OK, I'm becoming so obsessed with the idea of a 6MT that I'm beginning to contemplate trading in my 5AT to get one.

Tell me I'm crazy. Please.

 

you're crazy

 

You are not. Get one if you can. It's fun.

 

Thanks moreace. Now tell me why (I know, I'm very demanding).

 

Hey Norse396, seems like I remember you saying you also wish you had gone with the 6MT. How are you coping?

 

damn, this relationship is too much work. I think we need some time apart


You just bought the car and will be losing the most $ in the shortest period of time
auto is great, still a performer and great for everyday driving, practical
cause u shoulda thought of this before u bought it
and finally because you told me to say it and I am whipped

 

Thanks moreace. I promise to appreciate you more. I'll never take you for granted again. Now go rest.

 

Get the 6MT if you can. I'm pretty sure that you won't regret it.

 

"Now tell me why (I know, I'm very demanding)."

For some, being involved with the process (driving) makes the experience more fun. For others, having to concentrate on the details (like shifting) make the experience less enjoyable. For me, I like the process and knowing that I am in control. Photography is my hobby, and of all of the cameras that I have, I normally use the old, manual styles (instead of the newer, computerized models) that allow me to control the outcome the best, instead of the camera. I have both, but it is just a love of being in control of the process, I guess. It carries over to my driving too.

But the Brembos and butter smooth gearbox are good reasons to go 6MT, also!

 

You live in LA? Stick with the Auto. I remember the traffic there in a manual... it SUCKS.

I just happen to love manuals enough to endure the pain of stop and sit traffic.

 

stick with the auto. its not worth the extra cash you lose trading it in so quickly. i have a 6MT and have to say its great and an absolute joy to drive. but if i were in your position its not worth the trouble or money to switch.

 

Just make sure you test drive the 6MT a few times so you know what you're getting into.

TL-Rocket

6MT!!!!!

 

Having just traded a 350Z 6MT this was a "no-brainer".
The actual control of the car you get from a manual transmission is what it's all about.
BTW the two trannies are very different. The TL's is smoother but IMO the Zcar's shifts are shorter. I am finally getting used to the release point on the TL's being higher than the 350Z.
Acceleration in the TL is more subtle with some torque steer while the Zcar's is more brutish and guttural. They both have their pluses and minuses. I know that's a bit off topic but though I would share some observations.

 

Amen. SoCal traffic sucks.

 

Besides driving excitement, Honda’s automatic transmissions don't have the best reliability numbers in late models, so you know an MT tranny is what you want to get.

 

I have auto
don't say this
what is wrong with honda auto transmission?
everyone says it is so smooth
how long will they last?

P.S. yes I am a huy, no I don't know how to drive manual

 

I feel you on the desire for a 6MT; I constantly wished I would have bought the 6MT Maxima (vs my auto) but can/would you take the financial hit???

 

Here`s the scoop; I had a 99 M3 CONVT. with the Dinan performance package 18" wheels, about 50 coats of Zaino. The car only had 30,000 miles when I sold it for the TL.

Why did I sell it?

IT WAS AN AUTO!

As much as driving around with the top down, I couldn`t help but trying to make believe it was a MT. I felt like it was an ordinary car.

Even though it was more "sporty" than the TL, if it`s bothering you, get the MT. I just lost interest in the"M" mostly because of that

 

Oh it is smooth, but that is in most part because of the new Drive by wire of the 04 TL. The 04 transmission has been upgraded, but noone yet knows what the outcome will be in the future.

Last gen water cooled trasnmissions were pretty bad. Those are 2000 TL's up to 2003 including CL and type S models.

I hope they had a fix for the 04 Auto trannies. Good luck.

 

Having driven both a lot (had a 5AT for awhile before my 6MT was delivered), I know for certain and without a shred of doubt that I like the 6MT about a bazillion times better. 6MT significantly ups the fun factor. I am more than glad I got the stick.

Would it be worth it to me to trade a 5AT in it? I don't know, that's a tough call. I took a hit of my own to get the 04 TL, but it wasn't over type of transmission, it was about how my 03 behaved after accident repairs.

It's your money, only you can choose. Please don't allow anyone else too much influence over what must be your decision alone.

 

Having my 6mt and my girl's 5at, i get to choose which car we take out. the 5at has nav, but i find myself choosing the 6mt basically all the time. Only time i take out the 5at is long trips.

6mt is definitely a good choice for the TL.....there is a world of difference between the two transmissions.

but I gotta admit......auto is very smooth, a little vibration, but still very smooth.

 

I can not drive stick, seems hard, I wouldn't be smooth anyways

Since I am a n00bie could you please explain this world of difference?

Also while I got u, how big a diff are the brakes, are auto's that sh*&^y?

If you just got nav on the 6spd manual you would be in heaven

 

"world of difference" was my way of saying the character btween the two cars. When I take my girl's car out, I feel reluctant to make the car "perform"....I feel a bit of a drag when I punch the car. I have never went close to redline on her car yet. She babies her car so I go maybe high as 5000 rpm on hwy. When I drive my 6mt, man....what a feeling....i think i use most of my hp when I drive stick.

this is another finding. when her car is going 60mph....her rpm was much lower than my rpm when going same speed. When I saw that I realized that my car is always on the go.....her car is a bit relaxed.

sorry if this was confusing, but I never did well in english, its my second language.

yeah....i wish i got nav

PS - my girl took her car into the dealer for brakes.....she felt misalignment and car pulling while braking. couldn't make the symptom repeat so we are just hoping it was nothing. My brakes are good.....even though the service guy told me there were some complaints about the brembos.

