Want opinions automatic vs. manual transmission

[kurokoma-kun]

Originally Posted by grampi

brick

Why are you so sarcastic to everyone? Is it just your nature?

"What I claim is to live to the full the contradiction of my time, which may well make sarcasm the condition of truth."
--Roland Barthes

[TLyttle]

I ran Morris Minors for 30 years or so, and (unlike others) I found them fun to drive, even in hohum commuter traffic. I never had to replace the clutch in any of them, unlike nearly every TR7 I ever ran across!

We bought the Yaris for the same reasons as the Minor: cheap to buy, cheap to run, cheap to fix, and reliable. The only thing I don't see on the Yaris that I had on the Minor is a crank hole in the bumper... Hopefully, I will never need it, either.

Right now we have an old Volvo auto wagon, and it does much of what we want, but (like me) it is getting old. As far as automatics go, this one (Borg Warner?) does the job better than any other I have driven. These days, everything is computer-operated, but I am not ready to have a chip tell me when to shift, thanks very much!

[mikeukrainetz]

Ive probably owned more manuals than autos - always prefered manuals and always will - (replaced way too many neglected autos for a pretty penny).

Admitedly this is the oddest manual Ive driven, the hardest to get used and the weakest. I much prefer the manual in the Yaris since I drove both but have had way too much experience in old tiny HB with autos trying desperately to get going or keep up with traffic in their later days.

Some of the older autos didnt have overdrive so you would max them out at like 100km/h and it would sound like your running in neutral with your foot to the floor... but anway.

Even with its quirks I prefer the manual.

That being said most of my driving is inner city, lots of stop and go and sometimes the manual is just a plain PITA.

[tekmoe]

all 3 cars i have owned (86 vw gti, 02 toyota corolla, 07 toyota yaris) have all been manual transmission.

i don't know how to drive an automatic.

[clayky]

Originally Posted by tekmoe

all 3 cars i have owned (86 vw gti, 02 toyota corolla, 07 toyota yaris) have all been manual transmission.

i don't know how to drive an automatic.

Me either! Unless the car has at least 250hp, I'd never consider an auto and probably not even then.

[15thJuneYarisNamedHaris]

I have been driving an auto (79 Volvo station wagon ) since I got my license 7 years ago. I did LEARN to drive in a manual. I ordered a manual yaris but I am a bit worried my driving will be ridiculous for the first few weeks!! Not to mention the very first day when I pick it up and have to drive it 60km from the central city to the countryside!!

(wish me luck!! )

[thomasward00]

I hate to sound negative, I love my yaris but it is not a performance car, nor will it ever be, putting engine mods on this car is a waste of money, thats why I chose an auto. For performance cars then I love manuals.

[churp]

To the original post.....you mention the person interested in the car was having a few problems shifting but still wanted high milage....I recomend the automatic for 2 reasons.

1) The gated shifter works so well that it would be nearly impossible to accidently go from drive into another gear....you can only go from drive to neutral or third without intentionaly trying to get it into another gear, plus with any automatic you put it in drive and go, right? (not very hard).

2) After breaking in, I am now getting 40 to 42 mpg consistantly (most of my driving is open highway which I drive 55-60mph, 55 limit), and driving a manual, without good shifting ability, I doubt he would do that well.

Good luck on your purchase. (I'm 56 in case that matters)

[churp]

Addition to above: I feel this auto works very well and power is not an issue (like it was a few years back) unless racing or doing a little hotdogging.

As far as reliability I've seen 2 posts on the manual....bad synchro, and a broken tranny mount....I haven't seen any posts on problems with the automatic yet (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

[Kioshi]

Welll if you are a quick learner and want to feel like your actually driving with the fact your right hand is doing something other than holding your cell phone, soda, etc......then go w/ manual. And if you want to feel some spunk to your car :)

My Yaris is my first manual pretty much....although I've had a 1 on 1 practice of a manual WRX STi....

The only thing is you have to kick the clutch pedal like theres no tomorrow. With the STI, i had to ease off the cluth semi slowly and i would have smooth ride upshifting..BUT w/ the Yaris i have to slowly let off the clutch. But Dont let off the clutch too slowly as it might damage the cluth plates or something..as told by my mechanic~

[churp]

Originally Posted by anik

I'm in a situation where I'm assisting another family member in buying a car - this is the first time they've bought a new car in many years (and I've always bought used) so we're not used to having options to pick from. We visited the local Toyota dealer the other day and were pretty sold on the Yaris liftback but the major reason we didn't place an order then and there was because we couldn't decide between automatic and manual transmission.

The primary driver of the car is 55 years old and most of his previous cars have had manual transmission. He lives approximately 50 miles from the dealership and absolutely hates taking a car in for service of any kind (other than oil changes at the local quick lube place), which is one reason we're looking at a Toyota in the first place. He also wants great gas mileage.

