YACT: Buying a stick, but not experienced

[KEV1N]

It's come time for me to go car shopping, now that financial stability has finally begun to manifest itself. I'm looking at a 3.5SE Altima, used 00 Infiniti I30, new Accord Coupe, or WRX. You can suggest other cars, but that's probably another thread.

So here's something I've been thinking about. I've driven sticks casually, when my friends would say "here, you drive it." I am able to drive without stalling, although I do make the tires chirp in every gear (Honda CRX).

Stick seems so fun, and I'm sure I can pick it up with practice. However, how would I go about test drives? Would I test drive the auto, then buy a stick? Would the dealer deal with a novice playing with his car? I don't want to embarass myself.

 

[Ryan]

Wow - can you even chirp the tires in 5th gear?

j/k - Also, the current generation I30 doens't come with the manual transmission as an option.

 

[Aharami]

no. dont test drive the stick if u cant drive a stick properly. take a friend whose opinion you value and who can drive a stick well and have him test drive the car. when i bought my car, i didnt know how to drive a stick. so i had my cousin test drive it for me. but i was in the car as well. later on when i bought the car, he was the one who taught me how to drive one. it only took me like 1 hr to pick it up...and about a month to master

 

[KEV1N]

Originally posted by: rbloedow
Wow - can you even chirp the tires in 5th gear?

j/k - Also, the current generation I30 doens't come with the manual transmission as an option.

Hehe, woops, forgot to mention that I only went to 3rd gear.

 

[LikeLinus]

Unless you plan on racing...theres no point in a stick. I used to only drive stick, but as I've gotten older I've realized they are basically useless for day to day driving. Also if you plan on sitting in traffic a good bit, you'll end up disliking stick after a few weeks of sitting in rush hour stop and go traffic.

 

[KEV1N]

Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Unless you plan on racing...theres no point in a stick. I used to only drive stick, but as I've gotten older I've realized they are basically useless for day to day driving. Also if you plan on sitting in traffic a good bit, you'll end up disliking stick after a few weeks of sitting in rush hour stop and go traffic.

I've debated this in my head a lot.. the practicality of it. When it comes down to it, the deciding factor would be the fun factor.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Unless you plan on racing...theres no point in a stick. I used to only drive stick, but as I've gotten older I've realized they are basically useless for day to day driving. Also if you plan on sitting in traffic a good bit, you'll end up disliking stick after a few weeks of sitting in rush hour stop and go traffic.

Spoken like an old fart!

Sticks are, in most cases, faster and the car's price is initially lower. Also repairs will be less. Sometimes gas economy is better (sometimes worse - depends on the car). By saying the speed bonus of a shift isn't needed unless you're racnig it's like saying you don't need anything faster than a civic unless you're racing.

Kevin good call on the cars - i'd test drive an auto OR offer to buy your friend a case of beer if he can spend an hour with you and teach you the stick properly - really it just needs practice.

 

[Pepsi90919]

YACT: Buying a stick, but not experienced

:Q

 

[schizoid]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919

YACT: Buying a stick, but not experienced

:Q

Why do you have to buy a stick? Why not just pick one up off the ground, near a tree?

 

[BCYL]

Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Unless you plan on racing...theres no point in a stick. I used to only drive stick, but as I've gotten older I've realized they are basically useless for day to day driving. Also if you plan on sitting in traffic a good bit, you'll end up disliking stick after a few weeks of sitting in rush hour stop and go traffic.

I disagree.... Manual transmission offer better gas milage, lower maintaince cost, and on top of that, you save $$ right out the door when you buy the car (well on most cars where auto trans are optional)...

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: KEV1N

Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Unless you plan on racing...theres no point in a stick. I used to only drive stick, but as I've gotten older I've realized they are basically useless for day to day driving. Also if you plan on sitting in traffic a good bit, you'll end up disliking stick after a few weeks of sitting in rush hour stop and go traffic.

I've debated this in my head a lot.. the practicality of it. When it comes down to it, the deciding factor would be the fun factor.

Well they are fun"and you can do clutch dumps at 4k+ RPM's and smoke your tires, but is it practical Sticks are fun, don't get me wrong, I think I've just come to realize from a practical standpoint and useability, auto just fits me better. It's just something you have to judge for yourself.

You can still have fun in an automatic. Also if you planned on having fun by racing, it takes a good bit of time to know when to drop the clutch, what RPM's, how to shift fast. It's not something you're going to learn automatically.

 

[schizoid]

Check here for some info about sticks.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: LikeLinus

Originally posted by: KEV1N

Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Unless you plan on racing...theres no point in a stick. I used to only drive stick, but as I've gotten older I've realized they are basically useless for day to day driving. Also if you plan on sitting in traffic a good bit, you'll end up disliking stick after a few weeks of sitting in rush hour stop and go traffic.

