..thinking.. about getting a Mazda2 to replace my

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: Popinski
I was in a 4 hour stop-and-go traffic jam in DC. I was driving a manual Ford pickup. I swear I was going to give up and chop off my left leg to relieve pain.


Everytime I borrowed my parent's then new '04 Heritage F-150, I would get back into my Integra GS-R and nearly stomp the clutch pedal throught the firewall.

 

[needsducktape]

NOT ALL Manual transmissionas are created equal. Drive a Mazda 2 and decide for yourself!

There is a world of difference Grandpa's 1988 Ranch truck and a Mazda 2 -or Audi A4 - or BMW m3 etc etc.

Lived in a large city (during rush hour) for 11 years NOT ONCE did I miss an auto. Manual keeps me more alert and a better, more engaged driver.

Shift into neutral when at a light or stop sign -DO NOT HOLD THE CLUTCH BETWEEN lights -THAT is why your leg (and the clutch) will wear out...

Driven properly, a manual transmission won't be a pain.

 

[odie]

Originally Posted By: mareakin
Originally Posted By: odie
Test drove a manual 2 . The clutch engagement and shifting is the easiest I've encountered so far . Give it try . As for stop and go traffic , rather have an auto . Good luck on your quest .
Test drove the MAZDA 2 with the 5 speed manual , if confusing anyone . Seen an ad for a 5 speed manual for $13,900 . Not a bad price for all you get . Could creep along when using 1st gear of the 5 speed manual of the 3 door YARIS we had . Likely can do the same with the MAZDA 2 . Take it in some stop 'n' go traffic of very busy street to see for yourself . Let us know if you try one out and what your experience is . Best of luck .

 

[odie]

2nd to the manual of the MAZDA 2 would be the FIESTA sedan we test drove . The clutch engagement of the YARIS we had was quirky . Never stalled a manual as much as that one

, especially right after the purchase , got better over time ( my foot , not the pedal ) . Other owners have complained of the same thing .

 

[Patman]

When I had my last manual transmission car, a 98 Firebird Formula, I found that when I got stuck in stop and go traffic I would just let out the clutch very slowly and not give it gas, and the car would move along slowly and it made the rush hour traffic a little bit easier to deal with (as opposed to constantly having to move the right foot over to the gas pedal) But that had the same LS1 engine as my Vette, so it had a lot of torque. I'm not so sure the same type of driving could be done with a Mazda2 without stalling the engine.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Get it, standards are good clean fun.

The worse thing about traffic jams and 5 speeds are that if you're trying to get 300k miles out of your clutch it will be torture. One hour in a jam is probably equivalent to a few weeks of normal driving. Other than that there isn't much of a problem.


Trying to not ride your clutch the entire traffic jam gets annoying. Everybody KNOWS they will be getting nowhere quick. So I just creep along and not tailgate the car in front of me. If everybody would follow this lead, then there would be no stop and go, it would just be a slow consistent creep. But of course, someone will see a space in front of you and grab it thinking it will put an end to the traffic jam.

 

[mareakin]

Now, we're back 50/50 Yes/No. This is encouraging.

I found someone on Craigslist offering Stick-shift lessons for $40/hr. I guess I'll go for that, for 2 hours, and see if it might suit me.

 

[OVERKILL]

If I were buying a car with the intention for it to be fun, I wouldn't even consider an automatic.

 

[Sayjac]

I say fuggedaboutit.

I learned how to drive using both a manual and an automatic, in the northern NJ and greater NYC metro area. Driving a stick is fine in light to moderate traffic on a daily commute or other times.

However, I wouldn't want a stick in NYC daily traffic, on the Long Island Expressway (oxymoron), or any road I regularly travel often that regularly experiences stop and go and/or bumper to bumper traffic. On and off, and on and off, and on and off the clutch. No thanks.

And even if you 'think' your going to leave it in low gear, and creep by leaving a space, guaranteed someone will move into that space and you're right back where you started. Stop and go, bumper to bumper traffic is tough enough without having to constantly engage and disengage the clutch, gets old fast. That's why I say fuggedaboutit.

However, unlike the judgemental poster above calling posters crazy for saying no because of traffic, I'll just say to each their own. If being constantly on and off the clutch on a daily commute floats your boat, kool. Doesn't do it for me.

 

[JHZR2]

I grew up in the same traffic. I drive a stick daily, between NYC, Phila and DC traffic, I have to say it is all about how good it is designed.

Wife's integra MT??? Terrible in any traffic. Too jumpy, not enough flexibility.

BMWs? Perfect. Can go from a creep in first or second gear, tough to stall.

My saab? Inbetween... a bit jumpier, but more manageable.

SO the torque characteristics of the engine and how they are geared make a BIG difference that is rather important.

There is nothing to driving in heavy traffic or any conditions in an MT car if you know how to do it and it is engineered well.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: mareakin
Now, we're back 50/50 Yes/No. This is encouraging.

