Seeking out stick vs settling for an automatic
- Thread starter ram_man
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manicrodder
$50 site donor 2022
Even if you're left-handed?!True, there are few offerings with three pedals.
I heard that to qualify the purchase of a new vehicle with a manual transmission you must prove your competency at writing in cursive.
I searched for over a year to find my truck ( used) with the options I wanted and a manual.
I get it. my last car i'll likely ever buy unless it get totaled is a 19 accord 2.0 with a 6speed hand shaker. nope it isn't as fast as the 10 auto, but it sure is fun to drive. a good driving experience is with a manual trans. autos just aren't the same.
if it was a daily commuter car with heavy traffic i would have opted for the auto. but for it's intended uses. manual all the way.
if it was a daily commuter car with heavy traffic i would have opted for the auto. but for it's intended uses. manual all the way.
Any vehicle can be a manual
My 89 diesel suburban was a 5 speed, quite a bit peppier than the autotragic
My one truck was automatic, I’ve regretted it every day of ownership and paid dearly by having it.
A mt would have cost half what I’ve paid out thus far
You’ll be spending a lot of your life driving it so get what you really want. For me, I love the mechanical feel and connection of a manual. Makes me feel like I’m the pilot of the machine rather than just aiming an appliance around town.
Hondas still sell with sticks, and they have the feel down. Theres a little epa rev hang in there but the turbo motors handle an early shift without penalty for regular DD no problem.
the Lexus GS has paddles and they DO shift immediately and it locks the TC, and can effectively be driven as a manual would, BUT there are too many gears, and multi-gear drops are simply better with a real manual. But as far as autos go, if you really want the control, it’s there in this model.
longevity is no longer an argument IMO. its a matter of what you prefer. I quite enjoy a manual but for DD, the auto is great as long as it’s not underpowered. underpowered automatics frustrate me a lot.
the Lexus GS has paddles and they DO shift immediately and it locks the TC, and can effectively be driven as a manual would, BUT there are too many gears, and multi-gear drops are simply better with a real manual. But as far as autos go, if you really want the control, it’s there in this model.
longevity is no longer an argument IMO. its a matter of what you prefer. I quite enjoy a manual but for DD, the auto is great as long as it’s not underpowered. underpowered automatics frustrate me a lot.
As someone who works in automotive manufacturing, let me tell you that not many manuals are made anymore and unless you want to special order and probably have to wait a while for a car, its time to just let manuals go.
I prefer manuals. I currently have a rare 2000 BMW 528i 5 speed manual and an even rarer 2007 Honda Accord V6 6MT sedan. I've never seen another one in the wild.
This past year I really looked for a new car with a 3 pedal manual transmission, that's fairly reliable, holds 2 adults in the back seat, has a real spare tire, an engine oil dip stick, a hand operated emergency brake and that comes with a bit of fun. How hard could it be?
There is basically nothing out there that does everything on my list. A few come close:
This past year I really looked for a new car with a 3 pedal manual transmission, that's fairly reliable, holds 2 adults in the back seat, has a real spare tire, an engine oil dip stick, a hand operated emergency brake and that comes with a bit of fun. How hard could it be?
There is basically nothing out there that does everything on my list. A few come close:
- a few smaller BMWs (but I'm not so sure about new BMWs being long term keepers)
- a (used) Honda Accord 2.0 Sport 6MT (they no longer make them)
- a VW GTI or GLI (how reliable?)
- a Nissan 380/400Z (no back seat at all)
- a Porsche 911 (might as well be no back seat)
- a Mustang GT (ditto)
Subaru WRX.... They're "fairly" reliable and the rear seats are big. You'd just have to put up with all the stereotypes that come with it (vaping, goofy mods, etc). If only Subaru could make a 6-speed as precise and smooth as Honda's...
I have never purchased an automatic. Consequently, I have to exert extra effort purchasing cars. I have driven over an hour away just to see a manual transmission car that I wanted. It’s worth it to me. A stick shift vastly increases driver engagement. Driving in traffic is a small price to pay for me, plus I consider it free exercise.
If it adds to his enjoyment of driving than why not seek one out? Automatics have come a long way, at least some of them have. If I was looking at a new BMW M car and had to chose between the ZF8 and a manual, it would probably be a tough decision. Manual is fun, but that is a darn good transmission. On the other hand, some automatics I've driven in newer cars I'd rather chose my own gears just because the transmission programming was so horrible and ruined an otherwise good driving vehicle in an effort to squeak out .5 more mpg.
I don't miss the days of DD'ing manual jeeps. They all had hydraulic clutches but I've never been behind the wheel of another passenger vehicle which a clutch THAT stiff.
The gearing also helps / hurts a lot. My subaru had a pretty low 1st gear and could creep along in traffic nicely. My pickup is the same. The Focus I had was awful in traffic and couldn't creep along slow enough.
Picking a manual really narrows the choices !
Cars with modern automatic transmissions are quicker and more economical than their manual counterparts if available. The only advantage of a manual will be as these cars age, is the much lower repair costs of a manual. Much cheaper to replace a clutch than rebuild an automatic. As for manuals going out of style, the same could be said of convertibles in the 70's. After they stopped making them in '76, they reappeared in the 80's and are growing in popularity ever since.
I can relate to some of you guys. I'm a manual die-hard. Don't buy cars frequently. The last time we were shopping for a sedan was 2009, needed to replace my wife's 2000 Civic coupe (manual) as our first kid was on the way. She wanted an Accord and wanted another stick. Took us about 4 months to find one to her liking, a 2006 EX-L. A little while after buying it, we're driving along and she says out of the blue "I'm glad we waited until finding a stick". That car is my daily driver now, after we got an Odyssey in 2015 and I sold my 9-5 Aero.
The list above of "acceptable" cars looks a lot like mine. I don't know when my 2006 will need replacing but there are few cars that fit the bill. If I saw one of those recent 2.0 turbo manual Accords for sale I'd buy it in a second but they seem to be unicorns. Probably end up with a GTI.
jeff
The list above of "acceptable" cars looks a lot like mine. I don't know when my 2006 will need replacing but there are few cars that fit the bill. If I saw one of those recent 2.0 turbo manual Accords for sale I'd buy it in a second but they seem to be unicorns. Probably end up with a GTI.
jeff
Most modern six speed or more autos can shift as good or better than a manual. I wouldn't go out of my way to avoid a well designed auto, I would, however, go out of my way to avoid a CVT.
Probably just a joke.
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