The Future value of air cooled 911s?
05-30-2019, 10:44 AM
#46
Rennlist Member
This was a problem when I bought my first car 15 years ago. My parents had bought my first car and they had refused to buy me a manual at the time. I didn’t have access to a manual transmission and none were available for rental. Finally found a friend who had an old Golf that I could practice driving around the neighborhood for one day. The first time I ever drove in traffic was in an s2000 driving around the Atlanta perimeter. Talk about stressful.
I’d imagine it’s twice as hard to find someone with a manual for practice. It’s very intimidating to buy a car that you don’t really know how to drive.
I’d imagine it’s twice as hard to find someone with a manual for practice. It’s very intimidating to buy a car that you don’t really know how to drive.
05-30-2019, 10:57 AM
#47
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
05-30-2019, 10:37 PM
#48
Rennlist Member
...
05-30-2019, 11:03 PM
#49
The "hill-holding" feature on most newer manuals, even my '07 335i, would get more potential drivers to sample, maybe then buy these cars, if such was demonstrated or disseminated. Neither is done.
Most mainstream salespeople, new and used, don't know how to drive manuals, so game over before it starts.
Most mainstream salespeople, new and used, don't know how to drive manuals, so game over before it starts.
My M3 has the hill holding feature and rev matching. The car instantly matches rpm's on downshifts.... The good news is that functionality works in efficient and sport modes, but is not available in sport plus mode. I've been driving manuals since I was 15 years old. I prefer to do without all this new techno-wizardry.
05-31-2019, 01:14 AM
#50
SJW, a Carin' kinda guy
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
One downside of modern manuals is that many of them have an rpm below which the car just shuts off. I understand this is for emissions purposes, but it can make them very difficult to drive as you have no sensation of lugging the engine to cue you to increase throttle or push in the clutch, it just shuts off with no warning at say 700rpm. I believe my GT3 has this feature, but it has not bitten me yet as I got used to it with my VW TDI (which I stalled several times and everyone who I let drive it, including very experienced manual drivers, stalled as well). And I have driven ~90% of the miles I have driven in 25 years — close to 400k by my estimation — in a manual and it took me a month or so to get used to it. Everything else from a big rig, to non-synchro transmissions, to Porsche bottom hinged pedals, I never had an issue adapting immediately.
Anyway, given autos get better mpg than manuals now (CAFE’s importance to manufacturers can’t be overstated) and fewer and fewer people can drive manuals, they are likely to be limited to very few cars in the future. Jeep Wrangler, mustang, corvette, camaro, challenger, a few Toyota’s — V6 Tacoma (I got my 4 cylinder taco before they stopped making manuals and now they are trading above what they were new), 86, and corolla, porsche sports cars, BMW Z4 and VW jetta/golf seem to be the only ones with any substantial production, and I think all but the Porsche and maybe Jeep could go away in the near term. If you told people fifteen years ago you could not get a manual in a BMW 3 series, a Ferrari, or a full size pickup, it would have been hard to believe.
Anyway, given autos get better mpg than manuals now (CAFE’s importance to manufacturers can’t be overstated) and fewer and fewer people can drive manuals, they are likely to be limited to very few cars in the future. Jeep Wrangler, mustang, corvette, camaro, challenger, a few Toyota’s — V6 Tacoma (I got my 4 cylinder taco before they stopped making manuals and now they are trading above what they were new), 86, and corolla, porsche sports cars, BMW Z4 and VW jetta/golf seem to be the only ones with any substantial production, and I think all but the Porsche and maybe Jeep could go away in the near term. If you told people fifteen years ago you could not get a manual in a BMW 3 series, a Ferrari, or a full size pickup, it would have been hard to believe.
Last edited by evilfij; 05-31-2019 at 01:40 AM.