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The Future Of The Manual Transmission

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  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    My sister is bright but a bit dingy.

    As I like to say, there is a difference between being intelligent and being smart. They often are mutally exclusive.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I usually call it book smart vs. street smart.

    And yes, you rarely genius in both.
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,669
    So at one time, it must have been possible to buy a car without a heater.

    Indeed it was. A college buddy of mine was specing out the option list on the 1964 GTO he was planning to buy after graduation and discovered that just about everything was optional including a heater. Since he was taking a job in Cleveland he ordered the heater along with the limited slip, exhaust splitters, AM radio and a bunch of stuff I've long since forgotten. ;)

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    One of her early cars was a manual transmission MG - MGB GT.

    Smart or intelligent?

    That was one of the few cars that she didn't wreck. It fell apart all on its own. :D The final straw was when the radiator fell out on the road. She still wishes she had it though.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,411
    Read old newspaper print ads - they often list "radio and heater" as cool options.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    An intelligent person would not have bought it...and only a smart person could have kept it running.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    yes but an MGB had the sweetest gearshift and clutch....like BUDDAH!
  • morin2morin2 Member Posts: 399
    The car I've most regretted passing up for a song because I didn't want to take advantage of the owner - was an MGC. Naturally, someone else wasn't so noble and offered him $200 (rust free, a little cracked leather) and all she needed was a new battery. Sigh...
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,441
    A friend of mine ran across an MGC a couple years ago and bought it...

    Sat in a garage the whole time, so he recently sold it for a little more than he paid... said he just couldn't get into restoring it...

    And... this is from a guy who has an MGA and a Magnette!

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  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    It's harder to restore than a B--many parts do not interchange and the value isn't much different than a B, nor is the performance much different. The MGC is not a much loved car. Might be a nice cruiser if it had overdrive.
  • volkovvolkov Member Posts: 1,306
    When Audi drops MT in EDM, the world has turned upside down. Audi has to be the sweetest MT set up I have ever driven.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Might be a future aftermarket product here for someone, to sell MT kits on certain very popular cars that no longer offer it. I'd suspect Japanese cars would be the best target for this.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    Hey, get me an MT kit for my Solara! That would be sweet.

    Yeah, I remember my mom looking for a leftover 66 Chevy in late 66. It was the first new car in the family in close to 10 years. She wanted two options and two only - a heater and an AM radio. Worked out great.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    So she didn't go for the 396/4-speed? :P
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,669
    She wanted two options and two only - a heater and an AM radio. Worked out great.

    Couldn't have been that great if she hadda listen to AM radio only. I wasted little time putting an FM set in my first car. ;)

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    It took a couple of years past 1966 before the radio became an issue. At the time W-ABC and baseball in season would cover things. That would change pretty quickly.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    So, was it a 283 with 3-on-the-tree?
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    That's what it was all right. A Biscayne.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,441
    My mother's '72 Lincoln had an AM/8-Track stereo!

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    get me an MT kit for my Solara!

    Should not be hard, since the Camry offered one in base models. May not handle the torque well if yours is a V6, though.
  • cdnpinheadcdnpinhead Member Posts: 5,617
    That's what it was all right. A Biscayne.

    Our family had a '60 Biscayne, which was the car I first drove.

    Lot of miles since then.
    '08 Acura TSX, '17 Subaru Forester
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,669
    edited November 2011
    I drove a '60 Biscayne in Driver's ED. Awful car, no PS and too much car to parallel park. It was like docking the Queen Mary, only without tugs!

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    It is a V6. I think all the convertibles are V6. I'll live with the automatic - it even lets me change gears - just no clutch....
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    I drove a 66 or so Ford LTD in Driver's ED. Fortunately I'd had my license for almost a year by the time I got the class. The thing was a boat, had the pink power steering and the teacher would want you to go under the limit by a few miles an hour even in a 15 mph zone. All this to save my folks a couple of bucks insuring me....
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    edited November 2011
    Today we once again became a family without a car equipped with an automatic transmission. A year or two back I took some good natured ribbing from some fellow members of this topic because, given that we as a family had two minivans with automatic transmissions, I wasn't a true disciple or aficionado of manual transmissiondom.

