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I mean, i can understand if you're in traffic 90% of your time why you'd want to avoid it, i would too. The times i do go into ny though, it's worked fine.
I've yet to drive a car with a really modern auto gearbox though, the last car I drove was from 2002, and the transmission lag on it was ridiculous when I wanted to quickly accelerate to overtake.
I just don't like the feeling of not being in absolute control of my gears.
I'd love a clutchless manual though.
I'm kinda in this camp. I had a 2nd gen Eclipse (heavily modified engine) a ways back. It was a blast in the open road, and the thrill of dropping it into 3rd never got old.
However, city driving and navigating Washington D.C. was a fucking nightmare.
I also felt the manual itch recently and rented a Jetta for a trip down to Texas. Manual. Loved it for the first 3 hours. After that? I dunno, I'd rather be sprawled out and chill during my drive than worry about the shifting.
I know what you mean, but I honestly feel safer having more to do in the car. Manual trans keeps your brain switched on. Heavy traffic can be painful, but I actually get more trouble from my accelerator-leg, what with toe-ing the gas pedal. Clutch ain't no thang.
Although, I do avoid really steep hill intersections just because of the stress
So, for reference I have a 2004 Ford Focus hatch, manual. Its pretty fun to drive, although the bite point in the clutch is waaaaaay up high and the 3rd/4th gear change is almost right at 60km/h, so you feel wrong no matter what gear you're in on a suburban street
I'll second the part about hatches being super handy; I can fit a ridiculous amount of shit in the back. That said, Ford parts seem to be pretty expensive, and my car is right at that 100-and-something-km point where important things start to die. It was the linkage between the gearstick and the gearbox this week, and that was AU$600 in parts and labour ('bout half and half each).
If I'd had more money, I'd have gotten either a 2-5 year old Corolla, a VW Golf, or a Mazda3. They're all broadly similar specwise but just... nicer. The post-2000 Corollas in particular seem to have fabulous resale value.
Forget F-trucks, you do not even want to know about maintenance and they're fucking impossible to park anywhere sane. Also, least uncomfortable seats ever. My ass actually goes numb after about an hour in the work F250.
Stereotype time: Hyundai Getz and Suzuki Swift drivers are functional retards to a man, don't go there unless you like making other people angry. WRX's are for WRetards. Yaris's can be ok, but the last one I was in had this stupid metallic ring fitting around the aircon vents that caught the eye in a life-ending way. That's all I got except if you bother picking up an extended warranty on a car with more than 80K on it, pick up the fancy one. Totes worth it.
The DSG in the Mk5 ad Mk6 Golf is fantastic. It works in full auto, semi auto and clutchless manual mode.
"If you don't know who Kendra is, I'm officially not speaking to you."
Actually, most racers use semi-automatic because they know what they're going to do. There's always going to be a lag on full auto because nobody wants his car shifting for a speed bump.
Manuals should still get you better mileage*, though CVTs can make up the difference.
Some people like to engine brake to slow down, but you're trading brake wear for engine/clutch wear. Clutch jobs tend to be cheaper then auto-transmission rebuilds. Also you usually save around $800-1000 in the initial purchase price.
*Edit: You aren't guaranteed to get better mileage, especially if you have a lead foot and shift for acceleration over economy. The mileage advantage is a result of you driving more economically when you have the option to shift when you want or stay in gear when you want, and you might have an extra or taller overdrive gear.
Now, a year later, I don't even notice clutching / shifting, it's like walking, it just happens.
The even better part is now my wife needs to learn how to drive with a manual transmission. Once she learns, she'll be able to drive anything.
If you go manual the one vehicle I would avoid is the Nissan Versa. The car was designed with a variable transmission and the manual versions just do not respond well - I'm sure it'd be great in automatic, especially for a larger person. During my test drive I set the driver's seat where I'd need it, then got in the back and actually had leg room (200cm tall here)!
It's an example of a fleeting variation that could cause problems in an auto with no lag.
I just remember that the D&D car thread had something against toggle shift.
