Manual transmission in 2007 traffic ... still exhilarating or tedious monotony?

The stick shift is considered a pinnacle of the driving experience.

But according to recent data, less than 10% of new cars have manual transmissions.

Look through BMW inventories in Southern California. The majority of new 3-series, 5-series and Z4's are automatics.

How many of us enthusiasts are driving one of these automatic Bimmers? Or Audis? Or even Porsches?

Is it possibly too much work anymore on our traffic-choked roads to drive a manual as an everyday car?

Is the DSG trend a face-saving way to get into an automatic and still feel like an enthusiast?

Should a novice manual driver take the plunge? Or will he/she regret it after a couple of years?

Have you gone auto? Or will you give up the shifter when they pry it out of your cold dead fingers?

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 8/15/2006 11:31:19 PM

+2 Boost

Living in London makes the manual transmission a real pain in the A**, you have traffic lights every 50 meters sometimes less and when you add other cars, bus lanes and pedestrian crossings driving an auto suddenly becomes a very attractive proposition, My perfect combination will be manual for the traffic free drives ( e.g. Off peak driving times or motorway journeys) and Auto for everything else.
( my left thigh is more developed than my right from all the years of manual transmission driving in london:)
If you live in or have to commute into and out of LA or Atlanta GA i can understand the Auto thing but the rest of the usa i have been to has no need for real enthusiasts to buy an auto.
Just my Opinion.

nextGen - 8/15/2006 11:57:50 PM

+2 Boost

I live in a big city that has one of the worst traffic bottlenecks as well as longest average commute time in the country. To drive with a stick shift was fun during youth and before having to earn a living. A few years after entering the work force I switched to automatics and the rest is history.

I read from a posting here that Germans are the exact opposite in that the majority of car buyers choose manual which is an interesting contrast.

kart1 - 8/16/2006 12:02:05 AM

+2 Boost

I think one person should have two cars, one for the commuting he has to go through everyday and the other for the drive. Of course there are cars that can do both very well, but shifting in traffic is not that great because you are not going fast. It especially sucks if you live in San Francisco or some place like that.

mstangpny07 - 8/16/2006 12:28:29 AM

+1 Boost

a good manual car to have, if ur not gonna commute w/ it is a MX-5.

Jovi - 8/16/2006 12:34:26 AM

+1 Boost

Manual is over-rated

chewy - 8/16/2006 12:48:24 AM

+1 Boost

That is why the DSG brings best of both worlds.

UPshift - 8/16/2006 12:58:10 AM

+1 Boost

I am a stickler for clutch action.
I live in a resort area with traffic, yet both my 280ZX Turbo and 4Runner are manuals.

I guess I'll probably be the last holdout in the U.S., a virtual old-school dinosaur.

UPshift - 8/16/2006 1:00:11 AM

+1 Boost

or I'll just get old and say "the heck with it."

UPshift - 8/16/2006 1:01:27 AM

+1 Boost

efoxS4

I had to get an old car to play with. It's fun, though!

UPshift - 8/16/2006 2:17:26 AM

+1 Boost

Will

I disagree. I prefer to drive my car instead of it driving me.

Having a mechanical clutch/transmission interface puts you in touch with exactly what the car is doing at a particular instance. As good as the manumatics are (I have driven a few), they can't match the feel or satisfaction of a perfect shift under power. Plastic paddles or + and - gates don't feel substantial enough. I've driven manuals since I was a teen, so it is second nature to me, in fact, I have only owned one automatic. It made me feel like a passenger instead of a driver.

I would hope those who post here are more than "point a to point b" drivers.

Jovi - 8/16/2006 3:20:14 AM

+1 Boost

Will, I suppose BMW doesnt have Auto?

BMW530i - 8/16/2006 5:21:10 AM

+1 Boost

My 530i (E39) is a manual - and I am 54 years of age. I am now wishing I had gotten an automatic instead (also because of the wife) since most of my driving is within the city. However, out in the open country, the pleasure of owning a manual BMW becomes apparent. You can't help but feel good and you enjoy the car.

