GqRiCeBoi

Before my P5 I drove my manual Honda Civic... but finally sold in the rice rocket for the P5.... I looked at the dealers in Kansas since I was movin here from Oklahoma but it turned out that the White Auto was gonna end up a grand cheaper with more options in Oklahoma than Kansas since I wasn't charged tax, and the Kansas dealership didn't wanna work a deal afta that so I went for the Auto... but I kinda regret not goin for the Manual.... I miss the control you have over your car and not havin to push your foot down to the floor and waitin for the damn engine to kick in....

Finprof

We have a manumatic in a 00 BMW 3 series. BMW calls it Steptronic. It is an automatic and no fun at all to shift manually. The car is over a year old and I have done manual shifting on the auto maybe three times. On the other hand, the BMW six is so smooth that the auto is really nice in it. The car has enough power to handle the automatic well. At first I had regrets about getting the auto but have none now - for that car.
I have a 5 sp in my Protege (1st gen) and wouldn't have anything else in a low-powered four. My wife's brother has an automatic in his Protege a 1.6l. The auto emasculates it.

I drove an Protege 5 with an manual and one with an auto. The auto is awful. I wouldn't even consider it. The engine is much more "revvy" than the first gen. engine and needs to be wound up to do anything. An auto needs torque down low and the new engine doesn't have it.

My 01 Boxster has enough low-end torque to carry an auto very well, but it would be a crime to put an auto in a Porsche.
Anyway the basic point of my message is that it depends on the car. In a Buick or Mercedes - auto, in a Protege, definitely manual.

Lance

My 86 Grand National was an automatic (as all GN's were) and it was very sporty. It ran 12 second times and would HIT second gear and chirp the tires (when racing). So I disagree that automatic transmissions have to detract from the power. A shift kit and some other trany work could get one running great.

As for my Pros? They're small cars that handle well, I wanted a stick damn it! heh..

Lance

ALL GN's are V6 3.8 SFI Turbo Intercooled... and they're big cars.. our cars are I4 small cars...

Just an observation

GNO

Not all GNs were intercooled.

To get back on topic, manuals are way sportier than autos. Just because some of us drive autos, doesn't mean we're not enthusiasts. We just have a different set of priorities.

Lance

Ah sorry, what I meant was, they were all V6, the rest was just rambling..

neuromancer

I drive an Automatic P5. If it was totally up to me I would have got a 5spd, but my wife can't (won't) drive a standard. So I had no real choice And I will admit that I don't totally hate the AT, it isn't that bad.

Despite the AT I find the car a total kick to drive. Face it, this is not a fast car. The joy comes from how well it handles, for me atleast. I don't understand why people would race the car in the 1/4 mile, IMO this car is not that kind of car. If I wanted a 'suck your eyeballs into the back of your skull' kind of acceleration I would have bought a Mustang

Would it be insane to AutoX with an AT?

-Jason

douggie

neuromancer, u're right. It's sad, but true -- One of the MAJOR factors that determine whether one gets a stick shift is whether you have a significant other that can/can't/won't drive a manual car

I guess there's some compromises to be made and this is one of them

On a bright side, cars that are automatic are easier to re-sell. Why? (Probably this is a wrong place to say this because we're all crazy about our Mazdas), but probably more than 80% of the people who drive don't give a damn about pleasures in drving. They just want a car that gets them from point A to point B without hassle/problems daily. To many, driving is a chore and they will think why make it more difficult by driving a manual car?

People with back problems shouldn't drive manual cars also because it puts extra strain on their backs (There's this guy from another forum who has a 2001 MP3 had to sell it because his back was killing him and he had to sell it off -- I kid you not )

And 30-60 min traffic jams during rush hour doesn't make it any better.

I had a friend in college who had a 2DR Acura integra that was a manual. It was a nice car and it was in great condition. When he graduated, he had to sell his car because he was going home (foreign country). A lot of people knew that he was selling his car and wanted to buy it. But when they all found out that it was a stick, no one wanted it. Finally he had to sell it to a dealer... ouch... robbed him blind...

My point is that there are good/bad points in driving an auto or a manual car. Everyone has different needs. YOU are the one who is going to drive the car, not someone else in a forum.

neuromancer

I guess my whole point is that you can still enjoy the car EVEN if it is an automatic. And I'll take happy wife over a 5spd anyday But I do rib her about the extra $1K we had to spend on the car JUST for her...

When I tried to sell my 1990 Honda Accord EX I ran into the same problem. In some cases as soon as I told some people that it was a 5spd they lost interest. A lot of people are also under the misconception that it is more expensive to fix MT versus an AT, I guess cause everyone talks about burning out clutches.

I ended up trading my car in. I don't THINK I got screwed I got the highest value in the black book + $200 on the car (That was cash as I had a loan outstanding on the car). I paid MSRP for the P5 I was doing the trade on. So the trade was seperate from the new car purchase. Bottom line is I hate selling cars And was willing to take a bit of a beating. Happy thing though...the dealer who bought my car ended up loosing money on my car. He had to put some work into the car and only sold if for what he gave me in cash

-Jason

neuromancer

I just tell them that my insurance will not cover them. Sorry.

-Jason

douggie

One last thing... IF you do really drive a manual, please practice it and learn it well so that your shifts are smooth. There's nothing worst than sitting in the back of a manual car and feeling the whole car rocking front and back every time the driver shifts.

I once sat in this Honda accord (my friend's friend's car)... man, i almost wanted to puke after riding in his car for 30 min thru traffic. There was like a full 2 second pause between shifts so the car lunges forward when he stepped on the clutch and jerks back when the clutch is released too quickly. Believe me, it was like sitting in a boat. He wasn't even a new driver with a new licence! He said that he bought a manual car because he wanted to have a better feeling... whatever...

Felix Wankel

Ditto. I've owned 3 automatics out of my 27 cars, and all three were trucks. All the cars have been stick.

quiksilver98

i feel like one of the only cool things about my car is the fact that it is a manual- no mods except for aftermarket shifter, color keyed pedals, and engine compartment, which aren't really mods though. having a stick allows for even my sub 100 horse pro to do white smokey burnouts, plus it actually feels like you're "driving" the car.
btw, my car is a stick but has no tach

gi_jason82

When I was working as a lot attendant I got the chance to drive all sorts of cars Both Manual and Auto. I learned that if you want to drive enthusiastically, get a Manual, especially with high revving 4-bangers. Even the Tiptronic equipped Passats were nothing compared to their Manual equivalents. If a car is to get you from point A to point B, get the Auto. Autos just aren't any fun around town, especially when you need to pass someone, they're always hunting for the right gear, whereas you'd throw it into 3rd and get it over with. But if you ever get into traffic jams, well... your left leg will be very strong by the end of the day.