Manual vs automatic tranny

[Anonymous-0]

I am starting to think that at the young age of thirty years old that I am already part of a dying breed. I have been looking for a newer used pickup with a manual transmission. Seems like every time I see one that catches my eye it has an automatic transmission. Due to personal preference I will not buy another automatic transmission pickup. I have always prefered to drive vehicles that had manual transmissions. I have a Ranger now with an automatic in it and I hate it. I thought I would be able to get over it when I test drove it because I liked the rest of the truck very well. It has been in my collection for less than a year and it is already for sale. Usually when I get a truck I run them until no one else would want them due to the amount of miles. Am I the only one who has this "problem"? Is this a backlash from all of the city folks that drive pickups? Just thought it might be interesting to get input from you all.

 

[Ken Macfarlane]

I'm in a similar boat, not a lotta vehicles with standards in them these days. Some small vehicles the autos are getting better gas mileage than the std model too. Suzuki SX4 is one of these.

Been looking at Dodge CTD's and would dare get an old auto but that seems to be all thats out there.

 

[rustyfarmall]

When I bought my '01 dually I had to stand firm on my need for a manual transmission and the dealer finally found one. My truck is a Chevy. I heard just recently that GM no longer offers anything but the Allison automatic so I guess I'll keep what I have until it is ready for the scrap heap.

 

[CJ3b_jeep]

I agree, it's really hard to find a standard shift. I like to drive Toyota pickups from 1990-1994, 2wd, extended cab. I drive them for the fuel mileage and the durability. When I went looking for my current one, I found it at a used dealership in P.A. It was listed as a manual, but when I got there it was an automatic. The rest of the truck was so nice that I bought it, but I just hate the automatic. This truck, in brand new form at the dealership, is not availale with a manual unless you get the 6 cylinder.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Funny you should say that about the listing. I talked to a used car dealer a while back. I told him I was looking for a standard transmission. To him standard meant that I wanted what the default tranmission for the vehicle, which was an automatic. I am learning to tell them I want a manual transmission instead of telling them I want a standard.

 

[Brian Duffney]

I had to order my '03 F-250 with the 6 speed manual. Dealer could not find one in the entire state of Michigan. I have not had one regret getting the manual, besides I get 18-22mpg with the 6.0 diesel. 120,000 miles and not one issue with the engine.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

If I wasn't married I wouldn't have an automatic on the place, but you do have to keep peace in the family, or at least choose the fights you can win. Mike

 

[the tractor vet]

Keep looken they are out there and don't let someone tell ya that a slush box is better it is the fact that people are lazy don't want to mess with shiften gears plus the fact that the younger set don't know how . Heck look at the big rigs out there today they are going the slush box way as they can not find people that can drive a non syncro trans. and can't count past 10 , They get lost in 13 and 18 speed trans. Oh yea with a 10 speed they don't have to take there shoes off to count on there toes either. I have had to slush box pickups and both i have had to rebuild the transmission in even after beefen them up with extra clutchs bigger coolers they did not stand up that well and woooo be you if ya ever got in some place with a load and could not break her over the stall speed of the converter if it was not a 4x4 with a transfer case where ya could drop down into low range . Never had a problem breaking a load out with a gear trans.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I never would have anything an automatic tranny either but now I have three of them, an '85 1-ton chevy, a '99 S-10 4x4, and an 01 Dodge 1500, all bought in the last 4 years. The reason? I had my right knee replaced and I decided I wanted the left one to last as long as possible. I need it for the tractors.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Last couple of times I shopped, the used manual transmission truck were rare and at least one used car salesman said to not waste his time looking because he wouldn't have one on his lot. The one I did buy was two years old but the sales talk was that the owner traded every year. So it may have been on the lot for a year. With rubber floor mats, it sold for $4K less than most similar advertised XL trim models of the same age and only had 21K miles.

Gerald J.

 

[old]

Yep I like the manual tranny my self for a number of reasons. #1 you have more control with one when you need just a little brakeing. #2 they will hold up better to pulling trailors etc. ATs are ok for in town driveing but thats about it and for the farmer want to bes you see now days that have to have a truck to look cool
Hobby farm

 

[Anonymous-0]

The auto transmissions from 5, 10 and 20 years ago, I will agree, left a lot to be desired. But some of the newer heavier transmissions put in the new trucks these days are really the cats meow. The 6-speed Allison automatic behind the Chevy Duramax, the new Aisin 6-speed auto that Dodge puts in the new 2007 cab & chassis behind the new 6.7 Cummins comes with a 180,000 mile warranty on the transmission, Dodge is also putting a new 6-speed auto in teh pick-ups that is very simaler in design to the Allison, has the grade braking and manual shift mode that really works great. I think many people are just too set in their ways and affraid to try something new. If you have a auto that is as durable as a manual, can tow just as good or better, can be manually shift at the push of a button, why wouldn't you want it? I think some people just want to pretend like they are truckers or something. I know when I am pulling my 48' stepdeck behind my 1-ton dually with two crew cab dually trucks loaded on it not having to shift is one less thing I have to worry about and I can concentrate more on the other drivers around me and the road conditions instead of when and what gear I need to be in.

