 0 RPM onwards (until a point, eventually it drops down lower as super high RPM start meeting mechanical limits).

So -- some electric cars do still have a shifting gear box, with "normal gear" and then a "high speed gear" to avoid excessive mechanical wear when going above 100MPH... which most people will never need to use.

There's a good reason that electric engines kick arse at drag racing, or why diesel-powered freight trains are in actual fact, electric-powered freight trains running off diesel-powered electricity generators

There's a good reason that electric engines kick arse at drag racing, or why diesel-powered freight trains are in actual fact, electric-powered freight trains running off diesel-powered electricity generators

Driving stick gives you no positive points nearly as for being more musculine, but being unable to drive manual transmission is a form of a handicap , and it will impact negatively every girl as toward competence of her man, more or less.

Driving stick is realy simple and fluent, I would call it as simple as automatic. You also have less fuel consumption and can accelerate and decide about your car to more extent (how you call it, those engine rotations). But automatic transmission can give you a bit more comfort. I have cars from both types, and I switch between them nearly daily, I have automatic Z3 roadster cabriolet, I gave her name Sick Zoe (it is a mad car with drive at the back and engine in front, plus being a long roadster so it behaves like batmobile)

I'm also looking into buying a Z3 or Z4. I saw some really nice ones. I might end up getting a manual transmission just because I may end up liking it more.

Shogun.

In the UK it wouldn't matter if you went manual or automatic in this case as the BMW Z3 and Z4 are already considered girls cars. This isn't my opinion as I actually drive an MX5 which is also considered to be a girls car. Pretty much any 2 seater open topped roadster (except maybe the Boxter S) is considered to be exclusively for ladies.

Ah, so it's like the Mazda Miata here; typically considered a car for women and gay men. I see men driving the Z3 or Z4 models all the time. Since I don't find being called gay an insult, I wouldn't care.

Well, then you can also afford a Tesla. Which has direct transmission, solving your dilemma.

*Goes to the Tesla website*

Now please don't tell me driving an electro vehicle is unmanly because that would so totally depress me. I've been driving hybrids, retro-fitted plug-in hybrids, and pure electro vehicles for the last ~15 years.

Hey, I won't judge your masculinity for whatever car you drive (even though I don't care for the Prius because I think it's hideous). Right now, there's a bit of a legal war on Tesla here in Murica. IIRC, some states cannot legally sell those. My state has a few Teslas around. Definitely wouldn't mind owning one. They look nice, and even Tom Leykis ones one!

Shogun

Since the varieties of cars I own and have driven are very limited (Manual, sporty hatchbacks only), thus the following broad categorization is based on me watching too much Top Gear (and some few car magazines). In case you don't know about Top Gear (US based and others), here is a brief.... Its an entertaining motoring show hosted by 3 dudes one of them Jeremy Clarkson - a thick headed lousy buffoon (until recently i would have added "for the sake of the show", - but when he in real life he punched one of the show's producers- and before the real reason came out, i was thinking "this must be because of some deep issues that have pushed him to the edge". But when the actual reason came out- because there was no hot food ready after filming!!! This man - rich enough to enter any 5-star restaurant and order for the best dish- then i knew in real life he is also a thick headed lousy buffoon)....

Anyway based on this show I make the following broad accessment

country cars type car style transmission pimping culture masculinity boost (out of 10) (very subjective opinion)

USA Depends disproportionately mostly saloons Automatic extreme 5 for the sake of pimping

on the power of the engine and trucks

hence- Muscle cars

Japan Very technical: Great Various, Manual, DSG extreme 8.5

Aerodynamics, chassis, torque, best are Hatchbacks

Credit: attention to fine details

Germany Same as Japan same as japan + sexy 70% Manual Limited 9.0

But also have Mercedes which 30% auto

is a muscle car and mostly Auto

(Big plus: have Buggatti Veron)

Italy Home of the world's best super cars Super sexy Manual, Flappy, Limited 10

Auto, DSG.....

UK Like to have everything but makes Various Same as Germany Limited 6

little. Otherwise same as Germany best are Hatchbacks

... More countries that I would have loved to add, particularly South Korea, China, Russia and Australia, but I've run out of steam

Alright, alright I admit -what do i know about cars? Nothing! Depending mostly on a lousy TV show

Since the varieties of cars I own and have driven are very limited (Manual, sporty hatchbacks only), thus the following broad categorization is based on me watching too much Top Gear (and some few car magazines). In case you don't know about Top Gear (US based and others), here is a brief.... Its an entertaining motoring show hosted by 3 dudes one of them Jeremy Clarkson - a thick headed lousy buffoon (until recently i would have added for the sake of the show, - but when he in real life he punched one of the show's producers- and before the real reason came out, i was thinking "this must be because of some deep issues that have pushed him to the edge". But when the actual reason came out- because there was no hot food ready after filming!!! This man - rich enough to enter any 5-star restaurant and order for the best dish- then i knew in real life he is also a thick headed lousy buffoon)....

Anyway based on this show I make the following broad accessment

country cars type car style transmission pimping culture masculinity boost (out of 10) (very subjective opinion)

USA Depends disproportionately mostly saloons Automatic extreme 5 for the sake of pimping

on the power of the engine and trucks

hence- Muscle cars

Japan Very technical: Great Various, Manual, DSG extreme 8.5

Aerodynamics, chassis, torque, best are Hatchbacks

Credit: attention to fine details

Germany Same as Japan same as japan + sexy 70% Manual Limited 9.0

But also have Mercedes which 30% auto

is a muscle car and mostly Auto

(Big plus: have Buggatti Veron)

Italy Home of the world's best super cars Super sexy Manual, Flappy, Limited 10

Auto, DSG.....

UK Like to have everything but makes Various Same as Germany Limited 6

little. Otherwise same as Germany best are Hatchbacks

... More countries that I would have loved to add, particularly South Korea, China, Russia and Australia, but I've run out of steam

Alright, alright I admit -what do i know about cars? Nothing! Depending mostly on a lousy TV show

Define "pimping culture".

Also, what makes a car "sexually attractive"? I never thought that anyone would get aroused by looking at a car.

Shogun.

Define "pimping culture".

Pimp : Car customization : also see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimp_My_Ride

Also, what makes a car "sexually attractive"? I never thought that anyone would get aroused by looking at a car.

Are you serious??? I bet you are not..

Describing a car as sexy doesn't mean you're sexually aroused by the car, its about the styling, the vibe ....

For instance i think Lamborghini Aventador is the sexiest car/super ever, but that doesn't mean i'm sexually aroused by Lamborghini