Hi! New member looking for advice!
 

Hey guys, first off, I'm new to this forum so I sincerely apologize if I'm in the wrong section.

I'm planning on ordering my FR-S tomorrow but I'm still indecisive on the transmission. The dealership says that it's gonna take 2 months to come which is perfect because as of right now, I only have my learners and I can't drive alone until Jan which is my 17th birthday.

And before you all start with you "omg spoilt kid with parents paying for ur car" nonsense, I would have you know that I'm paying for 3/4 of my car. Yes, I have a part-time job and I can full well afford 100% of the car on my own by my mom insists on paying that extra 100bucks a month to have a little (as she calls it) "control" over the car. That being said, she REALLY, and I mean REALLY wants me to get an auto car because she has this mindset that manual cars are "dangerous" to drive.

Any thoughts about this? I'm planning on getting the Asphalt color with just minor mods (blue tip exhaust, back window tints, etc). Would really appreciate it. Thanks guys!

PS. sorry for wall of text

you'll never regret getting a manual

I'd say go for manual. It's waaay better than auto IMO.

And it's your car, your paying for it. Choose what you want, not what your mom wants.

The steering wheel paddle shifters are closer than you think to the signal/wiper/cruise control stalks, when I tested the auto last night, more often than not I flash my high beams than down shift. I found myself using the slap stick, but by that point, I would we rather been in the auto.

If your dealer was as awesome as the one I visited, someone might be there to give you some manual transmission training on the spot.

You'll never regret getting the automatic too.
Depends on what kind of driver you are, id say try both on this car by any means possible. Hell go to a Subaru dealership and test drive the BRZ.

I'm in the minority when i say this but i believe if you go manual or automatic in this car then you didn't make a bad choice at all.

Can you drive manual?

I'm 18 and I got this car as an automatic for the following reasons. I hadn't driven manual before and being my first car and new driver, I though it would be easier. You also get paddle shifters and a + and - stick shift so it's not like you are stuck as a manual. 3rd, I have 2 brothers and we are still with our family; there are times when your family needs to drive, too. 4th, higher gas milage, although I've found out the milage just depends on how you drive.

Also, just a heads up. I'm thinking you are going to continue to go to High School. Haters will pop up that you don't even know. You want to be careful where you park because wanna be gangsters and other kids scratch your car out of jealousy. Then you get kids who want to race you, too.

To me manual vehicles are Funner, I feel more connected to the vehicle. Only auto car I've ever owned was an 06 charger r/t, it wasn't boring but I didn't enjoy driving it as much as I would have the manual version... Only time i like auto over manual is going on long trips.

cruise control man!

Hi guys,
Thank you so much for your insightful thoughts and opinions. I truly appreciate it :)
And no, I cannot drive a manual as of yet. I'm still really thinking about it. If I do get a manual, I'll probably have to take lessons. My dad can teach me but we have no manual cars to practice or learn with.

Also, this car wil probably be my everyday car. That being said, I need it to be practical. I have never driven a stick before so I don't know how it feels like. Does it feel annoying at stop lights or anything? Does your arm get tired?

i have a mt you need to get a mt!

Why get into debt so early in life -- esp on your first car?

in this world u need credit= its a great way to start:clap:

What is this, i don't even...

MT=good life

Auto= lazyyy

IMO this is a foolish way. There are much cheaper ways to build credit. With only a part time job -- a new car seems like a giant leap forward -- in this economy its almost setting yourself up for disaster. *Not arguing in a mean way :happy0180:*

He didn't ask for input on debt... just transmission information.

I say manual. I got an auto personally but I am old guy and bad knees.

Sigh

Well he started to dabble in financial talk, so I was just asking. I'm sorry if I offended you..:iono:

6speed for sure cant drift without it !

Also don't buy it buy a s2000 used and you can pay it all

I would like to disagree bro, that's not a good way to start. Although credit is good, it is only good when you can pay it off right after. Being in debt this early sucks ass.

a car like the brz/fr-s with an auto transmission is like dating a supermodel with no vagina. sure its still sexy to look at, but really....what's the point?

