Which Transmission Do You Have?

I'm surprized manuals are doing so well. I'm pretty sure Toyota makes WAY more auto's then manuals. We acually had trouble finding our 5 speed. I think the dealer had two or three to choose from.

Have a 5 speed manual. Previous '99 Corolla was also a 5 spd.

We have an automatic, alot of big city driving with stop and go traffic. Much nicer to not have to constantly ride the clutch.

Yeah us who like automatics are just plain doofuses.

Perhaps, Jeff...but us "doofuses" are now in a significant -- and growing -- majority! While I can understand the preference for manual transmissions, they are simply impractical for people whose driving is primarily city stop-and-stop again, like mine is. Considering the fact that modern automatic transmissions don't impose a meaningful compromise on either performance or economy, there is really no practical reason to choose a manual transmission for a car like a Corolla. Granted, manual shifting may seem to be more "fun" but that "fun" disappears totally when you're in a miles-long tailback on an alleged "expressway" during rush hour, and your progress is measured in tens of yards for long stretches of time. Moreover, even here in "Lower, Slower" Delaware, true rural areas are all but disappearing due to out-of-control development, and even the formerly fun-to-drive country roads are now all but gridlocked for hours each day. I just don't want to spend over half of my commute rowing between first and second gear, when I can have a machine do that chore for me much more efficiently, and with less wear-and-tear on my aging left knee joint.

Another important consideration is that automatic transmissions equal maximum resale value in cars like Corollas. Remember -- a Corolla is NOT a sports car, no matter how hard the Kiddie-Racers try to hammer their square-peg Corollas into that round hole.

Manual, cause I'm cheap and it was $1000 less than the auto

Actually, my drving style suits a stick tranny. Someone once told me with the way I drive, I would kill an auto tranny!

Also I rather be in control of the tranny, than the tranny having a mind of it's own, especially in winter.

13000 kms, still figuring clutch out and spinning front tires on ice and snow

...Considering the fact that modern automatic transmissions don't impose a meaningful compromise on either performance or economy, there is really no practical reason to choose a manual transmission for a car like a Corolla....

That depends on your definition of "meaningful". A torque converter constantly slips in an automatic transmission, giving up a little power and fuel economy compared to a manual. The new Corolla automatics are rated at 30mpg city/38mpg highway, while manuals are rated at 32/41. If you look at the figures shown on www.fueleconomy.gov the manual tranny averages annual fuel savings of $82 over an automatic. At that rate, you consume almost $550 more fuel over 100,000 miles.

 

And although you get some of your money back on the automatic tranny when you resell it, it's only a fraction of the $800 you paid for it. For example, per Kelly Blue Book, the added value at trade-in of a '95 Corolla with 90,000 miles with an automatic is $225.00.

I've driven mostly manual tranny cars most of my life, and I've never worn out a clutch. My Corolla has 276,000 miles. I bought it with 121,000 miles so I don't know if the clutch is original. I previously owned an '88 Accord that I bought new, and sold with the original clutch with 157,000 miles. The reliability, and cost to maintain an automatic over its life is worse as well. If you keep your car as long as I do, it makes sense to buy a manual.

13000 kms, sill figuring clutch out and spinning front tires on ice and snow

Just let them spin a little. If it gets so bad that you loose control, shift to 2nd gear early (or start in 2nd gear).

 

Oh and just how do you drive to kill an auto tranny?

That depends on your definition of "meaningful". A torque converter constantly slips in an automatic transmission, giving up a little power and fuel economy compared to a manual. The new Corolla automatics are rated at 30mpg city/38mpg highway, while manuals are rated at 32/41. If you look at the figures shown on www.fueleconomy.gov the manual tranny averages annual fuel savings of $82 over an automatic. At that rate, you consume almost $550 more fuel over 100,000 miles.

