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New member from Western NY

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 4:31 pm
by Progress
Hi guys, just found this board because it was linked in a signature of a member on another board where I lurk.

I'm a big manual transmission fan. My current car (2011 Acura TL SH-AWD 6MT) and the previous three cars (2000 Nissan Maxima SE 5MT, 1993 BMW 318is 5MT, 2005 Subaru WRX 5MT) before it were manual trans. I'm 35 now and I don't plan on owning anything other than manual transmission at least for the near foreseeable future.

I enjoy my current car but am always shopping for a replacement and it's hard finding one that has my three most important criteria (MT, AWD, HID headlights). Living in WNY makes AWD important but I'm leaning toward a FWD car at the moment (GTI). The Golf Sportwagen is another option but I'd need to seek a retrofit since the MT only comes with halogens. Oh first world problems!

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 7:29 pm
by tankinbeans
Welcome to the boards. I don't have experience with any of those cars, but drove a friend's 07 TL-Type S; did want.

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:52 am
by Progress
tankinbeans wrote:Welcome to the boards. I don't have experience with any of those cars, but drove a friend's 07 TL-Type S; did want.
Thanks! If there's one thing I've learned it's that Honda/Acura can make one hell of a stickshift.

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 9:12 am
by Teamwork
Hey man welcome- hope you find some threads interesting and useful.
Living in WNY makes AWD important but I'm leaning toward a FWD car at the moment (GTI). The Golf Sportwagen is another option but I'd need to seek a retrofit since the MT only comes with halogens. Oh first world problems!
I can weigh in on this first hand since I have an MK7 GTI. I really like it but the car hasn't really been tested in anything but mild snow (last winter wasn't bad in LI). I can tell you this that the stock all seasons on this car are completely trash with the only personal reason for me for them staying on is because I'm trying to get some life out of them before investing in two sets of tires. They are pretty bad for everything driving related except for fuel efficiency. I got the LP package on the GTI and I believe it's worth it- especially for the price. There are retrofit kits for the GTI that do a nice wannabe job in terms of the aesthetic but I can't speak on the actual performance of the lights themselves or how reliable they will be down the road. I'm not sure about the Golf Sportwagen but I'm sure they are working on it, if they haven't already. I would've loved a Sportwagen with the GTI engine and manual transmission. I would've bought it day 1- I even told them this on the consumer survey from VW (when they had bigger fish to fry, pre diesel-gate).

Anyway man, if you have any questions about my car or anything please feel free.

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 10:41 am
by IMBoring25
If it's really snow driving your desire for AWD, remember that tires make vastly more difference than the driveline configuration. Proper snow tires will make any vehicle better in snow than an AWD vehicle on all-seasons or especially performance tires, and unlike AWD they'll help with braking and cornering along with propulsion.

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 11:08 am
by theholycow
Agreed. I've driven RWD in New England winters for the past 5 years, including a recent year that was more like an upstate NY winter. I can drive in any Noreaster without any questionable safety or getting stuck (except in my own damn driveway). In storms I sometimes waltz up icy hills past stuck AWD vehicles and I'm sure my winter tires contribute to that success.

Also, you think it's hard finding AWD manual cars, just try to find RWD manual. Options are even more limited, and actual existence of vehicles for sale is almost nil.

Anyway....welcome! Why are you always shopping for a replacement?

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 11:41 am
by Teamwork
theholycow wrote:Agreed. I've driven RWD in New England winters for the past 5 years, including a recent year that was more like an upstate NY winter. I can drive in any Noreaster without any questionable safety or getting stuck (except in my own damn driveway). In storms I sometimes waltz up icy hills past stuck AWD vehicles and I'm sure my winter tires contribute to that success.

Also, you think it's hard finding AWD manual cars, just try to find RWD manual. Options are even more limited, and actual existence of vehicles for sale is almost nil.

Anyway....welcome! Why are you always shopping for a replacement?
That's the other thing... You basically have as unicorn as it gets.

Not only is a manual 4th generation (it was getting pretty rare at this point) but it's the AWD version also. If you ever give that thing up finding a replacement in the same criterion is going to be near impossible. I think I've only ever seen the 3rd gen's in stick in person but I mean that was like once. I really loved the way the 3rd generation looked, never warmed up to the 4th gen and the beak. I think more people cried about the TL dying then the RSX or TSX combined. Acura is kind of a lost bird company now.

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 3:19 pm
by Rope-Pusher
Is it possible to sell a car with a manual transmission on Craigslist? Probably not

Read more: http://autoweek.com/article/diy/it-poss ... z4JmuoZPTY

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 6:49 pm
by theholycow
In fact, even when I required potential buyers to call me on the phone and then devoted most of the conversations to vivid descriptions of how a manual transmission works, I couldn't get through to anybody.
I'd be amazed if I hadn't already experienced such dumbassitude in other contexts.
The moral of this story? Only sell cars like this to people with Ph.D.s.
...much of that dumbassery has been from PhD holders. I work in IT at a college. I can assure you that a PhD does not guarantee cognitive ability, attention sufficiency, communication ability, or any other useful characteristic.

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 7:00 pm
by tankinbeans
Farting in chairs for hours on end is a skill that most PhDs have.