I would agree with the manual folks because you'll learn more about driving with manual gearbox. It also increases your sense of responsibility and accountability because you won't be able to blame the car for much non mechanical issues. You'll also be able to drive any car in the world.


With automatic, you are able to focus more on the actual goal at hand: parking straight, reversing, how fast to go around this corner, should I pass this guy, oh shit i'm about to hit someone. You don't have to worry about things like clutching or missing a gear.

Blah! That's like the worst advice you can give to a guy. Buying an old car with that much money and telling him to drift as his first thing!

Guys, I really appreciate those you actually provide opinions and insightful comments but please avoid financial talk. Firstly, I'm NOT going in debt LOL. I'm 16. I can't take a loan... My mom is taking a loan and I'm paying her back monthly so I will have no problems with credit or anything.

with you being so young and all,i would opt for the "slush" box.
reasoning is,ya get better gas mileage,and you will be short of ''scratch"most of the time! besides, your mother can drive it too! isn't that great?

haters gonna hate!

thanks! btw how do u "thank" posts?

Well daily driving will be a bit harrowing until you're facile working the manual, so do give some thought to ways to use the waiting time to learn. Take lessons at a driver's ed that offers manual or find someone who's got an MT car they'll let you practice on or something.

Beyond that, daily driving a manual is unproblematic (ok I'm partial to MT and have never owned an AT). Your arm doesn't normally get tired, but your clutch leg can, e.g. in stop-and-go traffic in a car with a stiff clutch pedal. Stop lights are no sweat. Take it out of gear, clutch out, apply break. When the light goes green, clutch in, put it in first, away you go.

And congrats on saving up enough while still in high school to buy a car like this :)

After you've reached a min. post count (~10 IIIRC), there's a "thanks" button at the bottom right of each post.

Go with the manual. My first car was a manual when I was 18 and I learned to drive on it and never regretted the decision once. If you go Auto you will probably regret it forever and be viewed as a weenie by anyone who is into cars.

A manual is not more dangerous in any way and actually teaches you to pay more attention to the car and what is going on in my opinion. Trust me, manual is the right choice! And congrats on your new car, you will love it

Friendly forum survival tip from an old timer: ignore the haters and people who go off topic or are otherwise annoying. If you try to fight them you're just throwing oil on their fire and they'll respond with escalating levels of hateraid. Ignore them and either you'll take the wind out of their sails or they'll start exchanging barbs with each other, and either way you're rid of them :)

Manual all the way.

But really, if you need to ask that kind of question then manual is not for you.

The point? let me spell it out, It looks great and is still "Fun" to drive.
Why should I have to get a different car just becuase I want Auto? If I want a car, I want a nice looking car. Get real people this is not a sports car..... manual does not make it a sport car, it simply is an awesome looking and fun car, you are not passing anybody in straights or in the turns in sports cars. Are you one of those that does not even have the car? insist on telling people about how the car does and does not work, best, not best . With nothing more than at most a test drive? I bet a few drivers with autos can wax more than a couple slapshotting manual jerk ur ass manual drivers.
What is the point in your posting is my now off topic question:offtopic:

Did you write that after you stalled in 2nd gear? :lol:

Dont get me wrong, manualis a good decison but don't say u cant drift with auto lol

Im actually around ur age.. haha im 18 and i pay for my car too, and manual was out of the question too haha my parents thought i was gonna go fast and furious status or something like that, so i had to settle for a auto. But one thing i can tell you is auto is just as fun, jusst less engaging with out the clutch, get manual if you actually planning tracking or that sort of stuff, its good for everyday too but regardless, i can assure u the auto is just as fun on the paddles ;)

thanks :)

Moto-P Auto/Manual Review

Your welcome.

It's not an easy choice. Driving a manual has been referred to as being one with a horse. Driving an automatic is more laid back and smell the roses. With either one you're enjoying a neat little coupe. Also, with the automatic now having paddles on the wheel you can become closer to being one witn the horse with the particular automatic offered by the Toyobaru twins. It's not an easy decision. You can't go wrong which ever way you go. The main thing is to buy the one you want and not buy the one that other people think you should get. Good luck.