From: none@none.com99   
      
   On 1/1/2026 12:21 PM, Richard Smith wrote:   
   > Hello all.   
   > Don't know if this is worth a chortle.  Given a lot of you in North   
   > America.   
   > Here in the UK, getting a hire-car, they asked   
   > "Would you be alright with an auto-transmission car - are you used to   
   > one?"   
   > (You couldn't rental a stick-shift car in the USA could you ?! - else   
   > it would be a bad idea?)   
   > Best wishes and a happy new year   
   > Rich S   
   >   
      
   I learned to drive in an old Dodge pickup with a worn out granny 4 speed   
   and a shift pattern larger than I could reach without leaning out and   
   over.  Even with a pop crate behind my back so I was sitting far enough   
   forward to reach the pedals.  I'd be okay either way.  I learn to drive   
   truck with a dual speed split axle with a 10K forklift on the back.   
   Headed out unloaded I just drove it in high range.  Climbing Telegraph   
   pass I split shifted a couple times.  6-7% grade both ways.  It didn't   
   shift like it said on the heater box.  I had to experiment on the fly on   
   the side of a mountain.   
      
   I am not sure I have ever been offered a rental with a manual   
   transmission, but I can see why they don't offer them at most rental   
   places.  My kids (30/29) have never driven a vehicle with a manual   
   transmission that I know of.  To be fair back in the dark ages I took my   
   road test to get my license in a vehicle with an automatic so it was one   
   less thing to worry about.   
      
   I miss jamming gears sometimes, but with 404 hp & 445 ft/lb in my   
   current road vehicle I'm not sure I could make the most of it anyway.   
   That ten speed automatic does a pretty good job most of the time.   
   Sometimes I wish it would up shift sooner in off road mode, but if I get   
   tire of it I can switch it to "manual" (fly by wire)  gear selection mode.   
      
   I do recall once when I was small my dad renting a semi when we moved   
   our grocery business from one town to another back in the 60s.  It had a   
   very complicated manual transmission with to many levers.  I think   
   that's a different class of rental though.  Not sure you could rent one   
   today.   
      
   Its interesting they even ask though.  On this side of the pond   
   automatic is the default.  They don't even ask.   
      
   --   
   Bob La Londe   
   CNC Molds N Stuff   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)