Manual (stick shifts) transmissions are dying out.  Seriously dying out.  According to Ward’s Communications, 22.4% of cars sold in the U.S. in 1985 were manual transmissions, but in 2007 that number dropped to 7.7%.  Recently, aolautos.com checked their inventory of cars that are for sale and of the 4,391,747 vehicles only 241,560 or 5.5% came with a manual transmission.

Here’s some reasons for the shift (no pun intended) in the transmissions.  Years ago, manual transmissions had much better fuel economy.  Now automatic transmissions are much better gas wise, so it pretty even for fuel economy.  Also, stop and go traffic means more work for the driver of a manual transmission.  May be a pain especially if people are trying to talk on their cell phones, use their navigation systems, or text.  Also, because there are less manual transmissions around, teens are not learning to drive manual transmissions in driving school.  Therefore, these teens aren’t interested in buying manuals.  It’s a chain reaction, and if you ask me a sad one. My first car was a manual transmission.  I’d hate to see them go, as I’m sure others will as well.

John Brown is an editor of roadabletimes.com, which is a website for database of flying cars.  He predicts that flying cars will not longer be a fantasy but actually a reality within the next 5 years…”a practical everyday flying car.”  When you think about this it seems ridiculous to me. We are trying to get electric cars and hybrids to become everyday use in the next 5 years, let alone flying cars.  Well I saw pictures and little descriptions of these 6 flying cars on msnbc.com that have slight potential to become more than a concept, and some of definitely more believable that there is a chance than others.

First instance, there is one that is called a Skycar and it is like a dune-buggy car that has a huge propeller on the rear and then a parasail for when you want to fly.  This Skycar actually made a successful trip from London to Timbuktu, Mali recently.  The car goes from 0 to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds, that’s good!  It also can drive a top speed of 140 mph.  When it flies, it can go 100 mph at top speed and if the engines were to fail midflight (hopefully not!) you can glide to safety with the parasail.  Skycars are on sale for about $80,000 and will be on sale starting later this year.  The Skycar seems like a pretty legit flying car, but where will you fly it?  I don’t know if doesn’t seem that practical to me.  I guess maybe I’d need more information.  If our society is having a hard time considering hybrids and electric cars, will people really buy these flying cars?  Especially for that price?  We’ll see.

Jerry Flint of Forbes.com has “stuck his neck out” and said that the Nissan Leaf will be “more likely be a sales failure than a sales success.”  Actually if you read the article, Flint really doesn’t have anything really good to say about this car that will be made in the U.S. starting in 2012.  I think he has a point in some of his complaints, but not all of them. First of all, one of his complaints is that the all-electric Nissan Leaf has a top speed of 90 mph.  What’s the problem?  Seriously, who needs to go any faster than 90?  When you are running from the cops????  I don’t think that should or will deter people from buying the Leaf.   

Next complaint, the range of the Leaf. Supposedly it will be able to go 100 miles before needing a recharge, but Flint seems to think that cold weather will reduce that, which could be true. This complaint to me is legit. I would hate to constantly be thinking about where I was to ensure that I can get to a charging station or home before my car dies.  That’s a big inconvenience to me, so I agree with you Flint. 

Price could be a concern as well.  Supposedly, the price of the Nissan Leaf will be around $27,000 but it could be much more when all is said and done, though you will probably get a nice tax credit for buying this eco-friendly vehicle. 

Charging is also a potential problem. It takes approximately 8 hours to fully charge the car.  It’s not a problem if you drive to and from work and then charge it at night at home. The problem is if you are out or travelling. There will be charging stations built, but for right now the majority of the stations will be on the West Coast, so if you don’t live there, it may be hard to find a station. That’s a problem. 

Flint said that “for real car buyers, the Nissan Leaf may be a decade or two ahead of its time. That may be true. I guess we will have to wait and see. Some Nissan Leafs will be sold in the U.S. later today and Hertz car rental will start renting cars in the U.S. early next year. Time will tell.      

