Automatic or Manual
 

Just wanted to see some numbers. What did you get, automatic or manual? Why? Thanks.

I got the manual because of
1. Power
2. Purist Feeling
3. Prefer the stick feel
4. Like having a clutch
5. Power, even my 4 cylinder Cavalier I had when I was 17 felt like it had power due to the stick.
6.Dont mind traffic and stick.
7. More control
8. Power

So, um, you like the power? :D

I got the manual because sportscars with slushboxes oughtta be against the law. ;)

AGREED!!!


btw: 40+ views and 11 votes? everyone should vote. takes a few seconds. no typing involved. i just want to see some numbers in comparison the the members on the board.

I don't have mine yet!

and am still debating between the 2!

so undecided!

This was my first manual transmission car to own (I'm 24). I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I bought the 6MT. I now feel like I am actually driving and have much better control of what I want the car to do. Driving a stick is second nature now. I hardly even think about it. :cool:

I first started getting MT cars because they were cheaper- Now I'm addicted to them. Wont go back to AT unless I have to. On the off chance I am driving a AT I always try press down on a clutch thats not there! Any one else have that problem?

I have the auto. It is fun but if you want instant gratification....get the manual! Noticed a big difference in power between the two. I love the paddle shifters and manual mode.....best of both worlds sort of!

I wished I can get a Manual:( .

I won't vote since I don't have an 8 (yet) but I'm definitely only considering the MT. When I was looking for cars, I was only interested in MT maximas as well though...the only reason I'd get an auto would be

1) pickup truck or suv
2) beast or luxobarge, such as the 95 impala SS
3) a large-displacement drag monster
4) health prohibited me to drive a manual (as in, leg issues...otherwise if I wasn't in shape to drive one, I wouldn't drive period)

Some people get them because they live in big cities and have to put up with insane rush hours. If that was me, I'd bite the bullet and buy a more econo-ish ride.

Never had an Automatic car.....never will...well, I might get a Tundra V8 one day.

Hafta have a stick

my last 3 cars have been manual, i dont think i'll get another auto for awhile.

I'm getting an automatic, it's a little cheaper to buy and to insure. Have to deal with downtown San Francisco traffic on a daily basis, just too lazy to drive a stick. Parking on a hill with a stick, not fun. Too many cars on the freeway so I can never get pass 80 mph anyway. I might not be a great candidate for a sports car but I like the look and the 4 seats.

The car I had before my rx8 was an automatic but aside from the rest were all manual. I think it depends on the car that I buy though. I still would buy an AT if it goes with the car. Like if i buy an SUV i'd get an automatic.

My take on it... if you have a left leg and a right arm, then there really isn't a decision to be made here. I'll admit the paddle shifters for the auto are pretty cool, but this is a sports car/coupe... not a minivan. After quick shifting through the 6 speed on my test drive today, I'm really impressed that Mazda made an even better tranny than they put in the Miata.

-Sean
http://theswamp.com/miata

I have never driven anything other than a manual. I find automatics far more difficult to control in bad or hard driving situations. If I need to accelerate out of a problem, it shifts down and the lag might be dangerous. If I want to use the gears on a downhill to brake, it's easier. If I need to overgear the car for traction in snow, that's easy and natural. If I want to under gear the car to use engine braking in bad weather instead of the brakes I can do that too. I like the control; it's as simple as that.

All the cars I've ever owned were manuals. Sometimes, however, if I really want to drink that coffee on the way to work, or in stop & go traffic I think an AT would be nice to have. If I had a regular daily-driver type car that wasn't something which I had specifically because I enjoyed to drive it, then I would probably get an AT. That said - I don't think AT cars are useless, or that people who want an AT car are 'dumb' - or that an AT is a waste on a sportscar.. it's all personal preference, whatever floats your boat. Making AT vs MT a religion is kinda silly IMO. Kinda like unix vs windows - I use whichever is most appropriate for the task at hand and each has its advantages over the other.

I got the A/T because my girlfriend is an inexperienced driver and is EXTREMELY intimidated by a stick shift right now. At least with the RX-8, the paddle shifters are fun, and the "manual" mode kinda reminds me of Initial D the arcade game lol.

Insurance was lower with the automatic, didn't think 40 horses would make that big of a difference.

MANUAL ALL THE WAY...believe me you want a manual...

