Stick or Automatic

[Andrew1972]

Personal choice on manual vs automatics. On older stuff 3-6 speeds there was good gap in performance between manual vs auto.

Once they introduced the DSG and >=8 speed autos the gap narrowed massively vs manual.

Drive it and see if you like it.

 

[GZRider]

Jeep Wranglers and FJ Cruisers, two of the best investments in the car world right now.

 

[wtd]

With a bad left knee, a manual is a no go for me plus I don't really enjoy driving a manual that much.

 

[vavavroom]

I only buy cars with manual transmissions but I also drive automatics because that's what my employer gives me. I don't hate automatics but stick shift is just so much more engaging and adds to the driving experience. I understand many drivers don't care about the driving experience to begin with. To each his own.

 

[Clubber_Lang]

Real men drive manuals

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by Clubber_Lang
Real men drive manuals


Real men don't tie their masculinity to how they play with a transmission.

 

[demarpaint]

I've owned a vehicle with a stick since 1976, and still have one. I enjoy them, but in all honesty Long Island sucks for owning a stick now. I have no intentions of getting rid of my stick equipped vehicle, but the next new vehicle will be an automatic. My wife no longer has the desire to drive a stick, and anything I buy going forward both of us will drive at some point.

 

[jeepman3071]

I own a TJ with the 4.0L and 5 speed manual. I feel like a Jeep is one of the few vehicles where the manual adds to the driving experience, especially with the doors off and top down. That and the automatics offered weren't all that great, the 3 spd torque flight (3 speed auto in 1997 really?) and a 4 speed Chrysler (not very stout). If they offered the AW4 automatic in the TJ like what was in the XJ Cherokee it might be a different story.

 

[grampi]

For me, if it's a daily driver I'd prefer an automatic, but my Corvette will be a stick...

 

[HemiHawk]

Thats a tough call. Auto is nice in traffic, but as others have said a wranlger would be pretty fun with a stick. I think the torque of the 4.0 would make the stick a bit more livable in traffic too.

 

[jayjr1105]

6 speed for the Mazda. Like others have said, it gives me something to do in traffic and don't have to worry too much about transmission trouble like some CVTs etc. Plus when my daughter turns 16 in a few years, it will give me an excuse to buy a 3rd beater/project car.

 

[glock19]

Originally Posted by grampi
For me, if it's a daily driver I'd prefer an automatic, but my Corvette will be a stick...


Same for me. Daily drivers are automatic and toys are manual.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted by Clubber_Lang
Real men drive manuals

My Purple Heart WWII vet dad disagreed with you completely.
His first car was a Model T he bought from his brother...after reading about the transmission that thing had, I suspect it was the reason for his hatred of manual transmissions later in life.
I don't know how many times I heard him say, "How could people be STUPID enough to buy a stick when the car can shift for you?!?!?"
He was man enough to haul a mortar around battlefields and also return to duty after a German AA cannon firing on his halftrack left him with a hole in his face...

 

[Wolf359]

I used to drive a manual, an old Chrysler 2.2L turbo. Was fun but I don't miss it at all. I have paddle shifters in both cars now and I never use them. There's just really no point. Less than 3% of the cars sold today are manual and it's headed toward zero.

 

[GaryMX5]

I been fortunate to own over 30 cars in my 55 years of driving. Almost 75% of them were manuals. The worst was my 65 corvair monza (the car i learned to drive a stick in...had big wide and long throws) and my 89 Olds Cutlass (cable shifter seemed to break all the time). The best by far was my 82 RX7 and 99 Miata. The Mazda trans's were like butter and snapped into gear with little to no effort. The key to any manual is a well paired clutch, proper pedal linkage and return spring.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted by HemiHawk
Thats a tough call. Auto is nice in traffic, but as others have said a wranlger would be pretty fun with a stick.I think the torque of the 4.0 would make the stick a bit more livable in traffic too.


It really does. You can start off in 2nd gear without much issue even with 31" tires.

I don't think driving stick/auto makes anyone less/more of a "man" so that argument is pointless. There are cars I'd prefer in manual, and cars I'd prefer in auto. Just depends on what I'm using it for and how good the transmission offerings are for that vehicle.

There are days I know my BMW would be more fun in manual, but I'm glad it is auto because it is a daily commuter. The Jeep is a weekend cruiser, so I get to drive manual when I feel like it.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted by Wolf359
I used to drive a manual, an old Chrysler 2.2L turbo. Was fun but I don't miss it at all. I have paddle shifters in both cars now and I never use them. There's just really no point. Less than 3% of the cars sold today are manual and it's headed toward zero.


That's sad. All sports cars should be offered with a stick. The new Corvettes can only be had with an auto, which is why I'll never own one...

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by Wolf359
I used to drive a manual, an old Chrysler 2.2L turbo. Was fun but I don't miss it at all. I have paddle shifters in both cars now and I never use them. There's just really no point. Less than 3% of the cars sold today are manual and it's headed toward zero.


That's sad. All sports cars should be offered with a stick. The new Corvettes can only be had with an auto, which is why I'll never own one...


Yeah well if no one buys them, then it makes perfect sense not to offer them. It's not like sales were booming and then they decided not to make them. Besides, it's hard to talk on the phone or text or pay attention to the navigation system when driving a stick. Plus newer cars have 7-9 speed transmissions. Can you imagine shifting through 9 speeds? That'd be like driving a truck.

 

[aquariuscsm]

My 3000GT had the most precision standard transmission I've ever driven. Short smooth impeccable throws. Would never grind,crunch,or miss a gear.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by Wolf359
I used to drive a manual, an old Chrysler 2.2L turbo. Was fun but I don't miss it at all. I have paddle shifters in both cars now and I never use them. There's just really no point. Less than 3% of the cars sold today are manual and it's headed toward zero.


That's sad. All sports cars should be offered with a stick. The new Corvettes can only be had with an auto, which is why I'll never own one...


Yeah well if no one buys them, then it makes perfect sense not to offer them. It's not like sales were booming and then they decided not to make them. Besides, it's hard to talk on the phone or text or pay attention to the navigation system when driving a stick. Plus newer cars have 7-9 speed transmissions. Can you imagine shifting through 9 speeds? That'd be like driving a truck.

People don't need to be standing in line to buy them. They could still offer a manual as an option...to me, a sports car with an automatic is like a backup camera on an airplane...