Have any of you changed your mind about...
 

going from a manual transmission to auto transmission as you get older? The last time I did this in terms of a performance car was I looked at a used BMW 2002. There were 2 on the lot. One a manual and one an auto. We are talking about 25 years ago. Anyway I got talked into buying the one with the auto trans. It turned out to be a POS as it would stall at red lights. I did not have a PPI before buying. Decent car when it ran but sold it about a year later as I was not prepared to sink $$$ into it.

To make a long story short I want to look at a 2006 Miata with an auto trans. and about 52k miles on it. Does anybody on this board own an auto trans. Miata and if so how do you like it? Or have any of you techs got an opinion on a Miata with auto trans.? I have never considered this before but it makes more sense as the traffic gets heavier. Of course I would get a PPI before committing. :)

As always your opinions are always appreciated.
Guy

I am of the opinion that manual transmission are old technology - sure you have those that say it puts you in connection with your car and the road. I dismiss it. If I could convert my 77 to a Sportomatic I would.

Keep buying manuals guys, keeps tips lower...

I'm sure the newer automatics can shift faster than a manual transmission, but there are just certain things a sports car should have. One is a manual transmission. There is also that satisfaction in being able to do something a decreasing number of people can do.

For my sports car, I want a manual.

For my daily driver an automatic is just perfect. I have only driven one 911 with a PDK and it was cool to shift in milliseconds but it did remove a layer of my driving the car and the car was just too removed.

Maybe I am just kidding myself with the love of ME driving an old school manual shift, no ABS, no power steering sports car. Just steering a car and right is go and left is whoa just does not appeal to me yet. Maybe some day if I ever grow up. That is not in the plans.

Automatics are preferred in my trucks.

A proper car has a manual trans.

I have a manual in my old sporty cars (toys) but want a modern automatic in the ones I drive all the time (modern cars).

Whichever yields a better lap time.

For a sports car, manual. My truck is an auto.

This could be done. I have a 72 sporto project car. It's a long story but a 3.2 was put in the car back in the 80's. Might be the only 3.2 powered sporto 911 in the world :-) I have the bits including the tranny to convert it to a 915. The sporto was supposedly rebuilt before the car was taken off of the road in the early 2000's. At some point I'll remove it and sell it.

All of my cars, including my daily drivers, are and have been manual transmissions. As others have mentioned, I believe that it makes you more connected with the road and attentive to your driving.

However, as I get older, I am starting to reconsider. I have been toying with the idea of a 996/997 TT. I have been checking out Tips as well as manuals.

I feel quite the opposite. For me it's not a truck if it has an automatic.

to answer OP, yes but not in a low powered sporty ride like the Miata.

if I hit the lottery and had 6 figures to blow on a track toy it'd almost certainly be some manner of auto-manual.

^^^^ This...as long as I can do the hokey-pokey ;)

You put your left foot in....

Did have to swap my old Supra turbo with my gf's 'vette for a month or so back in the day though....leg in a cast.

Almost killed myself in her car though.....chevette :(

LOL^^^^ Perfect :D

I just sold my1995 Miata that I talked myself into getting an auto.

I justified that because I was going to use it to commute to work on the L.A. freeway with our famous bumper to bumper traffic it made sense.

Whereas it was convenient to not have to stomp on the clutch a hundred times getting to work.

I would have enjoyed the car a lot more on the weekends when I could get away onto the hills if it had a stick.

On the other hand I would presume 2006 Mazda auto is probably a much better beast that my old 1995.

My next 'fun' car will not be a commuter and have a stick (God willing).

You will have a broader range of buyers when you go to resell with an auto. It's also easier to let someone else drive the car and not worry about the clutch & syncros. I know several folks with Miata's "because they're cute." Each has an auto transmission and likes it. In some ways, it's safer to buy a used car with an auto because you don't face the wear and damage to the transmission from misuse nor over revs on the engine.

If you're not driven to a manual because of how engaging it is, automatics make more sense in today's society.

Point is moot with the newer cars

I prefer a manual transmission in a phases of driving. Yes, the computer-shifted manuals are faster. And it can be nice in stop-and-go traffic to not have to shift. But I still prefer manual. I wish my pickup had a manual, in fact.

Pretty much this. ^

Porsche autos are quick shifting and smooth. They even anticipate gears via telemetry. BUT... they do take away low-level control of the drivetrain. --some could argue that stupid humans have no business having control of drivetrains ... or pod-bay doors. We have computerized servos now, doncha know....

Personally I like the low-level control of the 911 manual box over the auto. However, the auto's have come a long way.

I recently did a 2.5 yr stint in a nice DSG car (B8 audi S4), and I must say it was pretty cool. Good in traffic, good at shifting at the right times, and *incredible* off the line by virtue of lightning fast shifts and shorter gearing (that would not be practical on a stick but were doable on a dual clutch car with more gears). I'm back to a stick - and a slower car - now and I enjoy the driving much more despite the loss in performance. I've noticed I am also more focused on my driving when I have to shift myself - there were a few times early AM when the DSG car "carried" me at high speeds through a corner where I didn't immediately notice how fast I was going - so smooth... a manual by virtue of muscle memory would have flashed alarms in my head (what?? you're in 4th gear in that corner, are you nuts?)
You relinquish some control with the auto-tech, and you get some performance in return.

So yes, I changed my mind somewhat, Whereas I'd have NEVER considered an auto box before, I respect the modern twin clutch boxes now and I would definitely consider one on certain cars, especially the ones where you have no choice anymore. But others have said, while PDK/DSG would be great for my daily commuter - for my pleasure car, no way, no how... I get way too much satisfaction controlling the old tech and using those old fashioned skills. I enjoy driving... shifting is at the core of that enjoyment.

Your prospective Miata is a "FUN" car, I think it's be a shame to get an auto on something like that. The Miata is the quintessential "old fashioned" roadster, it's got a great manual box and a relatively small engine, it is meant to be rowed thru the gears and revved hard.. You'd miss out on some of the fun with an auto!

I learned to drive and shift a manual when I was 12, and I never owned an automatic until I picked up my Accord (a family-owned car that was too good to pass up) in 2011. It was fine, though for years I did periodically try to press the imaginary clutch pedal, e.g. when exiting freeways. Drove it around the mountain and desert west and absolutely hated that particular transmissions' performance. But, having had the car for 4 1/2 years now, I find having an automatic for my regular car....all right. I wouldn't get one on a Miata, but for a sedan/hatch/wagon I'd consider it if it's the right transmission (good performance, no reliability issues.) Drove a DSG VW GTI for the first time a few years ago and it was the first two-pedal car I've driven where I felt I wasn't giving anything up over a 3-pedal setup. Drove that same car in the CO mountains a few weeks ago and still thought it was great.

That said, I've never found manuals inherently annoying in stop and go traffic. My 911 is a bit annoying, but not terrible. A car with a light and preogressive clutch and good low-end torque is easy to drive in such traffic, as you can often just sort of troll along just above idle.