Re: Auto vs Stick

[Lynne Glazer <lglazer@cyberg8t.com>]

I guess we all do what we can...

My 1 ton Dodge is my primary use truck--used in my consulting practice
to drive all over LA, frequently in rush hour traffic, often with the
bed full of equipment.  After 11 years of driving a stick, I opted for
an automatic.  This Dodge diesel has 67K miles in 2 years and 4 months. 
It tows a gooseneck 4 horse perhaps 3-4 times max per month, completely
opposite Heidi's scenario.

It's not practical for me to have two trucks.  Tried it and hated it. 
As it is, I had to have a ramp built so that my truck (standard cab)
would fit in my condo's garage.

If I lived in a rural area, sure, I'd have a stick again.  One of my
trucks went 147,000 miles before needing a clutch.

This is all making me nervous about my auto tranny--I do leave overdrive
on for the flats on the freeway, off for everything else while towing. 
The rpms drop way down, my mileage improves.  With O/D off, the mileage
even with the diesel is horrible.  

I'd also like to have a stick again if in a rural area because the
transmission on this Dodge does a horrible job in 3rd gear--it needs a
gear splitter for more efficient use--doesn't matter what the rpm is, or
what weight I'm hauling, and the trailer is aluminum.  A gear splitter
would be $2k, invalidates the warranty for anyone who still has one; I
had to chuckle at blasting through the "extended 2 yr warranty"
mileage-wise in less than a year.

Lynne
and Rem-member Me