This may be a very ignorant thing to say and maybe I don’t live in the right area for sports cars, but where are all of them?  I was just checking out autoblog.com, and the half of the blogs/articles talk about sports cars.  I’ll just give you a few examples….The revised Gumpert Apollo is coming to the Geneva Motor Show, “Black Ruby” Rolls-Royce coupe up for sale, 8 special Lotus Evoras sports cars will be auctioned off to raise money for Haiti.

I know that sports cars are fast and have a unique look, but these cars are really expensive.  Obviously people buy these cars because they are being built, but winter (I know, no one drives these sports cars in the winter,)  spring, summer, or fall, I never see sports cars, let alone these really fancy sports cars that cost a fortune.  Where are these cars?  California, Florida, showroom floors, in people’s garages?  Is that where I need to look?  I guess probably.  I wonder how many sports cars are sold in this economy.  I would love to see these sports cars!  Maybe someday.

I’m not privileged enough to have a car with the keyless cars, but there are 155 models this year that are offering an option of the keyless cars.  There were only 41 models with this available in 2006.  So in case you don’t know, the keyless cars work like this. You have to have a fob in your pocket or purse and as you approach the car your car doors will unlock and then you push a button to start your car and off you go.  Sounds easy and awesome, right?  i think so.

Well of course there are the skeptics and the problems with the keyless cars as their is with all new technology.  Not major problems or complaints, and probably in time their kinks will be ironed out.  One complaint by customers is that they are not sure what to do to turn off the car in an emergency.  Some models have your hold down the button, others must press the button 2-3 times.  There is no consistency with these keyless cars. Safety groups are trying to get Congress to have federal regulations put on these cars so that all of the procedures are the same.  This would make it easier for people, especially if these keyless cars become the norm.  That way if people were borrowing a car or renting a car, they would know exactly how the fob/car works without a key.  I love the idea of keyless cars and expect that this technology will become the norm before we know it.  Then I’ll be cool like the keyless car customers are.  Maybe not too, but I’ll try.

Want a new car for pretty cheap?  Well,  Honda is offering a great leasing deal, but hurry it expires at the end of this month.  My first car was a leased Honda Accord. I got a great deal and you can too.   Right now to “superpreferred credit tier” customers, you can get a base model Honda Accord LX for $199/mo with $2199 down for three years. That’s a nice buy!  If you need some more bells and whistles than the basics, you can get the Accord EX sedan for $219/mo. with $2599 down and the EX sedan with a V6 engine for $269/mo. with $2199 down.  Those are good deals as well.

Several years ago everyone leased their vehicles, then leasing declined dramatically last year, because automakers were worried about credit.  Now it’s going to come back alittle bit, because people cannot afford to buy new vehicles and the supply of used vehicles has declined. There needs to be a choice for some people, and leasing is a good option.

Other automakers such as Ford, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen also have good deals running right now. If you don’t need all the extras, I think the Honda Accord or something similar is well worth leasing right now.  Check it out!

So, the Chicago Auto Show came and and it will go on Sunday, with not too much talk or excitement. Of course a few new concepts were introduced, but really quite boring I would say.  Now we are moving on to the Geneva International Auto Show which starts on March 4-14.  Maybe there will be alittle more buzz at this show, though my guess is not. We haven’t had a lot of excitement from any of the major shows so far this year.  The automakers are trying to create sparks, but it’s hard when they are so concerned to not lose more money.  There is one interesting debut to come out at the Geneva Auto Show. Ford will be unveiling the production versions of the new C-Max and Grand C-Max wagons at the Geneva Auto Show, according to autoweek.com.  Wagons are coming back.  I like it!

The C-Max is a 5 seater and the Grand C-Max is a 7 seater and they will go on sale in Europe later this year.  In late 2011, the Grand C-Max (which will be known as the C-Max) will be sold in the U.S. Confused?  The 7 seat Grand C-Max has twin sliding doors.  Both cars are part of Ford’s idea to show the medium size car.  All we ever talk about these days are the small vehicles, so it’s a nice change and something for those not looking for the small Honda Fit or others like it.  The Ford Focus is another medium sized car debuting next year.  I look forward to a slight shift and “bigger” cars being debuted!  I think we should at least check out the Ford C-Max and Grand C-Max. They look different and that can be worthwhile.

