**The Benefits of a Standard Transmission**
When it comes to choosing a transmission type, many people opt for an automatic transmission, assuming that reliability is the top priority. However, a standard transmission can offer several advantages over its automatic counterpart. One of the main benefits of a standard transmission is reliability. Unlike automatic transmissions, which rely on complex computer systems and sensors, standard transmissions are relatively simple in design and operation. This means that they are less prone to mechanical issues and are often easier to repair if something goes wrong.
In contrast to older cars with three-speed transmissions and manual clutches, modern standard transmissions are smooth and easy to use. They feature a single gear and a clutchless design that eliminates the need for a separate clutch pedal or hand lever. This makes them much simpler to drive than their automatic counterparts. Additionally, standard transmissions do not require complex computer systems or sensors to operate, which can reduce the risk of costly repairs.
**Reliability in Modern Trucks**
The author's experience with a Ford Ranger highlights the reliability and durability of modern trucks equipped with standard transmissions. Despite having only 70,000 miles on it, the truck has been well-maintained and shows no signs of major mechanical issues. The owner has even used a garden hose to clean the underside of the truck, which has helped extend its lifespan. This level of reliability is rare in modern vehicles, especially those with automatic transmissions.
**The Importance of Maintenance**
Regular maintenance plays a crucial role in extending the life of any vehicle, including one equipped with a standard transmission. In this case, the owner has had his oil changed every 7,000 miles and replaced it with Mobile One, which is designed to last longer than conventional oil. This regular maintenance schedule has helped ensure that the engine remains healthy and free from major issues.
**The Benefits of a Standard Transmission in Modern Vehicles**
In modern vehicles, standard transmissions are often overlooked in favor of automatic or continuously variable transmissions (CVTs). However, they offer several benefits over these alternatives. One of the main advantages is fuel efficiency. Since standard transmissions do not rely on complex computer systems or sensors, they can provide better fuel economy than automatic or CVT transmissions.
For example, a vehicle equipped with a standard transmission can achieve higher fuel equivalency ratings than those with automatic or CVT transmissions. In this case, the author's vehicle has a fuel equivalency rating of 1.00, which is indicative of its excellent fuel efficiency. Additionally, the owner's experience suggests that modern standard transmissions are capable of running lean, without compromising on performance.
**The Role of Modern Diesel Engines**
For those who prioritize fuel efficiency and towing capacity, diesel engines offer an attractive alternative to traditional gasoline-powered engines. In recent years, Isuzu has introduced its own diesel engine for trucks, which has achieved remarkable fuel economy ratings. This engine is designed to provide exceptional fuel efficiency while maintaining performance levels that are on par with gasoline-powered engines.
The author's experience with a used diesel truck suggests that these vehicles can achieve impressive fuel economy ratings, often exceeding 30 miles per gallon in real-world driving conditions. While there may be some concerns about the reliability of modern diesel engines, this example highlights their potential benefits for drivers who prioritize fuel efficiency and towing capacity.
**A Word of Caution**
While standard transmissions offer several advantages over automatic or CVT transmissions, they are not without their drawbacks. For example, owners of vehicles equipped with these transmissions may need to be more involved in the driving process, as they require manual gear shifting and clutch control. Additionally, modern diesel engines can present unique challenges for maintenance and repair.
Despite these potential drawbacks, standard transmissions remain a viable option for drivers who prioritize reliability, fuel efficiency, and towing capacity. By understanding their benefits and limitations, owners can make informed decisions about which transmission type is best suited to their needs.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engines now people are always looking for pickup trucks they're saying they cost too much they can't find one the Toyotas are too expensive well back in the day paid about twenty one thousand dollars for the thing he went for just the plain classic rear-wheel drive and he says really you don't need it here in Rhode Island he works for the city they plow the roads it's not something that a lot of people think they need it and they really don't need it and of course the pluses since it's two-wheel driving a four-cylinder engine he can get in the mid and upper 20s on a highway it's pretty good for a pickup truck of this size he bought it new and this is a new hood look how shiny it is now you can't blame him he didn't wreck it and have it replaced these are those new aluminum hoods the paint did not stick and it came off and he took it in years ago they replaced the whole Hood they realized painting those aluminum hoods isn't that easy but I do have to say that was three years ago and they did a good job at the dealership payment because it still looks like new unlike the original one now it does burn oil it's got 71 000 miles about half a quart every three thousand miles if it was Toyota be a big deal people say I don't want to burn any off but realize one of the ways they sell these things are they cost a lot less than the Toyota Tacomas and of course autonomous and the Tundras but that's a different type of truck V8 you can't compare those really now today if you look at a modern one you compare a modern Colorado with a Tacoma you'll see some places the supposed list price is actually two grand cheaper for the Tacoma than for the Colorado but let me tell you something that's Fantasy Land go to the dealers see what you can get a Chevy for versus Toyota Tacoma for you're going to find the Tacoma is a lot more than what their basic list is and these you can still get a lot of them at the base price don't always be fooled by list prices go and see what's there and what it costs because from my experience lately last couple of years people buying Tacomas one they had to wait months and two they paid MSRP or above every time and a lot of times they had to buy them with all the loaded options he said well that's what we got you want it buy it so don't be fooled by just a list price see what's actually out there now this is lived in Rhode Island at coal ice now when it was in Colorado he had a ranger and it's an interesting Colorado too because check it out it's a six-speed standard transmission you can see it's got nice seats they're pretty comfortable now the back seats you can get people in there no gigantic people back there but you can fit people in there they just can't have long legs but they get a cute little window to look out of and they do have airbags and as you can hear it's not a tin can it's a pretty solid truck as we