auto or manual?

Big Daddy · Jan 20, 2004

I think it depends on the car and it's intended use. Also the "wife" argument is sexists, haha. My wife was the one who wanted to purchase the M roadster and she chose the manual. She also has completed many BMW CCA High Performance Driving Schools. I think an M car, performance car, and/or sports car should have a manual. Our 318is is also a manual and I would never consider an auto with a four cylinder. Besides this little gem is very sporty.

That said our 750il is an automatic. This baby shifts so smooth and fast when accelerating that I am not sure a manual would be any better. I guess I also have the "M" and "A" mode (for the 91), but still she is an automatic.

gbf1lm · Jan 20, 2004

Big Daddy said:

yep. my mom uses a manual, and she likes it. then our 540 is auto though only bc we got it for 15k off sticker!!!! we seriously considered a conversion, but then my mom had to get knee surgery so we decided we should keep it auto, mom disapointed, but knew her knee couldnt take manual as a daily driver. dads m3 and my car is manual. sisters civic is auto and it pisses me off, it dont have enough power to just hang around in any gear it feels like. o well i barely drive it.

gbf1lm · Jan 20, 2004

its just that women in gereneral tend to think of a car as an object that gets them from A to B and thats it. when/if i get married, i gonna teach her if she dont know.

MrElussive · Jan 20, 2004

epj3 said:

Nowadays, if you trade in your car, you will get killed if it is a manual transmission car. Nobody wants a manual car and so therefore, they are much harder to sell. When I traded in my manual Jetta, I got $14,000 for it. It was a fair price, but I wanted to get a little more for it. My salesman said that if it was an automatic he could have given me $14,500 - $15,000 for it Now just imagine the hit you would take on a much more expensive vehicle in a manual transmission if you tried to trade it in to a dealership. This is why I think leasing has a great advantage...you can choose all your own weird options and the transmission that suits you, and you don't have to worry about getting killed in resale value....just give the car back after the lease is over, no questions asked.

ThinkingBMW · Jan 20, 2004

I can only talk about MY wife and MY mother. My wife, who's 37, simply can't work a clutch. My mother, who's 70, can (or at least used to be able to). I think this has less to do with their sex than their vintage. Those who grew up with manuals as their only option simply HAD to learn manual. And those who grew up with automatics as a viable option took the "easy" route and simply never experienced the true pleasure that comes from snicking through the gears on a sports car.

That said, I think the SMG option may be a reasonable compromise. My wife and I test drove three BMWs yesterday:

330ci with steptronic
330ci with SMG
M3 with SMG (oh baby!)

We sort of REALLY liked the M3 and are now serious about ordering one with SMG. Earlier I posted a question about the 330ci with SMG and most of the replies were negative on this option. I'd now like to get a concensus on the M3 with SMG. We did notice the SMG in auto mode was "jerkier" than the steptronic, but I like the idea that she has the option to learn how to use the SMG in manual mode, which I think could be operated in a similar manner as a manual after some practice. And then there's my personal preference for a manual, so an SMG II option appears to be a good compromise.

Since SMG is relatively new, can anyone comment on its reliability? Can those who own a car with SMG comment on how it compares with a manual after some practice?

MrElussive · Jan 20, 2004

I can't comment based on ownership experience, but according to many magazines, the SMG II in the M3 is much better than the SMG I in the 330Ci. I drove an M3 Convertible with SMG II and I disliked the auto mode (lazy and jerky), but I thought the manual mode was absolutely amazing !

JC7727 · Jan 20, 2004

If you had a choice of an M3 with a manual or an M3 with the SMGII whcih one would you pick. I initally thought the manual, but the Sequential Manual gearbox is pretty cool, the shifter looks sick.

andreyiv · Jan 20, 2004

I've never driven an SMG but I always wondered, 1) Is there a way to manually operate the clutch to lets say keep up the engine rpms while turning? 2) Is there a way to go into neutral straight from something higher than 1st gear? So you won't have to go through all the gears while stopping after driving in 4th or something. 3) How do you go into reverse? It's just that I saw this Aston Martin Vanquish video and it took the gearbox more than 2 seconds to go into reverse. Thanks a lot guys. Appreciate the answers to my stupid questions. Thanks again.