And although you get some of your money back on the automatic tranny when you resell it, it's only a fraction of the $800 you paid for it. For example, per Kelly Blue Book, the added value at trade-in of a '95 Corolla with 90,000 miles with an automatic is $225.00.

I've driven mostly manual tranny cars most of my life, and I've never worn out a clutch. My Corolla has 276,000 miles. I bought it with 121,000 miles so I don't know if the clutch is original. I previously owned an '88 Accord that I bought new, and sold with the original clutch with 157,000 miles. The reliability, and cost to maintain an automatic over its life is worse as well. If you keep your car as long as I do, it makes sense to buy a manual.

Actually, the torque converter isn't "constantly" slipping at all. If fact, it slips only for a small portion of each acceleration/deceleration cycle; it is locked up for the majority of the time. True, at lower speeds, you are in "slippage" mode for a longer time, but with an automatic, you're usually in a higher overall gear ratio while the slippage is occurring. I'm not saying that automatics are _AS_ efficient as manuals, but they are not what I'd call "inefficient" whatsoever. And, in my own Corolla experience -- 2 years and 21,000 miles manual, 3 years and 35,000 miles automatic, I've not noticed an appreciable difference in fuel economy, city or highway, in the kind of driving I do. My guess is that most people wouldn't.

Now, addressing the "control" issue. In 3 years of driving my Corolla LE automatic in way more sorts of conditions than I did the 5-speed, I've NEVER encountered any sitiation where the 5-speed performed better from a standpoint of traction or control, either accelerating or decelerating. About the only possible advantage I can attribute to a manual transmission is that upon coming to a final stop, say from 10 to zero MPH, the act of depressing the clutch pedal and disconnecting the drive line does tend to allow the car to stop in a more positive manner than with an automatic, where the driveline is constantly "loaded" through the torque converter. However, this effect can be replicated by simply shifting to neutral at the aforementioned 10 mph, which I often will do when I find a need to reduce my braking distance, such as when caught by a red light. I''m also aware that with a stick shift, one can use second-gear starts on icy surfaces and get going with a bit more sure-footedness; but with my excellent all-season tires (Goodyear ****urance TripleTred) I've not needed to do this, and in fact, have never done it in hundreds of thousands of miles driving other manual-transmission vehicles.

If your driving is primarily highway, then the choice of transmission becomes somewhat more favorably weighted toward the manual. However, if you do ANY driving in high-traffic situations, I feel the reduction of driver effort afforded by the automatic is an overwhelmingly decisive factor. If you actually LIKE mindlessly rowing through gears, then by all means, knock yourselves right out. However, I don't call that "fun" driving -- at least not in an econo-box grocery-getter and commuter car such as a Corolla. Now, put me in a REAL performance car, on the Autobahn or a racetrack where I can drive it like it's supposed to be driven, then I want the manual gearbox to get the full effect. However, on public roads, I have no Walter Mitty-ish procliviites, and I find the automatic quite an advantage.

One more thing about resale values. Whenever I see a car with a manual transmission, I just naturally assume that it's been flogged mercilessly by a driver with something to prove to himself. Therefore, I immediately place that car in the poorest condition category. I'm willing to give a car with an automatic a bit more benefit of the doubt.

When I see a auto for sale, I naturaly assume it was driven to the mall by a blond bimbo with the ebrake left one, the oil changed once every 2.5 years.

A whole clutch kit is acually pretty cheap and if a clutch is slipping or worn, you can usually save a LOT of money when buying a car. I have a friend who got a TT stealth for 8K cause the owner didn't want to deal with a clutch job. Changing it kinda sucked on that car (cause the engine bay was cram packed and the tranny weighed a ton and it was AWD), but for a FWD car, it's usually pretty easy. Pretty much unbolt the starter, remove the shifter cables, speedo cable, tranny mount, and maybe some stuff in the way, and then unbolt the trans. No big deal.

Just let them spin a little. If it gets so bad that you loose control, shift to 2nd gear early (or start in 2nd gear).