why no manual transmission?

#11

"Esmail Bonakdarian" <ebonak-a (AT) t-hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

Hi Mike

Mike Hunter wrote:
Only around 5% of the new cars sold in the US have manual trannys.

Wow .. that low? I wouldn't have guessed.

That makes the costs of certifying the vehicles for CAFE and the NHTSA,
comparably high for the manufactures. Manual are therefore centered in
the cars sold at the bottom of the market where people who can not afford
automatics are centered.

Hmmm .. I would have said "enthusiasts" instead of people looking
for cheaper cars.

I have been told (by fans of automatic transmissions) that they
are almost as efficient as a good driver with a manual transmission.
Is that the case?

Should I just give up looking for manual transmission and surrender
to automatics? I just like having control over when the car shifts.

Esmail

If they make it, it's out there - make sure it's available equipment in the
brochure. Try calling around to different dealerships or if they're
willing, have them do a locate for you.

-Dave

#12

"Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote

Quote:

"Mike Hunter" <mikehunt2 (AT) mailcity (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:Wh-dnVEc0_XHvpbYUSdV9g (AT) ptd (DOT) net...
Only around 5% of the new cars sold in the US have manual trannys. That
makes the costs of certifying the vehicles for CAFE and the NHTSA,
comparably high for the manufactures. Manual are therefore centered in
the cars sold at the bottom of the market where people who can not afford
automatics are centered.

mike

I see Corvettes, Mustang GT's, Ferraris and Porsche turbos with automatic
transmissions. IMO, kind of like ketchup on a filet mignon.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

I've gotta remember that - excellent analogy!

-Dave

#13

nospampls2002 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com wrote:

Quote:

Esmail Bonakdarian wrote:
Should I just give up looking for manual transmission and surrender
to automatics? I just like having control over when the car shifts.
============================
With an manual you control gear shifts with the clutch.
With an automatic you control gear shifts with the throttle.

What a load of crap.

#14

Esmail Bonakdarian wrote:

Quote:

Hi Mike

Mike Hunter wrote:
Only around 5% of the new cars sold in the US have manual trannys.

Wow .. that low? I wouldn't have guessed.

That
makes the costs of certifying the vehicles for CAFE and the NHTSA,
comparably high for the manufactures. Manual are therefore centered in the
cars sold at the bottom of the market where people who can not afford
automatics are centered.

Hmmm .. I would have said "enthusiasts" instead of people looking
for cheaper cars.

So would I. The troll "Mike Hunt" is wrong, as usual.

Quote:

I have been told (by fans of automatic transmissions) that they
are almost as efficient as a good driver with a manual transmission.
Is that the case?

I don't doubt that's the case.

Quote:

Should I just give up looking for manual transmission and surrender
to automatics? I just like having control over when the car shifts.

That's the real point of a manual. You have more control, and it's
more fun. As a bonus, they are somewhat more efficient.

#15

<timbirr (AT) mailcity (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

Esmail Bonakdarian wrote:
Hello,

I keep noticing that quite a few cars these days don't
come with manual transmission any longer.

For instance the RAV4 ... does anyone know why this
is the case? Aren't there enough people who like to
drive manuals?

Just curious.

Esmail

A well-researched story in the Atlanta Constitution Journal a couple of
months ago agrees with your theory. Not enough people want manuals.
http://www.ajc.com June 10, 2006
SECTION: AJCCARS; Pg. 1N.

When I bought my car in 03, I had to loudly insist that I would not
accept an automatic. It was still difficult to get them to believe me.

For US cars it's even worse. The last manual we had was a 95 S-10. Sloppy
ratios and the automatic actually got better mileage and performance out of
the 4-cylinder. The last one before that was the 3 speed in my dad's Chevy
II. Dad hated it, but the only other option at that point was the 2-speed
Powerslide, which was worse. . . . . We liked the 72 Carina, and we had
Dad's 77 4-speed TE31 until shortly before he died.

Charles of Schaumburg

#16

"dizzy" <dizzy (AT) nospam (DOT) invalid> wrote

Quote:

nospampls2002 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com wrote:

Esmail Bonakdarian wrote:
Should I just give up looking for manual transmission and surrender
to automatics? I just like having control over when the car shifts.
============================
With an manual you control gear shifts with the clutch.
With an automatic you control gear shifts with the throttle.

What a load of crap.

I control the shift on my 3-OD on the AE102. When you get to 15, if you let
up just a bit, she'll drop right into second. Then at 30, she'll go into
3d. At 45, once she warms up, she'll drop into overdrive. But if you need
to punch it hard, she'll drop down to the next lower gear. You learn to
feel the engine/gear works by the seat of your pants, as it were.

Unless, of course, you have a load of crap in them. I have a suspicion that
would get in the way.

Charles of Schaumburg.

#17

"Esmail Bonakdarian" <ebonakDUH (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

Hello,

I keep noticing that quite a few cars these days don't
come with manual transmission any longer.

For instance the RAV4 ... does anyone know why this
is the case? Aren't there enough people who like to
drive manuals?

Just curious.