go under check it out this may have lived in Rhode Island all this time but man he takes care of his Vehicles no rust on that frame whatsoever and see how shiny it all is perhaps even more interesting is the tires these are the original tires on them all their mouths I had a guy bring me yondi a sucker at 20 000 miles and the tires wore out to nothing they're obviously putting good tires on these now some of it has to do with American legal system when I was a kid in the 60s they put crappy tires they'd wear out 14 15 000 miles but they also had a tendency of blowing up remember Ford with their exploders because the tires are blowing up Ford blamed it on Firestone and Firestone turned around blamed it on them it was a big battle back and forth well now they use a lot better cars in the United States because they're worried about being sued some of the foreign ones they got pretty junky tires on them you might want to check out where are those tires made what's the history of those tires so you'll know whether you got good rubber on or not but the American cars they usually have pretty guitars these days you don't have to think about it didn't bother towing anything with a standard transmission he could tell if he wanted to but all right that's not what this truck is for now he didn't want it rust and so he just left it without a liner a lot of times under the liner it will Rust they worry about that in Rhode Island so all he does is take this off every once in a while the mat to dry it so the water doesn't pull up and rust you can see the only thing that's really rusting are the tie down hooks they were just kind of cheaply made you can see they're just rusting a little there no biggie and it's a real tailgate it doesn't do 15 000 things like the ones that open and close and go sideways and talk to you it's a tailgate it does what it's supposed to do because I like most intelligent people don't like things like talking refrigerators customers tell me about a talking fridge it broke after a year and a half and it wasn't that it just stopped talking to them it stopped cooling the freezer so it's kind of a big deal you know too much technology this thing really doesn't have too much technology a standard transmission it does have electric windows though I think it'd be cooler for that crank windows but everybody wants electric windowsill oh it does have some technology it does have variable valve timing and it has direct fuel injection that's how I can get 25 26 miles a gallon on the highway it's the most efficient that you can get out of an engine like this he doesn't pull with it it's his driving truck so it's not like he needs a V8 engine or even a V6 engine he had a V6 engine in the Ranger and he got 300 000 miles out of the thing and it was a standard transmission too but I kind of figured because I've never seen a Ford automatic transmission in one of those go 300 000 miles the standard yes but not the automatics that's the thing you're going to get a standard transmission you are going to have reliability you're never going to get stuck anywhere you can play with the gear and really it's not like the old days when I was young where you had a three on the tree and you got a mechanical clutch around with one foot and you're jerking the three gears turning the wheel without power steering you really had to know how to drive cars in those days these are not hard to drive there you go draw that clutches smooth shifting down here not on the steering column listen to it got a little bitty screen but I mean I mean it's a basic truck okay 70 something Thousand Miles engine is not shaking sounds pretty good he does maintain it this is mobile one it changes every seven thousand miles and as I told earlier he hoses the bottom of his truck with a garden hose which is very smart because his last truck although it did last in 25 years that Ford Ranger it was rusting apart even with the scars to hose but it lasted 25 years so it's not a bad lifespan you know you can't complain about that go with auto scan fast because it's newer Vehicles little automatic scan it's going to go through all these systems now you can see it's in pretty good shape it's only got one code and that's for the radio we'll see what it says for the radio here what's wrong with the radio control motor power circuit low voltage lost communication with HVAC control module it's funny because I was just talking to the owner but he says oh it's basic I like basic but little did he know that even the HVAC system goes through the radio everything goes to the radio they got all kinds of computer options but everything works fine so it doesn't care there and at any rate as long as we're here we'll erase the stupid thing there then that'll go away start it up and we'll look at the live data it's all color coded no bad colors yet let's look at some interesting data here a fuel equivalency is 1.00 can't argue that and let's look at long-term fuel trim okay it's two mind you doesn't match the 0.00 I got a car the other day but it's adding two percent fuel meaning it's running slightly lean now tell you something this is one of these GDI systems they actually made to run lean you're better off having it run a little lean doesn't have any problems with he's getting good gas mileage if he wanted he could put some fuel injector cleaner and it might get it closer to zero but two percent ah it's got 70 000 miles it's not hurting anything and what do we have okay Zero's down the line the injectors have never been disabled because it doesn't misfire so let's take it for a spin that's a pickup truck so enough to worry about this bump here if it keeps the ladder out in the neighbor's yard it's a pickup truck that is a typical pickup truck they don't handle like race cars they handle like pickup trucks they're nice high up in the air got a nice ride to it I'll roll the window up quiet it down a little I'm going to take it on a highway here once people get out of the way I went into the left of us nobody to the right of us once it starts revving up you wouldn't think it's a tiny little four-cylinder engine doesn't make too much noise I don't have too much rattling it's pretty solid build trucks 70 000 miles got a lot out of his Rangers probably gonna get a whole bunch out of this he didn't want to bother with four-wheel drive simple with a standard transmission that can basically Run Forever a lot of people buy these because they don't want to spend the extra money that they have to spend for a Tacoma and they can still last quite some time you don't always think best is the absolute best if it costs a lot more and if the second best can go hundreds of thousands of miles you don't want to spend 50 60 Grand on you might look at one of these just do a lot of research about which particular one you buy what kind of engine do you walk around the transmission how are you going to tow are you not going to and of course you look at some of their diesel ones they get phenomenal gas mileage the guy brought me one last year he was getting 30 something miles a gallon with the diesel but it was an Isuzu Diesel and I know they're going to be using their own diesels now and I'd be kind of suspect about that but if you're buying a used one with Zuzu 100 in it hey could be a great vehicle so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that Bell\n"
