I Want My Stick

So once in a while I'll take out a zipcar or a rental for whatever to go whatever to see whomever whereever or look at whatever whateverwheres. And I'm seeing more and more cars with this "Tiptronic" shifting situation. Like an automatic car basically with the option to shift gears manually without a clutch. I've tried it out a couple times but I don't understand where the fun is with that. Or why it's necessary. After a couple shiftys, I usually just end up forgetting I'm supposed to still be shifting and red line the car then go back to automatic and wonder why anyone would want to shift gears without a clutch.

I like driving stick. I gotta assume there's alot of us out there. Like, if you like racing cars I gotta figure you like driving with a clutch. Isn't that the whole fun to racing on some level? Or if you drive offroad it seems to me that's where some fun is. Would it be as much fun with tiptronic? I guess if you live in San Francisco or someplace super hilly I guess I could see the Tiptronic coming into play. But are automatic cars that bad with hills? They seem to get it.

I don't have a car nor plan to buy one anytime soon (if any car company wants to be the Official Car Provider of oddtodd.com let me know) but my fear is that stick shift cars are going away. I'm sure with like sport cars or whatever they'll still be around-- but in regular cars is stick shift being weeded out and replaced with this 'option' tiptronic crap? To like save on having to produce two kinds of cars? I hope not because I like my stick shift! (yes even in the city!) And when it comes time for me to buy a car in 2011-2014-- I don't want to be stuck with tiptronicness! I want my stickshift! Even if it's a Corolla!

Or am I just so out of the loop new car-wise that I'm just being paranoid and everything is fine stickwise?

ok bye!

tOdd