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 9:46 pm
by Progress
Teamwork wrote:Hey man welcome- hope you find some threads interesting and useful.
Living in WNY makes AWD important but I'm leaning toward a FWD car at the moment (GTI). The Golf Sportwagen is another option but I'd need to seek a retrofit since the MT only comes with halogens. Oh first world problems!
I can weigh in on this first hand since I have an MK7 GTI. I really like it but the car hasn't really been tested in anything but mild snow (last winter wasn't bad in LI). I can tell you this that the stock all seasons on this car are completely trash with the only personal reason for me for them staying on is because I'm trying to get some life out of them before investing in two sets of tires. They are pretty bad for everything driving related except for fuel efficiency. I got the LP package on the GTI and I believe it's worth it- especially for the price. There are retrofit kits for the GTI that do a nice wannabe job in terms of the aesthetic but I can't speak on the actual performance of the lights themselves or how reliable they will be down the road. I'm not sure about the Golf Sportwagen but I'm sure they are working on it, if they haven't already. I would've loved a Sportwagen with the GTI engine and manual transmission. I would've bought it day 1- I even told them this on the consumer survey from VW (when they had bigger fish to fry, pre diesel-gate).

Anyway man, if you have any questions about my car or anything please feel free.
Thanks! If I got a GTI it would be a 4-door sport so LP and PP standard. If I did a retro in the GSW I'd probably have a retrifitter do the job starting from BEC replicas since they mimic the LP cosmetically which I like a lot. Definitely two sets of wheels/tires would be necessary.

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 9:52 pm
by Progress
IMBoring25 wrote:If it's really snow driving your desire for AWD, remember that tires make vastly more difference than the driveline configuration. Proper snow tires will make any vehicle better in snow than an AWD vehicle on all-seasons or especially performance tires, and unlike AWD they'll help with braking and cornering along with propulsion.
I've had a separate set of winter wheels/tires with all my cars and they all did well in the snow. Driving 20 years of Buffalo winters has helped too. I'm just spoiled now with this cars rear diff.

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 10:15 pm
by Progress
theholycow wrote:Agreed. I've driven RWD in New England winters for the past 5 years, including a recent year that was more like an upstate NY winter. I can drive in any Noreaster without any questionable safety or getting stuck (except in my own damn driveway). In storms I sometimes waltz up icy hills past stuck AWD vehicles and I'm sure my winter tires contribute to that success.

Also, you think it's hard finding AWD manual cars, just try to find RWD manual. Options are even more limited, and actual existence of vehicles for sale is almost nil.

Anyway....welcome! Why are you always shopping for a replacement?
No real reason besides I'm fickle. I love the way the car drives but it's not that great to look back at. You know what I mean? And this 3.7 is starting to burn oil late in an OCI and it's common with these motors I've beginning to learn.

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 9:53 am
by Rope-Pusher
theholycow wrote:
In fact, even when I required potential buyers to call me on the phone and then devoted most of the conversations to vivid descriptions of how a manual transmission works, I couldn't get through to anybody.
I'd be amazed if I hadn't already experienced such dumbassitude in other contexts.
The moral of this story? Only sell cars like this to people with Ph.D.s.
...much of that dumbassery has been from PhD holders. I work in IT at a college. I can assure you that a PhD does not guarantee cognitive ability, attention sufficiency, communication ability, or any other useful characteristic.
I took it that the author's tongue was surgically implanted in his cheek when he made the statement about only selling to PhDs.....even if he is batting 1000 with them so far!

Re: New member from Western NY

Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 12:49 am
by potownrob
Progress wrote:Hi guys, just found this board because it was linked in a signature of a member on another board where I lurk.

I'm a big manual transmission fan. My current car (2011 Acura TL SH-AWD 6MT) and the previous three cars (2000 Nissan Maxima SE 5MT, 1993 BMW 318is 5MT, 2005 Subaru WRX 5MT) before it were manual trans. I'm 35 now and I don't plan on owning anything other than manual transmission at least for the near foreseeable future.

I enjoy my current car but am always shopping for a replacement and it's hard finding one that has my three most important criteria (MT, AWD, HID headlights). Living in WNY makes AWD important but I'm leaning toward a FWD car at the moment (GTI). The Golf Sportwagen is another option but I'd need to seek a retrofit since the MT only comes with halogens. Oh first world problems!
welcome to the SS from the other side of NY!! those are some nice cars you've had there and, if i were you, i'd hold onto that TL for as long as you can; they don't make them like they used to anymore. I had a 98 Maxima too and was considering a 318ti way back when. also had an 02 impreza ts tractor wagon which is like a stripped down and less exciting version of the WRX. last car was a 15 accord sport manual. current car is 16 golf tsi se. none of these will compare to your current car other than maybe in practicality (hatch/wagon) and technology (cell phone integration, etc.). i am a little scared of upcoming winter since the golf seems to have a mind of its own in regards to its torque vectoring system. the golf only uses the front two wheels for torque vectoring, while the GTI uses the rears too. i'd highly consider going GTI or alltrak/awd sportwagen over golf/FWD sportwagen. the verdict will have to wait til the winter, when i put on my hopefully still intact winter wheels and see how the little golf does. again, i'd keep the "old" TL as long as you can, and don't think any of the cars you've mentioned will compare, both in ride quality and in winter handling.

edit: halogens on the golf are not as bad as people make them out to be, as long as you have fogs at least.