No More manual for A4?!

[cobram at juno.com]

L DC <ldc007usa at yahoo.com> writes:
 
> I second your point, Vittorio.
> 
> In Latin America, as in Europe, stick- shift is the norm, even after 
> markets opened up in the late 1990's. Automatics are still 
> considered second-rate vehicles, especially in sports cars.
 
I spend about 6 months a year overseas and my observations are very
different.  Automatics sell at a premium in these markets, in the new and
used sector.  People are willing to pay more, sometimes much more for the
same vehicle with an automatic, not something they'd do if they were
considered "second rate."  As far as sports cars go, they are WAY out of
the reach of  average income people in most countries (thanks to onerous
tax laws,) those that do have the big buck$ for sports cars usually buy
them as status symbols, and IF an automatic is offered, (sadly) they'll
usually buy it over a stick.    

> Even among women drivers, the balance leans much more toward 
> automobiles with manual trannies.

Well, it's because of economics, not preference.  The majority of the
fleets in these countries are tiny, unsafe at any speed, lightened, CHEAP
econoboxes.  All things being equal, they'll choose an automatic every
time.  People will however opt for what they know, in the short term
anyway.  If a person has only had access to and driven stick shifts (or
vice versa) they will opt to drive what they know, without regard to
anything except familiarity.  I see it all the time, visitors with no
automatic exposure who come to the US where there are NO stick shift
rental vehicles are usually intimidated by automatics, some refusing to
rent the cars altogether.  


> South of the border, the mentality pretty much is that if you don't 
> know how to drive a stick-shift car, then you're not a true-driver 
> or as some put it; you simply suck and /or are not a real man.

Everyone should know how to drive a stick, that's a fact.  I don't know
South of What border you're talking about, but assuming Mexico, my
travels to Mexico tell me they're happy to have anything to drive.  I
suspect many of these "real men" couldn't drive their way out of a paper
garage, I know some petite women drivers who could drive Crown Vics in
circles around these macho men .  Not going to get into the lowering and
300HP stick on hood scoops I suspect present on many of these macho 
men's rides.
 
> Getting back to automatics, however, those come in handy down here 
> in South Florida on rainy days.

And in ANY very large city.  Sit in a traffic jam in Mexico City or Sao
Paulo for 4 hours,  or in Moscow for 8 hours, then come and regale me
with the joys of a manual transmission.
 
> During a very, very light rain fall on Friday, a 15-minute drive 
> took me 1 hour and 15 minutes, despite no accidents; that's just 
> plain ridiculous. I was driving my wife's automatic and my legs were 
> hurting by the time I got to the destination; thank God I didn't 
> take the manual tranny car.

You proved my point.  Just don't tell the "homies", wouldn't want them
thinking you're not a real hombre.   ;-)
 
> In general, South Florida drivers are really some of the worst I've 
> encounter. Sorry for running off topic.

150% in agreement here.  South Florida is definitely a "if you don't like
the way I drive, get off the sidewalk" experience.  "God's waiting room"
has some of the worse drivers on the planet, second only to Korea IMHO. 
Some of the best...from an urban gorilla and keeping things moving,
probably cities in India.  Sit and watch a 6 way intersection in Calcutta
and you'll begin to question the laws of physics, especially the one
about 2 bodies occupying the same space, they seem to be able to without
damage.

BCNU,
http://www.geocities.com/cobramsri/
"God's a kid with an ant farm, lady. He's not planning anything."