Manual Transmission, Houston, Texas

[skunk]

I would touch a Renault auto but wouldn't hesitate to drive an auto Bentley. My local dealer just took delivery of a dozen or so Bentley Continental GTCs, stunning in the flesh, so much moreso than pictures in magazines.

They are really good in the flesh, aren't they? My plumbers' merchant has just bought one.
The four-door's nice, too.

 

[mpw]

They are really good in the flesh, aren't they? My plumbers' merchant has just bought one.
The four-door's nice, too.

Have you seen the video of the four-door being taken to 208mph? Four guys just sat chatting, vitually no wind/road noise and zero drama.

I've met the guy driving in the video and was there when he had to tell his Dad he'd crashed the Ferrari, he laughed!

 

[Texas04]

Thank you everyone... well a little more insight into my experience

I will be driving (hopefully) a Scion TC manual, (again the manual is debateable because of traffic)

So about burning the clutch had a friend that drove a Jetta and a old Z manual drove from U of H to Belt and 45 every day and never really had a problem with his clutch burning out. I suppose the best thing to do would be to rent a manual, get my ole man to take me out and teach me than figure out if its truly the best thing for me before i decide no?

Oh and since im still young and never have really had any problems w/ my knees.. (im a runner to) I am hoping the knee thing wont be to much of a factor shifting and engaging the clutch

Thank you all

 

[evoluzione]

get a manual...for all those who say you really do NOT have more control...well, you really must be crappy drivers. sorry but you have way more control with a manual 'box. i've recently been driving an auto, and **** do i hate it, i find myself braking in corners because i have less control over the speed of the car, and braking in corners is NOT good.

oh and the guy who said getting an auto is better for the girls, only if it's a column shift dude. there's no disadvantage to having a manual in that respect. trust me.


enjoy the TC manual, be so much more fun in an already fun car to drive.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Manual, please. Except in a full size pickup, which should be an auto.

 

[Texas04]

So if I do decide to get a manual... how will i convice my mom to allow me to get one? Any ideas?
Her biggest thing is that my grandpa didnt allow her to drive one because well that was a long time ago when women were still struggling with the whole equal thing and (my parents and grandparents are REALLY old for me being my age) and she made the car stop so hard that my grandpa was like okay nevermind you cant drive stick... so she is attiment.. so far at least i really havent tried.. about getting an auto..

Im willing to teach her once i learn and i think it will be good bonding experience... if I can teach a 65 year old man (who is very computer illeterate) to e-mail and use a computer.. (my dad) than I think i can teach my mom how to drive stick... time yes but we can do it

 

[dpaanlka]

My mom made me get an automatic. During the time I owned that car, the automatic trans on her 2001 X5 blew out, causing lots of chaos. When it came time for another car, it didn't take me long to convince her to go with a manual.

I don't trust automatics.

 

[®îçhå®?]

I much prefer the idea of manual because if you pass your driving test on that, then you can drive manual and automatic cars and have good practice on the manual side.

 

[bowens]

So if I do decide to get a manual... how will i convice my mom to allow me to get one? Any ideas?
Her biggest thing is that my grandpa didnt allow her to drive one because well that was a long time ago when women were still struggling with the whole equal thing and (my parents and grandparents are REALLY old for me being my age) and she made the car stop so hard that my grandpa was like okay nevermind you cant drive stick... so she is attiment.. so far at least i really havent tried.. about getting an auto..

Im willing to teach her once i learn and i think it will be good bonding experience... if I can teach a 65 year old man (who is very computer illeterate) to e-mail and use a computer.. (my dad) than I think i can teach my mom how to drive stick... time yes but we can do it

Driving a stick is easy. I got a 93 Jeep Cherokee and had never driven a stick before. I drove it around for an hour or so and took it to school the next day. It's a piece of cake.

 

[MalcolmJID]

You are in more control if you have a manual tran. My dads fairly new (52 reg') Mitsubishi SpaeWagon is an automatic. Whenever I'm a passenger, when my dad takes his foot off the accelerator, half the time, it just went straight to idle. And it did this when he brakes too. No engine braking effect at all.

I learnt on a manual and I'll stick with manuals for my life, until my left leg/back gives in. I love using engine braking etc, I do feel more in control of the car. I don't want to drive an automatic if I can avoid it tbh. I don't like the way my Dads car just revs to around 2000rpm and stays there while the whole transmission/engine speed catches up etc. I like the see the rev needle go up how I want it, I can be in an gear I want at any time, I feel in complete control of the car.

 

[dpaanlka]

I'm surprised how many people are saying you don't have more control with a manual - sure you do. That's the definition of a manual transmission, you manually controlling the gears of the car.

Also manual transmission units tend to be lighter than the automatic units, giving most manual cars a slight acceleration benefit (with good drivers).

All this is silly though manuals are 200x more fun so that should be the most important reason for a young guy like you.

