The only thing I can agree with is the heavy traffic issue. Personally,
95Kmi. is the very least I have ever gotten out of any clutch (and this was
on a truck). The best was 155Kmi (this was a car). Granted, this all
depends how you drive them. Actually, it depends on how much you slip them.
I was forced to have my auto tranny rebuilt at around 110-115Kmi., and it
cost me 6-8 times as much as any clutch job ever would.
I may not get an additional $600 dollars when I sell a stick, but I didn't
pay $1500 more for it either. But then I don't trade in vehicles, I drive
them into the ground. Commuting vehicles are all a waste of money, no
matter what they are. I know of no quicker way to effectively waste umpteen
thousands of dollars.
There's my .03 cents. :'B
Rich - Ashburn, VA
-----Original Message-----
From: Shaun.Hendricks@bergenbrunswig.com
[mailto:Shaun.Hendricks@bergenbrunswig.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 1999 7:00 PM
To: dakota-truck@buffnet.net
Subject: DML: Auto vs. Stick (Holy War)
Ah, this is such a fun subject. Having driven both kinds of tranny's for
daily drivers, I would buy an Auto over a manual any day of the week in
Southern California with one exeception: having a turbo charger on the
vehicle. Traffic SUCKS with a stick shift. By the end of your drive you
are
dead, your leg is dead, your arm is dead, and your clutch is screaming "Help
ME!!!". In the past, sticks ruled the towing world, now it's autos. Most
new
big rigs use autos now, and towing with a stick shift really sucks at times.
So here's my winner comparison:
Effiency of Power Transfer: Manual
Ease of Use: Auto
Reliability: Toss Up
Less Cost over 200Kmi (no breakage): Auto
Less Cost over 200Kmi (service costs): Toss Up
Less Cost over 200Kmi (entire vehicle considered): Auto
Less initial Cost: Manual
Higher Resale Value: Auto
Distance Driving: Auto
The whole point it, Automatics don't require you to baby sit them. You
can't make a mistake in a shift and blow your engine or tranny all over the
pavement. You can with a stick. When an auto runs out of life, you buy a
re-build kit and it's immediately re-born. With a stick you have to
re-purchase the whole damn thing cause even the case gets worn out by the
gears. You can own an auto and never do anything to it execept change the
oil. I guarantee a stick will need a $500 clutch job every 50K miles unless
you baby the heck out of it and you can get 70K. To be honest, the costs
are
about the same for the tranny itself over their lives, but the real damage
is
what they do to the truck. Autos are softer and easier on the drivetrain
components than the sticks are. When you stick folks are slamming it
through
the gears you're killing your engine, differential, driveshaft, axles,
tires,
frame, interior components... etc... etc...
Essentially, Autos are easier on the driver, the vehicle, and in the end,
your wallet. In So. Cal. an auto is worth about $600 more in resale value
compared to a stick. That's really what you paid for it in the first place
so
you don't lose anything overall.
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