Any other MANUAL purists out there? (parody of Posmo's thread)

Living with a Manual Box in heavy trafic is a lot better than living with a Auto at the track.

That said i would love to try a Ferrari F1 Box or a E90 M3 SMG to make my final decesion....
 
My added bit: I don't care if the two pedal is SST, SMG, DSG, PDK, wet clutch, F1 shifters, semi manual, "fastest transmission in the world" or whatever they call it. A working manual gearbox > the best 2 pedal car in the world.

I do not consider myself a manual purist. I think there are many aspects of a car to consider before I can say "I prefer this car over that car." And I believe automatics, whether they are used for daily beating or ultra high performance track racing have meaningful purpose in today's car world.

To challenge your last sentence: Would you pass up a F430 F1 for a 4-speed Pinto given the choice? I would not. But on the other hand, I would take a Zonda F over an Enzo anyday :cool:
 
Last edited:
I would consider a bike semi-manual transmission

Uhh, what? Bikes generally have "normal" manual transmissions, with a clutch and manual gear changes.
I guess what you meant were sequential gearboxes...?


Anyway, after driving my grandma's automatic Golf 3 (still better than public transport) a few times now, I can say I don't like it at all. I'd like to think that it's just a not-so-great 'box, but even in very ordinary day to day driving, it's just irritating, and the gear changes are horrible.
Even though it has more power and is lighter than our diesel Golf 4, it feels ridiculously sluggish compared to it, since the gearbox doesn't want to let the engine rev at all - it's almost impossible to get into the upper third of the rev range.
And I always get the sense that the car is doing it's own thing instead of being really controlled by me, especially when braking.
 
^Whoops, yeah, I meant sequential.

But IMO it actually isn't about being fast or being sporty.

It's about feeling in control and and the mechanical simplicity of it.

Kinda the same reason why I want to sit lower and have the steering wheel positioned lower.

Sitting high and having the steering wheel upright feels awkward and makes the car feel hard to maneuver.

And, yes, having the car suddenly do something that surprises me scares me.
 
I absolutely despise automatics. I'm of the feeling that they're only use is for people that don't like to bother with shifting and would rather have it done for them. They don't have any place on the race track. They're really only good for drag racing and even that I don't like as it takes the majority of skill out of it which is boring.

My reasons for not liking them are:

They're parasitic.
They're weak.
Electronic nannies.
Less over all control of the car.
Worse fuel mileage.

Granted this is generalizing, but it covers the majority. There's a reason they're not used in racing.
 
I am also a manual gearbox purest.

Both of my cars (My SN95 Mustang and my E28 BMW) are Both 5-Speed cars.

I refuse to drive a automatic. Driving an auto is boring and for the useless drivers that deal with "Driving"

Whenever i look at a sexy sports car and look inside and see an Automatic.... I have a feeling a disgust that comes in my belly...

If i have a Ferrari with a Paddle Shift box and a POS Junk car with a working 5 or 6 speed..... I would take the POST every time. No way i could EVER live with myself driving an Auto..... I refuse.

Yes, i would buy a Luxury car with a Manual..... its just how i roll.
 
Last edited:
I guess if I have a preference, it will be a manual. Though if I have to get a car because of either my rapidly failing arthritic knee joints or a larger vehicle when I rear children, it will be an automatic.

I guess I kind of eased up on my policy of KEEPING IT REEEEALLLL!!! over the past few years because:

-I stepped back and looked at myself outside of myself and realized how silly I was.

-Being a "purist" (as I define it) means that you are inflexible, and do not adapt well to change, nor do you want anything to interrupt your happy, controlled environment. And that's is fine, but you guys do plan on moving up in the world, having kids, a better job and what not? Face facts: the manual transmission will be obsolete in twenty years; that is just the ugly truth of it. Do you really want to drive a 2030 Fiat Punto .1 litre because that is the last example of a car in the future with a manual?

-My wife used to call me, as a nickname, "Henry", as in Henry Rollins. We all know who he is right? He is guy's guy who KEEPS IT REAL. He also has lofty standards of friends, women, hell...everything that no one or no one thing can meet said standards. But! He KEEPS IT REAL. Think about that.

I am really sorry to piss on your parade, everyone. It's just that this thread has everyone agreeing with each other; someone has to be the voice of dissent! ;)
 
Just like on the original thread, for a daily driver I dont care. For a track car - manual all day long.

However a manual makes any car more fun to drive. :cool:
 
We may need more Europeans to chime in... to see if there is a noticeable automatic revolution happening there too.
 
While I agree that this thread has the majority of people agreeing with each other, it's not just sitting around bashing 2 pedal cars. It's more of someone giving a shout out to see if there are any others like him. It's to see that he's not the only one of his kind left on this earth. It's like the SETI project. If you weren't interested in cars, you wouldn't be in this forum too, right?

