I started to drive stick in my driveway about 8 months before I got my permit. I drove the car almost entirely without touching the gas pedal for most of those months. By the time I was driving it on the road, hills were my only problem (and I still mostly blame it on the terrible clutch that was in the car).
I love driving a manual, I feel like I am directly connected to the car instead of telling a computer I want the car to move forward. As for gas mileage, my transmission doesn't help. I have a bad habit of not shifting out of first until I hit 50 (km/h). After a few months you barely notice the difference between and auto and a standard (atleast I didn't), but I get bored driving automatics now.

 

Since I feel like I know how to drive a stickand I think its just the cars I have been driving I'm going to wait until I find a good one and then get it . Thanks for everyone's help

 

I started my Generation 4 search in January. I was dead set on a 6 speed. I had an 89 IROC Z 5 speed that I sold many years ago. (at 18 the insurance was a killer on a college kid) Now that I'm in my 30's I can again enjoy speed at a cheaper insurance rate. For every 10 automatics I found for sale I found one manual and it was beat to death. There was no second gear left. I drove some automatics and it grew on me. I ended up in a 97 30th Anniversary Z28 automatic.

 

@hookandladder I really know what you mean because tears the situation I'm in . I really want to buy from a dealer and would be willing to pay the extra money but I just can't find the right vehicle. I always thought though that if I found a z28 auto for a good price I would be happy with that but I haven't found either yet.

 

Thats right guys, we all have to learn how to pass with a manual, and I can drive one fine. But the opinion of american cars, (will at least mine) is that most should be an auto generally.
The camaro is so nice and lazy to cruise about with the auto, its nice on the later 4th gens as you can manual hold 1st and 2nd so still shift it. And with some ECU tuning you can get is to change gear much faster than any human, hands down (mine shifts in 0.2 s)

For auto cross or track the manual will be more fun, but i can only imaging in traffic it can really get annoying? Auto as best for the strip, as the other say, wack a 3000+rpm stall in there and the car is a real animal

 

just because you drive a manual doesnt mean you burn through gears the whole time your driving. I often skip gears, saves gas and frees up hand usage. one thing is important you must know how your responds and the catch point in your clutch.