I've debated this in my head a lot.. the practicality of it. When it comes down to it, the deciding factor would be the fun factor.

Well they are fun"and you can do clutch dumps at 4k+ RPM's and smoke your tires, but is it practical Sticks are fun, don't get me wrong, I think I've just come to realize from a practical standpoint and useability, auto just fits me better. It's just something you have to judge for yourself.

You can still have fun in an automatic. Also if you planned on having fun by racing, it takes a good bit of time to know when to drop the clutch, what RPM's, how to shift fast. It's not something you're going to learn automatically.

It is a personal decision. For me personally if I'm going to buy what is considered a fast car - let's say a 350Z - to get the automatic transmission is spading its power right off the bat. If I want something comfortable I'll buy a slow sedan and consider an auto in it, but a sporty car - a car I want for its power in great part - I'm not going to sacrifice power for the laziness of an auto. It's a snobby elitist attitude, but when I see somebody with a car like a 350z that has an automatic I see a sad person who wasn't willing to go all the way and couldn't be bothered to drive a stick, or spend the couple of hours required to learn it.

This is why you can't buy a ferrari with an automatic. It's not because ferrari can't put one in, but because if you want one you don't deserve to be driving it.

 

[KEV1N]

Originally posted by: schizoid
Check here for some info about sticks.

Jeremy, you are the worst

 

[schizoid]

Originally posted by: KEV1N

Originally posted by: schizoid
Check here for some info about sticks.

Jeremy, you are the worst

I KNOW!

I AM OFFICIALLY THE WORST!!


But I am t3h funny haX0r!

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: LikeLinus

Originally posted by: KEV1N

Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Unless you plan on racing...theres no point in a stick. I used to only drive stick, but as I've gotten older I've realized they are basically useless for day to day driving. Also if you plan on sitting in traffic a good bit, you'll end up disliking stick after a few weeks of sitting in rush hour stop and go traffic.

I've debated this in my head a lot.. the practicality of it. When it comes down to it, the deciding factor would be the fun factor.

Well they are fun"and you can do clutch dumps at 4k+ RPM's and smoke your tires, but is it practical Sticks are fun, don't get me wrong, I think I've just come to realize from a practical standpoint and useability, auto just fits me better. It's just something you have to judge for yourself.

You can still have fun in an automatic. Also if you planned on having fun by racing, it takes a good bit of time to know when to drop the clutch, what RPM's, how to shift fast. It's not something you're going to learn automatically.

It is a personal decision. For me personally if I'm going to buy what is considered a fast car - let's say a 350Z - to get the automatic transmission is spading its power right off the bat. If I want something comfortable I'll buy a slow sedan and consider an auto in it, but a sporty car - a car I want for its power in great part - I'm not going to sacrifice power for the laziness of an auto. It's a snobby elitist attitude, but when I see somebody with a car like a 350z that has an automatic I see a sad person who wasn't willing to go all the way and couldn't be bothered to drive a stick, or spend the couple of hours required to learn it.

Can you keep on topic for the love of god? He's not buying a civic..he's not buying a 350z. He's buying a "Sports Luxury" car. He already has the list of cars selected. You need to go off that list, quit making stuff up.

Generally the speed difference between a stick and an automatic is .3 tenths of a second, you lose about 15hp. Now you're going to tell me that someone who doesn't even know how to properly drive a stick, is going to be able to extract .3 tenths of a second off a 0-60. I don't think he's buying a car simply for racing.

Yep you might save an extra mile or two per gallon.

As stated, it's trade offs. You have to weight them.

If you don't plan on racing and you're not as worried about the "fun" factor...then an automatic would suit you. You can have fun in an automatic also. Honestly, Drive them both! (But drive the stick at the dealer you don't plan on going back to )

 

[Jejunum]

subarus are not the car too learn manual tranny on...quite possibly the most unfun challenging sticks u can drive (well the five speed is; ive heard amazing this about the STI 6)

 

[StageLeft]

You can have fun in an automatic also.

If you can't drive a stick

Fact is he isn't buy a 4 cylinder accord. He is buying a sports sedan. He's not spending $70k, so of the cars he's lookig at performance is their main buying point, since we all know that the altima sacrifices interior quality, for instance, so that it can have a kick-your-butt engine. In any case him buying a stick shift (and the loss of power could be more than 15 hp depending on engine and transmission) is cutting one of his obvious priorities in his decision to buy these cars.

 

[bunker]

Originally posted by: BCYL

Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Unless you plan on racing...theres no point in a stick. I used to only drive stick, but as I've gotten older I've realized they are basically useless for day to day driving. Also if you plan on sitting in traffic a good bit, you'll end up disliking stick after a few weeks of sitting in rush hour stop and go traffic.