Yeah, I was curious about this several years ago, too. In '98, I finally
gave in & ordered an automatic when after ~2 months, my dealership *still*
couldn't locate the exact car I wanted, in a 5-speed stickshift. The
correct (desired) permutations in automatics kept popping up, but no
manuals. I finally got tired of waiting, & gave in to an automatic. I had
always driven manuals (since the mid-60's), & was reluctant to give it up.
But guess what? When I bought my '04 car, I didn't even bother looking for
a manual, just ordered an automatic. ;-)

Cathy

Quote:

Esmail

#18

"Esmail Bonakdarian" <ebonak-a (AT) t-hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

Hi Mike

Mike Hunter wrote:
Only around 5% of the new cars sold in the US have manual trannys.

Wow .. that low? I wouldn't have guessed.

That makes the costs of certifying the vehicles for CAFE and the NHTSA,
comparably high for the manufactures. Manual are therefore centered in
the cars sold at the bottom of the market where people who can not afford
automatics are centered.

Hmmm .. I would have said "enthusiasts" instead of people looking
for cheaper cars.

I agree. There's a feeling of control over a manual - when to shift - Vs.
the car deciding for you; and some people simply find it more fun to do the
shifting - they're more engaged in the driving process. Plus, the cost
between a manual & an automatic (last I checked into it, which granted, was
several years ago) was only $300 - 400 bucks. A semi drop in the bucket
when pitted against the cost of the car in general.

Quote:

I have been told (by fans of automatic transmissions) that they
are almost as efficient as a good driver with a manual transmission.
Is that the case?

I've read the same thing. OTOH, if I could, I would (manually) shift up
into 5th before my automatic usually does it. Waits several seconds too
long, IMO.

Quote:

Should I just give up looking for manual transmission and surrender
to automatics? I just like having control over when the car shifts.

You can look & might get lucky, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you!

Cathy

Quote:

Esmail

#19

The Tacoma PreRunner trucks do not have a manual trans option, except the
4X4 models, but the straight Tacoma trucks do have it. I can't explain why
the PreRunner package would not have a manual trans, especially when the
base truck has it, but my guess is that there are smog or CAFE rules that
demand it.

"Esmail Bonakdarian" <ebonakDUH (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

Hello,

I keep noticing that quite a few cars these days don't
come with manual transmission any longer.

For instance the RAV4 ... does anyone know why this
is the case? Aren't there enough people who like to
drive manuals?

Just curious.

Esmail

#20

"Hachiroku" <Trueno (AT) ae86 (DOT) gts> wrote

Quote:

On Sat, 16 Sep 2006 22:37:31 -0400, Cathy F. wrote:

"Esmail Bonakdarian" <ebonakDUH (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:_9FOg.64$GO2.53 (AT) trnddc01 (DOT) ..
Hello,

I keep noticing that quite a few cars these days don't
come with manual transmission any longer.

For instance the RAV4 ... does anyone know why this
is the case? Aren't there enough people who like to
drive manuals?

Just curious.

Yeah, I was curious about this several years ago, too. In '98, I finally
gave in & ordered an automatic when after ~2 months, my dealership
*still*
couldn't locate the exact car I wanted, in a 5-speed stickshift. The
correct (desired) permutations in automatics kept popping up, but no
manuals. I finally got tired of waiting, & gave in to an automatic. I
had
always driven manuals (since the mid-60's), & was reluctant to give it
up.
But guess what? When I bought my '04 car, I didn't even bother looking
for
a manual, just ordered an automatic. ;-)

Cathy

Shame on you!

I lucked out...I was looking for a low-mileage used Scion, with 17"
wheels, the full 'Panoramic' sunroof, Bridgestone Potenza tires, a 5
speed tranny and a rear lip spoiler

THere was a guy who posted here last year saying he had tCs for sale (they
were hard to get) I never hooked up with him...I was 3 miles from the
dealer but we were on our way to a gig.

So, one nice Sunday a few weeks ago I popped the roof off the Supra and
took a ride. I went to the WRONG place; the same dealer, but his 'used
car' outlet. Right as soon as you drove in, there it was...everything but
the spoiler! (Had some 'groovy' graphic down the side, too...) I had
settled my mind on Silver, the red is HORRIBLE, the blue TOO flashy (but
nice), and it was all there! At a decent price, to boot, with 11,225 miles
on it.

I don't miss the lip spoiler at all!

I don't miss the manual transmission, after all. And my left foot hasn't
accidentally slammed into the car's floor when coming to a stop for years
now. ;-) The only time I semi miss the manual is when - as I mentioned in
some other post - I'm on a highway & I want to shift up from 4th into
OD/5th, but the automatic doesn't think it's quite ready yet. And if I ever
manage to own a Prius, it'll all be a moot point anyway. :-)

Cathy

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why no manual transmission?

Toyota Discussions related to Toyota cars and trucks (alt.autos.toyota)

Re: why no manual transmission? - 09-16-2006 , 02:24 PM

Re: why no manual transmission? - 09-16-2006 , 02:25 PM

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Re: why no manual transmission? - 09-16-2006 , 05:29 PM

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Re: why no manual transmission? - 09-16-2006 , 05:36 PM

Re: why no manual transmission? - 09-16-2006 , 09:37 PM

Re: why no manual transmission? - 09-16-2006 , 09:45 PM

Re: why no manual transmission? - 09-17-2006 , 04:33 PM

Re: why no manual transmission? - 09-17-2006 , 08:08 PM