if it have more than 2 pedals, i won't buy it! the days of manuals being a gas saver, cheaper to repair, lighter, more fun, blah, blah, blah,.....are over! today's technology have caught up with manuals and automatics/semi-automatics, etc....have made manuals look silly. how so? visit your local dealer and ask how many manuals do they have in stock or have sold. buyers determine what is popular and when 95% of buyers want autos, dealers and manufacturers will follow.

but you say manuals are more fun to drive!.....sure it is... bec. a small group of people say it is, not the majority. manuals are usually always driven hard, usually driven by younger, aggressive drivers. that's fun alright! other than that, there's not much else benefiting a manual anymore. automatics/semiautomatics are just as fun and more so when the situation calls for it. with manuals, you're stuck! got my "flame" suit on!

 

Stuck for what? With manual, it's ALWAYS fun, not only "when the situation calls for it". With automagic transmission, I'll be stuck driving a boring POS.

 

if you consider fun being stuck in traffic for 2-3 hours a day, 5 days a week for 260 days a year rowing through your gears constantly, then let it be. i rather have the best of both worlds..and switch to auto when this happens or switch to manual mode when i feel like superman on the open highway.

 

Ok...this manual and traffic excuse again...... This is the #1 excuse for all those people who ditched the MT for the boring AT. If you do what 4cruizn and SouthernBoy said regarding traffic, MT in traffic isn't an issue. Just admit it, you're lazy!!!

 

better put on your asbestos suit

 

it's not an excuse, it's reality! sure, autos are boring most of the time and rightly so bec. i don't have to do anything. manuals are fun no doubt about that, but if "fun" is the only thing you care for, we got a problem. i got better things to do that is way more fun than driving a car!

 

Here's the bottom line:

If I had two cars, one would be an automatic and my daily and the other would be a manual and my weekend car.

Unless my weekend car was a Ferrari and then I'd get the sequential gearbox because those are every bit as good as a manual without the third pedal.

But if it's a floppy-paddled gearbox that's just a regular auto with paddles, I'll get the manual instead for the fun car.

 

To be fair, I would still buy the manual if given the option, but Rick_TL-S makes an excellent point that a manufacturer like Ferrari still strives to offer stellar performance in any manner available to them.

The six-speed manual is a half second slower to 60 mph. A half second alone isn't much, but when comparing 4.2 to 3.7 seconds in a car such as a Ferrari, it's an eternity.



Terry

 

So I take that you're the type of person who considers a car as a form of transportation from point A to point B. Well, then just stick with your AT because this type of people don't enjoy driving to begin with. MT to these people is more of chore than enjoyment.

 

And that reminds me of Clarkson's quote that basically was, "If you don't care what kind of car you drive then you don't care about driving. And if you don't care about driving you're probably not very good at it. And if you're not very good at it, you probably don't deserve to be driving in the first place."

 

i truly enjoy driving and look forward to it whenever i get the chance. sometimes i make excuses just to go out so i can drive. i love driving. the music thumping, the wind rushing thru the top, windows open, hearing the engine roar, sitting comfortably behind the steering wheel with one arm out the window...i truly enjoy driving. just this past month, i drove 3600 miles on a road trip. my wife said she wanted to fly, i said no way when i can drive....does it always have to be a manual to have fun or love/enjoy driving? i don't think so.

 

so i guess this quote here fits all those who drive manuals?

 

How much is it to replace an automatic transmission on the TL?
I just bought a clutch for $250, and the install will be $300.
and the 6m/t is about 100lbs lighter...

 

5MT here

 

there's no need to argue about which is better. if silver3.5 prefers to drive an auto, let her enjoy her car

 

Let us enjoy our manuals then.

 

sure, go ahead. i do

 

When I lived in France only old, infirm people drove automatics. I was hitch hiking in Normandy and this guy in his 70s picked my gf and I up and he was rowing through the gears. I asked him if he wanted an AT instead he just laughed and said it gave him something to do.

'nuff said!

 

I see what you did there

 

I'm not getting into this one. Maybe I should just take my '04 manual TL for a "TL moment". Oh, wait.... I already did that several hours ago in beautiful Piedmont areas of Virginia.

 

 

Better buy your passes in bulk then because the future doesn't look good for a transmission that rarely seems to make up even 10-15% of sales in most cars.


Eventually, the only companies offering manuals will be the small supercar companies & even they are phasing them out. Koenigsegg just switched to a sequential gearbox for the Agera as will Pagani. Even ol' Porsche will get rid of the manual as the standard option as the PDK becomes more & more advanced.

 

but, but, but you need the guys to show off how big their e-peen is by telling you how they are true car drivers since they drive a manual.......

 

Theres no need to argue that, its already implied.

 

 

Aston's still got them manuals!!! And I don't think they've developed any AT that can shift in 100 ms. So lets all go and buy astons!!

 

Saw an old man filling up at gas station today, walking with a walker. He was driving a new Z06 manual.

 

That's fine if a manufacturer don't want to offer manuals. I'll simply look for a car that offers it then, even if it's older.

As for the post above me...

 

For some of us it is the left hand and left foot.

My next car, if I stay here, will be a 6MT of some sort. No question. If I get sent stateside, no doubt a manual is what I'll have.

 

Yea, but Nothing will replace putting the left foot and right or left hand to work while behind the wheel just doesn't roll off the tongue as well

 

I love driving my 6mt in traffic. It's fun to see how fast I can o 0-15-0.

 

I love being able to practice the clutch engagement. Even with a heavy clutch.

 

Maybe the thread title should be changed to: "Save the Traditional 3-Pedal Manuals!"

 

My TL was the first AT car that I ever owned (granted I had an A/T S-10 but I don't count that) and one of the reasons why I bought it was due to the "being in traffic a lot" excuse. I figured since I drove in LA traffic everyday that an AT would be a good change; and it was...for awhile. Sure it was nice being able to kick back and not worry about shifting in bumper to bumper traffic (and I know my left leg was loving it) but when I wanted it to get up and go, the performance just didn't compare to an MT. Also, I feel that if you drive MT long enough (most of my cars have been MT and I've quite a few cars), shifting becomes second nature and you don't really notice or think about it in traffic, at least I don't. Regardless if technology makes an AT better, MT ftw in my book, but to each their own I guess.

 

Absolutely.

People who say they prefer autos due to traffic aren't giving a legitimate excuse, IMHO.

I live in SoCal. I've NEVER wished for an auto.

 

I agree. I have never wished I had an automatic, traffic be damned. Like the man said, it just becomes second nature... like breathing. It's just what you do.

 

And much like breather, if you think about you'll screw up

 

big to last three posts

 

Not yet.

Quick fact, the DBS was originally manual only until a large demand of owners wanted an "AT" option.

 

There are FEW days where i miss having a manual but pretty damn happy with my automatic.


For me it also depends what kind of gearbox it is. Wasnt too pleased with BMWs manual trannys but Hondas... YUM. That made driving a manual enjoyable.