11 disappearing car features (manual transmission and hand-crank windows listed).

[RedRide]

My 2 cents........

Emergency brake - It's for an "emergency" whether or not you even have a battery in the car. How does an electric brake serve all emergencys?

Elimination of keys - How does one get into the car if there's an electrical problem or with the lack of a battery?

Elimination of hand crank windows - I have to admit that the one thing I wish I had on my Yaris is electric windows .

Manual transmissions - First they will have to eliminst those cars that are fun to drive at which point it does not matter what the transmission is.
Sadly, the auto industry as a whole is well on its was toward that goal . Most cars have become nothing more than boring cookie cutter transportation vehicles.
Even in the horse and buggy days there were carriages that created excitement to drive in addiction to the utilitarian carriages. The auto industry has only built a very few exciting car in decades.
I remember the MG-B I bought back in '76. One main reason why it was exciting is because you had to go through the gears as the engine had limited power..... It was just fun to drive over all .
We now have generations of drivers who have never known the positive experience of driving a manual and think it is too old fashioned to even consider anymore..... to them, newer is always better .
IMO a car that has an auto is not worth buying as a manual the the last vestige of fun driving for the vast majority of vehicles. With an auto, you are just aiming the vehicle.

Many of the things manufacturers want to eliminate simply reflect a cost cutting issue and not a common sense issue. They are not the result advancing technology.
The public has the final say and those who listen will always come out on top.

Anyway, keep in mind that predictions of future trends are more often than not, dead wrong.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by RedRide

My 2 cents........

Emergency brake - It's for an "emergency" whether or not you even have a battery in the car. How does an electric brake serve all emergencys?

Agree, and for the same reason

Elimination of keys - How does one get into the car if there's an electrical problem or with the lack of a battery?

Agree, and for the same reason

Elimination of hand crank windows - I have to admit that the one thing I wish I had on my Yaris is electric windows .

Disagree - I my hand crank windows -- simplicity, safety, track, etc. = less likely to need replacing than electronic mechanism, etc.

Manual transmissions - first they will have to eliminst those cars that are fun to drive at which point it dos not matter what the transmission is.
Sadly, the auto industry as a whole is well on its was toward that goal . Cars have become nothing more than boring cookie cutter transportation vehicles.
Even in the horse and buggy days there were carriages that created excitement to drive in addiction to the utilitarian carriages. The auto industry has only built a very few exciting car in decades.

I agree. When I was a little kid, one of my much, much older close relatives told me about driving before a DL was required. When she was 12 her father bought her a car to drive her mother around in because her mother was afraid to drive.

I remember the MG-B I bought back in '76. One main reason why it was exciting is because you had to go through the gears as the engine had limited power..... It was just fun to drive over all .

20 years later, in 1996, a friend of mine bought a 1976 MG-B. That car broke down so often it was astounding. A real money pit..but it was, for lack of a better word, a 'charming' car....and there is something to be said for driving a convertible in San Francisco. She lived in San Francisco and drove it all around the city. Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about overnight parking, as her building had a garage.

[nookandcrannycar]

I posted a slightly longer version (with the price and all the discounts listed) of this on the '5-speed Resale Value' thread (post #19) ---- A new car ad (for a 2013 Ford Focus S) in today's Houston Chronicle included as one of the discounts -- "$1000.00 Focus Manual Transmission Bonus Cash" .

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by RedRide

IMO a car that has an auto is not worth buying as a manual the the last vestige of fun driving for the vast majority of vehicles.

I agree in spirit, with only one exception. The Prius V. If you need that level of space and utility and proven reliability, and also want that level of fuel economy, there is no other alternative.

With an auto, you are just aiming the vehicle.

I agree, but MANY people STRONGLY disagree with us (to each his own )