Fun fact of the day: percentage of Corvettes sold with manual transmission

[fbrdphreak]

And the verdict is: 45%

Or at least so says Road & Track initiative "Save the Manuals"

That has got to be one of the highest, if not the highest, adoption rates of manual transmissions in a model that offers both.

Keep it up Corvette buyers!!

Though in a perfect world, it would be manual only to keep all the cougars and old farts from clogging up the roadways in one

Necro-thread. Closed.

Zenmervolt - AnandTech Moderator

 

[PricklyPete]

I thought I read somewhere that the S4 had a higher percentage of manuals to autos (prior to the introduction of the DSG in the current gen model). Don't know if that still holds true or if the source I was reading was 100% accurate.

 

[Mike Gayner]

Though in a perfect world, it would be manual only to keep all the cougars and old farts from clogging up the roadways in one

Yes, heaven forbid someone with different priorities and values to you buys a car that you like

 

[DivideBYZero]

This debate is only a big deal in the USA. In the rest of the world manual equipped cars significantly outsell automatics.

 

[PricklyPete]

Yes, heaven forbid someone with different priorities and values to you buys a car that you like

Hauling sheep?

 

[Murloc]

in europe most cars are manual, but automatic transmission isn't viewed as something for bad drivers, it's just that the car costs more and everyone can drive manual, so, why buy it.
It's a nice optional in higher end vehicles that helps when you have to drive on a city plenty of traffic lights, slow moving traffic and slopes, just that. In america they are useless in cities since it's mostly flat I guess.

 

[StageLeft]

Hauling sheep?

I loled

 

[Mike Gayner]

This debate is only a big deal in the USA. In the rest of the world manual equipped cars significantly outsell automatics.

Europe =/= rest of the world.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Yes, heaven forbid someone with different priorities and values to you buys a car that you like

Or it just so happens that I live in an area where there are lots of high performance, luxury/exotic cars on the road and 9 out of every 10 are driven by a middle age or older person who slows down traffic and usually has a cell phone attached to their ear. I'm all for automatic transmissions for those who prefer to lose some excitement in their driving, I just abhor people who buy performance cars as status symbols and pretty things alone.

Considering you can probably count the number of new Corvette's in New Zealand in one hand, and it's a performance car that is the icon of my home country & not yours, why don't you just let me have my moment mmmmKay

 

[JulesMaximus]

It's 100 percent of Lotus Elise/Exige owners.

 

[JulesMaximus]

On a side note, I was surprised it was that high with the Corvette actually. Whenever I check the want ads locally it seems like about 60-70% of the cars are automatics.

 

[speedy2]

On a side note, I was surprised it was that high with the Corvette actually. Whenever I check the want ads locally it seems like about 60-70% of the cars are automatics.

Taking those 2 statistics makes me assume way more of the Auto drivers aren't attached to their Vette as much as the manual ones.

 

[MotF Bane]

On a side note, I was surprised it was that high with the Corvette actually. Whenever I check the want ads locally it seems like about 60-70% of the cars are automatics.

It's the old people buying the Corvette in autotragic, probably the base model, suck at driving it, and then get rid of it going into a retirement home or estate sale. The younger people buying the manuals keep them longer. At least, that's my guess.

 

[MotF Bane]

Or it just so happens that I live in an area where there are lots of high performance, luxury/exotic cars on the road and 9 out of every 10 are driven by a middle age or older person who slows down traffic and usually has a cell phone attached to their ear. I'm all for automatic transmissions for those who prefer to lose some excitement in their driving, I just abhor people who buy performance cars as status symbols and pretty things alone.

Considering you can probably count the number of new Corvette's in New Zealand in one hand, and it's a performance car that is the icon of my home country & not yours, why don't you just let me have my moment mmmmKay

Seriously. The old people get amazing cars (Corvettes, Vipers, Ferraris, Lamborghinis) and can't fucking drive them.

 

[PricklyPete]

Seriously. The old people get amazing cars (Corvettes, Vipers, Ferraris, Lamborghinis) and can't fucking drive them.

Was driving next to a brand new Porsche Carrera 4S with some old guy in it. He was driving it like he was hypermiling a Prius. It made me sad.

 

[speedy2]

Yeah. Sucks when they guy/girl holding up traffic is in a car with 400+hp. lol

 

[Mike Gayner]

Heaps of petty pathetic envy in this thread.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Was driving next to a brand new Porsche Carrera 4S with some old guy in it. He was driving it like he was hypermiling a Prius. It made me sad.

I saw a older woman driving a brand new Guards Red Porsche Boxster S (tan leather interior) with the top down on the freeway the other day. It was an automatic.

 

[RockinZ28]

On a side note, I was surprised it was that high with the Corvette actually. Whenever I check the want ads locally it seems like about 60-70% of the cars are automatics.

Yup, think it holds true of the Camaros/Firebirds/GTOs too. And the 6-speed actually costs more money than the automatic in these cars. #1 reason I bought an auto in 2004, a 6-speed went for ~1-2k more, everything else being equal. Higher demand, and less of them up for sale I guess.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Heaps of petty pathetic envy in this thread.

Says the dbag who is stuck in a country where the car of discussion isn't remotely affordable for 90%+ of the population. My fiancee is up for a new car next and then I'll be moving on to a Vette. I had a 6-speed GTO before (they call 'em Monaro's down in your area). What am I envy-ing? Go back to school Charlie Brown

 

[Tristicus]

Heaps of petty pathetic envy in this thread.

Yeah, we're envying cars...while you're envying living in a country that has people that can afford to buy the cars.

 

[Mike Gayner]

Yeah, sucks living in a country like New Zealand - an awful, dirty ugly country were people are so poor we eat nothing but rice and live in mud huts. Oh wait....

 

[Tristicus]

Yeah, sucks living in a country like New Zealand - an awful, dirty ugly country were people are so poor we eat nothing but rice and live in mud huts.

Correct. Now go get 'em sheep-shagger!

 

[fbrdphreak]

Yeah, sucks living in a country like New Zealand - an awful, dirty ugly country were people are so poor we eat nothing but rice and live in mud huts. Oh wait....

I never said that. But reality is that most anything not made on the island is expensive as shit. And the Vette is already expensive as shit, which makes it doubly shitty expensive. Hell, internet and electricity are far more expensive there than in the States. On the other hand, you have some awesome land and driving roads. It's all a tradeoff, but I don't envy you, nor do I envy some old fart idling around in a six figure sports car.

Correct. Now go get 'em sheep-shagger!

ROFL

 

[Zap]

This debate is only a big deal in the USA. In the rest of the world manual equipped cars significantly outsell automatics.

I was in the Philippines recently and I rode in a number of vehicles (mostly taxis, but some private) and exactly 0% were automatics.

Just like my Mazdaspeed 6.