Most of you reading this will be old enough to remember a time when the manual transmission was commonplace. Up to about two decades ago or so, loads of models sold in the US came with manuals as standard equipment, save for certain luxury nameplates. If you wanted to save some money when you bought your brand-new pickup truck, you'd opt for the standard manual gearbox, rather than speccing up to an automatic.These days, things are vastly different for the humble stick shift. Virtually all pickups, sedans, coupes, and sports cars come with automatics. Of course, some still offer a stick, but the vast majority don't. However, Honda is one of the only remaining leading lights in the world of stick-shift cars. As of 2026, you can still get a manual in the hardcore Civic Type R and the daily-driver sports sedan, the Civic Si. Time, though, may very well be running out for the manual, and this fact alone is enough for people to start seriously stockpiling manual-equipped cars. Honda's Valiant Preservation Effort HondaAs the world moves more towards automatic and CVT-type transmissions, the manual transmission has been given the proverbial back seat. Even Honda itself has shrunk its manual-equipped offerings, with the Accord losing its stick following the 2020 model year. The standard Civic sedan and Civic Hatch also lost their manuals in 2024, with the only remaining models still using an old-fashioned coal stirrer being the two hot Civics mentioned previously.However, according to Honda, the stick is here to stay. At least, for now. According to the brand, both the Civic Si and Type R are "halo" cars, and are purely enthusiast-driven models. Because enthusiasts heavily favor a stick, Honda has pledged that it has no plans to axe the stick in the foreseeable future. This runs contrary to other brands and their performance-oriented models, such as the Volkswagen Golf GTi losing its stick, along with the Chevrolet Corvette and most of BMW's M car lineup.Honda As other models continue to lose their manuals, more and more hardcore stick shift-lovers will have to flock somewhere, so long as their dedication to the transmission type outweighs any brand-loyal sentiments. Even still, both the Si and Type R only make up a tiny fraction of the Civic's overall sales. According to Honda, the Civic Si sold only around 7,128 times in 2023, which made up just 3.6 percent of total Civic Sales that year. The harder-core Type R makes even less of a dent, with just about 3,345 examples sold in 2023, or just 1.7 percent of Civic sales.With the loss of so many manual models, leaving the hot Civics as some of the only "regular" cars left equipped with sticks, certain gearheads have begun to collect as many of these as possible. Rushing, But For Good Reason HondaPeople are likely becoming a bit more rushed and heading out to buy some sort of manual Honda, be it a Civic Si or Type R, before the manual transmission clock runs out. As we know, there's no definitive date on that, and Honda has assured the gearheads that it's not done with the stick shift yet.However, it's not a bad idea to hang onto your stick shift Civic. These days, both the Civic Si and Type R hold onto their values well, especially in the former's case. Let's take a look at a 2023 model-year example for each. When it was new, the '23 Civic Si stickered at a base price of $28,800 before any destination fees or other costs were factored in. As for the 2023 Type R, its base price sat right at $43,795.Fast-forward to today, and values are still holding strong. As for the '23 Civic Si, current used market pricing trends put its average sale price right at $27,850. That means it's only lost 3.3 percent of its value in three years. The Civic Type R is right up there, too, as its current used price is reportedly around $40,770, at least according to Kelley Blue Book. If we do the math, that means it's lost just 6.9 percent of its original value. To put the pair's ability to hold onto their pennies, the average loss of value percentage for a three-year-old car is anywhere between 35 and 46 percent.Therein lies the largest reason to hang onto your stick-shift Civic Si or Type R; they're masters of value retention. This means you can enjoy the car over a longer period of ownership, and still get out of the thing with most of your money intact. How The Hot Hondas Stack Up 2025 Honda Civic Type R - exteriorDespite being two of the few manual transmission-equipped sports cars left on the market, the Civic Si and Type R still need to contend with the likes of their direct competitors. As for the Si, its adversaries include the Volkswagen Jetta GLI and the Hyundai Elantra N-Line. In the Type R's camp sit models like the Volkswagen Golf R and the Toyota GR Corolla. We'll take a look at both below: 2026 Honda Civic Si HondaThe current Si is nestled within the Civic's 11th generation. Just one generation prior, the model shifted over from a naturally aspirated four-banger to a turbocharged one. These days, the 1.5-liter turbocharged engine found under the hood belongs to Honda's L-Series engine family. More specifically, the mill goes by the code name "L15CA", and makes use of things like forged connecting rods and forged crankshaft, along with an aluminum block and aluminum cylinder heads.Let's see how it stacks up to its competitors: 2026 Honda Civic Type R HondaIf you need more oomph than a Civic Si can offer, the Type R is the one you'll have to spring for. The Type R namesake has been attached to the Civic's most potent road-going iteration since its inception in 1997.However, the Type R badge didn't make it to the States officially until 2017. Its engine is larger and more powerful, its suspension is firmer, and it takes advantage of a hatchback body as opposed to one from the Civic sedan.Now to pit it against its rivals: Where Does The Manual Go From Here? NissanAs the manual market shrinks and shrinks, it seems we'll begin to see the hold-outs cling onto the transmission type harder and harder. You have to think, at some point, there will only be one or two automakers even making sticks anymore. So, almost every single manual transmission enthusiast will be forced to flock to it. In Honda's case, it's well positioned to be one of, if not the final holdouts for the humble manual transmission based on reputation alone. WIll this be the case? Only time will tell.