spdandpwr

I recently (in november) began leasing a 2012 tsx base auto. I've seeing videos and posts about the manual and was thinking about trading my car in for the manual. But I was looking to see what you guys think. Is it worth paying $100 more a month for the manual special edition (since I'd be rolling over negative equity)? I really want the manual because it seems significantly faster. But I'm on the fence about it.

mY sLOW UA6

Definately a good call with the manual, but 100 more dollars a month is a bit muchIMHO.

spdandpwr

well the car has 4k in negative equity so thats how I get 100 a month

p.s. where in ct are you from?

iamitman

Well, this is my first manual and I am very happy with it. But, it does get cumbersome driving around town. I would say just stick with the Auto and save 100 a month.

spdandpwr

Yea, I think I should test drive it because it the gears are too tight, it might feel cumbersome for me...that's how it was with my si...and that had very little torque

iamitman

They are tight. In the city I can never decide if i was to stay in second or go to third then I am already stopping at a stop sign. But, I do love "driving" the car!

HeavyDuty

If additional speed is your primary motivating factor, that wouldn't be worth it to me, personally. Where I work is mostly 55-65 mph roads from home and the shifting is nominal. If I lived in Miami or Atlanta or in the northeast, Los Angeles, etc. it would suuuuck.

The only opinion that matters is yours.

tobwac

test drive it first and then decided if you want take the financial hit
I say its not worth it

KillerG

Save your money, its a little faster im sure, but not worth what you will pay. It IS the same engine after all. Keep your care save your money and get an old manual beater one day

spdandpwr

thanks...the only thing I'll do is check out the 2014 ilx (I never get the first model year of any car) and then go from there. By then, there will be less negative equity (I hope).

pickler

stay with auto, it gets better MPG and shifts are silky smooth compared to MT. paying more for it is not worth it.

potmilkz

if your going to "upgrade"

why not do a v4 to v6 upgrade?

imho, its not that big of an upgrade for $100.00

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

+1

this is what i will end up doing

MrOtocinclus

If you really really want it then I say get it. If you're on the fence about it, then don't get it. Will you ever regret not getting the 6MT TSX for $100 more a month? If so, then get it.

ressling

I only liked the TSX in the 6MT, and that's coming from someone who commutes in ATL traffic. They are so damn RARE these days! Makes me wish I never sold mine...

Then again, you've already made your move. As others mentioned, the financial hit is not worth it. Just wait until your lease is up.

EzeE1o

+1. Both of my cars are manual and I wouldn't have it any other way. I commute in the sf bay area and it doesn't bother me a bit.

In The OP's situation, I probably wouldn't do it. Should have just got the 6MT from the beginning.

lghtspeedz

I have the 6MT and love it. The gear ratios are a lot lower than I am used to and 3,400rpm at 75mph was hard to see at first. For the first month I kept trying to put it into the next gear that wasn't there. Now I appreciate the top gear passing power and how well the transmission seems to match this cars power band. I have had many Honda 4 cylinder engines in the past and I am amazed at how this transmission with this car feels very torquey. My girlfriend has an '07 TSX Auto and I find it really difficult to drive her car because it doesn't have the torque that mine does. She also doesn't average 30mpg combined like I do.

After living with the car for four months now I am glad I bought the 6MT (FWIW - I never considered a TSX Tech Auto. If I was getting an Automatic I was going with an '11 Accord V6). I average 30mpg basically all the time. I have learned that whatever gear I was used to choosing in a given situation I should be one higher. So for example, if you go around a corner and usually downshift to second go to third instead. This has made it much easier to drive smoothly. The clutch and transmission combination on this car are top notch. The transmission has a very clean, mechanical feel to it. I have driven others (rentals in Europe, friends vehicles, etc.) that sometimes feel mushy as you move through the shift gate. Not the case with this setup.

$100 a month is a lot of money. You could wait for year end and try to get a '12 SE as a closeout. You might also want to check truecar.com and get an upfront price THEN negotiate the lease buyout.

iamitman

I say from base to SE 6MT is an upgrade worth 100 a month because SE looks much better than stock car with the Lip Kit, and darker 2 tone wheels. I am in love with the LUX Suede. It grips you well, more comfortable to sit on, and looks awesome. They did the SE right, and kept the price lower by not offering tech. Which I don't really miss as I never used the after market in dash navi in my other car. Always use the phone, and bluetooth streaming is seamless.

