[Brian HCM#1]

I'm one of those people that drives their car until it doesn't pay to repair it anymore and sells it for whatever they can get. At that point in the car's life, no option in the car does much to affect its resale value - the thing either runs well or it doesn't, and that sets the selling price.

I'd want to recheck that answer in about 10 years, when your married and have a family and a great paying job. You may change your tune.

 

[JRB]

You *very* rarely ever hear someone saying, "Yeah - I had to take my stick in for a new tranny at 30K miles"..........

I've only ever seen one manual trans blow up.

I have friends with Dodge's that had 4 by 100,000 miles. I guess it was the 20,000 pounds of cattle and the lack of service...well, and the amount of torque.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I'd want to recheck that answer in about 10 years, when your married and have a family and a great paying job. You may change your tune.

Or not. These habits die hard. I'm married, have three kids, and have a "decent" paying job........

I'd just rather spend money on travel than car payments.

Of course, the minivan is making me pay car payments. I'm *not* happy about it. :mumble:

-S.S.-

 

[SkaredShtles]

I have friends with Dodge's that had 4 by 100,000 miles. I guess it was the 20,000 pounds of cattle and the lack of service...well, and the amount of torque.

Well, it *is* a Dodge. All bets are off with Chyrsler products.

Did the trans blow or did he have clutch destruction issues?

-S.S.-

 

[binary visions]

I'd want to recheck that answer in about 10 years, when your married and have a family and a great paying job. You may change your tune.

Maybe. Maybe not. But he didn't ask, "In 10 years, will you be driving a standard or an automatic?"

I'm stating that right now, when I buy a car, I drive it until it breaks. Even my last car, that I sold with 70,000 miles on it, I intended to drive until it broke - it just happened that I needed to get rid of it.

S.S., I bought a 1986 Toyota Camry with 120k miles on it for $800. Put a new exhaust on it for $150. Did nothing else to it except rack up another 40k miles over 2 years, and sold it for $600. Best investment in a car I'll probably ever make.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Or not. These habits die hard. I'm married, have three kids, and have a "decent" paying job........

I'd just rather spend money on travel than car payments.

Of course, the minivan is making me pay car payments. I'm *not* happy about it. :mumble:

-S.S.-

I can't argue with that. I usally drive my cars for 3-4 years then trade them in.

 

[Westy]

I have friends with Dodge's that had 4 by 100,000 miles. I guess it was the 20,000 pounds of cattle and the lack of service...well, and the amount of torque.

I have been in chryslers transmission plant in Kokomo, In. Biggest craphole I've ever been to. I'm surprised they could build 4 trannies that went 100,000 miles. I'll probably never buy an American built car simply because I have seen how and where they are built. Now I have nothing against cars built in the US, Toyota's plant in Kentucky is simply amazing. Honda's American plants are a bit scary but they had some quality control.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>
S.S., I bought a 1986 Toyota Camry with 120k miles on it for $800. Put a new exhaust on it for $150. Did nothing else to it except rack up another 40k miles over 2 years, and sold it for $600. Best investment in a car I'll probably ever make.

Hehehehe - crappy car stories. I had an '80 Toyota Tercel that I got for $500 my freshman year of college. Drove it until the strut mounts rusted completely free from the body.

Found an '81 Tercel with a nice clean rust free body with a blown motor - swapped the '80 motor into the '81 and proceeded to drive it until '95. Wouldn't pass emissions here in CO, so I took it back to MI and gave it to my Mom who sold it to a guy for $500. Funny thing was - it was the same guy who sold it to me with the blown motor.

-S.S.-

 

[SkaredShtles]

I can't argue with that. I usally drive my cars for 3-4 years then trade them in.

I *love* you guys! Somebody has to buy new cars so us cheap-arse bastids have a good supply of used cars.

