I'm a car newbie so I'm probably missing something obvious, but why the heck don't the manufacturers just make their manual cars with short throw shifters to begin with? Is there something about the longer/larger ones that make them somehow easier to operate than one that is shorter/smaller? Seems like the short shifters would be much quicker and easier than the big floppy ones. I've never seen anyone say, "I really want a longer shifter! One that I have to move twice as far to get it into gear is much better!"