 

[panoz7]

I will be driving (hopefully) a Scion TC manual, (again the manual is debateable because of traffic)

Of all the car's I've driven Scion's have by far the easiest clutches. My mom got one of the box ones (xb I think it is) to drive around town when she doesn't need her bigger car and the clutch is so light and easy. Not great for control, but an absolute joy in traffic compared to other manuals.

As for the fuel efficiency thing... the Scion's are actually more efficient with the automatics. I seem to recall that they were 1 or 2 mpg better on both the highway and the city sections of the EPA tests... that didn't stop my mom from getting the manual though.

This has NOTHING to do with the automatic being smarter; It has to do with different gear ratios used. You will always be smarter then an automatic (only you know exactly what you're going to do next). Automatic's are inherently less efficient then manual transmissions (the torque converter eats some power). Some of the newest automatics make up for this by having more gears then a conventionally shifted manual could have.

I've never been to Houston before. I put up with about an hour of stop and go traffic on the way to work during the summer. It was fine in my normal car which has a relatively light clutch. I tried the same thing one morning in one of our other cars which has a much heavier clutch and it was worse, but not nearly bad enough to make me want an automatic.

One day I got stuck in some major traffic coming out of manhattan towards Connecticut. It took me about 4 hours to go 8 miles. It was horrible. My left leg has never hurt that much, and I'm a runner also. If that's the kind of traffic you might experience, even if it was only once a month, i'd look at alternatives.

One interesting alternative that might be a bit out of your price range (I think the Scion Tc's are like 17?) is the VW GTI. You can get it with a DSG transmission, which is probably the biggest innovation in automotive technology in the past decade. You get all the benefits of a manual and an automatic and none of the downsides.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

get a manual...for all those who say you really do NOT have more control...well, you really must be crappy drivers. sorry but you have way more control with a manual 'box. i've recently been driving an auto, and **** do i hate it, i find myself braking in corners because i have less control over the speed of the car, and braking in corners is NOT good.

oh and the guy who said getting an auto is better for the girls, only if it's a column shift dude. there's no disadvantage to having a manual in that respect. trust me.


enjoy the TC manual, be so much more fun in an already fun car to drive.

It not that we are crappy drivers. The more control is so minor that it does not matter much. The more control is an illusion of more control than anything else. Yes I know about that illusion and yes I prefer the illusion of having it because it is what I am used to. Yeah you get more control over the gears but in the long run it not that much extra control. The only extra control is direct control over the gears. Everything else is just the same. Engine breaking does not help you slow down any faster if more than anything it will increase you minim stopping distance because you will overload you front drives wheels long before you non drives wheels will max out there traction.

My daily driver is a Spec V and yes is a 6 speed manual. From time to time I have to drive an automatic. As for you breaking in to corners is a failure on the DRIVER part because you failed to adjusted to different car. It more a sign of a bad driver who makes that mistake because it is just as easy to make that mistake on an manual. (btw engine breaking is still breaking. It takes traction away from the drive wheels.) For corning it all about taking off enough speed before you get into the turn. Controlling the speed of the car is all about the driver. It not a matter of the gear box. It will give you an extra choice if you want to use it.

But I was pointing out the extra control is mostly an illusion and that is coming from a manual driver who been driving one for almost 10 years now (since I got my permit when I was 15)

As for the girl comment part. It is not the stick part being the thing I was commenting about. Why I say it sucks for dates is the fact it is kind of hard to hold the girls hand, or rest you hand on the her leg or do anything with you free hand while driving because you right hand has to shift from time to time causing you to let go. An issue and automatic will NOT have.

The reason I drive a manual is I enjoy the having the control of the gear choices. And I don’t have to deal with the lag time for the car to down shift.
But the biggest reason I drive a manual over an auto is the Fun factor. And well that fun factor is the real reason I drive a manual and for most people who drive a manual that is the real reason they drive it.

Now I will admit I have more trouble driving an auto now over a manual not because of the lost of control over the gears but because I am so use to driving a stick and I have to make an conscience effort to remember that I am driving an automatic and the rules are a little different. Same goes if some one normally drives a automatic and needs to drive a manual for a trip (even if they know how to drive an manual. All there automatic processes are based on the car you normally drive)

So if I do decide to get a manual... how will i convice my mom to allow me to get one? Any ideas?
Her biggest thing is that my grandpa didnt allow her to drive one because well that was a long time ago when women were still struggling with the whole equal thing and (my parents and grandparents are REALLY old for me being my age) and she made the car stop so hard that my grandpa was like okay nevermind you cant drive stick... so she is attiment.. so far at least i really havent tried.. about getting an auto..