I found someone on Craigslist offering Stick-shift lessons for $40/hr. I guess I'll go for that, for 2 hours, and see if it might suit me.


+1 more for manuals, take the lessons and see if its for you. Some people don't ever really get driving a manual and some people do, its good to find out which one you are before you buy. The odd time I'm in traffic with the Tracker the manual hasn't been an issue, usually you just put it in 2nd and creep along.

 

[LS2JSTS]

I absolutely LOVE the way the 2 looks exterior wise. I wish you could get the 2 with the Fiesta interior.

IMO, if I was buying one of the four new, I'd get the larger Focus or 3 over either of the smaller cousins. Beter utility, ride and interior finish all with essentially the same mileage as the subcompacts offer...just my opinion.

2 > Fiesta
Focus > 3

As far as the stick goes, I always have at least one car with a stick, if I only had one car, it would be a stick. I wouldn't let traffic be my "decider", but as I get older I'm beginning to see the logic of the other side of that argument.

 

[Smokescreen]

Not sure the actual reason for the switch. Since power, fuel economy and space are less than the Corolla with this new car, not to mention a new set of payments increased insurance and constant worry about every new scratch and dent...Is it for the manual transmission....Is it the more sportier drive?

There is more to sportier driving than a manual gearbox. Upgrade the rear sway bar, get some mild drop more performance oriented springs, stickier tires...you'd be surprised how the ride is transformed...for ~$500...handling goes up what seems exponentially over stock...and it doesn't have all the bling to attract thieves either...

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2

Wife's integra MT??? Terrible in any traffic. Too jumpy, not enough flexibility.

BMWs? Perfect. Can go from a creep in first or second gear, tough to stall.



Somebody broke her Integra's transmission.

The Integra transmission is one of the most celebrated of front wheel drive transmissions. Especially the double cone synchronizer equipped Integra Type-R and GS-R.

The Integra's five-speed manual gearbox is equally laudable, dishing out deliciously short, satisfying, flick-your-fingers shifts. And you can keep at it forever. I met an Integra owned by a clueless gear-grinding n00b with 100k miles on the clock (the car, not the owner) still equipped with the original clutch (ditto). Truth About Cars

That's just one review. I think every review I ever read had nothing but praise for the Integra's manual.

The guy at the tire shop pulled my Integra GS-R up and promptly opened the hood. When I went to find out why, he said, "I had to see if it was really a front wheel drive car. I doesn't shift like one. It shifts good."

BMWs on the other hand....remember how long the shifter throw was on the old E30 3-ers? First gear was smash knuckles on dash, Second gear was somewhere in the back seat.

Okay...I exaggerate a little. But they were really long throws on a vague shifter. Didn't ever really fit the sporting nature of the car. I'm glad to say BMW did make significant improvements in their manual shifters.

 

[Dave Hess]

I've driven the RSX Type S, Civic Si and the S2000 and all cars were very unimpressive, almost to the point of boring.

Best shifting Honda I ever drove in terms of smoothness and throws was a 1988 CRX.

 

[needsducktape]

One thing is truth Honda knows how to make a clutch last- My sisters 1994 Accord EX went 186K on the original clutch. My 1994 Integra was sold at 156K original clutch. Both were performing like new when we sold.

Having said that, I liked her accord's satisfying "click" into gear. My Integra was nice and smooth but hers had the edge.

 

[JHZR2]

Her integra trans was not broken. I didnt say that the shifter handle didnt move smooth and endlessly. But the clutch action, clutch point (verified the point was the same on other integras) and gearing/torque profile of the engine was not conducive to traffic.

It was OK for shifting fast in other conditions, and everything was light and smooth, but that does not make it good for driving in traffic.

 

[sciphi]

My old Hyundai was a 5MT. The clutch was light enough on that where creeping through Chicago or NYC rush-hour traffic wasn't an issue the 5-6 times I got stuck in those places with that car during rush hour. Friends of mine in NYC only drove manuals since they could coast to all the stoplights and creep along at a set speed in a traffic jam in 1st.

I'm wishing mightily for a return to a MT-equipped car after all the automatic transmission issues I've dealt with on the 2 cars I maintain. "Slushbox" is another term for "slush more money at it this week so it shifts properly".

 

[Scum_Frog]

Go for it!

Between the wife and I, we've always had at least one MT bewteen us.....just feel more connected and it makes the driving experience more fun!

Not all MT are created equal (the MT on my VW is one of the smoothest I've ever driven). Give the Mazda a test and see how it feels.

 

[odie]

Manuals are more fun , it keeps you thinking and alert . Miss the 5 speed manual of the 3 door YARIS , even though it was quirky in 1st . Once you got going it was fine . Put REDLINE MT-90 in and made the driving even more enjoyable . Both cars are now automatics .