 

It's hard to describe. A stick puts you much more in command of the car's powerband, your rpm and torque range for any given situation. It's more a feeling that you need to experience to understand. Driving with three pedals, coordinating the clutch, rowing through the gears, feeling the instant acceleration in response to your inputs; it's a feeling akin to being being part of the mechanism, as opposed to simply sitting on top of it and guiding it. It takes more physical effort to do it, because except for open rode cruising, it keeps both feet and both hands busy all the time. You can't (or I guess you shouldn't) eat or drink coffee while driving a stick in traffic, but the extra effort is so much more satisfying. 5AT in sportshift doesn't even come close to that feeling. Learning to drive a stick can be a pain, it takes a lot practice to learn, but once you've learned it, driving becomes so much more fun.

As for the brakes, there's nothing wrong with the standard 5 AT brakes. The Brembos are just better brakes. More surface area, more linear response, less fade, just better.

 

moreace-

this was my first stick as well. I had to learn it and it was hard.... but after 4 month of driving.....its easy as cake! people are always saying traffic is reason to get auto.....well i don't see why its so hard? you stay at one gear (1st) and go little by little...no shifting you know? I don't worry about traffic, i just hate high inclines......steep hills you know? but everything else comes together after you get the 1st gear down.

I suggest to learn it......it opened up a new driving experience for me.

 

I think it was you that wanted to change color after you bought the car....was it you? because if you are then you can get the color you wanted and 6mt!!!

 

Thanks for all the responses guys

I want to learn on somebody elses car, but they wont let me drive til I learn, but I can't learn casue they wont teach me on the car. Sheesh. Catch 22

 

Rent one.

 

moreace, try the driving schools with stick tranny. You can take couple of lessons and then rent one for practice.

 

I was like you in 1984 as I bought a 300zx in an auto as I did not know how to drive a stick. I became obsessed with a stick to the point that I could not enjoy my car as an automatic. So I really had no choice and after 6 months I traded it in on the same car but with a stick. I rather lose some money then live with a car that I was not going to enjoy. Funny story in that the saleman was leary that there was something wrong with my automatic Z and I kept on telling him about the virtues of a stick to convince him that that was the reason I was trading it in after 6 months. Well when he gave me the keys after I bought the car and I gave them to my friend to drive the car home he looked at me like I was from Mars.

20 yrs later I have never regretted that move and I have only bought sticks since then.

A stick is the way to really enjoy driving.

 

For a driving enthusiast, there is nothing like a manual transmission. As for me - I like to always have the RPMs in the power band (unless Im just cruzin) so that I can gun it and always have power on tap. Besides nothing puts a grin on my face like blipping the throttle, throwing it in to second, letting out the clutch, hearing the motor sing and launching out of a curve!

Sorry but auto trannys just cant give you that feeling. (Maybe a seq. manual gearbox could-but Ive never tried one)

 

WOW!

reading past two replies makes me want to drive a RWD sports car real bad.

lets just say I haven't really gone fully swing on my car yet..... I will on a nice sunny day with all the windows down......

 

How many also believe they screwed up by putting the tach on the left? It's hard to see behind the left hand. Most sports cars have the tach on the right side...

 

OMG! since I drive left hand.....i am constantly lifting up my arm to see the tech. I love how subarus and nissan has them centered.

 

You are completely nuts. The depreciation hit will be substantial. Too bad you did not have this feeling when you bought the 5AT.

 

Oh yeah, it's much more difficult to move a MT when you eant to sell it as the market for same is substantially smaller.

 

I actually love mine (6MT)...even in traffic!

 

yupp 6 spd is fun to drive but not fun to trade in

 

Without the 6MT, I would not have given the TL the time of day.

For me, a manual transmission in my daily driver is mandatory.

There is no comparison to the control you have with a manual. I like to match revs, and double-clutch my downshifts.

The joy of a good shift is part of the joy of the automobile.

Picture me on the highway. In my 270 hp. manual transmission Acura.

Not the TL. In this case I am in my NSX. The other 270 hp. Honda. (93 Coupe/3.0/5MT)

As I coast along at 60 MPH in 5th gear, the car is smooth and low to the ground. I put my left foot on the clutch and shift from 5th into 2nd, while I mash the throttle, sending the tach soaring from 3000 RPM to 5500 (IIRC, its been a crappy winter!) as I engage 2nd.

The car lets out a wail (to dispel all who claim the NSX lacks soul) as it rushes to its 8000 RPM fuel cutoff and 81 MPH. Grab third and its another dash up the tach to 117 and 4th, at which point you should on a race track or all by yourself on a deserted road (if you must) if you even consider grabbing 4th, let alone 5th.

That is an extreme example, but every time you take a corner, or slow down, or start from a stop, you are connected to the automobile in a way that an automatic does not allow.

Yes, the commute can be a pain in the ass. I have a significant 18 mile urban commute that ranges anywhere from 25-50 minutes. Not hideous, but enough that you notice the few times an automatic would be preferable.

As for your question about how transmissions work:

Read this article and you will know more than most:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission.htm

 

OK. It's clear that 6MT owners are overwhelmingly confident of their choice. What's up with you other 5AT owners out there? Are you all secretly wishing you had gone with the 6MT as well?

Come on! Let's hear some counterpoint!

And Dark6mt, yes, I'm also the one that wish I'd gotten black. There's a team of Harvard Psychologists that want to study me for a book on the neurotically hard to please.