Atlas 987

I have the PDK and it’s a fantastic transmission but I really miss rowing my own gears. I don’t track my car and am not looking for the fastest time along my drives. I miss the connection to the car and rev matching my own gears. A manual transmission makes me focus on driving. I find I can be distracted or become complacent with an automatic.

Kancamagus

I miss turning onto a road (safely) and slipping the rear end to a perfect 90 degrees... Can be done with a PDK, but not with the more easily controlled modulation of a third pedal.

CaymanCarver

Drive the PDK with the control stick in manual mode.. the only thing missing is the clutch pedal.

okie981

I drove manual cars for most of the first 20 driving years of my life (age 16 to ~35), and a few cars since then that I've owned have been manuals. I find nothing enjoyable about rowing a car with my right arm around town or anywhere else for that matter. This topic is obviously a matter of personal preference, manual or PDK, neither one is better or worse than the other, it is what each person enjoys or wants in their car, that's what matters, and it is awesome that Porsche still offers both in most of their sports cars.

deilenberger

I was using PDK as a generic term for DCT..

Atlas 987

Good article in the new issue of Car & Driver about manual tranny’s.

flyjets

Manual transmission is a fond memory but if you drive it again in traffic you say forget this.
If you drive it on track you would think it's great till you realize the guy in the PDK is over 2 seconds faster.

I wouldn't look back the future is the PDK and nothing beats it in my opinion.

Ian

Kuro Neko

This is what I do.
Not quite - for me - the same as clutch-pedal-less, but agree otherwise as I only drive in manual mode!
We have two clutches, not one, and not a torque converter, with essentially manual gear sets - just they are selected by the machine even if they are engaged by a person.

Yah... except some never see the track.
Though, I do enjoy launching.
Porsche clutches are OK in traffic, even the notoriously hard 1975 911S (with that stupid 90 degree lever) was OK.
Well... at least for an hour or so...

Paiceyfan

Yes, the PDK is a fantastic transmission and I value it for performance and stop-and-go traffic, but I really, really miss a manual. So, yes, I would take a manual version of my car in a swap in a heartbeat. Plus can you give one with no interior door panel issues...thank you.

DBWhite

Nope

Turbo Jonny

Clearly the best answer is to have one of each and if budget was an issue i would still be happy with a 986 manual.
Compared to a 911 you can have your cake and eat it for the same price.

Bxstr

I switched from a 997.2 C2S PDK to a 997.1 GT3 6 speed. If you're driving your car in traffic, for best performance, or on track, then PDK. If you are taking your car out for leisurely drives, then I choose the manual. I will never want a manual daily driver, too much effort in traffic for me.

thirdageknight

I dont daily drive my car and I don't regret getting the pdk. I use to drive manuals and the only reason I did so was because many cars in my budget at the time had horrible automatic transmission and I like having the option of controlling what gear I wanted to drive in. The PDK fit my needs as it is a really good dual clutch transmission with a manual mode that lets me control the gear I wanted to drive in and is not sluggish. Plus its an automatic so if I need to drive it around town or come upon a slow cars on the back roads, I can just put it in auto mode and not have to worry about managing the gears and clutch. In my opinion the pdk is just as fun as the manuel.
.
The option I would have regretted not getting would be the x73 sport suspension. Before I would not look into getting the sport suspension because I was worried that the low ride height would make traversing some roads a little challenge. After test driving a car equipped with the sport suspension, I just fell in love with it. The normal suspension just felt like a boat to me, the sport suspension however, feels a lot more planted and helps my feel more confident when it comes to cornering. I guess you can always lower the suspension, but I feel that if its a factory option it will be worth a little more when it comes to resale and I generally don't like modding cars unless I am tracking.

I think the important takeaway here is when buying a car (or anything for that matter) is to make sure you buy one that has the options you want and only compromise on options you don't care to much about to avoid buyers remorse.

manifold danger

This thread is a clear example of evolution in the car world. Can anyone imagine actually even having this conversation on anything resembling an enthusiast forum 15+ years ago? Back then there was no question; if you enjoyed driving, you got a manual. Just the simple fact that people are deeply comparing the two should answer a lot of questions for people on the fence.

That said, you're asking for opinions and you shall have one more. TL;DR, if you're asking yourself this question, you should definitely get a manual.

I went through this already. I would have absolutely zero regrets about a PDK... as long as I had a manual to drive occasionally. I tried to abandon the manual for a DCT in an M4 as my only car. I LOVED that car. But I found out I couldn't live without a manual.

I now have an Audi S3 with a very good (but not PDK-great) dual clutch transmission, and my 6 speed Boxster. It's a great place to be, if I'm honest... but I'm also considering "consolidating" to a single car (99.999% to be a 911) and it will definitely be a manual.

FWIW I don't have a daily commute, but living in the DC metro area I regularly find myself in considerably terrible traffic. The type of soul-sucking traffic that would literally ruin my day when I got caught in it in any manual car I've had before (namely, BMW 335i and Subaru STI). Somehow, I don't mind it in the Boxster.

Well... these cars don't really do this kind of thing. I honestly have to remind myself it's RWD sometimes. Back to the M4 I had... that car was magnificent with initializing and controlling oversteer. I can't imagine it being any easier or more controllable with a 3rd pedal. But if that's what you're looking for, don't expect it in a 981. The cars are too balanced and just not intended for that type of driving.

But... the clutch pedal is essential to the overall experience. You literally are ignoring 1/4 of your available appendages. Nothing defines "lack of engagement" more than that... (we also won't talk about the fact that selecting the individual gear is pretty significant too).

But it's easy for you say that, because you've already confessed you have a great manual car to drive whenever you want to. Honestly, that's probably the compromise everyone should be seeking...

ifoney

I'm PDK all the way!

While I would be just as happy owning a manual car, I would not have enjoyed putting on over 16K miles in the last 1.5 years on my car ( I have two more cars)