[joecamaro53]

A while back there was a poll about age of buyers. Well, I just turned 62, and have planned my retirement for 64 (I work in manufacturing, and the work is physically stressful). My wife would like for me to work longer until she can retire at 62, but considering our six-year age difference, I have made it abundantly clear that will not happen, and she has very reluctantly accepted it. Last week, I offered to work one more year if she will let me get a "retirement" car now.

Since I'm on this site, you can figure out what I want. Nothing with an "H" on the grill, no Japanese wearing sombreros, sure as hell no blue ovals. I learned to drive on a Chevy -- '56 210 w/ three-on-the-tree -- my first four cars had bow-ties, next was a Buick Regal Turbo, my last Chevy was a '94 Caprice LT1 I drove for 17 years (my older daughter had to drive it to school one day and quickly figured out why I liked driving it so much; I know because her sister ratted her out).

She starts asking pointed questions: "what kind of gas mileage?" -- 15-16, same or better than Caprice, "well, that's a gas-guzzler", her Civic gets 25, my Accord V6 gets 21; "how much is insurance?" -- slightly higher than Accord, a lot lower than your Civic (I've already checked); and then the potential deal-breaker: "it is an automatic?". She flat refuses to learn to drive a stick, though several of her female friends and coworkers drive manuals, and I have offered some of them money to teach her the fine art of manual gear-changing.

I'm leaning toward the turbo 4, simply because there's no place to safely / legally open up the V8 around here except interstate entrance ramps. I firmly believe that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. And this will probably be the last car I buy for myself as a daily driver. Her next car will likely be a CUV to haul (future) grandkids around in.

And don't give me any crap about who wears the pants in the family. We've been married 29 years, and transmission choice isn't going to get between us.

I will get the RS and Y4Q cooling/brake package, and if a higher-output upgrade is offered later, like was available for the turbo Cobalt SS, that will be added. The order guide isn't clear if the G80 limited-slip differential can be ordered separately, since it is included with manuals, so that might have to bought and installed.

So here's my dilemma: would I enjoy driving the automatic? Can the lever be moved to one side and pushed/pulled to effect gear changes, or do I have to do the flappy-paddle thingies? I drove a Gen 5 with a manual, so I don't know how the auto is set up.

Thanks for your input.

JoeCamaro53

[Dreng]

The 8 speed automatic is actually a lot of fun to drive. I highly recommend finding a car that offers it and test drive the two. As far as fuel and performance between a stick and 8 speed auto they re so close now that the auto actually outperforms the stick in some cases.

[xgnxs]

Whether or not you'll enjoy driving an automatic is up to you, of course. You can either use the paddles or push the shifter up and down, I believe.



You can see the little +/- in this picture.

[bhavyas]

If you are used to driving a manual and plan on getting a automatic... I would recommend you rent out the 5th gen for a weekend and give it a shot... I was used to driving manuals back home and driving the automatic with that +/- was difficult.. one..because all your upshifts are up and instinctively I would pull the lever down only to find myself downshifting and ruining the car... maybe ull get used to it...but I found it too cumbersome to keep telling my mind what to do while I was driving...

Paddle shifts are easier to use comparatively.. it takes a little time to get used to it..but i found it better than the gimmicky stick.. btw I still struggle with the paddle shifts.. only because downshifts are slow on those... and on many occasions I have found myself downshifting more than required... hence I am still planning to go for manuals

[fradaj]

Some will disagree but I think the new automatics with the manual mode are just as good as a stick, with the auto you also get 8 speeds. I prefer the up and down auto stick over the paddles but I have learned to like the paddles on the Camaro I currently drive, I have a Hurst shift kit on a 2010.

[kal]

Not related to your auto vs stick question per se, but shouldn't the t4 get better than 15-16mpg? One less argument against the camaro

[SuperSound]

Originally Posted by kal

Not related to your auto vs stick question per se, but shouldn't the t4 get better than 15-16mpg? One less argument against the camaro

LT1 will get that even dogging it. Look for combined MPG in the 24-26 range. Highway will be 32+ I'm betting.

[joecamaro53]

To "kal" and "SuperSound", I was giving city mileage because that's where I drive 95% of the time. Also, I was initially looking at close-out Gen 5 1SS's, thus the figures I tossed out to the wife.

To "byhavyas", the only manual car I owned was my first non-GM, a 1984 Honda Civic S hatchback. Of course, my motorcycles were "stick-shifts". I frequently push that imaginary clutch pedal and flick the shifter in my Accord. It even has the ship-shift feature -- you can't manually select fourth, the lever goes from D3 to D, which allows fifth gear.

Now, I do drive a manual occasionally: check out a Civic Si when my wife's car needs service, I drove a Cobalt SS before I left the Chevy dealership's parts counter one day. Most recently, I drove a used '12 Camaro SS. I asked the salesman if he know where such-and-such road was, because I wanted to know how the Camaro rode with its 20" no-profile tires on a road I drive daily going to work. My Accord with its 17"OEM wheels rides awful (a friend bought a similar Accord V6 for his son with same wheels and he too griped about the rough ride), and I was pleasantly surprised how well the Camaro rode. The salesman was disappointed because I didn't get on the throttle.

I will test-drive the car, maybe even rent one for a few days, before I commit money. Perhaps I should test a Cadillac ATS turbo w/ auto to see how it drives. I realize it's difficult for anyone to have a feel for a vehicle that isn't out yet.

joecamaro53

[Sledgehammer70]

Originally Posted by joecamaro53

I will test-drive the car, maybe even rent one for a few days, before I commit money. Perhaps I should test a Cadillac ATS turbo w/ auto to see how it drives. I realize it's difficult for anyone to have a feel for a vehicle that isn't out yet.

joecamaro53

That is a really really good idea.

[DenverTaco07]

If your work was physically demanding, how much wear and tear do you have and or want to add to your left leg / knee on a manual.

Go with the auto IMO.

Have fun whatever you decide.