-S.S.-

 

[SkaredShtles]

I have been in chryslers transmission plant in Kokomo, In. Biggest craphole I've ever been to. I'm surprised they could build 4 trannies that went 100,000 miles. I'll probably never buy an American built car simply because I have seen how and where they are built.

One golden rule that you should *never* break:

Never buy a car built in Michigan. Ever. Trust me on this one.

-S.S.-

 

[JRB]

I had great luck with Ford's. Anything that I pulled a trailer with, I had a standard transmission. I pull the camper with the Xterra and it sucks for the most part.

*Toyota is likely the most efficient mfg company ever. They know what's up.

 

[JRB]

One golden rule that you should *never* break:

Never buy a car built in Michigan. Ever. Trust me on this one.

-S.S.-

Funny - my rule is to NOT take your advice.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Funny - my rule is to NOT take your advice.

That's a pretty sound rule. But on this, you should heed my wisdom.

-S.S.-

 

[JRB]

That's a pretty sound rule. But on this, you should heed my wisdom.

-S.S.-

You sure I shouldn't "head" your wisdom???

 

[Jou]

for rock crawling, automatic all the way, but only if it's built right. for everything else stick is good though, unless it's urban.

 

[SkaredShtles]

You sure I shouldn't "head" your wisdom???

WTF are you talking about, Tex??

-S.S.-

 

[JRB]

WTF are you talking about, Tex??

-S.S.-

I figured I'd make up a word to use there, Skipper. What are you a flippin captain now???

 

[SkaredShtles]

I figured I'd make up a word to use there, Skipper. What are you a flippin captain now???

Does that making up a word thing work for you?

Arrrrrrrr....... I be a captain for many a year, matey!

-S.S.-

 

[JRB]

Does that making up a word thing work for you?
-S.S.-

If I have nothing better to say, I make something up. So, yes, it works. I just bought a t-shirt that says, "I make stuff up".

 

[binary visions]

Hehehehe - crappy car stories. I had an '80 Toyota Tercel that I got for $500 my freshman year of college. Drove it until the strut mounts rusted completely free from the body.

Ahahaha... I completely forgot, the rear right strut mount had rusted free of the body as well, and was banging around inside the car (it was a hatchback)

Some duct tape and a pillow kept the exhaust out and the noise down... The kid who gave me $600 knew about the broken strut, too.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>

Some duct tape and a pillow kept the exhaust out and the noise down... The kid who gave me $600 knew about the broken strut, too.

You took advantage of the poor retard.

-S.S.-

 

[PatBranch]

When your offroading you alreday have to pay atention to where youyr wheels are or if your about to roll. automatic would be 1 less thing to deal with offroading. It is harder offorading, but almost all pros use manual.

 

[binary visions]

When your offroading you alreday have to pay atention to where youyr wheels are or if your about to roll. automatic would be 1 less thing to deal with offroading. It is harder offorading, but almost all pros use manual.

My Tacoma (which saw almost as many woods miles as highway miles) was a standard. That clutch got beat on a bit but aside from that, I liked the control a standard gave me.

 

[tartosuc]

it struck me when i was in ireland that the automatic transmission is not very popular outside of the US. is it because of gas mileage and initial cost reasons? or something else? just curious what the distribution is on the

edit - i've been in a manual for pretty much my entire life (inheirited a POS ford escort from my grandmother which was auto, and that was my city urban assault vehicle when i lived in boston).

to answer the first question, In americas people drive cars with bigger engine than in europe and it's probably one of the main reason why europeans drive manual transmission, they mostly have small 4 cyl diesel engines with small amount of power! A manual transmission is helpfull with those...If any of you ever had an old jetta with a diesel a engine and automatic transmition, you understand what i mean!

I had both manual and automatic, depending on the deal i get! and i like the manual better, but if i have a 6cyl engine, i dont mind an automatic.

 

[TreeSaw]

I generally prefer a stick, but a lot of the newer models aren't even being offered in manual transmissing Oh well.