Stick or Automatic

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Been looking on various sites for used Jeep Wranglers (preferrably the TJ series), and have noticed that the manual transmissions are priced higher than the automatics. I know the auto-trans is by far the most popular. Living in a somewhat congested area (Atlanta), I'm wondering if getting another stick shift is really worth it just to fight my way out of traffic into the mountains.

Any thoughts ? Critique ? Insight ? Other observations ? Thanx in advance
 
It's a personal choice and you may have answered your question with the reference to Atlanta traffic. Is this going to be a commuter vehicle during the week and a mountain climber on the weekends?
 
I'm grateful for my manual trans in traffic. Gives me something to do, and helps keep me awake and on-task.
 
One of the first days I had my Tercel last month, I got stuck in traffic badly. I was out of practice driving stick so I kept stalling and my foot hurt, it was miserable.

Since then I drive stick in traffic all the time as I live and work in Toronto. It's not as bad as people make it out to be and I drive on the highway and on the streets in rush hour all the time often wearing work boots.

If you're a good stick driver with no injuries that effect your ability to shift then it shouldn't bother you too much. It's an excuse people use because they are lazy and driving stick isn't fashionable.
 
I'd get an automatic myself if it has the 6, if it has the 4, I'd get a stick. My wife would opt for a stick regardless, but she's a rare gal. Driving thru Atlanta to Florida sucks BTW.
 
As a die hard stick guy FOREVER ...

It hurts me to say get an automatic. Jeep Wranglers have a touchy clutch, painfully slow throttle response, and a sloppy shifter. They are, IMO, not a great manual tranny vehicle for daily driving.

Can't believe I just said that ... I have NEVER owned an automatic for my personal car. Ever.
 
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Originally Posted by geeman789
As a die hard stick guy FOREVER ...

It hurts me to say get an automatic. Jeep Wranglers have a touchy clutch, painfully slow throttle response, and a sloppy shifter. They are, IMO, not a great manual tranny vehicle for daily driving.

Can't believe I just said that ... I have NEVER owned an automatic for my personal car. Ever.



If I thought a manual vehicle were that bad, my answer would be to get a different manual vehicle. :]
 
Originally Posted by maxdustington
One of the first days I had my Tercel last month, I got stuck in traffic badly. I was out of practice driving stick so I kept stalling and my foot hurt, it was miserable.

Since then I drive stick in traffic all the time as I live and work in Toronto. It's not as bad as people make it out to be and I drive on the highway and on the streets in rush hour all the time often wearing work boots.

If you're a good stick driver with no injuries that effect your ability to shift then it shouldn't bother you too much. It's an excuse people use because they are lazy and driving stick isn't fashionable.


An automatic transmission is supposed to last the life of the car, a stick well you expect to replace the clutch at some point and that costs as much as the auto option. Drove a stick for 5 years. Don't miss it. At one point you might get some leg injury, I remember that happening a few times. Try shifting with a twisted ankle. Did it once, didn't really want to go above 2nd gear in the city. Now with 7 speed, 9 speed and CVT transmission, they don't even really save that much on gas either.
 
Most of the vehicles I've owned over my 30+ years of driving have been manual. It's my preference and if you can drive one traffic is not an issue.
 
Originally Posted by Wolf359
An automatic transmission is supposed to last the life of the car

Well yeah. Because for most people, if the trans dies, that's when they consider the car dead...


Originally Posted by Wolf359
a stick well you expect to replace the clutch at some point and that costs as much as the auto option

Does it really? I don't see how. Labor costs are almost the same and parts are almost always WAY cheaper for a clutch job than for a whole trans.

...Unless the trans is used or cheaply rebuilt. But I'm sure we're not going there for obvious reasons.

Also, modern clutches last a LONG time unless horribly abused. I've routinely heard of clutches that have outlasted auto transmissions.

The real metric here is not "the life of the car" (whatever that means), but how long you're likely to own the car, combined with how much the repair would cost. All-in, I don't see a clutch as any more of a concern than an auto trans.
 
We have owned 2 wranglers, 2014 and 2016 both with the 3.6 v6 and 6 speed manuals. The 14 was a Rubicon with i believe 4:11 gears. Shifted twice through the intersection but very easy to drive in stop and go. Just put it in gear and let out the clutch. Will hold 5-10 mph without clutching. 2016 had a little higher gear, had to clutch it a little more in traffic. Both were good shifters, a little clunky and jerky but perfect for a jeep. Do yourself a favor, if you can float it get a Rubicon with a manual and enjoy it. If your going to do alot of towing check the ratings. I believe the tow ratings are lower on the manual.
 
