miraclecreator

I have an Auto right now, but it's so boring to drive an auto and seems to be a waste to drive such a nice car with Auto trans. I'm thinking of trading my auto tC in and get a 5 spd, since they said if I do it outside I will lose ALL my warranty.
So my question is, should I get a manual or not? is it worth it with the 5 spd? Fun to drive? cuz' a lot of my friends that drive stick said they rather have an auto but b/c manual is cheaper and b/c stick is such a pain in the **** when ur stuck in traffic. So pls tell me if I should get it and give me your opinions. THANK U!~

dante

I enjoy driving the 5 speed, but my next car was going to be a standard regardless of what it was. I was actually surprised at how rare the auto's were compared to the standards, as I thought the auto's would be less fun to drive (and more $$$). Take a 5sp for a test drive and decide for yourself. If the auto's are more rare you might be able to make almost an even swap.

dante

Mediocre_Generica

manuals are overrated

trust me.

Ranthese

Your friends drive stick and they would rather have an auto??? WHY??? Everyone I know that drives a stick loves to drive a stick, that's why they have one in the first place. Sounds strange... but yea, my manual is fun to drive. Traffic around here isn't so bad so I don't mind. If it was worse or really hilly, I would go with the auto.

Blueprint4Escape

I think alot of it has to do with you plan on doing with the car and how much other activity you do while you drive (phone, changing music, etc.). For instance I have both an atx and mtx at the moment. The mtx is a club car and the atx is a daily driver of the same type being that I'm a fan... heh. I love both equally. So I think it could go either way.

dmitri

If you have an auto, it might not be worth the the couple thousand depreciation, plus registration charges for the change. Unless you REALLY love the car and plan on keeping it a long time.

Automatic is less work. But to be honest, I PREFER stick in traffic. I don't like how autos are constantly pulling you forward and how you have to hit the brakes all the time. It causes traffic jams and wear on the brakes. It also feels better/safer when your car slows down when you let go of everything.

Having said that, I have a smashed left from a bike wreck, so it's automatic for me while the MR2T sleeps in the garage.. blah.

bobbyboshay

Since I have driven both I can tell you the manual is by far quicker and more fun to drive. Drive them both then decide.

Ms_Jackal

Auto's are great if you commute on LA freeways....All that stop-and-go bull____ is tiring in anything other than an automatic, IMO. Also, brake pads are cheap compared to replacing a clutch.

I've never had to replace anything [other than tranny oil and filter changes] with the automatic that i've owned, while I had to replace the clutch in my truck @120k for about $700.00.

Redfish

The cost will equal out when you go to get a new clutch anyway. You arent going to save all that much with 5sp vs auto in the $ dept, and if you really want to get into it the auto gets slightly better mpg so thats $$ too. You seem to have a good amount of friends with sticks, let them let you drive it for a day or so. Try all the circumstances you might find yourself in. Stop and go, high speed, quick acceleration, and see if you still think its what you want.

If you trade-in you're going to lose money, thats a given. Can you afford that, is it worth it?

sindekat

:D You want more fun then get the supercharger when it comes out. Just point it in the direction you want to go then hang on. I prefer a stick but a blown auto will be a hoot!

iowagary

Wow... do you really have an AT and MT tC? Or do you just have two of something else? Either way you're doing pretty good for yourself. I don't think these things are any cheaper in Missouri, so you've either got some monster payments or a pretty sweet job

I wonder if the wait time is less if you tell the dealer you'll take two.

zac

hey bro gotta tell ya i drive a 5 spd and i will never buy anything else, i really enjoy it and feel like i have more control over the car, also gas mileage is supposed to be a little better, but for me i drive fast as often as i can so i never see good gas mileage

sticks are not bad in traffic, its better than having to hold your foot on the brake to keep your car from inching forward, all you gotta do is first gear neutral than e-brake,over and over and over i live 5 miles out of orlando and am stuck in traffic almost every day

make sure your dealer doesnt take advantage of you wanting to get rid of a brand new car, cause you know there gonna *** ya
good luck!