    After thirteen years of being either primarily or fully banished into the realm of minivandom, we shed the last of our three minivans today and traded it in on a 2012 2-Door VW GTI 6-Speed manual. The bad news is the men in the family are having serious car envy as our son has a 1998 Audi A4 Quattro 5-Speed and I'm tooling around in a 2009 Mazda3 i TVE 5-Speed; it's Mom who now has the cool car. :cry:

    As a side note, our daughter will be of age to start driving with Mom and Dad in about six months (although we'll be doing the parking lot thing long before then), and it looks like her only choice will be to learn from the very beginning in a car with a manual transmission. :)
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    edited November 2011
    nice GTI for Mrs. Shipo! Will your cars have snow/ice tires this winter? None yet for my car yet this year but a day before (or after) the first icy morning commute I'll probably get them!
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    I'm debating on the whole winter tire thing for the GTI; the factory 18" wheels with 225/40 R18 tires are more than a bit impractical for day-to-day driving up here in New England (regardless of season) so I've already ordered a set of 17" Enkei wheels and some Yokohama AVID ENVigors to go around them. Given that my wife will be starting a new job a week from today which is a whopping eight miles from home, I rather doubt she'll need winter rubber, but we'll see how it goes.
  • srs_49srs_49 Member Posts: 1,394
    I agree - good choice on the GTI. That was on my short list when I bought the G37 2 years ago.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Thanks! :)

    Bang for the buck, there are only a handfull of cars which can rival the GTI; I'm going to be hard pressed to justify a new F30 328i as the replacment for my Mazda3 in the next 18 months given how much fun our new GTI is to drive. :shades:
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,330
    as she keeps reminding me daily, my daughter will be able to get behind the wheel with us in about 2 weeks. Pretty sure I will start her in the van until I am comfortable she has the basics (as in, doesn't scare the heck out of me!) and is comfortable on the road, then I will get her in a parking lot to start the manual specific instructions.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    2012 2-Door VW GTI 6-Speed manual

    Why not a 5 door? That's a pretty huge change from a minivan!

    Congrats. :shades:
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    The only 5-Door GTI with a manual transmission they had on the lot was a fully tarted GTI with leather (which she doesn't like), NAV, and lots of other goodies; it stickered for over $31,000! That and she really likes the look of the 2-Door more than the sedan(ish) version. My wife is in the fashion industry and is very visual, and for her the "Form follows Function adage" does not apply; if it don't look right, she don't want it. :)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I take it she likes the plaid seats? :shades:
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Yeah, she thinks the Interlagos Plaid is very cool (in a retro kind of way). :shades:
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,441
    Like the cloth, too... but, I like the 4-door looks, more...

    But, I've never been accused of being fashion-forward... :surprise:

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  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    I agree; to my eye the 4-Door GTI looks a tad better than the 2-Door model. The thing is, ain't my car, ain't my say. :)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    edited November 2011
    I consider them 3- and 5-doors, FWIW.

    For me the 3 door looks better, but I'd still choose function-over-form and get a 5 door.

    I think I'd go for the TDI, though. What do those cost nowadays, out the door?

    Edit: $25.7 up to $28k at fitzmall. A bit pricey but worth it.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    The dealership we got the GTI from had a couple of TDIs as well, unfortunately the were both DSG models and my wife and I can no longer tolerate vehicles with automatic transmissions.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    We have a minivan (auto) and a Subaru (auto), and I'm thinking about a city car to eventually replace the Miata, so I also would want a manual.

    I can't imagine not having a single stick shift in our fleet! :surprise:
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    We've gone from a three (auto) minivan family to a three manual transmission family; we now have a 1998 Audi A4 Quattro 5-Speed, a 2009 Mazda3 i TVE 5-Speed, and a 2012 VW GTI 6-Speed. Life is good. :shades:
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Hopefully I can do the same thing.

    We still need the van for a couple more years, but when I downsize...
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,736
    The dealership we got the GTI from had a couple of TDIs as well, unfortunately the were both DSG models and my wife and I can no longer tolerate vehicles with automatic transmissions.

    You are much better off. IMHO, the 2.0T is more reliable than the TDI at this point.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Yeah, I've read about the fuel pump issues and the ten-thousand-dollar repair jobs. Not that the TDI was overly tempting given the HPFP problems, but it became moot after Mrs. Shipo drove the GTI; there was no talking to her about anything else. :shades:
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I thought the newer TDI was more reliable? I guess we have to wait a while and see if any issues creep up.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    There isn't an issue with the engine itself; there seems to be an issue regarding the lifespan of the HPFP vis-a-vis how long it will last given the low lubricity of North American diesel fuel (which does not meet the VW published specifications for fuel).
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Gotcha. And diesel is $4.20 here, too, imagine if additives add more to the costs...
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,736
    and, under certain circumstances, that seized fuel pump can cause serious engine damage.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Per VWVortex and the TDIForum, there are no documented cases of engine damage; that said, the entire fuel system is so contaminated it needs to be replaced from the tank all of the way up to the injectors. :(
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,736
    oh right. I made that mistake before. Entire fuel system replacement. I think its the cost that keeps making me think engine.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Been a while since one of these was posted:

    Carjackers jump in car, see stick shift -- and run away (LA Times)
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