Be aware that wranglers with the manual had a known issue where it would just pop out of gear, on many instances. I have a Jeep, and auto....manual was great when I was younger, but living in a big city took the fun right out of it, even now, the only manual I would get of it was a serious performance car....and unless you plan on doing heavy duty rock crawling or off roading...no need for a manual.
 
Stick or Automatic?

A few things to consider:

Do you want to drive the car, or do you want the car to drive you? (I.e. that feeling of being on a constant gear and not floating by virtue of a fluid regulated torque converter).
Being held on a gear is safer, especially on grades. Driving a manual is funner, more engaging, as you are "part" of the driving experience. Harder to text or eat or roll a joint when you have to shift gears.For the young/inexperienced driver this is good, as it keeps your attention on driving.

Do you like to share, or have the car mostly to yourself? If you are the only person in household that can drive a stick-shift (or you are really the only one in house that likes it (vs an auto)..the car is yours, and nobody is going to drive it. In an emergency situation, this could be bad (This is why all good parents (GOOD parents), teach their kids or have a friend or other family member teach them. ) It's good to know if you are in a situation that requires you to drive a manual. If you are a parent and have a kid close/at driving age and haven't done that yet, please do.

Manual cars used to get better fuel economy than automatics. And while that tide is shifting, I still think a Manual will/can get your better fuel economy than a more modern automatic--but that IS changing. I still think driving discipline (i.e. how you drive) plays a significant factor in that.

Manual transmissions USED to be cheaper to replace since there were more of them vs autos back in the day. Autos are way more complicated, more things that can break. On a manual, it's usually just the clutch (pilot bearings, etc etc) that requires "wear and tear" replacement depending on driving discipline.A clutch can last 10k miles, or 300K+ miles depending on how you drive. However, because there are less and less manuals on the road now (and people that can drive them, sadly), from a supply/demand standpoint, a replacement transmission may cost more than a replacement automatic. Now, the chances of you requiring a replacement manual is very very slim vs an automatic because manuals because of their simplicity, should last a lot longer than automatics. Generally, the clutch and it's related components (pilot bearing, etc), will be the only thing that ever needs to be replaced on a manual.

You can push start a manual if you have a dead battery or bad starter. Can't do that in an automatic.

A manual transmission car CAN thwart auto theft.. (Lots of funny youtube videos on this).

As others pointed out, an injury can hamper/make it impossible to drive a stick.

Some people don't like driving a stick in heavy/traffic jam traffic. I actually LOVE IT. If you give the car in front of you a little room, you can clutch out, NO GAS, and be in 1st gear just CRAWLING at the super slow pace, and the sorry SOB behind u will have to ride his brakes because his car will IDLE faster than yours. If done right, you won't have to hardly ever hit your brakes since you/car/transmission is regulating your crawling speed so much more precisely and evenly.

Towing with a manual the driver has more control especially on grades.


LONG LIVE THE MANUALS!
SAVE THE MANUALS!
 
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by maxdustington
One of the first days I had my Tercel last month, I got stuck in traffic badly. I was out of practice driving stick so I kept stalling and my foot hurt, it was miserable.

Since then I drive stick in traffic all the time as I live and work in Toronto. It's not as bad as people make it out to be and I drive on the highway and on the streets in rush hour all the time often wearing work boots.

If you're a good stick driver with no injuries that effect your ability to shift then it shouldn't bother you too much. It's an excuse people use because they are lazy and driving stick isn't fashionable.


An automatic transmission is supposed to last the life of the car, a stick well you expect to replace the clutch at some point and that costs as much as the auto option. Drove a stick for 5 years. Don't miss it. At one point you might get some leg injury, I remember that happening a few times. Try shifting with a twisted ankle. Did it once, didn't really want to go above 2nd gear in the city. Now with 7 speed, 9 speed and CVT transmission, they don't even really save that much on gas either.

I would argue the opposite. The automatic will be the one needing work. A clutch can easily go 200K. So yeah, probably both will need work at some point.
 
Originally Posted by philipp10

I would argue the opposite. The automatic will be the one needing work. A clutch can easily go 200K. So yeah, probably both will need work at some point.

Yep. 178k on the original clutch in my jeep. Still working fine.
 
Manual transmission is good for off-roading or towing, and usually allows repair without totaling out the vehicle.

Automatic is for anyone who doesn't hold the above as a primary concern. If those aren't your concerns then it is backwards to feel you are more in control rather than more of a slave to have to shift it manually every time. The manual transmission makes the car control your movements.

That can be fun for a while, short doses at a time like a sunny-weekend use sports car. For everyday driving, not so much.
 
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When people say,"I don't have a manual because I would have to use both feet to drive".
I always ask them, "I never hear you complain about having to use both feet to walk"!
 
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