There is that. I'm sure many a new driver has sent a clutch to an early grave, though I think after that learning experience there should be some impetus to get better at it.
Just learn the clutch engagement point and you're halfway there. Take your manual vehicle to an empty flat parking lot and from a stop, with the engine just idling, slowly let out the clutch until the car starts moving. Repeat the drill until you know where the clutch engages the flywheel, it should be the same spot in the clutch pedal travel each time.
Don't be afraid of stalling. I mean don't make a habit of it, but it's better to stall out then to send a big throttle input trying to keep it from stalling.
I agree about the F series trucks seats with the exception of the 60/40 bench. That thing is amazing (its what I got btw). As far as maintenance goes, it depends on how much offroading you do with the thing, or heavy work. I've had mine for a while and with the exception of a lazy valve just recently, maintenance has been pretty easy on the ol' wallet. I'm dropping a cold air intake in it as well this summer, which I've heard bumps the MPG's up 40-50 more miles per tank. I'm also looking a performance chip since I've heard their fuel saving settings can make another big difference.
Also, the 150 and privately owned 250 models, as opposed to the 250/350 work and commercial models, tend to be better built for some reason. I still haven't figured this one out. Apparently Silverados and Sierras make the better work trucks by a wide margin.
I'm also located in the midwest, so there's plenty of big truck accomodations to be found.
I'm not entirely that tall, a few inches shy of 6 feet. I dunno, I guess I have enough tricks to keep my brain on during long drives. I also tend to stop every couple of hours, smoke a cig, get some water, and take a real short walk to stretch out.
As of note: Stay away from the Saturn Vue. The parts on it wear out quicker than anything, and the clutch is right next to the damn brake.
Oh, I've known some people who drove a manual reactively. Usually they were reacting to the car screaming.
If you go from 70 to a stop by downshifting into each cog you're doing several more clutch disengagements then if you were just to disengage the clutch and brake brake. Depending upon how often you do this you could be up to doubling the wear on your clutch. If you can always perfectly rev match such that you never cause wear to your clutch upon disengagement (I don't pretend that I can) then it's not an issue.
At the end of the day, any difference in clutch replacement (averaged over the life of the car) and brake replacement (averaged over the same) is going to be fairly minimal, and I simply prefer to engine brake as
a) it feels more interactive and thus enjoyable
b) i like to hear my engine rumble (only a V6 but it has an awesome note) as it revs down
c) it means that I'm usually in an appropriate gear should I need to accelerate suddenly. Not that I can actually think of many realistically feasible situations where this would occur, but the point is there.
1) Buy a car that's one year old. The steepest depriciation happens in that first year, whereas the previous owner probably hasn't had the chance yet to completely destroy your new toy.
2) To the best that your schedule allows, make car shopping your new full-time job.
Last year, I hit it big at the casino and after paying off the bills, I figured it was time for a new car. I shopped around for three weeks, every day. The first stop of course was the dealership right down the road, where I fell in love with a 2006 Honda Element. Everything was great, including the price...but the mileage was 80k, and I was trading in an older car with only 60k. I couldn't get over that, so I moved on, and found an extremely affordable, mint-condition 2008 Mustang. The Mustang had always been my "someday when I'm crazy rich" car...and now here I was, actually crazy rich (by "born in a basement in North Dakota" standards), so it seemed an obvious buy. But I just couldn't get over how tiny the backseat was...so I moved on. Then I found a BMW convertible, great condition and great mileage, and the dealer nearly dropped the price in half during negotiations, but it was a 1996, and I was trading in a 2006. So I moved on again.
About three weeks in, I finally found a 2008 Jeep Liberty with 12k miles that I absolutely loved...but more importantly, I STILL love it. Had I bought the Element, I would have been worrying every day about the mileage...the Mustang, I would have worried about the storage capacity, and the BMW I would have worried about the year.
But if you really commit your free time to checking every single dealer within 40-50 miles (and the internet), you can find the perfect car for you. And if you're willing to buy a 2009 in 2010, you won't get completely hosed either. ;c)