Im willing to teach her once i learn and i think it will be good bonding experience... if I can teach a 65 year old man (who is very computer illeterate) to e-mail and use a computer.. (my dad) than I think i can teach my mom how to drive stick... time yes but we can do it

Well the only argument you really have is the fact you want drive a manual. That really is the only argument you have. The rest are so minor that it is not going to matter. There is also the fun factor (but again that ties right back in to the want factor)
That and well if you drive a manual you will be able to drive about any car out there if you need to.

She has a lot more valid argument ageist you driving one.
1. Traffic. Sorry but an auto is better for heavy traffic. (and heavy traffic sucks with a manual.)
2. You currently don’t know how to drive one. So you may regret it later
3. It is one more thing you have to worry and deal with in traffic. And it is another distraction from the road.
4. Blow a shift or kill the car in the middle of a turn on to a busy road can cause a major accident (and yes it happens to the best of us. Everyone will blow a shift or a start at some point. I don’t care how good you are it will happen. The more rookie you are the more likely it will happen)
5. It will a few months of driving a manual before you be at the level most of long time drivers are at. (it all on autopilot.)
6. If something goes wrong and you cant drive you car (you are hurt, to tired, or something else) there are very few people who will be able to do it.

In the end your only real argument is you want to drive a manual.

As a final recommendation I would say learn how to drive a manual before you choose to get one and make sure that is what you really want. Last think you want to have happen is to discover you really don’t like driving a manual. And you are stuck with one. I know a lot of people who caught in the though that manual are cool and regretted it later. Most of the time driving is just driving and it being a manual or automatic doesn’t really matter.

 

[jknight8907]

Manual in anything but a full-size truck. Just because they're awesome; especially in a semi truck. Downshift and hit the jakes.....BRRRRRAAAAAAAaaaaaa.......oh yeah (I work for a trucking company....)

 

[dukebound85]

My preference would be a good auto or a stick, it depends on each model of car.

Haha nice, that covers all possibilities lol. Yea I know what you mean though. Some cars are just meant to be one or the other, like vans and suvs will pretty much always be auto

Scion tcs are a sweet car, not too fast I believe but trust me manuals are the way to go. Once you have a family, I doubt your spose will want you to have a fun manual car and opt for a van or clumsy suv ughh lol

 

[bowens]

Manual in anything but a full-size truck. Just because they're awesome; especially in a semi truck. Downshift and hit the jakes.....BRRRRRAAAAAAAaaaaaa.......oh yeah (I work for a trucking company....)

I drive a Ford F-150 with a manual transmission. I love it except when I'm pulling my boat. The only reason I'd rather have an automatic then is so my wife could pull it out of the water. I have to back it in, then take the boat off the trailor, then get back in the truck to pull it out.

 

[mpw]

Haha nice, that covers all possibilities lol....

Just to make it clearer I meant my preference would be a good auto over a manual but a manual over an average or bad auto. Then there are some cars which would be pointless as auto's however good because of their character, the Lotus Exige for example.

As far as the control debate goes; there is more control available in a manual but most people wouldn't exploit it and so the advantage swings back to an auto for ease of use.

 

[iGav]

Personally I'd always take a DSG (or at the very least an SMG... which are been fazed out in favour of DSG's anyway) over a conventional manual. Though I can see the attraction of an automatic, especially for stop-start city driving, if you're tall with long legs like me, very few modern cars have drivers seats that go back anywhere near far enough to allow such continuous and sustained use of the clutch without experiencing knee pain.

I just love the possibilites that DSG's offer in developing your driving, you can permanently left foot brake for starters (which has the added bonus of being able to brake and balance the car in corners safely), the changes are quicker so you are no longer restricted to not being able to change throughout a corner, you still have both hands on the steering wheel, and you still have manual control of the change.

That said, I always get the impression that being able to drive a 'stick' in the U.S. is almost seen as some kind of status symbol of being a 'real driver' when in somewhere like the UK, grandma's drive manuals.

 

[mpw]

...somewhere like the UK, grandma's drive manuals.

My mum would only ever drive manuals as she'd never driven an auto and didn't know how/want to learn(?). of course I never saw her use anything but 1st up to 20mph then she'd change to 2nd. 3rd-5th were strangers to her.

 

[takao]

Manual in anything but a full-size truck.

really ? around here the trend goes clearly to automatic transmissions for trucks since through electronics more fuel can be saved on the autobahn ...

well at least it's that way with volvo,mercedes,renault and MAN around here

 

[jknight8907]

really ? around here the trend goes clearly to automatic transmissions for trucks since through electronics more fuel can be saved on the autobahn ...

well at least it's that way with volvo,mercedes,renault and MAN around here

Sorry, by "full-size truck" I meant a non-'minature' pickup truck. Although I don't agree with automatics in semi's. We have 1 autoshift out of around 45 Petes and all the guys that drive it agree that a manual would be better. It won't let you 'lug' any at all, so you end up dropping a gear, running the RPMs up, and burning more fuel.

However it's a relatively new purchase so it may turn out in the long run that it saves fuel....we'll see.