1supafly

yeah..i wish mine was a manual. oh well, gotta live with it..and the paddle shifters arent that bad. You just have to get used to them..
100 bucks is kinda steep..wait for the ilx maybe?

pickler

The SE is heavier than the base model so it's not much of a performance upgrade lol. And it's I4 not V4 rofl. +1 for I4 to V6 upgrade. The v6 tsx is the fastest acura in production at the moment in a straight line.

EzeE1o

Um, according to the specs on the Acura website, a 6mt SE is lightest.. 3415 vs 3479 for a base AT

iamitman

A manual is always lighter than a auto.

pickler

i was comparing a manual se with a base tsx ('11 TSX MT 3399lbs vs '12 TSX SE 3415lbs).

uhohkaitlina

Yes, you want it.

If you were closer I would say you could take mine for a spin..

uhohkaitlina

Amen!! That was a rough transition for me. The only other manual I had really religiously driven was my boyfriends 93 integra. Huge difference when I stepped into this car.

nj2pa2nc

hold onto the automatic and save the $100.00. Personally I am happy my husband and I only own manual transmission vehicles.

EzeE1o

what does a base 2011 have to do with this thread? lol..OP is comparing both 2012's

ceb

Only the OP can make that decision but he needs to be honest about the costs.

Those costs need to include taxes, DMV and so forth. The $100 "extra" payments are immaterial. I suspect that it is $100 more but for an extended time period, so the actual amount is much more.

How about you tell us what the dealer is offering for your trade and how much you'd pay for the manual - not monthly payments but total amount.

Does your state figure tax on the difference between the value of your trade and the new car or do they charge tax on the full amount? What are the DMV fees? Does the dealer charge a processing fee?

Only then can you make an informed decision.

ESHBG

Hey if you're offering, I'll drive your car, uhohkaitlina! I'm in Philly, so I am not that far! I have driven the 1st gen TSX in both Auto and Manual, and I was always curious to see what our generation's Manual version was like.

To the OP, I wouldn't do it for numerous reasons, with the financials of it all being the main one. $100/month could be better spent elsewhere and if you were really smart, you would now put the $100/month away over the life of your lease and have a nice chunk of change for a down payment on your next car (or if your wants/needs change by then, you could have that money on hand for other things).

spdandpwr

Yea, I'm going to stick with the autotragic. It sucks that I made that impulse decision (really needed to swap out of the car I was in). Overall, I'm satisfied with the car so there's no point in paying such a premium for a manual. Also, 3750rpm at 75 is wayyy too high for me to stomach (are you sure that's not 5th gear?)...I like having the car lower in revs when coasting on the highway.

spdandpwr

thanks for the offer.

iamitman

I hit 3500 RPM around 80+ in sixth.

dallison

For $100 a month more for the same car? hell no.

uhohkaitlina

Put it this way, though...

If you are going to keep paying payments on a car you're not happy with, then why do that? That's why I got rid of the accord. it was a perfectly nice car (sort of) but it didn't have what I wanted anymore, and didn't see myself making payments for two more years on something that I didn't want.

If the car is worth what you are paying now, and you're generally happy minus the manual, keep it. But good God, money is tight these days. Make sure you're spending it on something that you actually enjoy.

Also, I'm sure you want to stay with a brand new one, but why not look for certified used with like under 20k? They maybe your payments would be the same. And, I have found that usually people with manual cars take care of them better. Just my own findings.

kixo

If you want a 6MT TSX, this may be the last year to get one.

With the ILX offering a 6-speed, Acura may only offer an auto TSX until it phases out.

If you like shifting your own gears, the TSX has one of the best manuals out there. It's become a cliche on this site, but it truly becomes a different car with the 6MT.

But if it is speed you are primarily after, then a trade to a CPO V6 might be a better option.

Because of the Japan earthquake/tsunami, 2011 6MTs are very rare. I waited three months to get mine.

Acura_Dude

I was hoping they'd offer tech pkg with SE 6spd for the 2013 MY. But if they change their minds...

ressling

OP: all I have to say is, money talks.

I sold my '09 TSX because I don't drive much, and couldn't justify making the payments. I got into a much older car which I love, but it sure is no TSX.

You think $100/mo is no sweat off your back then by all means do it, but there's plenty of other ways to blow your money.

Do the financially smart thing and wait it out until your lease is up. By that time you'll probably want something different anyways...

spdandpwr

I'm actually going to check out the ilx once it comes out and determine where I wanna go. If I like it, I'll wait til my lease is up.

dcdriver

That's probably the only gripe I have with the TSX auto which is the lack of a sixth gear.

spdandpwr

Im at 2k at 60 mph in the automatic...the gears are too long...they need a tranny that sits between the tight gears of the manual and the long gears of the auto