I sure am glad to see that there are others who wouldn't buy an S class just because it's automatic. While I wouldn't get one myself, I'm sure as hell not going to "unfriend" anyone who got one, or anyone who wouldn't own a manual car. Most of my best friends drive automatics, as well as some dickheads I know who drive manual.

jayhawk, I get what you mean. Life's too short to go round hatin'. But I'm human after all, and feelings do get in the way sometimes.

Manuals are on the way out, there's no doubting that. But it's people like us who are voting with their dollar, keeping the flame alive for as long as possible. It's also reassuring to know that when Balboni was given free reign to spec up a Gallardo, he chose a manual transmission.

Edit: A wise friend once told me "It doesn't matter whether you're a PC or a Mac, the best part is that you're given a choice." It's when manufacturers like Ferrari or Nissan (with the GT-R) don't give you a choice and force feed their technologically superior gearboxes down your throat, and lose customers.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Jay
I love having a full manual, but the OP is wrong that it's a superior transmission. These days a high-end automatic, dual clutch or even CVT can deliver much faster and more consistent shifting than even the fastest driver.

That being said, I prefer a gated manual transmission. I think it offers the most control and reliability for the price, but what it comes down to is personal preference. My girl's VW Beetle has a terrible slush box that borders on dangerous at times. With a manual I think I can better prepare the car for what's ahead, something that is critical in off road driving. Once you start up or down a hill you just can't change gears, you're committed. I've driven off road with automatics, and they have some advantages which I have mentioned in the past, but after trying it with a manual I have made the switch.

EDIT: I just scanned this page a bit, and I'm surprised at what I'm reading. There is no shame in driving a manual or an automatic. As one person on the forum said (I forget who), "If you can't control the gears on an automatic with the throttle then you have no business driving." There is a place for automatics, hell, I wouldn't turn my nose up at a Genesis sedan or Fusion Hybrid with an autobox. It all depends on the transmission. Some automatics are great, seemles and shift perfectly; some manuals are clunky, vague, and shift terribly.

That being said, I certainly don't think that manual transmissions are "on the way out." I think that there will always be a place for the gated manual transmission. It may eventually be a cost option because of low volume, but I don't see it ever going away completely as long as we are using internal combustion.
 
Last edited:
We may need more Europeans to chime in... to see if there is a noticeable automatic revolution happening there too.

Not until automatic cars get lower emission ratings. The DSG's can achieve that but other than VW they are not launched in any great numbers, and an automatic is quite an expensive addition. A manual meanwhile is free.
 
Well, imo, fast, consistent shifts doesn't make it superior. It's all gimmick..

It does give you a better lap time, but we don't live the track. The point of manuals are not to go faster or be sportier.
It gives you more:
-feedback (safer and better fuel economy)
-simplicity (easier to understand and fully control, easier to maintain, less likely to "glitch", and better in adverse/emergency situations)
-SUBSTANCE and solidity (better satisfaction)

and gives the car more of a soul and character.

I've owned auto and stick cars, and went through several beaters (I've test driven a DSG GTI, launches perfect and shifts fast, fun but I wouldn't pay for one).

It's a superior gearbox for road use in daily drivers. I'll gladly try a doppelkupplungsgetriebefdhgfd... (lolwutwtfbbq) on the track, but would not get one in a car I am going to drive from day to day..
 
Last edited:
My point is that everything you have said is opinion, but you are presenting it as fact. For many drivers, an automatic is better in an emergency.

You are also assuming that all drivers want sport in their cars, many people want to be surrounded in soft luxury and be insulated from the road. It's all a matter of what the driver wants, and you seem to be assuming that we all want the same thing.

I certainly don't think that a manual gives a car "soul" or "character." My Civic was a manual, but it had neither. My Jeep was an automatic and I certainly felt that it had character.
 
You've missed the point.

There is more involved in a car having "character" or "soul" that the type of transmission that it has. To take an extreme example (and I car I love): a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible.

https://pic.armedcats.net/b/bl/blind_io/2009/11/19/1230-1959-cadillac-2.jpg

A manual would do nothing to make this car better at what it is - actually, it would detract from the car. Does that mean this car has no soul? Only a fool would think so. Also, I think that you would be hard pressed to find a car with more character than this Caddy.
 
Last edited:
I'm sorry, but I don't understand the point you're trying to make. Can you explain it a little better?
 
I'm sorry, but I don't understand the point you're trying to make. Can you explain it a little better?

I've yet to understand anything he's said, other then 90% of his posts end with "Dogleg MT 5 spd"
 
Top