Are you getting Manual or Auto?
 

So i'm going for the Manual version and awaiting pick-up, dealer said within a week or two. I asked the reason why the wait is short and the said most of their customers want an auto.

What do you guys think? is this car worth getting as an auto? For me, hell no! manual all the way.:party0030:

I test drove the auto yesterday. I put a deposit on an incoming manual but I do have to say that that auto is very good. The paddle shifting is fast. Probably one of the best around that is not one of them twin clutch deals. I enjoyed driving it.

After owning various manuals - I went with auto on this car. Here's why:

- I have a bad knee. Lots of family members had knee replacements - and I'll be there someday soon

- this auto is great. It is very fast - transmission is derived from ISF - which is break your neck quick! Shifts are precise, you can gear hold, and the fuel Econ is great.

- I live in LA where traffic sucks. I'd be hating the car and my knee by the time I got to the canyon roads or whatever I was trying to get to...

Guess everyone has their opinion - but in my case - the auto (hate calling it auto - the paddle shifted manual?) will actually help me enjoy the car more.

I considered going with an auto since this one is so good, but put a deposit down on a manual.
:D

If I had to deal with traffic on the regular I would consider the auto...but I am lucky with my work commute, the traffic is light, and the lights are a minimum...I love it.

The AT is versatile the MT is manual labor, but it's a personal choice.

Auto. D.C. traffic is vile, and all of my daily commute is on non-highway roads with stoplights and stopsigns every half-mile and a 45mph speed limit at the max. MT would just be torture.

I'm happy with having the manual mode when I have the room to explore and enjoy it.

manual FTW!

In the 16 years I have been driving I have never owned an automatic, nor do I plan to. I hate automatic transmissions. I have zero understanding as to why anyone would buy a car with one, especially a sports car. Even the 'best' automatics will change gears when you don't want them to, causing you to have to drive the transmission first and the car second.

I ask this question because after my evo, I sold it for an Audi to be more "professional". So i switched from manual to auto, i regretted that decision probably a week after the changed to auto. So never again will i stray from my manual mistress.

This is embarrassing to admit, but I've never had to drive a manual. I've been given a few lessons by friends and family (and could probably drive one if I needed to for emergency reasons), but ultimately every car I've owned has been an auto. Freeway driving out here is awful with plentiful traffic. That being said, this is the first car I'd ever consider in a manual. But I also have to factor in my wife, who does not know how to drive manual either. So when time to buy, it will likely be an automatic.

Im going into the Toyota dealer here in Fresno tomorrow to order my 86. Manual is the only option for me. Ever. How long do you think the average wait time for a manual from order to delivery is? How long did you guys have to wait? Thanks!

I'm the same, I never driven a manual. I actually only just learned last summer because I'm tired of my auto always being in the wrong gears (doesn't help my car is a POS to begin with). However I plan on getting a manual FRS :thumbup:

It's a bit embarassing because most of my friends and family members either drive manual or know how to drive manual. My current job doesn't require me to drive on the freeway, and as such I don't really have a commute, so perhaps if I can get some better practice on a manual, and my wife as well, I could get a manual.

A lot of manual owners probably have nice traffic to deal with. But it's hard to tell because they never say. Shifting 75 times to go eight blocks to Office Depot=not fun. I come from a 05 Mustang GT MT that I had in LA traffic for five years. There's nothing like an open freeway or road to make a MT sing. But when you race onto the freeway and come to a complete stop and then take one hour to go seven miles, well that kind of just takes the fun out of a manual. So I went with the auto.

That's why things come in different flavors, and why arguing transmissions is like arguing Religion, you aren't going to convince zealots on either side to change.

That said, in defense of the 6AT in the 86, in manual mode it will NOT change gears on you except in an extreme under-rev (stall the engine) situation. On the top end, the only thing it won't let you switch it into an over-rev the engine, but you can hold it in gear bouncing off the limiter all day.

I see nothing embarrassing about it. It's just a fact, and the opportunity hasn't presented itself, no big deal.

If you want to learn, its not hard to do. I could probably teach you how to drive comfortably in less than 30 minutes (I taught my wife in less time than that), someone who is a qualified instructor could probably do it faster. You won't be <name your favorite racer here> but you wouldn't embarrass yourself too much either.

I'm in a similar situation. I'm hardly ever one the highway but on a lot of backraods. I'm trying to keep up with my bf (lady here) who love manuals and swears by them and hes coming from a RX-7 (and I totally expect him to try and hog the FRS). I don't mind the stop and go traffic or even the traffic lights. I want to interact with my car more rather then just sit back. I find more fun in that. Which is more of a reason I'm going for the manual. I have a lot to learn of course, but I look forward to taking that journey with my FRS once I get a hold of one :)

As long as you're patient and have a good teacher, it doesn't take long to learn, and once you've got it, you've learned it for life.

I agree with all of you on the stop and go traffic. It is a pain especially if the car will be your DD + stage 2 clutch lightened fly wheel. Has anyone converted to auto and loved it without regret? I don't think i can ever love an auto car as I would a manual car.

Yes!! Without regret. Seriously, try leaving work in Los Angeles at 4pm and getting home at 7PM (after driving some relatives around, etc.). Yea, nothing like three hours of stop-start traffic to start your weekend off.

