Gentian21

I have had three manual 911's and have loved driving them. But I've driven the 992 with PDK and was smitten by the instant shifts and the immediate power in a fraction of a second in any gear. I also had fun paddle shifting it, and thought that the experience brought many of the same pleasures as the manual. However, I'm wondering if there people out there who have migrated from a manual to a PDK and now regret it. I have ordered a car with PDK, but am not yet locked, and I'm anxious about regretting my decision too late. I would appreciate all comments on this, but especially so from those who are recent converts to PDK and who have a verdict on it.

dasams

As wonderful as the pdk is, I would never buy it unless I had to suffer through a long, bumper to bumper commute everyday.

AlexCeres

the paddle shifting is good, but it doesn’t stay as fun as a MT. It’s well suited to long commutes or brutal downtown traffic. Or for raw track times. It’s much faster.
so, depends on what you want from the car. Also, rocking your first pdk for a couple years and then adjusting course / trading in is simple enough

craig66

I spent years in a manual Miata, Z4 and could not imagine anything else. I scoffed at those in automatics and wondered why on earth someone would buy an automatic sports car.
When I went shopping for my Boxster I was having issues with my knee and was forced into PDK, OMG was I blown away. Yes I never had a third pedal but by shifting into manual not only was I amazed at what I could do but loved that I did not have to distract myself with my hand off the wheel during interesting maneuvers.
Still felt that keeping it in automatic mode was lame. Then I went to PEC where I was not allowed to put it into manual mode but I was taught how by sharp breaking I could get the car to kick down 2 or 3 gears at a time and how I could get the car to respond to what I wanted by kicking down one gear or sometimes even 3 gears in a split second. What a car what a gear box

I drive 20% of the time relaxed in auto, 20% of the time spirited in Auto and 60% of the time spirited in manual. Irrespective of my mood the PDK is there for me

I now have a tame car that I do not have to deal with gears on the way home in the traffic but can be a beast with the paddles when I feel like it or a beast without the paddles when I don't.

My knee improved and now I am on to a 992 and I opted for the PDK even though I could have got the manual. I have also opted therefore for the C2 over the C2S once I decided I wanted the PDK

gohawks23

I've almost always had manuals for DD and for me it makes it a true driver's car. Auto too boring and paddle shifting doesn't do it for me. I miss my stick every time I get in my wife's X3, lol!

I think most people who go from manual to auto miss the clutch/feeling of control/really doing something.

PS, new stick sport cars are becoming more unicorn like...

Helios59

Hey neighbor! When’s your lock date? Ours just passed. We have a C2 Cab on order with PDK. I also love the manual and have it in the ‘86 cab you see in my avatar.
Just my opinion, but for me the 911 as it exists today is best suited to the PDK. If I had a 718, however, it would have a stick.

No PDK experience here, but our old M3 had an M-DCT that worked beautifully. This one’s up to you, though. Get what you truly want.

When’s your car due? We should see ours in early January and I hope the whole EPA/CARB holdup is done by then!

gcurnew

Have had 40+ sports cars with manual gearboxes, one previous Cayman with a PDK and now the 992 with PDK. In my view the PDK is perfectly suited to the 992. I get why folks like to row their own gears but IMO the manual gearboxes are better suited to GT cars and the Caymans and Boxsters.

Gentian21

Hellos59, I am expecting the car in March, but don't yet have a lock date. One other reason I'm leaning into the PDK is that the manual car is so powerful and torquey that you really don't do that much shifting. You wind up spending eighty percent of your driving time in third or fourth gear. It's not like a Miata or a Golf GTI that requires you to row up and down through the gears to get the desired response. Again, if I never owned manuals, the PDK would be a no-brainer, but I just have this lingering fear that after a couple of months, my left leg and right arm are going to miss doing what they used to do. I appreciate your input, and I'm glad you have a lock date.

gohawks23

If you are even thinking you are going to miss it you will miss it! :-)

And from personal experience in looking for them MT sports cars are highly desired on resale market.

Bxstr

If you enjoy driving manual, then get the manual. I got a PDK in my first 911 after previously having manual cars. The car felt very usable to me, but too much so since I'm using my car as a weekend only car. I eventually sold it for other reasons, but got a manual the next time.

If you're using your car as a daily driver or on track, then PDK. Otherwise, get the manual.

markchristenson

Well said! That's a great perspective that I've not before see written quite so concisely!

Bluehighways

I grew up in, what was then, a rather rural portion of Southeastern Pennsylvania. If I still lived there (which I don't), I'd probably have gotten the manual gearbox. But I don't live there and haven't for many, many years. I live in the L.A. area now. While I might prefer the Zen of a manual transmission, the reality of the traffic here, or in any major metropolitan area for that matter, makes the PDK a virtual necessity IMHO.

smiles11

I’d go MT for a weekend fun car, & even a daily regardless of stop/go traffic.

Or PDK if you plan to use for the occasional DE/track day use. YMMV

ipse dixit

I think @smiles11 got it right and @Bxstr has it a bit backwards.

With Porsche's modern 7MT being so easy to drive, I would only get the 7MT if I was to daily the car.

And with the telepathic nature and precision of the PDK, I would want to save that for the track.

Last thing I need to worry about while going fast around in circles is a money shift while trying to accelerate out of a turn.

Bxstr

Well I did say to get PDK for track use, which as you mentioned is due to wanting to avoid a money shift.

My take for not wanting a manual for everyday use is due to my personal commute. I have a 40 mins commute in Ohio. We're dealing with all seasons. That means there are days when you're crawling along in bumper to bumper traffic for 2 hours on a bad snowy day. That is a lot of clutch in and clutch out. I would rather be having some coffee or tea and relaxing listening to a podcast than having to deal with shifting or using a clutch. But again, I also know people that commute in CA with a manual and have no issues and would never want an automatic. They say it is very easy. I just don't prefer it.

Both have their advantages, but I think a manual is best reserved for a second car, which is how my manual car is. I never have to use my manual car, it is when I want to go out for a sporty drive that I use it.