I went to two different dealerships today (Porsche and BMW) . My Porsche visit was to pick up my car from a routine oil change . My BMW visit was to consider replacing my Honda Si soon.

I noticed a lot of things (and will post them) but will focus on the manual transmission . Here's the list -

1) I noticed very few Cayman and Boxster cars . The big sellers seem to be the Panamera and Cayenne . The 997 is hanging on . About half the cars were manual and the other half PDK.

2) BMW had NO manual transmission M3's or 135i M package on their lot . They could locate one for me if I wanted the car but if I was ready to buy one off the lot .. none were present. In fact --the salesman appeared surprised that i wasn't looking for a DCT .

This is obviously a small sample but I did find it surprising . Is the manual phasing itself out ?

FYI --I did want a small manual car to replace the Si.
Sidenote -- even Honda Si cars are scarce . I did find one .. every option .. including OEM "HFP " (Honda factory performance) kit (brakes,suspension, aerokit) . It was priced near BMW territory .

Is the manual Honda Si even headed to phase out ? Like the S2000 (no longer in production) ?

 

Great small cars are the VW Golf (2 door) or the Jetta 4 door (the current Jetta not the new Americanized one) both with the inline-5 2.5l engine. Both readily available with great 5-speed manual trannies.

Of course, there's also the Golf GTI, but what's the point if one already has sports cars?

 

Had a Jetta (2nd car) back in 2001 . It was the worst car i ever had . Too many problems even to list . It was so bad that i traded it in 2.5 years early upside down on a lease .

 

Do you think maybe the manual cars are selling more and that's why u can't find one? Someone on a BMW forum probably has access to production numbers. Without knowing much about it, this sounds like a supply/demand problem. Regarding the salesman feigning surprise that you don't want the car on his lot - that is classic!!!

 

How many new Porsche or BMW buyers choose their cars with track days in mind, or look forward to the exection of a perfectly executed heel-and-toe downshift driving through their favorite hairpin turn? I suspect that the number of repeat buyers that had a manual transmission in their last car who choose a manual in their new ride has leveled off (no new converts), while the number of new first-time owners are choosing the improved automatics both from a convenience and (maybe) a performance perspective. If you're a die-hard 6 speed fan (like me) you'll keep the faith. However, dealerships are going to stock what sells best.

 

On the cars you listed I'm not surprised that "sticks" are hard to find. BMW's are boulevard cruisers in my opinion, and Honda's are grocery getters, also my opinion. ( No offense to those who love either or both marques as I noted this was my opinion.) I would also think that the location of the dealers has something to do with it as dealers in more affluent suburban areas might not get much call for new cars with manual transmissions. I doubt Porsche sells many Panameras with sticks in them.

 

I was talking to my local Porsche dealer the other day. They are having a good year and doing it by selling the Cayenne S and Panamera 6. I asked if they were selling any sports cars. He said some. This is a dealer that has always had a nice collection of CPO 997s and some Caymans on the lot. They have very few of the 2 door cars right now. The ones that sell are PDK.

 

I, for one, am not surprised at all. Am I happy that companies are going this way…No. I noticed this trend from when I bought my Subaru WRX in 2004 and then my Subaru STi in 2007. Between just those 3 years, more and more people were popping up on the forums with auto WRX models. At the time this was blasphemy. But since 2007 everything has changed. Basic cars like the Honda Fit have paddle shifter options. High end cars like Ferrari have said that all new models will have an E-gear, the death of their coveted gated shifter! It won’t take long till every other manufacturer takes note of the trend. As said in a post above, there are very few new car owners that want to drive a stick. And most people that go from a stick to some type of double clutch say they have no reason to ever go back.

I love stick. Does it get annoying sometimes…Yes. Is it fun as hell other time…Yes. If I switch to a PDK type transmission will I be hooked for life…magic eight ball says “Signs point to yes”. I see no reason not to move forward. All great things must come to an end so something else great can rise up and change the way we think about even the most basic of things, like shifting a 6 speed manual transmission J

 

I would like to think that this will go the way that guitars and amp trends go. For a while every studio was hopped up on using the latest and greatest digital recording and editing and doing everything straight into a computer. While this definitely makes post-production way easier the recording are always missing a sonic connection to the listener (compare this to the tactile feel of nailing shifts yourself). After a while, engineers began dumping mixes through a stereo 2' tape reel to attempt to get back some of the organic sound offered by tape (I consider this to be the "compromise" of a paddle shift dual clutch transmission...you're still doing something, but not everything, and only if you want to). Now, things are reverting back to tube amps straight to tape...and life is good again.

Trends seem notoriously cyclical, I believe (maybe solely out of naive hope) that the manual will follow suit. I know I'd hate to see it go.


-Alex

 

I think you nailed it... the members of this forum are the minority. I personally wouldn't even consider PDK, although I know a lot of the members here love it. I feel that part of the challenge and fun of owning a Porsche is constantly working to improve my skills as a driver. The average BMW/Porsche owner realistically bought their cars for reasons unrelated to driving experience. Look how popular automatics have been for years, despite the fact that they are slower, heavier, and clunkier shifting than manual transmissions. With dual clutch systems widely available now, people feel they are getting the best of both worlds. And I do think the manual transmission will one day be phased out.

 

I love my manual transmission, however I recently had the opportunity to drive my buddies E92 M3 with DCT on the track, and I was surprised as to how much fun the paddle shifters was to drive. I did feel the car was like a video game, shift mid corner in a manual transmission is a sure way to upset the balance of the car, however the DCT made it so seamless that it made me laugh every time I did that. The one flaw in the system that I didn't like, was the after about 5 laps the transmission was giving me attitude, and when I wanted to down shift, it ended up shifting up to 6th and stayed their until it was cooled off a little. A manual would just continue on and do as it is told.

 

and love it, but I hope the manual transmission sticks around because its always nice to have a choice. I think for a car like the boxster spyder i would go manual for sure. my 911 is my daily so the PDK just makes sense.

 

I have a friend with a 997S like mine. The difference is mine is a 6 speed and his is PDK. We've been doing DEs together for the past year or so. We went to Road America in July. First time on that track for both of us. It's a challenge to learn a new track, especially one like RA. He just laughed at me because he got the hang of it so much faster since he had PDK. Just less to think about and actually do. No clutch, no heel/toe, no blip as you go down each gear.

All of that is fun when you're doing it well. It's a lot when you're still trying to find the line and where the breaking points are.

I really like the 6 speed, but I'd like to try it with PDK.

 

My aunt recently picked up a manual 2008 535i turbo. She got a killer deal on it because they were struggling to sell it due to the manual transmission. I don't think BMW is making too many of them as manual anymore.

 

Things do not stay the same. The new cars are excellent.