Cars again: Manual vs. Automatic?

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<p>Thanks for the Kelly Blue Book link - Edmunds I know somewhat; that’s actually what turned me on to the Mustangs - initially I was not considering them, but, there’s a fantastic owner’s forum; I spent some time lurking it, and it’s clear that everyone posting is very, very happy with their cars. They post interesting experiences in the buying process though - one or two of the regulars traveled to different states - boarded planes actually - to buy their cars. </p>

<p>I really, really like what they did with the color schemes in the 07’s. </p>

<p>Michuncle I think a Miata is too small. But then I saw a Porche Cabrio AND a Lamborghini up close today - actually got to sit in the Lamborghini for a minute (though the owner wouldn’t let me try to drive it, oddly) and suddenly size and passenger room didn’t matter any more lol.</p>

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<p>I ended up having to sign the papers on my car before the car was on the lot- it was a dealer trade and the car needed to be spoken for before the trade went through. The first VIN we were given arrived the day before the payment, but we didn’t have time when the cashier’s check was dropped off to see it. Turns out, we paid for a car that technically wasn’t the one on the paperwork, as that one HAD been damaged in the drive from NH and was sent back. </p>

<p>They told us about it when we called the next day to find out when we could get the car. There was a big pause on the end of the line and a “well…” All told it worked out and I inspected the car I bought before taking delivery, but would have liked to have known my $15k was in limbo when I handed it over.</p>

<p>The car I bought is not easy to find and is almost never available on a dealer lot, so it is basically only available by dealer trade or direct factory request. I couldn’t even test drive one until I had searched six dealerships. </p>

<p>For one of the mustangs I wouldn’t expect to get a great deal- they’re not super hot, but they’re popular. My car was a fixed price arrangement with no incentives or discounts available and it was actually a nice low pressure buying experience.</p>

<p>That said, speaking of the porsche cabrio and lambo…I have to say my favorite convertible that I’ve ever driven was an SL65 Mercedes AMG…beautiful car, and worth well more than my life insurance policy, but what an experience. The SL550 is a treat as well. I swear those cars drive you and not the other way around.</p>

<p>I prefer the big convertibles. I saw a Charger today and I have to say, that hemi rumble sounded pretty fantastic.</p>

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<p>UVMLauren - lol, please don’t leaving me hanging in suspense like this, what did you buy??? (If you don’t mind posting it, that is.)</p>

<p>BTW the 2006 SL65 Mercedes AMG is $185,000. :)</p>

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<p>Oh, and here’s something cool for about $1.5 million - I’d love to drive this, just once:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.edmunds.com/new/2006/bugatti/veyron164/100773420/photos.html#[/url]”>http://www.edmunds.com/new/2006/bugatti/veyron164/100773420/photos.html#&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Oh, I know how expensive the SL65 is. The SL550 is $110,000. I didn’t suggest that you BUY one, simply was commenting on the lambo/porsche, etc class of cars. I drove a $450,000 SLR Maclaren once. That was pretty insane as well. Would I really want to own any of these cars? not really. Ok, MAYBE the SL550. But they’re just not that practical to drive every day. The most practical expensive car I’ve ever driven was probably the Mercedes CL500- very nice coupe, roomy in the front, comfy jump seat in the back, good trunk space, excellent navigation and vehicle management features- AMG performance in a car you could really drive to work.</p>

<p>I’m guessing that link is the Veyron? </p>

<p>I bought a funny little hatchback made by toyota called the Scion xA. It’s a super cheap little car ($14,120 is the fixed price for the auto without any of the personalization that scion is big on) but it’s the perfect car for me. Very light on the gas (~40mpg), small but very space efficient with the rear seats down, and pretty unique (I’ve only seen about 4 others, and never another white one). Would I have liked something more expensive with some better features? Yeah, sure, but I’m a broke college student, so putting in $20 a week in gas was more important to me. And for such a cheap car, you’d really never know.</p>

<p>Clearly I’m ahead of my time, because they’re just getting more and more popular. The only car with a shorter time span on the lot is the toyota prius. This car averages two days on the lot before it’s sold, and each dealership only gets about six in a month.</p>

<p>I drove about two hours just to test drive one, then ordered from a more local dealership. Was a pain to buy, but it’s worth it for the “what’s that?!” and “that’s such a cute car!” instead of getting the same corolla that 65% of the population has.</p>

<p>So, no big surprises or super expensive cars here, but I love my little peanut car and think it fits me and my personality really well. And that’s sometimes just as important as the car itself.</p>

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<p>Back to Auto. vs. Manual.</p>

<p>I personally see no reason to buy an Auto. over a Manual. In many cars, the newer 5-speed Automatics (even some 4-speed units) are geared for better fuel efficiency on the highway compared to their Manual counterparts. This has been evident on the new 2006 Civic, where the Auto offers a noticeable increase in gas mileage compared to the manual.</p>

