Automatic or standard transmission
- MaggieM
- Auto_Princess
- MaggieM
- Auto_Princess
- Car
- MaggieM
- MaggieM
- MaggieM
- Car
- grsmith
This archived discussion is "read only".
» MaggieM - Making a decision
Hello Jennifer - I just found your topic and it is great! I will be buying a brand new vehicle within a month or so, and have decided on what it will be - a Subaru Forester - but my husband and I are having a debate about the transmission type. My current car is a 16 year old VW Jetta - standard transmission, which I love to drive. My husband is a confirmed automatic man. I have test driven both the standard and automatic models. My husband says he feels that an automatic is "safer" - you don't have to concentrate so much on shifting etc and can pay more atention to your driving. On the other hand, I contend that you are more in control because you are doing more of the driving with a standard. What do others think? This will ultimately be my decision - I need my vehicle for work to some extent I work for a school district and visit many schools over the course of the year travelling up to an hour to some of our far flung sites, as well as in city and country closer to home base. Winter driving can be a concern in this neck of the woods, and I have always appreciated having a standard to help me get out of tough spots. The new car is all wheel drive with good road clearance which is a plus he says means the standard tranny is not as much of an issue. Ideas? Thoughts? I love driving a standard....-- posted by MaggieM
» Auto_Princess - Re: Making a decision
Maggie--There are pros and cons to both, but if you prefer the manual and feel most comfortable driving it, then you've already made your choice!
I, too, tried convincing my husband into getting a manual transmission for our new car. It's less expensive to buy, better on gas mileage, usually easier to repair. But he's a confirmed auto-tranny man. So, both the car and the truck are auto! (It's okay - I win the **important** disagreements!) ;-)
I wouldn't recommend manual transmissions for a new driver or for city / stop-and-go driving. But it's really just a matter of choice!
--Jennifer
-- posted by Auto_Princess
» MaggieM - Re: Re: Making a decision
Jennifer - thanks for your input. I think I /m at the point to decided if I want to push this or not. Maybe if I get the standard he'll be less likely to want to drive it? I don't think so, but he'll curse and fuss). If I get the automatic, maybe I'll have some leverage in future "dicussions". Don't tell him, I can live with the auto - I'll just have to learn to drive all over again!Now, I just need some advice on how to get the best deal when I buy this vehicle - I'm still in shock that its going to cost more than we paid for our house (which we still live in ) 25 years ago! But, I chose the Subaru so I could drive it til I'm 65. I'm still driving my 16 year old VW Jetta (sweet car) and I'll be at retirement age in a few years less than that!
Ideas on negotiating? I've got some time - about three weeks, I think, and have been talking to two dealerships. Prices are close.
-- posted by MaggieM
» Auto_Princess - Re: Re: Re: Making a decision
My two best tips are to negotiate up from invoice price, not down from retail and to negotiate the trade-in as a completely separate transaction. Find the invoice prices at Kelley's Blue Book. Agree to a price on your trade in or the new car before discussing the other. You might get an extra $1000 for your trade in that is just transferred to the new car price, meaning they sell to you for $18,000 a car they would have let go for $17,000.An excellent site with LOTS of information is Car Buying Tips. I haven't found a more comprehensive site out there, even if the author doesn't like Kelley's Blue Book as much as I do. :-)
You can also try Priceline's new car buying service. It is *binding*, but if you know exactly what you want, you might get a bargain this way. Several other online services are not binding, and you can make them all compete for your money. Check out the Links section to this topic for just a few of the ones out there. The Car Buying Tips site I mentioned above also recommends several of these services. Time is on your side so do your homework!
Let me know how it turns out!
--Jennifer
-- posted by Auto_Princess
» MaggieM - Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Making a decision
Car - find someone with patience and a standard transmission to help you learn. It's like a bike, once you do you never forget (you're just a bit rusty). Nothing compares, its more fun and it's more control. But it seems that "husbands" prefer automatics!-- posted by MaggieM
» MaggieM - Re: Re: Re: Re: Making a decision
Jennifer - thank you for the great links. I've bookmarked them for "cruising". I'm not in a big rush over this car, it will be mine, soon (husband is getting antsy - he wants it now!) My trade in is a 16 year old Jetta, standard, runs like a top (starting is a problem but it's just quirky recently and I have not got it looked after yet). It has a new speedometer, so we're not sure what the miles on it are. We admit this to everyone. "Alice" (car's name) has some years left (I think it's because its a standard tranny -I've never had to replace the clutch, just do the regular clean and tune ups - dealership done until the last five years, and now goes to a great mechanic, who farms it out to a VW guy for difficulties). New Car Dealership tells me $500 - I don't think so. Selling a used (old) car here in Ontatrio is a real pain. Must check those sites about used cars and how to get the best for your trade-in - anybody have a kid who loves cars, that would love Alice in her next life!(she was performance, beyond compare, and still is!
-- posted by MaggieM
» MaggieM - Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Making a decision
Well, the deed is done. Armed with all kinds of useful information and having done my homework, I headed out yesterday and put the old deposit down on the brand new Subarau. Did the negotiations myself with husband just sitting there, and got the deal I wanted (except for the standard transmission). Those links you gave me Jennifer were great!About the transmission - the deciding factor was not just my husband wanting the automatic. I am short (just about 5 feet tall) and recently there have been a couple of deaths from front seat airbags of small people - both low impact crashes, too. I have to pull most car seats way up to reach the pedals to drive, even more with a standard, so the automatic allows me to sit further back from the steering wheel. This is safer. Not that I expect to crash my new car, but I have a bit more peace of mind.
Thanks for your tips!
-- posted by MaggieM
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