Are you thinking about getting a car with a manual transmission? If you are, then you should know that there are pros and cons to getting a ‘stick shift,’ just like any product that you might be thinking of purchasing. The biggest advantage of getting a manual car is cost effectiveness. Cars with manual transmission generally cost less than their automatic counterparts and the maintenance also offers a lot of savings. A lot of drivers are also quick to state that manual cars offer better fuel economy; but since that will also depend on a person’s method of shifting gears, it differs on a case to case basis.

The most important thing to ask yourself before you opt for a car with manual transmission is whether you can drive one. Driving a manual car takes a lot more work than driving an automatic; it takes practice, good coordination and concentration. For heavy traffic, you’re definitely going to get a work out because you’ll be handling the clutch as well as the brake pedal and accelerator. If you haven’t tried driving a car with a manual transmission before or if you’ve only tried it a couple of times, it might be best if you opt for an automatic.

When driving an automatic car, all you need to worry about is starting the engine and pointing the car towards the right direction and deciding how fast you want to go. Driving a manual car takes a certain level of multi-tasking skills; the driver needs to be able to monitor his speed and shift to the appropriate gear when needed which needs to be done smoothly or the car might stall.

For experienced drivers, the added difficulty of driving a manual car is worth the trouble for the control that it offers. The ability to change gears on command instead of waiting on the car’s onboard computer to do it for you offers fluidity of use that skilled drivers would appreciate. With enough skill in driving a manual car, you can also significantly increase fuel economy and cut back on fuel cost.