Well, that said. I am probably looking for a new car in a few years. Perhaps the new Mercedes CL-Class, which IMO looks really beautiful - and it's automatic too.

PlanoA4 - 8/16/2006 8:24:55 AM

+1 Boost

DSG will make the stick shift go the way of the handcrank. The tripedalist of the world will soon be a fading memory.

Rupert - 8/16/2006 9:10:09 AM

+1 Boost

audi fans, i'm sorry to tel you, but my dad has just got (today) a 740 (last gen) so bmws are now the best cars in the world etc.

my mother had a manual saab in london, but found it very annoying. she prefers autos now.
the stats must be differnt for other countries though, the US has always been auto-friendly.

BavarianMotorrad - 8/16/2006 9:33:32 AM

+1 Boost

Have a 2007 335i w/manual tranny on order. An automatic would be sac religious!

Lexlover - 8/16/2006 9:58:32 AM

+1 Boost

I agree with will

phantom330 - 8/16/2006 10:11:54 AM

+1 Boost

Manual is the way to go, always. Unless you drive a SUV or a complete family hauler (ie Lexus or Camry--relax Toyota boys, that was a joke) manual is the only choice for somebody who likes to drive. The small amount of time you spend sitting in traffic pales in comparison to the fun you have while driving a manual with aggression. Automatics take all the fun and excitement out of a car. DSG, SMG are a compromise, but give me a regular manual anyday.

Mark - 8/16/2006 10:35:14 AM

+1 Boost

The same reason you buy a car with a true manual transmission is because you want to. Sure you can complain sometimes about traffic, but that's part of buying a manual, it won't be fun all the time.

Same thing for people that buy a big truck or SUV, they can complain about gas prices a little but you don't buy it for the MPG rating.

I like manuals but as the years pass I have moved to DSG.

mstangpny07 - 8/16/2006 10:47:13 AM

+1 Boost

Rupert:

I think the Last Gen 7-Series was BMW's best looking model ever. Does he have a 740i or 740iL?

Maxim - 8/16/2006 12:41:30 PM

+1 Boost

You enjoy a manual in moderate, not light or non-existent traffic. Case in point. Recently I embarked on a sixty mile drive. Traffic was really light. As expected, I went through all the gears in about a mile. I did not touch the gearshift again for another fifty-five miles, same as an automatic. But if the traffic was moderately heavy, hmmmm.....

mstangpny07 - 8/16/2006 1:49:48 PM

+1 Boost

^maxim: What were you in?

Rupert - 8/16/2006 3:50:29 PM

+1 Boost

just a 740, but it's got the sat nav and comfort seats (which are very comfortable)
i agree, i think it looks so good. expensive, but not ostentatious.
best looking ever? yes. better than the current bmws, that's for sure.
and it goes like sh*t off a shovel (well it feels it after coming from a range rover)

Maxim - 8/16/2006 3:54:19 PM

+1 Boost

A 2004 Saab 9-3 Linear. I was on 1-270 to I 70 in Maryland, headed for Hagerstown, MD.

mstangpny07 - 8/16/2006 10:59:02 PM

+1 Boost

Maxim:
I have an '04 9-3 Arc convertible. Automatic, though. I get 24mpg! Question: Do you get a lot of recalls in the mail? Iv'e gotten four just about the key fob.Car hasn't given me any trouble, except when I try to put up the front windows w/ the top down; the windows hit the weather stripping on the windshield frame, think it's a solid object, and auto-reverses halfway down. (It's like if I were to put my finger there, and it would hit it and go down. But it's darn rubber seal!)

vcowman - 8/17/2006 11:02:02 AM

+1 Boost

I am happy with my steptronic. BTW Saabs are still POS too much cowl shake and low quality. Hauls ass though.

Soho - 8/17/2006 9:38:57 PM

+1 Boost

Cold dead hands my you will pry a manual from