DuMa

i drive a 5spd and i dont see the big complaint about being stuck on traffic. (AND I LIVE IN SOCAL MIND YOU) it only gets painful if you're stuck in traffic on a uphill incline. thats when you start worrying about people behind you... but i've pretty much mastered the clutch by now. and theres always the trusty ebrake to save you ;)
other than that... its faster, cheaper, and supposedly saves more mileage than the auto.

5spd > auto

SpdLmtNA

Wow, I live in the DC Metro area (traffic Haven), and I gotta tell ya, I LOVE MANUAL transmissions. I drove a six speed before getting my tC, but sold it and was without a car for a good month while my tC was being shipped. In that month I borrowed 3 different cars, from friends and family, all automatics. The LACK of control in comparison to a manual is very noticeable... and in traffic, I jus keep it in second gear, and hardly use my brakes.... also... if you know what VA and DC look like, there are HILLS EVERYWHERE... alright, thats my $0.02
If youre not losing much $ when trading for a manual, then by all means, I suggest you go for it.

Rivulent

I'm going to keep it short and sweet. But don't get a manual because you think they are fun or because your friends have them and like them. Get them because you can handle it and you enjoy it yourself. A lot of people are getting the tC manual as their first car and finding they suck at manual (or don't want to spend the weekend to actually learn it ). Unless you plan to do some serious engine mods or something, manual isn't that much of a benefit. I got it because it translated to quite a bit less a month in payments, and my first car was a manual so I'm proficient in it . And yes, it can suck in traffic, but it all depends where you live. Here in Florida, driving a manual is easy unless downtown tampa gets off work ;).

apexjr

I second everything, including my MR2T sleeping in the garage. :twisted:

miraclecreator

Hmm... well, the traffic at Atlanta is okay i guess. Unless u're working at downtown, and you have to go by hwy at the morning (6~10am) and afternoon (3~6pm), which actually doesnt affect me b/c I go to school and and I got alternate ways to get to school, but it's just that next semester I'm goin to a different campus and might need to go to hwy, but it shouldnt be a problem. I've been in Atlanta for 6 years and it's not that big of a deal and if u know the time when the traffic is bad, u can always go the alternative way instead of the FAST hwy. lol Imma wait a lil until the end of this year, if I got enough money, i might get a stick, due to so many advantages (more control, gas mileage, faster, more fun, cheaper, possible cheaper and easier to maintain, etc) The only disadvateges I see here are, it can a pain in the ___ when stuck in traffic and not easy to drive (but that's what makes it so fun and challenging)

Keep goin with the opinion tho, I want to hear more and see what u guys think.

PunkInDrublic

What's with everyone saying manual gets better gas mileage, doesn't the automatic beat it's highway MPG by 1 whereas the city mileage is the same.

apexjr

The EPA rating is a bunch of crap. It doesn't represent the real world anymore. Read here for yourselfs.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/how_tested.shtml

"Adjusting Estimates

In the 1980s, an EPA study found that drivers were typically achieving lower fuel economy than predicted by EPA laboratory tests. As a result, EPA required the laboratory-derived city and highway MPG estimates posted on the labels of new vehicles to be adjusted downward by 10 percent for city estimates and by 22 percent for highway estimates to better reflect the MPG real-world drivers can expect.
"

That is all the proof I need to hear that there test doesn't test accurately enough the driving habits of 90% of the people on the road. This seems to basically be saying that there test is only about 70% accurate to me.

miraclecreator

actually I'm still thinking if if should trade in my auto tC for a 5 spd. To tell u guys the true, it is actually more than b/c of the advantages, it's just that I'm planning on spending a lot of money on my baby, (intake, muffler, supercharger, etc) But when i told ppl about it, they frowned, b/c it's an auto. They said getting a new muffler aint gonna get much louder even with the intake and supercharger would be a waste. It's like the auto trans. is that one black stain a piece of clean white paper. ALMOST perfect.