I'm about to buy a 2004 TL but I can't decide between the 6 speed manual or 5 speed auto trany. I need some opinions on this decision. Thanks!

 

search. ive seen this question being asked a couple of times. everyone will tell you that its basically preference. if you like driving a manual car, then get manual. if you dont mind shifting in traffic then get manual. everyone can agree that manual is overall better, but people might feel that a manual transmission is too much of an inconvenience to drive in traffic, and some might consider it normal. i would personally get manual. and i own an auto.

 

no offense to the manual guys... but the TL just isn't the kind of car that screams for a manual tranny... it's an auto car if you ask me.

boxster, rx8, s2000 - those are the cars that you MUST get in a stick or your a nut.

a TL - even a Type S - is a luxury car first, and it's sporty second. yeah, the stick can be fun, but i test drove both auto/sticks and found the sticks torque steered even worse than the autos.

drive them both and see what you like. i normally have always liked stick shift cars - but for the TL, it just seemed "wrong". i dind' tlike it. it did not fit/suit the car. the paddle shifters in the type S are "okay"..but nothing you will use much. more of a gimmick.

everyone has their own opinion. i know there are people here who would have the TL with a stick or not at all - and they aren't wrong..it's their car and their opinion.

get what you like. for me - i would get an auto. someone else wants a stick.

test them both and see what YOU like.

 

I'm kicking myself for not getting the stick

 

I have one of each (mine's an '04 manual and my wife's is an '05 automatic). The manual puts this car into a whole different league. It is very well suited to the car and puts the car in the company of its designation; a Luxury Sports Sedan.

The manual is quicker and just seems to be meant for the car. Had this car not come with a manual, I would be driving something else.

 

Manual For:
Acceleration
MPG (Probably)
Exclusivity (only 1/40 are ever Manuals)
Brakes
Less Weight
An Extra Gear?
Control (Man and Machine in perfect harmony)

Bonus: Your Wife/Girlfriend/Mother/Family Member/Sister/Grandmother/ cannot drive it.

So, if you know how to drive a Manual. Buy it. The Sportshift thingy on Acura's is dimwitted. It changes gear so slowly than a child could grow to puberty in the time it takes. On most 3G's it wont let you hit the rev limiter (07's and 08's will do this) and wont downshift when you want it to.

I Want my TL Back

 

Yep, that's what I thought...and then I sit for 40-60 minutes in traffic going 0-5mph everyday, while my fellow manual drivers are enjoying the constant knee flex. No thank you. But without a doubt M/T is mighty faster, especially with a good driver.

(my knee clicks as it is from all the m/t driving since 17...auto is beautiful now)

 

The A-Spec kit erases any traces of that and it is not that unruly to begin with. Some people might even call it fun (Trying to wrestle your car into submission).

 

qithout a doubt...get an MT!!...if u are in traffic alot...get the auto. if u are a spirited driver like myself....grab the MT!!...i have one and have no regrets!!

 

MT ftw - main reason I chose the TL - you won't regret it, it's a blast to drive........just make sure it's NBP also

 

my only regret is not getting a manual.

 

I never have a problem with torque steer unless I am negotiating a turn and get into it. On a straight path with decent pavement, there is none.

 

I bought my '04 TL on July 17, 2004, two days after it had arrived in the store's inventory (still had the white plastic on it and on the seats), and two weeks after it was built. Twenty-seven percent of the TL's on the lot were manuals. I continued to track this percentage for about a year as saw it go from the 27% I mentioned to about 22%. I'm sure it continued to drop. Manuals are prized in my area for these types of cars which is why you tend to see a lot of 3-series BMW's with manual transmissions here.

 

Things to consider when getting an MT:

better mileage
fun factor
amount of stop & go driving
hit on resale value
difficulty selling (few avg drivers want mt)

 

AGREED! driving my friend's auto TL was ZERO fun. if the TL were automatic only, i would have skipped right over it. and yes, make sure it's NBP.

NBP+6MT=XOXO

 

I love having a MT (especially since having the TSB done). I drive into the city for work every day and having a MT doesn't bother me. It's all going to come down to personal preference and how YOU feel but I think having a MT is a lot more fun as far as driving and the TL is a great car to have a MT in...

 

I would not have bought this car with an auto. I love a 6spd in a car with decent power and Honda/Acura make some of the slickest shifting manual gearboxes out there. I may look into the short shifter soon.

 

Manual is the only way to fly bitches

 

Definitely a stick.