MrElussive · Jan 20, 2004

JC7727 said:

Easy...I would take the 6-speed in a heartbeat. I like having a clutch and I don't like the way the SMG shift knob looks.

ThinkingBMW · Jan 22, 2004

Update

Just ordered an M3 with SMG. Won't get delivery until April, or so, but will update everyone on how I (a big manual transmission fan) and The Wife (someone who cannot/willnot learn to use a clutch) adapt to this strange and exciting new thing.

To everyone on this board: Thanks very much for your input. I'll be paying you back as soon as I have something more to offer than a production number.

Average Jae · Jan 22, 2004

as much as enthusists talk about the car being a tick faster to 60, or how manual is the only way to go, auto manufacs are making cars for the money, and the buying public has been voting w/ their pocket books.

and i also read/ heard 10% of all cars being a manual. now try getting the higher perf version w/ a manual tranny.. not the easiest thing, esp if you want to negoatiate on a car that's hard to find..

Moderato · Jan 23, 2004

Driving a car with a manual tranny is such a different experience then the Auto. When you drive a manual you are actually driving the car. Auto tranny cars just feel like a go-kart to me or something, they are so mindless and boring. The bottom line is this (and others have mentioned this) if a car is nothing to you then point A to point B transportation the answer is simple: AUTO, but if driving a car is 99% of the reason you make the trip, then the answer is a passionate: "5 or 6 speed manual tranny thank-you!"

salvo · Jan 24, 2004

Manual tranny forces the driver to PAY ATTENTION!!!! [headbang]

Auto tranny allows for DAYDREAMING!!! which leads to accidents... [bigcry]

and, IF you cant drive a manual tranny, then learn!!! i would be emabarrassed!! [bash]

330i and like it · Jan 24, 2004

AUTO

I have 330i AUTO. Lets be realist, unless you have an M3 you have a luxury car not a sports car! If you want real manual sports car driving you need to buy a Porsche Boxster. I sold my Boxster (manual) to get the 330i AUTO. When I am stuck in traffic I would never want a manual. But each to their own!

MyHarley · Jan 24, 2004

Moderato said:

Wanna race???? [driving]

Ghost · Jan 24, 2004

salvo said:

Manual tranny forces the driver to PAY ATTENTION!!!! QUOTE]

I agree, do you know how hard it is to drink coffee, talk on the phone and change gears at the same time? When I’m doing all these things people can’t expect me to signal a lane change.[joke]

Looks like someone had a taste of blood and is hungry for more.

Moderato, you can't always be first, but I think Harley's saying you can be next.

MrElussive · Jan 24, 2004

I think the best thing to do is to have two cars: a daily driver and a pleasure car. The daily driver should be automatic, for traffic and basic commuting. The pleasure car should be stick shift, for pure fun every time you drive it. My G35C is my daily driver and it is stick shift...I have gotten used to driving stick shift in traffic and basically dealing with stick shift every time I drive, but there are still times when it helps to have an automatic. Such as when you're super tired and it's super cold outside and you just wanna zombie your way home....auto is good for that, you barely have to move to drive.

codex57 · Jan 24, 2004

MrElussive said:

Or, when you have a special someone in the passenger seat and they decide to turn that daily driver into a "pleasure" car. Helps to have that extra hand free. [;)]

MyHarley · Jan 24, 2004

THE_GHOST said:

for a whoopin for sure.......this thread is getting on my nerves.....[fake]

Some of you act like your manny must go 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds versus us steptronic drivers in 5 point whatever........some of you act like women cant drive a manny........some of you act like you have 20 years of driving experience instead of a few years..........some of you think because we have steptronic or auto we dont experience the ultimate driving machine......I never realized I should of bought a manny Honda Accord so I could say I'm hot, I drive a manny, God forbid I drive a BMW to the grocery store since I'm only going from Point A to Point B...........going from Point A to Point B is called life folks..........dont have all day to go galavanting around..........somebody has got to pay for my poor little pretty boy who's an embarrassment on the road...............

MyHarley · Jan 24, 2004

codex57 said:

I always knew you had it together Code............

auto or manual?

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