Seriously, most automatics stink. But THIS automatic does not. It adds a lot of versatility to the car. Shifts are lightning quick. If you put it in Sport mode and leave it in D the auto really shifts like you're racing, instant throttle response, etc. And of course you can always put it in manual mode and use the paddle shifters.

Overall, whether or not you get the auto should be based on the traffic you're in and how you intend to use the car. There's no right or wrong answer. It's just that the auto let's you go nuts when you want to. And when you want to be mellow you can put it in Camry mode and just zone out.

This is exactly why i traded in my evo for an audi. I used to work in santa monica, but lived in long beach. So driving my stage 2 evo down the 405 at 5 was not pleasant.

but i never loved my audi, that's why im getting rid of it for the FR-S.

I'm planning to get 86 next year and it must be MANual.

It's all personal preference. I'm a manual guy, I test drove an auto FR-S and yes it is a good auto but to me it just doesn't feel right.

I find it funny people complain about stop and go traffic with a manual. Try offroading with a manual (my current DD, soon to be 2nd vehicle):
http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...0324-00518.jpg

Chevrolet contest promoting Manuals
 

In related news...

Interesting article about Chevy's contest that will teach a novice how to drive a stick. It's in promotion of the Sonic which has a 20% hit rate on manual transmissions.

Nice. I'v got a 6 speed in my Jeep and it definitely helps to make offroading more fun by increasing the challenge/technical aspect of it. I haven't been able to enjoy myself like that in a couple years though :(.

I'll probably pick up an older tacoma/cherokee for snow driving and wheeling.

If you look at an '04 or older tacoma make sure to check the frame for rust. ;)

I test drove the AT. Even with the paddle set up I found the transmission taking over more than I would like. I understand everyone's beef with a MT in traffic, but I just do what the truckers do. First gear and coast along. It becomes a game of keeping a sensible gap so your space isn't abused vs. not throwing the clutch in. :)

I ordered a MT. For me it's the difference between driving and being driven. I think when I get older I will eventually love an AT for ease of use and now gas mileage.

I've got to say, when I drove the automatic FR-S I wasn't constantly reminded that I was driving an automatic like I am with some cars. It was quite pleasant, it didn't try second guessing what I wanted, and it was quick to respond to my inputs - it was easily the best automatic I've ever driven. That said, the manual is so amazing that I simply can't pass it up, but you really can't go wrong with either choice.

Drove both. Purchased the manual. Easy decision for me.

I learned to drive a stick when I was 16 for about an hour or two. Got it to 2nd gear and could start it on a hill and then my lesson with my pop ended. At almost 30 years old, I'm not going to re-learn how to drive a stick on a new car, regardless of it's sporty nature... I also just didn't want a manual. My car, my money, my decision. LOL - to eat their own happiness.

Since I've only ever owned automatic cars, I bought an automatic and love it. Shifts quick enough for me to get across the 4 lanes of traffic I have to squeeze through to get into the carpool lane in the mornings. No funky hesitation or nothing, and I don't use the paddle shifters--it's just a very responsive car. Perhaps that's just because I don't drive as aggressively or skillfully as some of the folks on here... but my FR-S is my daily driver (and my first new car), so I'm not taking any unnecessary risks in it.

I'm sure a manual will be more fun for most folks, especially since this really is a driver's car. But you should test drive them both if you're able--maybe at an upcoming meet or something... it's not exactly a cheap car, so you should be sure before you buy. :)

Is it uncommon to do offroading in a manual? I think a good chunk of the group my dad drove with did. His was an MT with an additional low gear box he had put in, and his own at-home spring lift since there wasn't any aftermarket stuff for his 1998 Isuzu Amigo (pictured below--sorry if it's too big, dunno how to resize). He also did a bunch of his own welding stuff to add to it--or he tack welded and have professionally finished at a shop.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/...12353634_n.jpg

It's not uncommon but it is definitely easier with an auto. Some guys install throttle controls that they can use with their thumb if necessary so that can work off holding the brake down hard while easing it into gear on a precarious slope/angle.

During your test drive how did the AT take over? Or did you only drive it in D mode? When it is in M mode the only things it does is downshift automatically, it won't upshift to second (for example) if you're only going 1 mile per hour, and it won't let you go from 5th to 1st at 60MPH (or any occasion where a downshift would red line the engine--all of which seem sensible to me.) Is that what you are referring to?

How can the Most Interesting Man in the World be wrong? ;)

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instanc...x/22398641.jpg

Can't call it that. It's a traditional torque-converted automatic, nothing manual about it.

I would say it depends on the level. The group I mostly wheel with are using their daily drivers, I think that level is predominantly to be auto.. But the more hardcore people who trailer their rigs and have a low gear crawler box like you mentioned are mostly manuals I think. Or at least more likely to have manuals.

Manual. No way in hell I was going back to an auto.

Also. Manual has shorter gears aka that 150 lbs feels torquier. Bought it because race car. Not grocery car.

It was his daily driver, but he was retired, lol, so not quite the same. He towed it behind our RV and just disconnected the hub during tow so as not to grow his mileage when the car wasn't actually running.

Can you not add low gear boxes to automatics? (I don't really know how this stuff works)

...have you always driven manual on the cars you've owned?