are you a manual elitist?

[BlahBlahYouToo]

i find that i am sometimes, under these scenarios.

if i see a sports car like a vette or a 350z and it's an auto, i think to myself "what a waste, should've bought a manual."
or if i see some guy mod (rice) his auto trans car with intakes, exhaust... "would've been more effective if it were a manual."

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Some cars should have manuals, some optional, some shouldn't. Not sure if that makes me an elitist. But manuals are more fun, and autos easier to use on hills.

 

[MiataNC]

A sports car with an auto is an abomination.

(I make exceptions for DSG gearboxes)

 

[Kabob]

The first car I bought was an '04 Civic (didn't get my first car until my Senior year of college) and I wanted a 5 speed even though I had never driven one.

Some cars (vans, suvs, family sedans, etc) it doesn't matter, but sport/sporty cars SHOULD have a manual.

I see SO many Corvettes with an Auto and it makes me cry inside...

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: MiataNC
A sports car with an auto is an abomination.

(I make exceptions for DSG gearboxes)

Why should DSG's be exempt??? It still shifts for you if you redline or get too low in rev's and it even delays shift changes. Sorry no go.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: MiataNC
A sports car with an auto is an abomination.

(I make exceptions for DSG gearboxes)

Why should DSG's be exempt??? It still shifts for you if you redline or get too low in rev's and it even delays shift changes. Sorry no go.

the biggest benefit from a manual transmission is the fact that the driver selects the gearing, not the method of gear selection. following your logic, do you oppose rev limiters and electronic fuel injection?

 

[Baked]

F1 drivers drive AT, so who gives a F.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: Baked
F1 drivers drive AT, so who gives a F.

what?

 

[Xyclone]

Originally posted by: Baked
F1 drivers drive AT, so who gives a F.

Fail.

My new MCS is manual and I am so happy I didn't get the automatic.

 

[Baked]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler

Originally posted by: Baked
F1 drivers drive AT, so who gives a F.

what?

Paddle shifting.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: MiataNC
A sports car with an auto is an abomination.

(I make exceptions for DSG gearboxes)

Why should DSG's be exempt??? It still shifts for you if you redline or get too low in rev's and it even delays shift changes. Sorry no go.

the biggest benefit from a manual transmission is the fact that the driver selects the gearing, not the method of gear selection. following your logic, do you oppose rev limiters and electronic fuel injection?

That's different. He said DSG and I was stating facts that it's not a real manual transmission. Also rev limiters could be just a simple fuel cut and it doesn't shift for you at all. REAL manual transmission has a clutch and a shift lever. Well there have been some trannies with a stick-shift and no clutch but that's different also.

 

[Throckmorton]

Like some have said, it depends on the car. A sports car with an auto is lame. But for offroad vehicles, an auto is better in almost every way, and I've had to argue with Jeepers who are manual elitists because they don't recognize the benefits of a slushbox.

 

[Excelsior]

Not really, but I loathe the auto in my 02 Passat. The manual in my 99 passat was far superior.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

so a manual transmission is only a manual if you not only provide the intelligence, but also the physical operation of the device?

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: MiataNC
A sports car with an auto is an abomination.

(I make exceptions for DSG gearboxes)

Why should DSG's be exempt??? It still shifts for you if you redline or get too low in rev's and it even delays shift changes. Sorry no go.

the biggest benefit from a manual transmission is the fact that the driver selects the gearing, not the method of gear selection. following your logic, do you oppose rev limiters and electronic fuel injection?

Autos in sports car have paddle shifters so the driver can select the gearing just like a manual if they want to.

Manual is more fun but also more work. For daily driver, give me an auto. For weekend/fun car, I'll take a manual given the choice.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
so a manual transmission is only a manual if you not only provide the intelligence, but also the physical operation of the device?

an awkward sentence but yes, you are correct.

DSG's are in a classification of its own.
manual because it does not have a torque converter, has twin clutches.
auto because it shifts itself, and does not have 3 pedals/shifter.

 

[Zenmervolt]

To each his own.

In drag racing, a properly set up automatic will almost always be faster than a manual unless you get into a custom true sequential setup. For towing, automatics will almost always have a higher tow rating (the exception being things like semis that have 13 to 21 gears which just aren't practical in an automatic; they also have an incredibly heavy clutch). For off-roading an automatic's "creep" can be a great benefit if you can also prevent it from up-shifting on downhill segments or manually control the lockup in the torque converter.

If you're going through corners, I still prefer a manual, either of conventional H-pattern or sequential (regardless of how the sequential bit is managed) because an automatic doesn't always read my mind with regard to what gear I want. Also, I like the ability to short-shift, even on an everyday car, so I prefer a manual pretty much all around. Still, there are valid reasons for other people to choose an automatic.

ZV

 

[theeedude]

I am not elitist, but I would never pay more to have less fun with an auto. DSG is an automatic transmission.

 

[yelo333]

Yes. I'd rather have a $500 MT car than a $30,000 AT one.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I have pretty much always driven a manual. I don't like automatics. I do tend to think less of sporty cars equipped with automatics. Yes, I guess I'm an elitist.

 

[RiDE]

I suppose there's a certain romanticism attached to a sportscar being manual. I keep my opinions to myself, however.

 

[450]

When I got my VW Rabbit I tried the manual and the auto. The manual was a 5 speed but the auto was a 6 speed and a much better fit for the car so thats what I went with. The manual is faster by about .2-.3 to 60 but in the real world the auto is better for me because I wouldn't be the only person driving this car.

 

[BassBomb]

yea some people get all butthurt about manual vs automatic and scold you when you tell them you drive an automatic

i personally drive an automatic mostly because im lazy but really because i share my car with my mother and theres no way she would be able to learn manual

 

[theeedude]

Originally posted by: 450
When I got my VW Rabbit I tried the manual and the auto. The manual was a 5 speed but the auto was a 6 speed and a much better fit for the car so thats what I went with. The manual is faster by about .2-.3 to 60 but in the real world the auto is better for me because I wouldn't be the only person driving this car.

I rented a Rabbit with an auto once, I felt it was a terrible fit. I had to step out of the car to check if the engine was indeed a 2.5L, it felt so sluggish compared to my 2.3L Mazda3 with a manual.

 

[IronWing]

I'm not choosy.