Automatic transmissions used to be vastly more expensive than manual ones, though costs have since come down.

The claim has two parts: (a) automatic transmissions used to be much more expensive than manual ones, and (b) that price gap has since narrowed. True: historical pricing data show that automatics carried a substantial premium (for example around $1,000 or more as a new-car option, or a meaningful share of the vehicle's price) and that by 2017 this premium had shrunk considerably or largely disappeared. Mostly true: both parts hold, but the historical premium was moderate rather than 'vastly' larger. Mixed: only one of the two parts is supported. Mostly false: the historical premium was small, or the gap had not narrowed by 2017. False: automatics were not historically more expensive than manuals.

Set before the research began.

1. E1 Are Stick Shifts Making a Comeback? | CarMax CarMax · 28 August 2023

   “In the past, there was a significant cost advantage to consider for purchasing a used manual over a used automatic. In 1998, a manual was averaging about 25% cheaper than an automatic at CarMax. Fast forward to 2022 and manuals at CarMax are, on average, less than 5% cheaper than automatics.”

2. E2 Manual vs. Automatic Transmission - Consumer Reports Consumer Reports · 20 July 2015

   “In our tests, we've found that in some cars a manual transmission can improve gas mileage by a significant 2 to 5 mpg, compared with an automatic, and can cut a car's price by $800 to $1,200.”

3. E3 Save the Manuals! The virtues of shifting gears yourself Consumer Reports · 29 July 2010

   “Opting for the manual made the car quicker, more fun to drive, and about $1,000 cheaper than the automatic.”

4. E4 Automatics have gotten much better than manuals — not from the perspective of stick-shift fans, but in the broader sense (and the dollars-and-cents sense). | Cars.com Cars.com · 16 July 2020

   “There used to be many good reasons for a new driver to learn a manual transmission: To start with, cars with stick shifts were cheaper, more efficient and quicker.”

Part (a), that automatics used to cost much more, is well supported. CarMax data show used manuals averaging about 25% cheaper than automatics in 1998 [E1]. Consumer Reports put the new-car premium at about $1,000 in 2010 [E3] and at $800–$1,200 for some cars in 2015 [E2]. Part (b), that the gap had narrowed considerably by 2017, is not established: the 2015 Consumer Reports figure still shows a premium of around $1,000, and the narrowing CarMax describes is measured in 2022, not 2017 [E1]. Cars.com in 2020 says only that manuals "used to be" cheaper, without a date [E4], so only one part of the claim is supported as of the judging date.