Where can I rent a manual transmission car in Chicago or Milwaukee?

Hi all,

Does anybody know where can I rent a Manual transmission car in the
Chicago or Milwaukee area??

I have called lots of rental car agencies but none of them have them.

Thanks in advance.

In article . com,
wrote:

Hi all,

Does anybody know where can I rent a Manual transmission car in the
Chicago or Milwaukee area??

I have called lots of rental car agencies but none of them have them.

Thanks in advance.

Probably not possible, but try googling for something like "sports car
rentals Chicago" and see what turns up. You would probably have to rent
some kind of high end sports car to get a manual transmission, and
that's a long-shot, but it can't hurt to look.

The trouble with manual transmissions is they require a lot more
maintenance than automatics do because so many people do not know how to
shift properly. As a result, rental agencies tend to stay away from them
because they require more down time for maintenance.

It is very unusual for an ordinary passenger car with a manual tranny
to be available for rental in the US, probably because you really can't
take it for granted anymore that most people here know how to drive
them. (And you sure wouldn't want people self-teaching with your
equipment!)

Driving an automatic transmission is easy, which of course is the whole
idea. A few things to remember:
* When parking, put it in Park. Don't leave it in a forward or reverse
gear as you would with a manual transmission. (On a lot of newer cars,
you can't withdraw the ignition key until you have done this.)
* The gear normally used for going forward is the first such thing that
is available -- usually denoted with a D (for Drive) surrounded with an
O (for Overdrive). This lets the transmission choose which of,
usually, four speeds forward is the most appropriate.
* On some cars, to shift out of Park, you need to press a large
button on the shift lever or step on the brake pedal.
* The car might have either a handbrake (which works in the usual way)
or a pedal-type brake for emergencies or for extra safety when parking.
To engage the pedal-type emergency brake, just step on the thing. To
*release* it... ahh... some cars, you step on it a bit more and then
let go; on some you pull a lever; on some you put the transmission in
drive and it releases automatically.

Eventually you'll quit using your left foot on a clutch pedal that
isn't there and get used to it..

Cheers,
--Joe

"Shawn Hirn" wrote in message
...
In article . com,
wrote:

Hi all,

Does anybody know where can I rent a Manual transmission car in the
Chicago or Milwaukee area??

I have called lots of rental car agencies but none of them have them.

Thanks in advance.

Probably not possible, but try googling for something like "sports car
rentals Chicago" and see what turns up. You would probably have to rent
some kind of high end sports car to get a manual transmission, and
that's a long-shot, but it can't hurt to look.

The trouble with manual transmissions is they require a lot more
maintenance than automatics do because so many people do not know how to
shift properly. As a result, rental agencies tend to stay away from them
because they require more down time for maintenance.

They stay away from them as the major business of rental car agencies are
used car sales, and manual trannies do not sell well.

Ad absurdum per aspera wrote:
It is very unusual for an ordinary passenger car with a manual tranny
to be available for rental in the US, probably because you really can't
take it for granted anymore that most people here know how to drive
them. (And you sure wouldn't want people self-teaching with your
equipment!)

Another reason was that many people were renting cars with manual
transmissions just to learn (or to teach their kids). That resulted in
too many damaged clutches and transmissions.

In article . com,
" wrote:

Ad absurdum per aspera wrote:
It is very unusual for an ordinary passenger car with a manual tranny
to be available for rental in the US, probably because you really can't
take it for granted anymore that most people here know how to drive
them. (And you sure wouldn't want people self-teaching with your
equipment!)

Another reason was that many people were renting cars with manual
transmissions just to learn (or to teach their kids). That resulted in
too many damaged clutches and transmissions.


Back in 1991 I wanted to learn to drive a manual transmission. My
husband knew how to drive one and offered to teach me on a trip we took
from Chicago to St Louis. We were able to rent a manual transmission
Honda Accord from Enterprise.

But that was then. This is now. I haven't seen any rental stick-shifts
since. Good luck finding one.

Later,
Lynne

"Lynne Jeffers" wrote:
But that was then. This is now. I haven't seen any rental
stick-shifts since. Good luck finding one.

The OP could go to a car lot on the pretense of buying one
and take it for a test-drive. Although they may insist on the
salesman going with, there are some, like the Ford dealer in
my area, that will let you keep the car for the day., esp. if its
a used car and want your 'mechanic' to check it out.

BTW, last year when my wife wanted to learn to drive one
B4 we went to Europe, I checked around and found that
no major rental fleet has one, incl. Enterprise. =R=

wrote:
Does anybody know where can I rent a Manual transmission car in the
Chicago or Milwaukee area??

This or a similar agency will likely be your only option. I hope you have
deep pockets:

http://www.rentexoticcars.com/chicago.html

--
K.

Lang may your lum reek.

"Király" wrote in message
news:1l_Gg.15397$365.13449@edtnps89...
wrote:
Does anybody know where can I rent a Manual transmission car in the
Chicago or Milwaukee area??

This or a similar agency will likely be your only option. I hope you have
deep pockets:

http://www.rentexoticcars.com/chicago.html

--
K.

Lang may your lum reek.


Possibly rent-a-wreck
http://www.rentawreck.com/