If not my posts then at least read the following carefully:

If my kid bought a Ford Taurus because he thought it was cool I'd be happy for him. I'd think, "Okay, He's happy, that's all that I care about!"

If my buddy bought the same Ford Taurus I'd confront him and tell him he was effing nuts.

Duh! Which opinion about Ford Taurus do I "own?" Please tell me.

You think I'm going to tell guys here..., guys I DO NOT KNOW AND HAVE NEVER MET that the're fools for getting a manual or PDK?!



Again: You want my opinion on what ___I___ would and should and will do? Get the PDK.

 

No, I was just suggesting that prefacing inflammatory comments with the disclaimer "Just talking" or "Toying with the idea" doesn't actually make the post less inflammatory. That's all.

If you truly believed "Get whichever you want. No problem" the post would have ended there instead of continuing on for several paragraphs about how people who prefer the "gimmicky" manual transmission are inferior and those buyers don't understand what "Porsche is all about."

You are telling the guys here exactly that. It's sort of annoying.

 

A well written post and a temptingly simple analogy. But with all due respect, it's also a distortion. To compare an activity that requires no active participation to one that does and then to draw a similar correlation between driving a PDK and a stick is a totally unfair comparison. But then I suspect you knew that and were just trying to make your point.

I find it interesting that so much emotion is stirred up over what is essentially an input device. Shifting is not an end in itself, it's just one of the many techniques required to drive. If the actual act of shifting was that much fun we'd all have clutch pedals and gearshifts built into our easy chairs so we could shift while we watched TV, or video games that let us shift vicariously; "Transmissions of the World; The Need for Gears!" I'm being facetious, but only a little. Shifting is fun because it's one part of the process of driving and is associated with the sensations of movement and speed that our cars reward us with. PDK alters how that one piece of input is performed. In some ways it has simplified the process, but it has also expanded our capabilities and those of our vehicles and allows us to focus on and improve other aspects of our driving skill set.

I've been driving manual transmissions for over 40 years. For much of that time I didn't even own an automatic. The first year that the new Mercedes E class came out, in 1986, we ordered one; a rare 5 speed. We took factory delivery in Stuttgart and the Mercedes delivery rep was incredulous; "Why have you bought a manual; the automatic is so much superior". But I knew better, the manual got better mileage and was quicker. Until 1994 we never owned an automatic, even as a family car. My wife was "forced" to drive a stick and both my kids learned on them. Even after we started buying automatics for the family, my '09 C2S was the first time I ever had anything other than a manual in one of "my" cars.

My point is, I doubt anyone could be more committed to owning manuals than I have been. I doubt anyone has a better appreciation for what part shifting a manual transmission plays in the overall driving experience than I do. I recognize that each of our priorities is different and that while I have been able to redefine how shifting fits into my driving experience as a whole, maybe others can't. For them, (or even for me if I ever want to "go back home again", as stevepow put it) I hope companies like Porsche continue to give enthusiasts an option and that manuals never go away.

Just don't try to tell me that driving my Carrera S with PDK is like riding in a cable car down the hill while you manual drivers are skiing. I've been driving sticks for longer than some of you have been around at all, and I can tell you from my point of view, you've got that comparison totally wrong!

 

WTF? Where did I say "inferior?"

Read it carefully: it's a DILEMMA! Porsche is about faster and blah blah blah, PDK delivers this blah blah blah and yet guys seem to be choosing to go the opposite direction. CLASSIC DILEMMA! Everybody figure it out for themselves!

"If [ I ] truly believed... ."

Here's a tip: never claim to know people's motivations. You never know what they truly are unless they tell you.

My motivation: to discuss and keep the thread going. Keep it entertaining and interesting.

Here's what I truly believe: Guys should ultimately get what they want BUT because PDK is sooo frickin' cool they should review and weigh their assumptions about the manual tranny and "feeling connected" carefully.

There. That's all there is to it.

 

I'm curious... do you own a PDK now?

 

SOS

Everytime you guys get together. Give it a rest.

 

I 2nd that !!

 

Agree to disagree and move on. This thread has become useless!

 

Mike, you are of course on the money when you suggest that I don't believe this is a perfect analogy. No, PDK isn't a cable car ride next to MT's glide through the white room. But the connection between machine and man that I derive from the MT in my 911 reminds me very closely of the connection I experience with the forces of gravity and (benign) friction when snowboarding. And I know no greater pleasure. So to that extent the analogy worked for me, and in trying to put my point across less confrontationally than others and by employing the medium of metaphor I hoped to encourage a little reflection and less partisan thinking. I won't deny my bias or the limitations of the analogy.

Now please don't anyone start arguing about skiing vs snowboarding. Any winter sportsmen and women amongst you will know that's a much bigger fight!!

 

Exactly! Nugget summed up this debate on PAGE ONE PERFECTLY!

 

My Bimmer has SMG: full instant power lightning fast shifts anywhere and anytime. I test drove 997S with PDK for a short 20 minutes at busy dealership, but not on back roads; was totally sold on it in the first two minutes. It's much better than SMG. True hp/tq potential of car is delivered to road beautifully.

 

Summed it up for WHOM exactly?

 

thank you

 

For no one... and that's the point!

 

Betternotbigger, (may I call you Better?) , I've enjoyed your comments and the chance to respond and discuss something of interest to me without the confrontational aspect. Cheers!