 

[the tractor vet]

Ah not set in my ways but after years of working on stuff i would rather install a new clutch and pressure plate then have to rebuild a slush box and gain the extra pony power that is loast thru the converter and gain the extra littel bit of fuel milage. I know when i want to change gears i do not need some hightech computer tellen me when to shift . I am a ferm beleiver in the K.I.S.S. approch KEEP IT SIMPLEM STUPID.

 

[Anonymous-0]

In many cases a manufacturers remanufactured auto transmission is cheap than a remaned manual transmission. At our dealership in the last few years we have actually been seeing more problems with the manual than the auto's. And in many cases the auto's are built so well they can put just as much power to the rear wheels as the manuals can, in some cases more.

I know, I know, I must be crazy. I own use and sell both type's, but what the heck do I know?

 

[oldnnew]

Simply put, automatics suck......

I notice that when i'm driving a manual, i'm paying more attention to driving and it's a heck of a lot more fun! Unfortuantely, my '01 F-150 that I purchased new wasn't even available with the manual trans. (not an option when you get a 5.4 engine). I wanted the bigger engine, so I had to get the auto. One of these days i'm going to swap it out for a manual. Automatics are B O R I N G!!!

 

[Anonymous-0]

I won't say you are crazy,but it appears you have never went off the road loaded with an auto and had the Converter stall out.About 2 times and NEW AUTO.needed.The Duramax-Allison is no better than any other.There are some people on their third and forth Allisons.These are in 3500-4500 trucks.By GM going to Autos.only,that was the best thing for Ford and Dodge sales.Read Tractor Vets reply below.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I, too, much prefer the manual over auto trannies. I have an 86 Chev k15 half-ton 4WD with 48,000 original miles on it (I bought it new). Just spent the time and effort to redo all of the body work cause I knew I couldn't find a newer truck to replace it that would even remotely come close and still have a manual tranny in it.

I've been living in snow country for most of my life and really enjoy it when the vehicle actually slows down when you lift up your gas-foot on a snowy road....

 

[KIP in MX]

I had the same problem when I bought my 1989 F-150 4X4. All that were available were either automatics or 5 speed Mazda aluminum case with no granny 1st gear. I had to special order it to get the Borg Warner T-18 4 speed.

 

[Anonymous-0]

man i hate a manual i have drove one of my dodge one ton manual flatbeds for the last to weeks since the wifes car is in the shop and i hate it if i got somebody that is workin for me ridin with me i feel like i might as well be touchin there nee in fifth gear and plus autos pull just as good as a stick in fact pullin my big horse trailer i would rather have an auto so i can pay more attention to what i am pullin

 

[buickanddeere]

Depends if you are choosing the transmission that proves you more of a "he man" and a “brilliant he man” at that. Or the transmission that means your are a "girly man". Now if you can get your ego/emotions and your d*ck out of the way of making a decision.
Both Auto & Manual transmission have their place. Defining their place is the problem. Nobody calls a bulldozer operator a weenie because his machine has a torque converter.
I like a five or six speed fully synchronized manual with overdrive as much as anybody.
As for being practical, resale value or the manufacture being able to meet emission & fuel economy targets. And to limit warranty claim costs. Automatics win hands down. The automatics since the introduction of computer control, lockup torque & overdrive are not the p.o.c automatics of the 60, 70, 80 & early 90's.
If anybody can remember, garages were littered with piles of burned clutch plates, scored pressure plates/flywheels and broken transmission gears until the 1980’s. Drivers can break more manuals per mile than automatics.
Get with the times. This is sounding like those people who believe in diesel pickups vs. gassers As if they were comparing a 1970's 400 Chev with points ignition, carbureted with a 3 speed TH400. Vs. a Dodge pickup with an early Cummins with a mechanical inline injection pump, no egr and a 5 speed manual trans. That gasser vs. diesel decision isn’t as clear as it used to be but that’s another topic.
Real Men in this country have pretty much faded away after North America was explored/developed and with the passing of WWII/Korea & Nam veterans. Very very few “men” have had to be a “man” being born after 1930 and 1955 or so at best. Post WWII North American society has been coddled with ease and luxury since. Maybe why we are getting fat, lazy, “middle aged” and non competitive against young, keen hungry countries.

 

[Doug in IL]

You know, I first heard that argument, in favor of slushboxes, in the 1970's! We run 7 or 8 pickups and grain trucks here on the farm, ranging from 1979 to 2002 models. They are all manual transmissions. Can't tolerate the extra expense of auto's.

