From: Cecil Moore on Sun, Sep 10 2006 7:06 am

Dee Flint wrote:
Someone skilled in driving a vehicle with a manual transmission and actually
using it can reap a number of performance benefits. These include improved
gas mileage, better passing performance, better performance in hilly
terrain, etc. If people were required to learn how to drive vehicles with
manual transmissions, more of them might actually choose to drive such
vehicles.

Riding a bicycle has even more benefits so force everyone
to pass a bicycle riding exam.

Cecil, bicycles (and most motorcycles) need smooth
roadways; it is hard to operate "CW" while mobile and
off-road on a bike.

Now HORSEBACK mobile is the same on-road or off-road. No
gasoline or oil needed nor "gear shifting." Horses can
make "new models" all by themselves, keep themselves
"powered up" without the aid of stations like Exxon, 76,
Shell, or Sinclair. The US Army even had a 'horse
mobile' radio set (1943) to talk while the troop was on the
move. :-)

Everybody ought to learn to "sit" a horse and guide it. :-)

---

Dee seems to have little experience in long-haul driving,
or even short-haul automotive transport. I learned to
drive in a '39 Ford sedan. The first three autos I owned
were manual trans, a Plymouth two-door (came out west in
it), a '53 Austin-Healey roadster (manual trans went
kaput while downshifting on a freeway off-ramp back in
'60), and a Brit very compact station wagon. A whole
lotta NONSENSE to do the clutch-gearshift thing on all
those manual transmission vehicles even if it was easy
for me. NO "performance increase" whatsoever of manual
versus automatic.

Buying a new 2005 Chevy Malibu MAXX with its better
engine system computer allowed us to get 32.7 MPG
(based on both fuel tank filling receipts AND the
Driver Information Center display of MPG) for a 1,900
mile round trip up to Washington state and back in
July this year. That's without using the Cruise
Control (which my wife likes but I don't, driving
over 90% of the time). About 2 1/2 MPG better than
the Chevy Cavalier wagon for the same distance the
year before. MAXX had done almost as good MPG in
September last year on a much longer distance to
Wisconsin, again doing about 2 1/2 MPG better than
the Cavalier over the same route the year before that.

The engine computers keep getting better and better,
some even compensating for the bad habits of some
drivers using the almost-universal automatic. Why
anyone would prefer using a manual or automatic in
stop-and-go city traffic can be summed up as
RATIONALIZATION or braggadoccio by manual trans
owners. Besides, operating "CW" in stop-and-go city
traffic will seriously cut down one's morsemanship
speed with a manual trans. Unless one has a third
hand... :-)

Cell phone coverage is growing, growing, growing.
My wife used the cell for all kinds of calls while
we were moving in MAXX through several states, even
checking her e-mail on AOL! Without any skill at
morsemanship whatsoever, she "worked" her sister
in WA state from the parking lot of a restaurant in
Amana, IA, using the cell phone. :-)

Hmmmm. One out of three Americans has a cell phone
now. Yet, Blowcode contends "everyone has to learn"
morsemanship to have a backup skill in comms? :-)