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.

If I had a stop-and-go commute through heavy traffic, I can see the desire for a slushbox.

Nice to live in a semi-rural area with curvy, hilly roads, light traffic, and even lighter law enforcement. Makes having a manual tranny fun. Recently sold a truck with an auto, now driving one with a manual- Way more entertaining.

As far as lap times, I recently did some track time in a Lambo with flappy paddles. While brilliant on the track, I would still prefer a stick on public roads driving to/from the track.

I prefer a manual. It's the one thing I feel my wife's Mustang is lacking. Great car...but it bores me to drive it.

Probably my next car will be a mid 2000 BMW 330 with the 3.0L I6 and a 6 speed manual trans.

i live at the best place for an auto transmission. i have hills that fry clutches (under my care) and traffic that make you curse the clutch. i dont care how feathery and responsive your clutch is. it sucks in traffic.

now having said that. manual and auto is the single best argument for having multiple cars. it is just kinda fun rowing thru the gears manually.

but i'm not old..yet.

Basically I would not tend to pass judgement on the '06 Mazda/auto until I actually drove it. Then I would take into consideration the feel of the car and the general conditions and uses I would be buying it for. If it has a doggy feel, for me that would tend to tip my choice toward a manual. I know modern auto's have made great strides in power transfer and efficiency of operation, but I don't know about an '06 model. The only automatic transmissions I experience are the ones in my F350 (I wouldn't have a manual in a pickup anymore) and my wife's car, which has a CVT trans. For an older sports car (much before '06), it's going to be manual for sure. Lately I've been having thoughts of a brand new Corvette if I ever sell my Porsche. If that happens, it will have the new automatic trans. I learned to drive on a 1944 military Jeep and like the mechanical feel of a machine, but newer cars are naturals with automatic transmissions.

I had a tiptronic in my 997S and absolutely loved it. For GT cars I think an auto is great. If I were to get a high reving 4, I would prefer a manual.

I went with the tip originally because I hated getting stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on steep hills (while it poured rain) in Seattle. Pushing the clutch in and out 50 times in the course of 10 minutes while you crawl up a hill with some ahole a foot off you bumper isn't my idea of fun, especially after a long day at work.

I go either way truck, currently I have an auto. I still like 3 on the tree!

This, a pickup with an automatic transmission is just wrong to me.

My wife likes everything about her SUV except that it has two pedals. It was a screaming deal though.

My next daily driver is going to be a Corolla wagon with CVT. Great cars. And when you floor them they hit 6,000rpm. I think they are a bit faster than my manual one too.

For a serous car club/occasional track day car sure a manual. But now that I'm an old fool who takes the dogs out for a drive, an auto certainly is appealing.

This may be the onlyest thing we ever disagree on. I tow horses and farm related stuff a lot, have since I was a kid with manual transmission Ford and Dodge trucks. Auto is so much better I wouldn't buy a current manual transmission truck at gunpoint.

The last truck I bought with a manual was a 1999 Tacoma my son still drives. He is young enough to really enjoy the process. I'm not.

I doubt his children will even have a choice.

I'm just the opposite....a clutch on a boat ramp sucks, and many times, I'll let a buddy pull me out of the water after driving onto the trailer. A stranger to the clutch, pulling a load up a slick boat ramp is HELL on clutches....I've been that "no driving fool" in friend's trucks before too ;). Just backing with any type of trailer in tight quarters....gimme an automatic please.

Edited: Paul knows....

Agreed regarding the idea of an auto for towing with a half-ton truck. I have done a bit of towing with a variety of trucks and won't bother with a manual transmission again.. A few years back I had a V6 5 speed manual, partly because it was what was available and I was thinking the mileage would be better. Ha! Wrong. I get better mileage with the 4.6 with the auto box. Otherwise the trucks were pretty much the same, reg cabs with 8' boxes.

I am not impressed with the modern automatics I have driven, but then I haven't been turned off by them either. They seem to be predictable. I would consider a DSG in my next VW. I have driven a couple of high mileage examples and they seemed to be something I could live with.

For my toy ('90 Miata), I'll stick with the manual.

Best
Les

I learned the art of slipping a clutch on a boat ramp, we had a Jeep CJ with the 4.0L I6 and a 5 speed pulling a 16 ft boat, 1st gear was a real pain getting going, until I figured out to shift it into low range, it would practically walk up the ramp with no issues.

I don't want anything but a manual. Ever.

They're simple, easy to understand, easy to maintain and inexpensive to repair or replace. Automatics are like 37-piece screwdrivers. Unnecessarily complicated and expensive just for the sake of being complicated and expensive. Frankly, I find them astonishingly boring. Whenever I drive an auto trans car - even a cool one - I'm bored silly.

Maybe I'm just "old school" and different strokes for different folks, but I doubt I could ever buy / drive an automatic transmission car regularly. It's just too boring.

I prefer manuals. I just don't want to service or fix auto gearboxes.

Tiptronic isnt all that bad though. DSG is pretty neat but feels really weird in auto mode.

My first purchase as a kid was a new CJ5 back in the day....302 V8 ....headers, side pipes, and badass ;)

4 wheel drive is a different matter, but that is the crux of the issue....you had to learn...would you want a friend w/ no experience pulling you out?

Wish I still had it....but it would have been a terrible tow vehicle with it's short wheel base even in 4x4 mode.....

Have we hijacked this thread yet? SmileWavy

I read how other people don't like a manual at the boat ramp. Heck, that's where I like it best. Controlling *exactly* how much power is fed to the rear wheels and when is crucial to me.

So I'm an oddball....I've known that for years :D

I guess the both of us. And I don't mind a manual in stop and go traffic. A slushbox is a little easier, but I just stick it in 2nd and manipulate the clutch and the brake without touching the throttle. It's actually kind of a fun game.

I buy manuals because automatics can't last 200k miles on only two fluid changes.

Now I can't argue with that AZ....never had to replace a clutch in my life, but my F150's auto suddenly croaked at approx 140K a couple of years ago without much warning...yay Triple A :eek: