StandardShift.com

Hasn't worked for approximately a year looks like..

2008 Buying Guide and additional tools will be online come early fall. For now, here's a feed of manual transmission used cars available in the US:

Might want to put something like this in its place - I know I clicked that link when I first came here (several years ago :O)

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/ar ... ticle.html

That's an interesting link. It's got a couple problems, though...

In the past, most manuals offered about a 5 percent improvement in fuel economy, the byproduct of the direct-drive transmission. {...} While an automatic version of a car has a fuel economy advantage in the city, the manual version has the advantage on the highway.

My observation has been the opposite, and logically it adds up to the oppposite. Automatics have a taller highway gear, and on the highway they have "direct drive" too because their torque converters lock up.

Then they go on about driving style very correctly, even mentioning that automatics can coast to the traffic light in neutral just as well as manuals can but the drivers don't want to. Then it's this:

Cars with manual transmissions also offer better control when driving because they have a faster shift response, and allow the driver to access extra power by downshifting on inclines. {...} A manual transmission also lets you downshift to use the engine to slow the car down, though this is generally not recommended because it accelerates the amount of wear on the clutch.

Automatics can do those things just as well as manuals, and automatic drivers should do those things just as often as manual drivers. As for faster response, modern automatics are very jumpy; you barely touch the gas pedal and they downshift to 2nd faster than a manual driver can shove the clutch to the floor...the hard part is getting them to NOT downshift.

The article barely touches on the manual's true advantages in driving fun, direct control of fuel economy and power, and the details/importance of long term cost.

It was actually surprisingly hard to find an article detailing the advantages of buying a manual over an automatic car - this was the best I could come up with.

Another option would be just putting up a document created by someone on SS, the downside there is that someone actually has to create it, and make it concise but informative. If someone wants to create one and post it up, I'm sure that we wouldn't have a problem reviewing/suggesting revisions for it.

Hah...if I made it, it would NOT be concise.

This is probably my most concise post of the day by far.

Ill submit an attempt:

MANUALS R BETTAR! F*CK AUTOTRAGICS!!!!!!!!!!11!!!!!1!!!!one!!!!!!! DONT BUY ONE BUY A STICK!

Can that be the buying guide?

ill vote for ya

watkins wrote:Ill submit an attempt:

MANUALS R BETTAR! F*CK AUTOTRAGICS!!!!!!!!!!11!!!!!1!!!!one!!!!!!! DONT BUY ONE BUY A STICK!

Can that be the buying guide?

Yes.

theholycow wrote:That's an interesting link. It's got a couple problems, though...

In the past, most manuals offered about a 5 percent improvement in fuel economy, the byproduct of the direct-drive transmission. {...} While an automatic version of a car has a fuel economy advantage in the city, the manual version has the advantage on the highway.

My observation has been the opposite, and logically it adds up to the oppposite. Automatics have a taller highway gear, and on the highway they have "direct drive" too because their torque converters lock up.

Then they go on about driving style very correctly, even mentioning that automatics can coast to the traffic light in neutral just as well as manuals can but the drivers don't want to. Then it's this:

Cars with manual transmissions also offer better control when driving because they have a faster shift response, and allow the driver to access extra power by downshifting on inclines. {...} A manual transmission also lets you downshift to use the engine to slow the car down, though this is generally not recommended because it accelerates the amount of wear on the clutch.

Automatics can do those things just as well as manuals, and automatic drivers should do those things just as often as manual drivers. As for faster response, modern automatics are very jumpy; you barely touch the gas pedal and they downshift to 2nd faster than a manual driver can shove the clutch to the floor...the hard part is getting them to NOT downshift.

The article barely touches on the manual's true advantages in driving fun, direct control of fuel economy and power, and the details/importance of long term cost.

...And it has more inaccuracies... "Downshifting to use the engine to slow the car down" is a non-issue as far as clutch wear, IF you REV-MATCH.

+1 vote for watkins buying guide.

NECROTHREAD!!!

Because he +1'ed my buying guide, I will let this one slide