Why not go for the best of both worlds! Just get the damn sport shift manual/auto and stop this nonsence. I myself drive an auto, unfortunately my dad was the one who made sure it was. I really wish the car was a manual. But hopefully I'll get that Spool Turbo charger I've been wanting so badly, in which case I hear the automatic's taller gears are more suitable for. So, just to defend myself, I have to say:
Screw all you suckers! AUTO's all the way...

 

A 5-speed with the "Spool turbocharger" will still be faster than your automatic with the same turbo.

The "sportshift" on the Protege is a joke. You can do the same in a regular automatic by moving the shifter back and forth.

Had it been a 5-speed automatic, I'd be singing a different song.

 

Yeah, it's the same thing as the regular slush box right? How hard it is to move that stick up and down? Does it change gears faster or what?

 

I drive a 5speed 2002 LX. I wouldnt have it any other way. I drive through nasty philadelphia traffic every day and I am damn glad I have a manual.

My girlfriend bought a manual VW golf and didnt know how to drive it. So I taught her and now she says blindly buying the manual was the best decision ever. She got rear ended a while back and while they were repairing her car she was stuck driving a tin can automatic rental. Every day she came home saying 'damn I want my manual back'. She and I both agree, its much easier to take your mind off driving in traffic if you have something for you to concentrate on, like shifting around. I also find it harder to control a car with an auto in traffic since to get it moving sometimes you need to actually hit the gas, then stop suddenly, when in the manual you can just avoid move up so fast and simply ease it into gear.

 

I commute almost every day in my car but luckily I go in when traffic is relatively light so I don't get stuck in too much stop and go. But I gotta say that I never realized how much I missed driving a manual! I love shifting my ES. My 95 auto DX was nice but having a manual feels like you have an extra component to the car. I test drove an '03 that had the sport shift automatic. That looked pretty cool but I didn't mess with it much.

 

I drive an auto
why, because when I bought it, my family had only two cars, and my mother and I used to share the car. now that she got a minivan, I am stuck with the auto(which is good and bad depending how you look at it.).

But if I had the choice, i would buy the sport tronic or the manual next time. Hell no to automatic!

 

ive got an auto. seattle has bad traffic, big hills with stoplights. if i was to get a sports car i would go for a manual though.

 

So how's the grunge scene there?

 

grungy just kidding. i dont think there is a grunge scene anymore. its been replaced by ricers and hip-hop-techno clubs. i think all of the grungers killed themselfs (in a sence) when kurt cobain died.

 

I drive a manual. Mostly because it was my first car and I didn't want my friends to know I drove an automatic. Plus I feel it gives me a better sense of control over the acceleration. Just wish they would put a tach on the DXs. Oh well.
________
Park Royal 2 Condos Prathumnak

 

If your married then a stick is good. If your not married then the automatic is good only if you have a girlfriend.

Blow jobs and stick shifts don't mix all that well.

zoom zoom zoom!

 

Personally, I drive a manual & sincerely believe it provides more control over the vehicle.

A manual allows you to down shift into lower gears, providing better control whilst slowing down in icy conditions. Of course it also provides a little extra pep to driving-style preferences. Since the Protege is no quarterhorse, you may want to rev it up manually on highway entry ramps and such.

HOWEVER, - I recommend you go with the AUTOMATIC if you won't miss the manual. That's based on the assumption that you'll want to upgrade to another vehicle someday. [I'm moving over to the MINI Cooper S camp presently. ]

My point? An AUTOMATIC will Sell & Trade-in at a higher value than a manual will!

It is more desired among the American public. Only some 15% of vehicles are sold with manuals. So, going to trade this in or sell it later, means you're attempting to find a buyer from a much smaller pool of drivers if you're offering a manual.

Trading-in goes the same way. Dealers know they have the same problem. They'll offer you much closer to book if it's an AUTOMATIC , as they too don't want the car to sit there until the rare MANUAL driver comes in to take a look-see & hopefully goes for it. You can see this by looking around their lot & counting the manuals v. automatics they keep in-stock.

Also, if you can stomach a SILVER or BLACK model, they will also move better if you ever need to trade or sell it.

This is ONLY applicable if you're NOT planning on keeping your Protege forever, however.

-Cau

 

Even if you are going to trade in down the road, I STILL say get a manual. Without one you are missing out. The Protege is just too much fun with the manual. I never get tired of shifting it. But I'm keeping mine forever anyway!!

 

RIGHT-ON, BarryG!

5 speed manual fun & performance factors are tops in the Protege/5 line!

I drive an '00 ES & with proper manual driving, - it takes over any Corolla OR Civic.

[The Civic Si may be a different story...?]

-theBUK

 

Actually, when I bought mine it was about 50/50 manual/auto on the lot (among the Progetes; they had TWO manual 626's).

What I had trouble finding was a DX stick; they had two, and they were both white. I'd have preferred green or silver, but I wasn't willing to pay extra for the LX with power windows/locks, which I hate.

The way I look at it is this: I've never wished a car with a stick had an automatic. Almost every car I've had with an auto I've wished was a stick at one time or another (the exception being the two monster Buicks...can't imagine them with cluthces).