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Hands free driving?

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Popeye said:
Me too - but there are times when driving is dreary. E.g. Pdplot's journey from CT to FL.

I guess, I like to have the choice. Shift an analog car when the road is fun - and automated (or just fly) when the roads are boring.

Out of curiosity, what "2020 daily driver" is a 6-speed? I'm likely going to invest in a GTI, 6-speed, SE trim. I recently sold my 2010 6-speed... now I'm stuck driving the family grocery-getter, infinitely practical but joyless.
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@mikephillips

I was thinking the same thing with how rare a stick shift is these days... I drive a 2009 Hyundai Accent 5-speed... I know how exciting :rolleyes: ... Been wondering what I'll ever do to find another stick shift if I have to

I keep hearing from friends about how good the Pontiac Vibe is...
 
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My neighbor somehow fell into a 2008 Altima V6 6-speed manual. Told him if he ever decides to sell it, me first! That car HAD to be a "special order" unit, can't imagine any dealer wanting to put it in inventory.
 
My Wife drives a 2010 Ford Fusion with a 6 speed manual.
The '95 Dakota is the only automatic we own.
 
DrEntropy said:
My neighbor somehow fell into a 2008 Altima V6 6-speed manual. Told him if he ever decides to sell it, me first! That car HAD to be a "special order" unit, can't imagine any dealer wanting to put it in inventory.
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When I ordered my 2010 with a manual, the dealer requested a bigger deposit than normal - if I did not take the car then he would not be able to sell it to someone else!
 
Popeye said:
When I ordered my 2010 with a manual, the dealer requested a bigger deposit than normal - if I did not take the car then he would not be able to sell it to someone else!
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While I worked in the Sewickley Porsche-Audi dealership back-when (late '70's), Audi had a 4000 model chassis with the five cylinder engine and five speed manual, designated "4000 5+5". Had to order it & wait. That was a "Q-Ship" of a car, it'd be one to keep if you could find one today.

We've gone from affordable performance vehicles to expensive convenience ones. I've said for the decades since the '70's, people are running around behaving as if they're "driving" their living rooms. The new gen hands-free vehicles are one more step to proving me right.

"Honest, officer! I was just sitting there reading 'War and Peace'! It's the CAR's fault for the crash!"
 
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2021 Mini Cooper S with 6 speed manual. Had to order. Limited slip and sports suspension no longer available. But you can get British flag brake lights.

"multitasking" while driving is not a new thing. I can remember in years past before cell phones and texting seeing drivers reading a book, shaving, or doing their make-up on the interstate. The new technology might make it safer, in some cases. Then again, Darwin may have had a point.
 
BobHaskell said:
2021 Mini Cooper S with 6 speed manual. Had to order. Limited slip and sports suspension no longer available. But you can get British flag brake lights.

"multitasking" while driving is not a new thing. I can remember in years past before cell phones and texting seeing drivers reading a book, shaving, or doing their make-up on the interstate. The new technology might make it safer, in some cases. Then again, Darwin may have had a point.
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Yeah, for a number of years, late '90's into 2009, I commuted on an Interstate 50 miles one-way to the shop. Would see all manner of "negligent operation of a motor vehicle". For the first few years the drive was in an Alfa GT 1600 and at about the same time every day. Got to recognize the "regular" commuters. One guy going the same direction in the mornings in a Jeep Cherokee would be in the right lane, going EXACTLY 55 MPH with a newspaper spread over the steering wheel! In just an opposite instance there was a fella in a red Fuego going the other direction, we would flash headlights and wave at one another. He was an attentive driver AFAIC.
 
I got a 2020 Corolla. The 1999 I replaced was so reliable needing so little repair work until the end that I was happy to get another. And I've joked that you could tell when I bought it I was an "old" guy. Put 50% down and financed the rest so my credit report would show one last larger load and payoff before I retire in another 2-3 years.
 
I didn't buy it new, but I lucked into my Mazda because it had a manual and the person selling it told me that he had at least a dozen people come to look at it (and it was in very good condition bordering on immaculate) but then walk away when they saw the 5 speed stick sticking up between the seats. A few years later I had to get the motor mounts renewed and they had to come in from Canada - so few of them were sold with a stick in the USA that they didn't even have the repair parts in inventory in this country.
 
I use the GPS on my phone. I used to use a Garmin, but it broke and even if it hadn't, it wasn't always up to date. The phone accounts for traffic, and will tell me the amount of delay on my existing route and ask me if I want a different route to save time.

Last night, we went to a friend's house in the dark for dinner. I would never found it with a paper map.

The phone also doesn't say "RECALCULATING" when I override it. With the Garmin, I always expected it to eventually say "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
 
I generally use either a Garmin (but getting it updated is a pain) or a cheap prepaid phone (which I never installed the SIM into) loaded with the OpenStreetmaps mapping software. I live in and go to places where the internet will not come, so depending on a device which can always need to talk to Google in order to figure itself out is not useful. I can go to a place that has Wifi and update the OpenStreetmaps stuff when I am able, but I don't want to have to count on the internet existing at all times.
 
BobHaskell said:
I expect my Garmin to say "You never listen to me. Why am I even here?"
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Another great thing about paper maps is that they never talk back.
 
Nope, gotta pull over and take a minute and consult the map.
 
Popeye said:
Cuz there's no way my co-pilot is reading it correctly :ROFLMAO:

'tho I love her dearly!
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My wife has a cousin that gives perfect directions; If she says "Turn left" you know to turn right, and vice versa. My navigator is right 50% of the time.
 
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