1. theres more hp
2. faster
3. SOOOOOOOO much more fun
4. and last, people seem to look up to a manual car...and kinda frown upon an automatic (that is if you have a car like the rx8, which should only be made in manual)
REAL SPORTS CARS JUSYT NEED TO BE MANUAL...you get the whole sports car feeling :D you all know what i mean

I purchased the 8 A/T because I wanted to piss off some hard core 8 M/T owners.;) Seriously, if I did not have a FD M/T I would have gotten the 8 M/T.

I had manual cars all my life - why would I change that tradition, and especially with an RX-8? :D

If it weren't for the lower power engine coupled to it, i would have probabvly gotten the auto, I had read some great reviews of it, as far as shift speed and such, and with a lot of the driving I do, it just made a little more since... But it wasn't worth the lower horsepower.. :-)

Manual is best for a sports car, as you get the most driving satisfaction running thru the gears.

With a manual transmission you are driving the car; with an automatic transmission you are just steering it.
All my cars except one have been stick shifts, including some pretty fair-sized V-8s. I don't even consider automatics when car shopping.

Manual, because manuals are so much fun.

I got the AT but every sports car i ever owned was stick. But I live in NJ ang can't do it any more because of the traffic. The auto shifters are so cool and fun to drive I had to do it.

I think the big difference for the next model will be transmission offerings.

Too much traffic for me to deal with. I had to get the automatic. But, I wish Mazda would come out with an automatic with higher horsepower.

i havent bought my rx 8 yet bur im definetly going to get it with a manual tranny. more power and no sports car shold have an auto.

No matter what car I drive it will have a cluth I control until the day I can no longer use one.

Prefer the manual, can't buy a sports car with an auto, it just doesn't feel right.:D

learned to drive on an automatic... 69 Charger with 383 magnum...:D

Bought a 66 Mustang 289 with an automatic and shift kit...


Then a friend taught me how to drive a stick in an Olds 442... and I have never looked back. For the last 28 years I have had manuals.

Then I met a lady that liked manuals... so I married her and we have ALWAYS had sticks. Nothing better... She absolutely hates automatics... and the lag... oh how she hates the lag....:mad:

Hi- This is my first day, and my first post. I chose the manual trans. I like the control it gives me, and manuals are a lot more fun to drive. Since the RX seems to be an entirely different car when the tach is above 4 grand, I can always find the perfect gear with the 6-speed. -The only automatic I've owned in the past 15 years is my '67 Corvair with a 2-speed Powerglide!

manual

same reasons as everyone here :)

manual.. obviously
auto is just such a crap...

Automatic and proud! Everyone loves the autostick and especially the paddle shifters. And I love going to automatic mode when im on the phone. I can drive stick but I'm lazy, so phuck it! Oh and the paddle shifters make me feel like I'm driving a indy car or Pod racer! Fun as hell!

I'm happy with my auto

the paddle shift is very nice

and I have the option to switch between the two

got the manual for all the reasons one can think of, however I should have bought the auto because:
I sit in traffic getting to and from San Francisco
I have a chronic left ankle injury.
I am 2% thinking I need to sell it and get the auto, but I sure would miss driving the stick.
Happy trails

I got the manual because it's sporty and SOOOOO much fun!! :)

Wow, I sure did not expect 20+ % to have an AT. I would have expected 5%.

Yesterday my dealer had 6 RX-8s on his lot, all MT. Yes, I looked in each of them :-)

Actually, that's about what I'd expect for this poll. It's certainly not any indication of what the actual auto/manual split is on the forum, but just that most of the auto owning forum members will have voted, and many of the manual owning forum members will not care at all about auto trans threads and will have ignored it. Mazda's own production numbers will be the only real indication of what the actual auto/manual trans ratio is, any polls conducted here on the forum are pretty useless.

Regards,
Gordon

i think the whole auto / manual debate really depends on the car. if you're going to buy a car like a civic, i would say it really doesn't matter whether it's manual or not. however, if it's a car like the rx-8... i would really feel bad for the car if it wasn't a manual. i mean, this car SCREAMS to be driven manual. i understand people who got the auto for convenience, but really... i don't think the auto / manual debate works with the rx-8.

automatic of course
I don't ever want a car with manual
i just dont want to drive a manual