 

[the tractor vet]

Well don't know how old ya are but i have been around for a long time and i don't care what the slush box is in other then the direct drive powershift that Deere had in there 450-650 deere dozer and it will still fail . when Cat brought out the power shift i was but a lad and working for a vary large contractor not only did i run the stuff but i also repaired the stuff and he even sent me to the Cat school to learn the new fangeled stuff well that was way tomany years ago and i have since been thru the tech prograhms of Ford and Chrysler built many of C-6's and Torque Flites for racing and pullen . I have even seen Big Cats come up against something hard and stall the coverter and the only way around that is MAKE MORE PONY POWER then the trans will fail . The main reason for the newer standards to fail is that people do not read there owner's manual ya know the PART THAT STATES DO NOT TOW IN OVER DRIVE. I ran my 88 Ford f350 4x4 for 287000 miles dragen a 28 foot gooseneck and never ever hauled more then i could get on the trailer and never drove any faster then the truck would run FLAT OUT , Now i did have a cursh spacer fail in the rearend but we solved that by removing the crush spacer and maken up spacers to get the rolling preload set the OLD FASHIONED way and at times that old ford was haulen half of what a semi would haul like 41-42000 lbs gross and never had a problem with the transmission but others that hauled with there ford 5 speeds and used OD ate trannys . Plowed snow for 19 years and over that time the 73 ford ate one and the 78 ate 5 till i did a beef up on it and i can not tell ya how long it would have lasted as the truck got totaled . The 79 Ford was a stick and plowed snow and my only complant was rev. was to slow and that truck also went 274000 miles till it got totaled . Today they do not build pick ups to be used as a real work turn but are built and priced for the yuppy set . Getting pretty bad when a one ton pick up cost as much as i paid for a semi .

 

[NEsota]

CWL: Have you considered getting salvage parts and changing you Ranger to "stick"? This I did with a front wheel drive vehicle. If your Ranger is 2WD it would not be very difficult to switch. The rear end ratios should be considered. We made no changes to the computer settings and did not know what to do or what we would want to change. Am very happy with my four cylinder, five speed Ranger. Rather than feed six cylinders all the time, you can down shift and run the four a little faster when you need more power

 

[Mike (WA)]

Don't know if its such a "cojones" thing- I've sure had more trouble with autos over the years than manuals- course, I don't abuse the manuals, either. My wife is the horse person, and does most of the pulling- and she just about put the kiabosh on our purchase of a low miles, one owner '99 Cummins Dodge because she wanted a 6 speed. Then we soon had to replace the torque converter, because the previous owner had increased HP with a Banks turbo, bigger exhaust, etc, and didn't go to a correspondingly heavier TC. I think the advantages of stick over auto is more important with diesels, so you can have better control over keeping your RPM's in the engine's "sweet spot". Stick in a gas rig is probably more of an ego thing, as they usually don't pull enough to need it.

 

[Anonymous-0]

No I haven't really put a lot of thought to swapping out. It is a 2000 4x4 with the 3.0 v6. I did however do that swap in my 79 F150 4x4. The C6 in it was about to give up the ghost. I found a guy with the same year of truck and got his parts to switch it over to a 4-speed. I wish I would have done it a lot sooner. In my opinion it made a better truck out of it. It was an easy swap too. Every thing pretty much just bolted up with virtualy no modification.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Well I guess I am not the only one that feels the way I do. And like I stated in my original post it is a personal preference. Thanks for all the input!

 

[Anonymous-0]

Im am going to get out of this conversation. You guys are talking about 20-30 year old trucks and I am talking about 1 and 2 year old trucks. Just remember, things change, sometimes for the better.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I average about 45K miles a year on my daily driver. I can't afford to buy a truck that is only 1 or 2 years old and put that many miles on it. I'm going to take a big enough hit on the '00 ranger that I'm going to swap off. It had 88K miles on it when I bought it last July. Now it's up to 130K.

 

[rustyfarmall]

Depends on how that gas rig is being used. If you spend a lot of time pulling farm equipment that has a tendency to jerk around alot, a manual trans is a much better choice, and keeping the RPMs in the "sweet spot" is every bit as important with a gasser as it is with a diesel.

 

[kyle in NY]

Out of the 7 vehicles I have owned over years, all were manuals. I never once blew a tranny and never had to replace a clutch. Most were also very high milage vehicles. If you enjoy serious off roading like crawling and muddin, you just cant beat the shifter. Plus the wife cant drive standard so she wont drive either of my trucks. Thank God because I really love my babies.

 

[RodinNS]

Personally, I hate automatics in a vehicle. I do like powershift in dozers and tractors, to a point. But in over the road vehicles, I just plain hate driving an automatic. I don't like floating along with no control over the rig, and I don't like 4 speed auto's that make a rig scream just to get some speed up, and then shift up and down, up and down. To me, that's distracting and bloody annoying.
Beyond that, if someone finds that driving a manual takes that much of their time or concentration, they probably ought not be driving one anyway. It's second nature or it's not....

Rod

 

[Don-Wi]

Those Mazda trannies are just as good as the rest- My truck is an 88 F150 2wd and it's got the 300-6 w/ 5 sp. mazda in it. 200,000 miles and still the original clutch, pulling 5-8 tons behind it on a somewhat regular basis. I get about 18-20 MPG highway too- but now I've got a car that gets even better milage for now.

I just don't like those automatics though. My next vehicle (car or truck) is gonna have a stick in it, one way or another...

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[dave guest]

I allus liked sticks until hydraulic clutches come along. They are a bunch of trouble in the fords I had. Always act up in cold weather. Usually had to start engine with trans in gear and clutch down to prevent grinding and then hope the son of a gun don't run away when it starts.