Congress and Mothers Against Drunk Driving are working very hard to put into effect national laws for devices to be put in cars if you are found guilty of DUI (Driving Under the Influence) or DWI (Driving While Intoxicated.)  Some states already have laws in effect and if you are found guilty not only do you have to pay for the DWI ticket, etc. you have to buy the interlock device that you have to blow into before the car will start.  I think this is a great idea. The only problem is that you only have to have the device on your car for a certain amount of time and then it’s removed. Well unfortunately for many convicted DUI and DWI people, they repeat and there is a trend that shows that after the device is removed, within weeks they are arrested again. Either way, there is no doubt that these interlocking devices are lowering the driving drunk rates for sure.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers members from Ford, GM, Toyota, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz have been doing a lot of research to try to non-invasive ways to measure alcohol content through skin, perspiration, or a light off a driver’s retina.  The driver would be unaware of these measurements occuring.  The measuring could occur from the steering wheel, door handle, or brake shift where skin comes in contact.  The automakers do not want to “hassle the sober driver” and these non-invasive ways would not.

I love this idea. In the future, these built-in breathalyzers could become standard.  Some people think that the interlocking device or the built-in breathalyzers is an invasion of the driver’s privacy.  I disagree. Unfortunately, too many times drunk drivers kill other people, and if either device saves the life of 1 person, it’s well worth it. What do you think?  Good idea or invasion of privacy???  I’d love to hear what you guys think.

Forbesautos.com compiled a list of the world’s most expensive cars.  I know that the majority of us cannot afford 1/4 of these cars but it’s still fun to read about them and their enormous price tags!  I still would love to meet someone who buys these cars, because they probably don’t even really drive them. I’m sure they are “summer cars” or used on special occasions. These most expensive cars are REALLY expensive. I know that sounds dumb, but they are a lot of money.  By the way, the tax is not included in these prices.

Lamborghini Reventon - $1,454,400, horsepower 650, 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds, top speed of 211 mph. 20 will be made.

Pagani Zonda Cinque Coupe - $1,738,080, horsepower 678, 0 to 60 3.3 seconds, top speed of 217 mph.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 - $1,738,080, horsepower 1001, 0 to 60 mph 2.5 seconds, top speed of 249 mph.

Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster - $1,882,920, horsepower 678, 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds, top speed of 355 mph (yup 355 is what I said!) only 5 will be sold.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport - $2,027,760, horsepower 1001, 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds, and top speed of 253 mph.

AND THE WINNER IS…………………………………..

Koenigsegg CCXR - $2,173,950, horsepower 1018, 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds, and top speed of 250 mph. 4 cars are currently being built.

I know that this is just mindless information really, but sometimes mindless is good.  Plus, it’s fun to see how the “other side” drive!!!!!

I have the top or bottom 5 vehicles of 2010 according to U.S. News and World Report.  Now of course this is just one group’s opinions of the newest vehicles, but I like what U.S. News and World Report normally has to say.  They did the research that we all need to do before we consider buying a new car. I would definitely not consider the 5 worst vehicles of 2010 and put the 5 best vehicles on my list to check out when I’m ready to buy, maybe you should too.

Best 5

Hyundai Genesis Coupe - MSRP $22,000-$31,000

Ford Transit Connect - MSRP $20,780-$22,350 great choice for the small business owners

Mercedes-Benz E-Class - MSRP $48,600-$58,800 this is a redesigned model that is supposedly a better car all around than the one it replaced.

GMC Terrain - MSRP $24,250-$31,000 a very affordable compact SUV

Cadillac CTS Sports Wagon - MSRP $39,830-$53,620

Worst 5

Honda Accord Crosstour - not much cargo space, expensive, and not living up to hype of its competitors.

Dodge Caliber - Dodge has cut back the warranty and one of the models of the Caliber.  Not good news.

Lexus HS hybrid - it supposedly doesn’t excel as a Lexus or hybrid.

Chrysler Sebring - “same bad investment as it ever was.” Yikes!

Land Rover LR4 - expensive car with bad fuel economy and poor reputation for reliability. Not worth it.

So there are the good and the bad.  If you want more details on each vehicle, read the article. May be worth it for you.