The death of the manual is a self proclaimed prophecy

[AdamVR4]

The only reason I will stay away from automatics in cars I care about is because I don't know how to work on them and I don't want to be at the mercy of a mechanic.

i feel like the frs and brz are good car at a reasonable price, aren't those offered in a manual?

Yeah, but J expressed interest in a (real) back seat (I'm not sure if the piece of foam folds down or not, haha) and trunk space.

[fullracegt]

oh, i missed that. i agree with your statement about the mechanic too

[nodoze]

Manuals are awesome, I want a real drivers car as well but city driving and kids make an auto more friendly . You are right about the trims . I really badly want a focus st in manual or an frs they are on the potential horizon for the next car purchase.

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[anyonebutme]

Buick GNX: RWD, AWD maybe, manual transmission, 400HP V6TT, real back seat. Only comes in black, because that's the only color fit for the GNX badge.

[J-Groove]

In the case of Porsche, they do offer manual and PDK for the 911 Turbo, which is obviously their performance car. I read somewhere that 78% of the latest 991 cars were ordered with the PDK... because it outperforms the manual. It's not even close. Most guys looking to wring the most out of their car are choosing the PDK now. They just came out with a 7 spd manual, but it's too early to see whether people prefer it over the PDK. It's obvious people prefer the PDK over the 6 speed though.

Oh I won't disagree with those point. The new Autos and PDK flappy paddle systems are great. The days of autos being slower than the manual counterpart are long gone.

It is more of a personal preference. I like the 3 peddle system, it is just fun to drive. But for all out performance, with today's tech, you are much better off with a PDK type system.

Something most folks don't get yet is that not all 'auto' or 'flappy paddle' transmissions are created equal. I absolutely love manual transmissions (all 3 of our cars are manuals) but the point where the automated manual is a better choice is here or will be soon. The Porsche PDK is a fantastic transmission and in no way detracts from the enjoyment of driving the car. I can't really explain it farther than that but if you haven't driven a modern dual clutch gearbox made in the last few years, do yourself a favor and try one out.

You make good points though John. At least BMW still makes good cars with manuals

Again, great points. I've had the chance to drive some systems. They have come a long way.

i feel like the frs and brz are good car at a reasonable price, aren't those offered in a manual?

Adam already mentioned that those didn't fit my criteria. But that is a great new platform. I applaud Toyota and Subaru in taking the risk in developing that car's formula in today's market. It is awesome that the car has been such a hit. Other car makers jumping into that segment should net some awesome cars.

Tiffany is looking heavily at the FRS and BRZ. SHe will be in the market after my future car is paid off. She misses her Crossfire a lot.

The only reason I will stay away from automatics in cars I care about is because I don't know how to work on them and I don't want to be at the mercy of a mechanic.

Yeah, but J expressed interest in a (real) back seat (I'm not sure if the piece of foam folds down or not, haha) and trunk space.

Yeah, I have taken apart manuals. Autos.... they scare me.

Manuals are awesome, I want a real drivers car as well but city driving and kids make an auto more friendly . You are right about the trims . I really badly want a focus st in manual or an frs they are on the potential horizon for the next car purchase.

That was my train of thought when I first got my '06 Sonata. (3.0L V6 auto) But after owning the car since '09 and putting over 70K miles on her I have found that I miss a manual. Even in heavy traffic.

My sister is similar to me. She lives in New York yet refuses to own a auto.

Buick GNX: RWD, AWD maybe, manual transmission, 400HP V6TT, real back seat. Only comes in black, because that's the only color fit for the GNX badge.

The new GNX should be awesome!

But it is not out yet, so it will be out of my price range at the end of the year. I'm looking at lightly used cars (sub 20K miles) at sub $30K price. Which the Buick Regal GS 6spd falls right into.

-John

[IPD]

you get ZERO sympathy from me. i see this as technological progress long overdue. autos shouldn't scare anyone--at least not the traditional kind: they're relatively simple.

but since you NEED a manual & a backseat, john, the ford focus ST is the only car you should be looking at. period. everything else would be way too expensive or boring to use as a DD.

[VR4Rob]

but since you NEED a manual & a backseat, john, the ford focus ST is the only car you should be looking at. period. everything else would be way too expensive or boring to use as a DD.

That's just... not correct. There are plenty of other options out there with manual transmissions and back seats. Options that don't make you have to tolerate a FWD car on a daily basis at that.

The Focus ST isn't a cheap car either. One with options is significantly north of $30K.

[95gto]

That's just... not correct. There are plenty of other options out there with manual transmissions and back seats. Options that don't make you have to tolerate a FWD car on a daily basis at that.

The Focus ST isn't a cheap car either. One with options is significantly north of $30K.

It must be a regional thing. A fully loaded model around here goes for 29K.

[sergechronos]

Clearly the best solution is buy a VR4 and chop the back off and custom make a fullsize back seat

The BMW 3 series are nice, can be had in AWD (if you need it) and their manuals are very nice. The 2012 Acura TSX had a manual option and gets 28-30 on the highway I think, very nice car.

[nodoze]

Focus st options the way I want it is 26k here . Yea i drove only manuals for years and years and my favorite was my geo metro 3cyl manual . Felt like a race car because you were always to the wood and trick shifting to try and get speed out the thing . Plus I had a straight pipe side exit exhaust that you could.make POP a flame

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