I disagree.... Manual transmission offer better gas milage, lower maintaince cost, and on top of that, you save $$ right out the door when you buy the car (well on most cars where auto trans are optional)...

How do you figure lower maintenance costs? Clutches wear out and need to be replaced afaik.

Also, autos cost more up front but also keep the resale a touch higher than a manual.

 

[rootaxs]

Originally posted by: KEV1N

However, how would I go about test drives? Would I test drive the auto, then buy a stick? Would the dealer deal with a novice playing with his car? I don't want to embarass myself.

I suggest you take a test drive in a stick, that will give you a feel for what each car is like. Manual transmissions are not made equal - as much of a Nissan fanatic i am, i can easily attest to the fact that Honda makes the best manual transmission among the list you presented above.

The Altima's transmission isn't exactly bad, but by comparison it's just a tad bit too notchy. The Accord's transmission just eases itself into gear. Hard to explain in words, you'll just have to try it out for yourself.

 

[BCYL]

Originally posted by: bunker

Originally posted by: BCYL

Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Unless you plan on racing...theres no point in a stick. I used to only drive stick, but as I've gotten older I've realized they are basically useless for day to day driving. Also if you plan on sitting in traffic a good bit, you'll end up disliking stick after a few weeks of sitting in rush hour stop and go traffic.

I disagree.... Manual transmission offer better gas milage, lower maintaince cost, and on top of that, you save $$ right out the door when you buy the car (well on most cars where auto trans are optional)...

How do you figure lower maintenance costs? Clutches wear out and need to be replaced afaik.

Also, autos cost more up front but also keep the resale a touch higher than a manual.

Personal experience... my family owns 2 civics, 1 auto and 1 manual... the brakes on the manual one lasts quite a bit longer, since I find you dont need to use your brakes that much on a manual...

We also needed to replace the auto trans twice already, but that might be because we got the car in a bad yr...

 

[Vic]

While I'm usually the first to promote the WRX, I'd advise against getting one with the 5MT for a driver who has never driven a manual before. They are simply not easy manuals to drive.
Now I first learned to drive a manual 18 years ago and have driven them ever since, so I enjoy the moderate difficulty and challenge in driving one. It's not the hardest manual I've ever driven by any stretch of the imagination. The clutch action is smooth, precise, and easy, the pedal box is gorgeous, and the shift throws are short (at least with with the STi short-shift kit). But the combination of turbo and AWD requires an experienced knowledge of rev-matching, shift timing, and throttle application, and the transmission build itself is a little subpar, with narrow shift gates, finicky synchros, and widely spaced gear ratios (edit: which I have actually come to enjoy).
Honda, as always, continues to make the smoothest and easiest manual transmissions for cars in the world.

edit: No way in hell though is the Subaru the most difficult manual to drive. Just not the easiest is all I am saying. Anyone who think Subaru is the most difficult to drive should try an old high-powered V8 muscle car with a new high-torque clutch and its direct (either cable or lever arm) actuator. IMO, no hydraulic clutch could ever even be called difficult compared to one of those.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: bunker

Originally posted by: BCYL

Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Unless you plan on racing...theres no point in a stick. I used to only drive stick, but as I've gotten older I've realized they are basically useless for day to day driving. Also if you plan on sitting in traffic a good bit, you'll end up disliking stick after a few weeks of sitting in rush hour stop and go traffic.

I disagree.... Manual transmission offer better gas milage, lower maintaince cost, and on top of that, you save $$ right out the door when you buy the car (well on most cars where auto trans are optional)...

How do you figure lower maintenance costs? Clutches wear out and need to be replaced afaik.

Also, autos cost more up front but also keep the resale a touch higher than a manual.

A well driven car will have a clutch last a damn long time, but if you end up having to replace either the manual or the automatic fluid (and AFAIK it's recommended to change the tranny fluid more often on an auto) that's maintenance and certainly if either transmission dies the auto replacement will cost much more.

 

[CChaos]

Personally I prefer a manual transmission but occasionally when I get stuck in traffic I wish for an auto. This is a rare occurance though and unless I find myself in stop and go traffic on a daily basis somewhere down the road I will always choose a manual transmission. I test drove my current car after driving an auto for 2-3 years and I was hesistant to do it. But, it came back to me pretty quickly. Just practice a bit and it will be second nature before you know it. If you really enjoy driving it's really no contest.

 

[Vic]

If your clutch lasts less than 100k miles, you're either:
- driving it wrong
- spending too much time down at the track or strip (in which case it shouldn't bother or surprise you)

I've personally taken clutches well over 100k miles. My brother's car has over 150k miles on it with the original clutch and it'll still lay rubber on dry pavement and shift smooth.