Classic Cars: Are There Advantages to Manual Transmissions?

Many classic car enthusiasts will tell you there’s nothing quite like driving a stick shift, or manual transmission, vehicle. They call these cars “engaging”; forcing drivers to learn more about their vehicle and how it works. Of course, in the last decade and longer, manual transmissions have been pretty steadily replaced by automatic transmissions, which many of today’s drivers prefer as they are easier to drive. However, stick shifts haven’t completely gone out of style yet!

While there is not conclusive evidence that having a stick shift will automatically deter all car thieves, these thieves usually don’t have any practice handling manual transmissions. Therefore, it’s highly unlikely if you have a stick shift, it will get stolen. Carjackings have literally failed because the would-be thieves didn’t know how to shift gears. Theft deterrent is not the only advantage to manual transmissions though. As one article from Autosaur.com cites, the numerous benefits of stick shifts include the following:

Cheaper: Many people feel that cars with manual transmissions are cheaper to buy and repair. Of course, this may differ with classic cars, as many more factors go in to determine the value of classic cars than that of modern vehicles.

Safer. Not only does driving a stick shift require the driver to use both hands, leaving no room for distraction by texting or eating, accidents involving a vehicle accelerating uncontrollably simply cannot happen with a manual transmission. In a stick shift, a driver would simply have to step down on the clutch and coast to safety, should their car do that.

Better fuel efficiency. With stick shift, drivers have more control. So, if you know how to shift those gears, you can manage far better fuel efficiency than an automatic.

While you may not drive your classic car much, if at all, a manual transmission may benefit you if you do decide to drive it. No matter what type of transmission your classic has, At Condon Skelly, we’ve been helping our customers protect their classics with affordable, industry-leading insurance coverage since 1967. We’re a group of collectors, enthusiasts, and professionals who specialize in insuring all types of collector vehicles. For more information, please contact us today at (866) 291-5694.