<p>And more and more automatics nowadays offer a “Sports Shift” feature which allows you to shift manually, so it really defeats the purpose of having a manual transmission, but that’s JMO.</p>

<p>The Autos do, however, require more maintenance than Manuals. Though many OEMs are moving toward (and have) “fill-for-life” fluids, many of these units still benefit from periodic servicing with their expensive, unique fluids. Also, the expected service life of automatics is between 120-150k, and in the recent years, there have been a lot more problems with automatics (Honda comes to mind) due to design issues causing premature and sometimes uncovered, expensive failures. But at the same time, you can easily burn out clutches at a more rapid rate depending on your driving habits.</p>

<p>But for me, I’ll always buy Auto, period, as I’ve yet to find a compelling reason not to.</p>

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<p>Critic:</p>

<p>I think you have your first sentence backwards.</p>

<p>The majority of car enthusiasts I’ve know and that I’ve read about in enthusiast magazines would prefer a manual for a sport-oriented vehicle (I’m not talking about the family/grocery hauler). You’d really have to drive both a manual and automatic in a sports car (or 4-wheeler) to understand and appreciate the difference. While the Automatic paddle shifters try to hit a compromise, it’s just not the same thing.</p>

<p>The nice thing about cars though is that they’re offered in a myriad of styles and configurations - enough to please almost everybody (except maybe when it comes to price).</p>

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<p>Sure, guess I’m not a true car enthusiast. :scratch:</p>

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<p>We just bought a used Scion Tc on Ebay with manual tranny for DS. It only took a few days before he had the shifting down. Wished I had heard about the parking lot, no-gas technique before I read this link. I will try that with my DD when it comes time to teach her to drive a manual. First time in years that I had driven a stick myself and I had forgotten how much fun they are to drive. Driving the Scion is a real blast. In my younger years, I owned two Corvettes, one was manual and the other auto. I liked them both for different reasons. I am glad I learned to drive a manual and I am glad my DS now knows how to drive a manual. However, I am not sure I would buy a manual for myself today. I like having my hands free for cell phone, coffee cup, etc.</p>

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<p>LTS,
We recently bought a Cadillac CTS-V. Very fun car to drive, extremely comfortable, XM radio, GPS, gas mileage in 20’s. Supposedly has corvette engine. They are a little hard to find. We bought used and had to drive to DC to pick up–I drove it home 6 hours after not driving a manual for several years and loved it. The car feels sporty and powerful, but big enough to feel safe in. It is much more comfortable than my H.'s BMW 7 series.</p>

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<p>UVMLauren, I’m glad you posted; my D asked for a Scion first (we’re actually trying to buy two cars, one for each of us) but after hearing the price range I immediately prejudged that anything that inexpensive couldn’t possibly be safe, or reliable. But she says many people she knows has them; they love them; the company has a great reputation, and after seeing Lukester’s post maybe I’ll reconsider her suggestion to go with her to look at them. </p>

<p>Lukester, I’m the same way - I talk on the phone, eat, drink, read stuff, write notes, sometimes even text message while I drive. I’m thinking these things are going to get me into an accident one of these days though - it’s just that driving - at least driving an automatic - is so boring…and there are so many other things to do…</p>

<p>mkm56 that is a beautiful car! It doesn’t seem to have a convertible option though - but I see a sunroof is available - the XLR Roadster looks very interesting, but, costs more than I think I should spend. Very close friends just bought one of the Cadillac SUVs, brand new, and, would you believe they allow their newly licensed 16 year old drive it? Not saying it’s wrong, but, I would have enormous difficulty with that…</p>

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<p>I strongly encourage you to take another look at the scions. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the build quality and standard features of the car, as well as the price tag. I know my father was very surprised when we went to test drive mine.</p>

<p>In addition to the merits of the car, the merits of the buying experience are worth noting as well- the fixed price experience was something totally new but it was very low pressure and really allowed me to take a look at the car and know exactly what I was getting for how much. That’s a pretty big rarity in today’s car buying market and it made buying my first car so much easier.</p>

<p>If you have any more questions about the brand, or specific models, drop me a PM. I may be able to answer your questions or provide some anecdotal info about them.</p>

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<p>Maybe manuals in this day and age are safer than automatics if they can convince people to quit talking on the cell phone, drinking coffee, doing their makeup, and reading novels to actually drive.</p>

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<p>^^^
That was the argument my son used when he wanted to buy a manual. Said he would be more attentive to his driving and wouldn’t be tempted to do all those other things while driving as he would be too busy :).</p>

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<p>I’m keeping our 15 year-old stick at least until both D learn to drive it. It’s a skill worth having, though advantages of stick not what they once were. Fuel savings is negligible. Purchase price can still be noticeable. Used to be some automatics shifted abruptly so I preferred doing the shifting myself, but automatic transmissions have improved.</p>