I have a friend who consistently says "5-speed" instead of "manual" or "stick" or anything else when distinguishing a manual transmission from automatic or CVT. I've even seen him say "5-speed" in reference to 4 or 6 speed vehicles, like a Honda Sprint or Ford Fiesta ST. This time we were discussing teaching his wife how to drive my stick shift car. Invariably, he would speak of "teach her how to drive a 5-speed" and "learn to drive a 5-speed" throughout the conversation.
I expect to see this line used in the "quoted out of context" thread.
I'm sure he's not the only person who does that, but he vehemently refuses to use "manual" or "stick" instead when others suggest it and claims his way to be the most popular way. Even when you point out that games generally have "M - Manual" and "A - Automatic" options, he continues defends his usage (at least for genuinely 5-speed) vehicles by saying that it is the dominant way to refer to it in the real world. He even went as far as saying that if you were searching for a car on Craigslist and you didn't want an automatic, you should add "5-speed" to your search and not "manual" because sellers and buyers alike universally agree on this, implying that I was the odd one out.

I also pointed out that even various automatic transmissions have a varying number of speeds and that any time a manufacturer says "#-speed" in reference to a manual transmission they always say "manual" too, like "Transmission type: 5-speed manual" on a specs list. Unless you are trying to distinguish the number of speeds from another manual transmission, "manual" is clearly the correct way to refer to the transmission type.

We actually started arguing about this days after our conversation about teaching his wife how to drive my car. I never brought it up until I was just picking on him days later, but he got so defensive I thought I'd make a poll for the next time it comes up.  

From what I recall, USUALLY the drop-down box when you're filling in car details would be "manual transmission" (since #-speed can vary by model)


The worst term I ever heard for it was somebody that called it a "straight drive", but slurred in a heavy rural GA accent.
Couldn't tell what the heck he was talking about, until he clarified, you know "not an automatic"... "oh, you mean a MANUAL TRANSMISSION?"  

LOL! I would assume that "straight drive" would be directly driven by the motor with no transmission, like a fixed gear bicycle!
 

I have always used manual most of the time. That or stick shift. Never 5-speed, although I have heard people use that. I may say something along the lines of "It's a 6-speed, manual transmission."

If I could tell what he was even saying, I might have guessed he was talking about a manual.

But when says "stayuut drayve", and I have to get him to repeat himself 3 times, I'm not even at the stage of guessing definitions.

 

It's been 16 years since I drove a manual, I wonder if I could still do it.

Probably.

It's like riding a bike - it's not a skill set that you lose.

 

I call it a manual, because they do indeed differ in the number of gears they have.

I prefer driving a manual and have found though that you need to use all of those different terms if you are searching on craigslist though, as people seem to use all of them.

Manual is the correct term, IMO.

The transmission either shifts by itself or it doesn't- regardless of the number of speeds.

On top of that "stick" doesn't really capture it accurately, because unless you have a tiptronic/paddle tranmission, your automatic still has a stick, and that "stick" is likely similar in structure to the classic "3 on the tree".

 

I say manual

i drove an old truck that was 3 on the tree once.  It was miserable

I'm not sure I've ever actually seen one, in person, but I would expect the ergonomics to be terrible.

Then couple that with the miserable experience of driving an old-school manual versus how smooth the clutch is on newer manual transmissions.
 

Yeah and mechanical clutch linkage vs hydraulic. 

Its funny, when I was a mechanic I worked at the "referee" station which is a place for special cars to get smogs (it has a dyno)

Larry Ellison (CEO of Oracle) brought his McLaren f1 in to get it smogged. Carbon fiber seat in the middle and everything. I had to drive it on the dyno, One of the scariest experiences of my life. Driving a $1.3 million car on a Dyno, which in itself is an odd feeling.

Anyways, that clutch felt just like a heavy mechanical clutch as well which surpised me. It engaged like a light switch, and I was expecting it to be soft and smooth. 

I had the impression that most super cars were like that, where you have a heavy pedal and seemlingly discrete engagement to prevent you from anhillating your clutch by accidentally having a tiny amount of pedal engagement.

(Not talking super-cars, but reasonably powerful exotics, it was an 80's model, but my granddad once had a Ferrarri GTB, and it purpotedly had a clutch that was truly unpleasant to use)
 

WOW...story of the day right here...that is amazing.  Holy balls I can barely imagine seeing one in person, but to actually drive it (even if just up on a dyno) holy smokes.
 

the right answer is "standard", you young punks!

There are a diminishingly small number of makes where you can get a manual transmission as "standard" anymore  
(makes car shopping tough, nowadays)
 

I might need to make another poll.  

It's always bugged me that CA calls it "Smog Check" or "Smogging" instead of "Emissions Testing" or "Emissions." I lived in San Diego for several years and it bugged me the whole time!

The stuff they are checking for isn't technically smog until sunlight combines it with nitrates in the atmosphere to form particulates. They aren't all smog-related emissions that they are testing for either. Here, we "fail emissions," or "get emissions done" in order to maintain registration. That makes more sense to me.

 

LOL! I knew I was leaving something out.  

 

I always refer to it as driving a standard. If i didnt say that id just say manual transmission or stick. Never heard #-speed without someone adding "manual transmission" after it.

Manual!!!!

Manual or standard. 5 speed CAN be accurate if the car is actually a 5 speed, but manual or standard are better terms if you ask me.

I found the opposite because it was worn out, driving a farm stuck (70s F100 scale) you could just drop the clutch in 1st and it would move.  Normal starts were usually done in 2nd   

 

They're not in demand, which sucks for people like me that hates automatics.