Pete <-- Stuck with an automatic loaner till the middle of next week

 

you guys are funny.. just wait until you sit for an hour or more in stop/roll traffic, your left leg will be begging for mercy!

I haven't owned an MT in many years. The AT in the TL is sweet, IMO. I buy the car to drive and enjoy and do enjoy putting it in D and just driving it... but that is just me... and no clutches to change!! Zing!

 

With this logic, nobody should ever get a MT car, TL or not. If your life is nothing but going to work and coming home, sure...get the auto. In fact, get a prius.

Fortunately I dont only drive my car during commute hours.

 

i love my manual transmission but its really up to you..

 

Ummm... this isn't my first stick and I've sat in over an hour of stop/roll traffic on plenty of occasions... Left leg feels just fine. You shouldn't discourage people from getting a stick just because you're lazy...

 

Haha, All the women in my family know how to drive a stick. But I do know of a lot of people who don't. I love the fact that sometimes that can be a good thing when you don't want someome driving your car. All you gotta say is...Sorry its manual and you don't know how to drive one

 

What do you mean by hit on resale value? If a manual transmission is more rare than an auto, shouldn't have a higher resale value?

 

LOL....only if you're talking about vintage muscle cars, not late model sedans.

 

Takes me 45 mins to do my 11 mile commute and I have no complaints about MT. Something about the phrase "putting it in D"........

 

Why would you be replacing a clutch sooner than you would be doing a rebuild on an automatic?

 

The OP asked for opinions. You MT lovers think that MT is the only way, us that have had our fill of MT and enjoy driving our ATs are entitled to give our points of view. Obviously it pisses you the MT owners for an AT owner to say we like ATs... get over it.

I guess most of these opinion threads turn into pissing matches.

I stand by my opinion about "putting it in D" and enjoying the ride. I get from point A to point B the way I want.

 

^^ werd. Seriously, the OP did ask for opinions from both sides. Stew4HD did nothing more than give his opinion just like everyone else. No need to get into a pissing match and crap all over this thread.

And my two cents to the OP- I regret not getting the MT.

 

I wasn't getting into a pissing match with anyone. It was a joke, thus the "tomato" smiley...

Relax Stew. I have no problem with your opinion. IT WAS A JOKE. I couldn't care less if someone prefers AT over MT.

 

The traffic isnt really an issue, Im 2hours+ in traffic every week days...and first it was a PTA with the clutch but when I found that you can let the car in first gear and it will act like an AUTO. Im not the best who can explain what this is but, it feels like a rev limiter. You can't really stall in first in traffic....just need some practice and get use to it. Since I know this possibility I don't even touch the clutch more then 5 times in a 45minutes ride just keeping the flow !!!

Get the 6 speed or you'll regret it !!!

 

Now that you've heard from us, what are your thoughts so far?

 

I love it how all of you are enjoying sitting in traffic

Now, I want to hear someone who sits in NJ/NY traffic daily to support your propaganda...

I do just fine in my TL-S, I have enough balls in the car... Going faster from one red light to another is not my cup of tea. I've done all of this when I was younger, including rocking a stick.

But, my next car will probably be a BMW with it's ingenious automatic. How many of you do daily commutes of 50-60 miles? As a person who lived in both worlds, after a long tiring day, with idiots always cutting you off, and sudden stops... I just rather drive with one finger and comfortably relax.

If I've lived upstate or any where with nice smooth open roads, I would puke on automatic, and only drive a stick.

PS I still sometimes forget that it's an auto, this has been a bad habit of mine in every auto, I feel for clutch and sometimes drop the car in neutral by accident..sometimes

 

Yeah me neither. Bottom line is it's their preference, their money, and their choice and that's all that really matters.

 

Well put

 

I spend over 30 years commuting from the Jersey Shore to Wall St, most of it in cars with a 4 or 5 speed stick, even on Fridays & Mondays in the summer.

 

Ive smashed on my brakes on the lexus before while driving it thinking im getting ready to shift up or down in my acura lmao....whatta scare!!!

 

My comment was directed towards the thread not any single poster specifically.

It helps putting "jokes" in red so others know your joking. This is the internet and sometimes things may not come across as you may have intended them to.

 

The only reasons I can think of not to get a stick would be

1. You cant drive one
2. You have kids and no other car to drive them around in

Sitting in traffic is not a valid reason for me. I live in the bay area and I drive to LA often enough to understand how bad traffic can be and not once have I regretted getting a manual.

Like many others have said, driving a stick is just funner than driving Auto. I feel people who prefer auto's are indifferent when it comes to driving or riding as a passenger in someone else's car.