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Originally Posted by f5fstop
That's right, manuals never break; clutches don't wear, pressure plates don't break. (If you believe that, I have some ocean front property right outside Moab for sale.  ) |
I never say never, BUUUUTTT, if you know how to drive a manual, which sadly most people don't, you have a lot more control over clutch wear than you do with an automatic. The only clutch slip you should have with a manual is on startup, and if you let the RPM drop below idle, even that is just about negligible. Automatic? Clutches are slipping on every shift, as well as, on torque converter lockup. Pulling a trailer? That tears up the automatic's clutches on every shift. Again, the manual will only see the clutch wear once per startup. The synchros don't wear any differently at zero throttle or full throttle.
I've had 10 cars with manuals, and only one failure, a throw-out bearing due my not checking the clutch pedal freeplay. Clutch was still good at over 100,000 miles. On the other hand, I've had two cars with automatics, and both started slipping before 80,000 miles, and they were driven gently because I didn't want transmission problems.
Aamco didn't make a business on manual transmissions.
Don't take my word for it, though. Take a look at any of the forums. Even corrected for sales penetration, there are always many more problems with automatics: slipping, jerking, not shifting properly, not going into gear, noises, burned fluid, etc.
I'll stick to my nice simple manual transmission, where I control the wear and tear.
Dave, for you, I'd stick with the automatic. It's tough to drive with a beer in one hand with a manual.
Michael