I am considering a HD pickup that has a manual transmission. I have plenty of experience driving a stick, so that is not an issue. What is on my mind though, is whether the aches and pains of an aging body eventually make it hard to manipulate the clutch etc. The cost of this truck is such that it will take me into my 70s to pay it off, god willing I live that long, and then I may be at the point where I would not want to trade and get a new one. So, is it possible to drive a stick into the sunset?

I think only you can know if your knees and such are up to the job over time. I know mine can get real tired of it if we get stuck in stop and go traffic. The good thing is that with modern hydraulic clutch's they don't have nearly the stiffness of the old linkage style units. If you were to get a Cummins powered truck you don't even have to touch the throttle to take off - just let the clutch out.

I was considering that on a 'true' HD truck.. a semi. Although the clutch was hard to push, it only needed to be done at stop lights. I thought that might be doable, until I started thinking about backing into a campsite. I tried back and forth a couple times, and by then my thigh was on fire. Try that on your considered purchase.

My first 4 brand new trucks were stick shifts. I always kind of liked shifting, and felt more in control on ice, using the clutch.My GF talked me into an auto on the next new one, so she could drive it. I kind of liked it too. I've had half a dozen more new ones since, all with auto.I did have a left knee injury, while owning one of the stick shifts. I got to tell you, that was a pain to drive, and took a long time to heal.If this may be your last truck, I would suggest getting the auto, and not worry about future days of shifting.JMHO, Jerry

The older I get, the more I'm committed to stay with manual trannys for reasons having nothing to do with vehicle performance as they have up until recently. Part of my thinking is that since more input from the driver is required, concentration/attention to the task of driving is heightened- hopefully providing extra brain exercise. And then there's the just plain wanna-keep-limber thing...any exercise/use of the ol' joints is good. Same reason I cling to the use of a low beach-type chair in camp. I'll never forget the day a forty-five year-old friend of mine revealed that he could no longer get up out of a chair that low, just due to lack of doing it. Shocked the heck out of me...I'm not goin' gentle into THAT good night!

Ponderosa, your post brought a smile to me and a thought that I finally found a post that I could reply to with the worn out saying that, an automatic transmission in your case would be "good insurance."The only thing i drive that has a manual transmission is my 52 8N Ford.Both my lawn tractor and Z are hydros.Good luck if you decide to kick gears into the sunset.

Too old for a manual transmission? | Good Sam Community

blofgren
Explorer
Apr 02, 2014
The new Ram trucks with the manual transmission are very easy to drive. The clutch pedal takes very little effort to push, the clutch engages very nice, and the transmission shifts very easily. To top it off the Cummins has tons of low end torque. This, combined with the zero throttle launch feature makes them a beautiful truck to drive.

I just bought a new 2013 Ram 3500 Megacab dually Laramie with the 6.7L Cummins and G56 6 speed manual on Sunday and I do not regret the decision at all. In fact my wife is now planning on taking driving lessons on a manual transmission so that she can drive it! She wanted the truck even more than I did!

If you like the manual I say go for it; I highly doubt you will regret it. That truck will also be very easy to sell in the future because the Cummins with the manual is a very desirable truck.
C_Schomer
Explorer
Apr 02, 2014
My FIL is 84 and very much still camps and drive his 6 spd manual. Craig
colliehauler
Explorer III
Apr 02, 2014
If you have doubts now it will only get worse as you age. You know what you can do better then any of us.
Jarlaxle
Explorer II
Apr 01, 2014
My uncle's tow vehicle is a standard shift: an old T-19 with a (heavy) mechanical clutch. Like most HD transmissions, you don't need the clutch when maneuvering, because first and reverse are such low ratios. He floats gears and only uses the clutch if he is stopping. His daily-driver Ranger is also standard shift.

For the first time since I was 16, I do not have a vehicle with a standard shift. :(
Fordlover
Explorer
Mar 31, 2014
My father was born in '44, and still enjoys his standard trans. I prefer to commute in my 6 speed manual sports sedan over my Automatic SUV. It's a personal choice, at least until they stop selling manual transmissions...
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Mar 31, 2014
Sport45 wrote:
Age has nothing to do with it.

I had my left foot operated on last year. If my truck didn't have an auto I'd have been grounded for at least 12 weeks. No thanks.
Hell I had my right foot operated on and couldn't drive my manual or auto tranny trucks/car for 2 weeks.

Folks can think up all kinds of excuses to drive what they own.

I'm 72 and have no problems with the NV5600 behind the my Cummins.

My son in law had a manual tranny small car years back and said he could drive my manual tranny truck. He found out rather quick a big heavy 6 speed manual tranny truck had nothing in common with his experience with small cars.

The OP would be wise to drive one first. Their not for everyone.
Sport45
Explorer II
Mar 31, 2014
Age has nothing to do with it.

I had my left foot operated on last year. If my truck didn't have an auto I'd have been grounded for at least 12 weeks. No thanks.
McDonoughDawg
Explorer
Mar 31, 2014
Too old? NEVER
coolbreeze01
Explorer
Mar 31, 2014
Hard to take modern stick shifts seriously having been raised on quadraplexes. Have fun.
rhagfo
Explorer III
Mar 31, 2014
45Ricochet wrote:
Bionic Man wrote:
When I ordered a truck in 2002, I ordered a Ram with the NV5600 because it had a higher towing capacity and more power than was available in the automatics. Now the opposite is true. You give up a substancial amount of hp & torque if you decide to go with a manual.

When I got my 2012 I thought I might miss rowing gears on my own. Well, I don't. Not even a little bit.

What is it about the manual tranny that you are drawn to?

X2

Your giving up a BUNCH of HP/TQ. No thanks

5.7 Hemi (Gasoline) 383 @ 5,600 400@3,950 66RFE six-speed automatic
6.4 Hemi (Gasoline) 410 @ 5,600 429@4,000 66RFE, opt. ASC69RC
Cummins Diesel 385 @ 2,800 850 @ 1,600 Aisin ASC69RC (Ram 3500)
Cummins Diesel 350 @ 2,800 660 @ 1,500 Six-speed manual
Cummins Diesel 370 @ 2,800 800 @ 1,600 68RFE six-speed automatic

I believe that autos have come a long way in the last several years, they have been built to handle the torque of the modern diesel. What Ram is afraid to do is put a real clutch in the Ram. I would love to have a 385 HP 850# Cummins with a six speed backed up with a Dual Disk clutch, that would hold the extra HP and torque.