Emperor

And you cannot pick your nose safely while in a jam

lowrider

Emperor: This is where you are soooo wrong. Its one of my few real skills in life. Picking nose in traffic... no problem with a MT car.

I used to be able to read newspaper, eat a salad (but was a bit of a bitch if trying to get the right combo of stuff onto your fork) and drink (without a cup holder) whilst driving.... those 4 to 6 hrs highway drives are monotonous at best.) I did get pulled over once for doing this by the highway cops. (was in the States.)

SMS with a bloody Treo (with its full qwerty KB) is still a bit challanging at the moment. (I have had two accidents due to sms with my old Nokia.)

But I won't let it deter me. Need to keep life exciting.

Aragosta

Yo guys, i have been driving an auto car for 6 yrs since i got my licence...and was thinking to buy a 6MT from MM or 4AT from the PIs...but after a testdrive at MM ( Surprized that they let me testdrive cos i thought after that incident, no test drive of any sports car), i realised so easy to drive probably due to the short shifter. The shift is very smooth and it was a very engaging drive even at 4000rpm only. It was an addictive drive! Then when i drove my auto car home...i felt like **** haha. It was fun to drive but dun know about traffic jams since i always take the CTE to work...but probably the manual is fun enough to justify the disadvantage of being stuck in jams.

yiksing

FACT: Performance wise MT nails the AT
Convenience wise AT nails the MT
Most drivers don't know how to fully utilise MT for performance
These so called MT hardcore fans are the ones that might be better off driving AT

Rumboo

^^ Nah, by the very definition of MT hardcore fan, they are better off driving MT, cos they like it. "MT Fan" = person who likes (driving MT). It's not necessary to be good at something to like it, otherwise a lot of lao uncle golfers/soccer/basketball players should just stop playing. "Like it" = "better off doing it" lor.

sqflyer

Not true... true MT hardcores aren't hardcores for nothing. However, I would say that most MT owners won't be able to fully utilise the performance of the MT on this small island. Not that they don't know how...

lowrider

Silly assumption (Yiksing) that MT "hardcore" whatever that is... and sounds more like some up & coming porno movie (no pun intended) -- don't know how to fully utilise the car for performance -- its like saying my father is stronger than your father -- how to compare unless you have track days or hill climbs etc?

The counter arguement then would be; AT 8 being for driven convenience then does not really make your 8 a real sports car since most sports cars by definition isn't there to drive for convenience sake but for its performance.

Either way, its a my father is stronger than your father type of arguement that should be best left at the playground.

Emperor

Even if you drive a MT and push it hard. Can you push till its limits on SG roads? If yes, then you are not pushing it enough.

It all boils down to preference.

Bystanders will only look if you car looks good. I had 3 seperate groups of people taking photo of my car on 3 consecutive days. Will they still take photos if i zoom past? Will they just say "siao kia"?

"Some like cold drinks while others like it hot. But when the weather is hot will you still drink hot drinks?"

yiksing

Sorry I'm not being clear on the above regarding what I meant by hardcore, what I meant was hardcore fanbois type that keep saying AT is pointless, useless and such performance wise.

I understand what Rumboo meant and I totally agree with 'one should enjoy what one likes' but there are just some drivers out there that thought if they have MT, it meant they are faster.

Sqflyer, I agree with you too. If someone that knows how to utilise the max potential of a MT then they are entitled to say what they want, but frankly speaking most MT drivers that I know of (although they are very into motorsports, maybe I haven't yet met true enthusiasts) don't know how to do performance driving shifting.

Lowrider, what I'm trying to say is definitely not a 'my father is stronger...' type argument here, I think you would agree that there are some MT drivers that don't even know to rev-match, heel toe and stuff but kept saying they can smoke a same car with AT tranny. Yet some of them might just do better with just the AT, I guess I'm saying there's a difference between knowing how to shift properly and actually doing it. Convenience in an AT that I mentioned (performance wise), drivers can focus more on their braking and the line they take instead of fumbling with the stick if they don't know how to do it the right way fast.

Anyway those are just my opinions only so it doesn't mean siht.

Kukumalu

Urm... you guys do get quite "intellectual" don't you? Cool. But am I the only one who bought the MT just coz there's a sunroof? (ok ok, aftermarket blah blah, but lazy lah.)

All you sunroof/moonroof lovers out there who happen to be able to drive MT say "AYE!"

sqflyer

yiksing, looks like you pinched a sensitive nerve...ha ha. Anyway, my post wasn't meant to flame you. I guess you have a point, I'm sure there ARE people (wannabes) who buy MTs even though they may not know how to drive MTs well. However, once they own a MT car, then at least they have a chance to improve on their MT driving skills. Can't improve on MT performance shifting if you don't have a MT.

Rumboo

No worries, mate! I know exactly the type of driver you're referring to. They'd be in for a big surprise if they actually raced with an AT 8!! ... which is why I wouldn't race with an AT 8

simply8

MT or At doesn't matters, as long as i can get the 8. preferably, i would wish to have a MT but its the 20k issue that i think i have to settle for the AT.

yiksing

Its all cool man, I was getting rather emotional coz it really pisses me off when these wannabes happened to be my close friends. Anyway I didn't take your post as flaming so its all great

yiksing

Yeah man, AT can really kick *** too, most MT wannabes didn't realize technique is only a part of the sport, how you use the technique or take the line and use the situation to your advantage is more important.

Emperor

My previous car had a sunroof and i did not really like it so i was kind of glad my 8 did not have one. Yes, i am a oddball.

Emperor

Gears are useless and slows you down when you do not know how to shift at the right time or play with the clutch, etc.

But i do agree MT can be fun when the traffic and road permits.

I cannot wait for the day when Mazda designs a auto 8 that uses clutch instead of torque converters and you can use both MT and AT. If this 8 is launched today, i will buy one immediately.

lowrider

QUOTE=Emperor]Gears are useless and slows you down when you do not know how to shift at the right time or play with the clutch, etc.

Gears are useless like toes are useless ... they is a performance utility!

Hoever, I do suggest that you try VW GTi's DSG gearing system. Its fantastic -- perfect blend of performance and convenience. There is absolutely no compromise on either.

Emperor

Toes are more useful to monkeys who hang with them.

I have heard about the DSI. Why don't Mazda adopt it.

sgrenesis

Man, thats the best line i've heard this year, which incidentally brings to mind something else too.....hmmmmm.......the dark side is calling

NG_LEON

MT less people can borrow mah..Hee Hee Hee