But at the same time, he's getting older, and his reflexes aren't what they used to be. We took both a manual and an automatic for a test drive. To me the automatic seemed a bit sluggish in changing gears (but remember I'm not used to automatics either) and it seemed like there were only three gears in getting up to 55 (maybe I missed a gear change). But, he had no trouble driving it at all. With the manual transmission, he did okay, but his current car is a four-speed manual. Maybe that is why a couple times he accidentally downshifted into 3rd when he was actually trying to go into 5th, and I could see that really bothered him. So I guess the bottom line is, he likes the convenience of not having to shift (though that's not a major issue at this point) but he also worries that an automatic will require more maintenance and/or have significantly lower gas mileage.

He is the type that will take a car in at recommended service intervals (at least in the first year or two) but other than that he sort of treats auto shops as though he might catch the bubonic plague by walking inside one (his biggest problem is that he hates to sit around and wait anywhere - he avoids doctors' visits for the same reason) - which might be fine IF he were mechanically inclined, but he isn't (one reason he's ready to trade in his current car is because he's having to add oil ONCE between 3,000 mile trips to the quick oil change place, and he doesn't like to get under the hood at all). So I'm thinking a Toyota is definitely the best choice for him, but wonder which transmission would be the best option. Believe it or not, that choice is the only reason an order hasn't been placed for the Yaris. He can't make up his mind, and I don't know enough about Toyota transmissions to make an informed suggestion.

As long as I'm posting this, I have two other things to ask. First, is there any significant reason that anyone knows of that we might want to wait for the 2008 models to come out? And second, is there anything we should specifically ask of the dealer - in other words, can the dealers offer any discounts, rebates, additions, etc. that you only get if you know enough to ask for them? We're in Michigan, if that makes any difference.

Hope no one minds me bumping the 1st post here!!

[njyaris]

manual tranny .. is the way to go when driving a 1.5 liter 4 banger! .. how else do you expect to pass cars when needed? .. i won't lie I almost bought the auto

[brickhardmeat]

Originally Posted by njyaris

manual tranny .. is the way to go when driving a 1.5 liter 4 banger! .. how else do you expect to pass cars when needed? .. i won't lie I almost bought the auto

I am not a race car driver and I have nothing to prove on the road but this car has no passing problems with the auto tranny, I applaud all of you manual drivers for your multi-tasking abilities however the auto is great, I hang in traffic just fine without the stick

[Shroomster]

so what has the original poster decided on?

[brickhardmeat]

honda

[joe keeney]

My a/t finds the right gears fast and easy. On test ride watch the cool light shifts easy after lights out. go for the a/t.

[KYYaris]

***1st post***

I love my new Yaris. Just bought a red 07 liftback w/power package and keyless. Let me tell you my story.

I have been following the Yaris since the early days of the Echo in the US. When the water pump on my 92 deville went out (only had 88000 miles), I went to Toyota of Louisville and test-drove the auto-liftback.

It sucked.

It was very slow, and it felt very sluggish off the line. I had never driven a manual and didn't want to learn (especially on a new car). So, I gave up.

I loved the Yaris so much, I learned to drive on my mother-in-law's saturn sc2. I got the hang of it (somewhat) and decided to try the manual on for size.

I went back to the dealer, and they had one manual. It was sitting in the back of their lot, facing away from the building, like a pouting step-child. Since my original visit, they had sold 11 new cars - 7 of them being Yari - all autos.

My manual-enthusiast buddy and I stepped into the 5spd liftback. I took off. It was a bit sketchy at first, but a funny thing happened on the test drive. I stalled it out while turning around ina neighborhood, and a blue mazda bb series pickup got behind me and started revving his engine. That pissed me off. I slowly put the car into 1st, and TOOK OFF. I spun tires for a moment and got up to about 20 mph and then chirped them in 2nd .

The manual was exponentially more noticeably powerful that the auto. That was enough for me to make my decision - I will never drive an automatic again.

[brickhardmeat]

Originally Posted by KYYaris

***1st post***

I love my new Yaris. Just bought a red 07 liftback w/power package and keyless. Let me tell you my story.

I have been following the Yaris since the early days of the Echo in the US. When the water pump on my 92 deville went out (only had 88000 miles), I went to Toyota of Louisville and test-drove the auto-liftback.

It sucked.

It was very slow, and it felt very sluggish off the line. I had never driven a manual and didn't want to learn (especially on a new car). So, I gave up.

I loved the Yaris so much, I learned to drive on my mother-in-law's saturn sc2. I got the hang of it (somewhat) and decided to try the manual on for size.

I went back to the dealer, and they had one manual. It was sitting in the back of their lot, facing away from the building, like a pouting step-child. Since my original visit, they had sold 11 new cars - 7 of them being Yari - all autos.

My manual-enthusiast buddy and I stepped into the 5spd liftback. I took off. It was a bit sketchy at first, but a funny thing happened on the test drive. I stalled it out while turning around ina neighborhood, and a blue mazda bb series pickup got behind me and started revving his engine. That pissed me off. I slowly put the car into 1st, and TOOK OFF. I spun tires for a moment and got up to about 20 mph and then chirped them in 2nd .

The manual was exponentially more noticeably powerful that the auto. That was enough for me to make my decision - I will never drive an automatic again.