Reasons for Manual

[Terryble]

Originally Posted by Squillo

If it's your money get what you want?

If hes 15, im pretty sure the car is going to b have to be in his name regardless of who forks over the cash. If hes financing it, then for sure it will be that way. So that throws that argument out the window for 99% of people. Even if he was 18 and his dad was cosigning.

[beany323]

i would ask your dad, if it was your car what would you get?

if he says automatic, say thats so mom can drive.

i find i have better control downshifting and on hills letting the gears slow it down along with breaking. (that and it does sound cool.. (v8))

[anti-ricer]

Originally Posted by Squillo

If it's your money get what you want?

I'm 15 so my dad has to approve what I do. His name will also be on the title.

[anti-ricer]

Originally Posted by Terryble

If hes 15, im pretty sure the car is going to b have to be in his name regardless of who forks over the cash. If hes financing it, then for sure it will be that way. So that throws that argument out the window for 99% of people. Even if he was 18 and his dad was cosigning.

I have saved enough to pay in full but the car will be in his name.

[Terryble]

Originally Posted by anti-ricer

I have saved enough to pay in full but the car will be in his name.

I had a feeling you were going to say this, but I just wanted to cover the bases since you didnt specify. I also hate you for being over 10 years youger than me and being apparently better with money than me .


Edit to fix errors... I hate typing on my phone woth crack from three different drops, one of which happened last noght and was on the corn of the desk, so the inital shatter is right in the middle....

[anti-ricer]

Originally Posted by Terryble

I had a feeling you were going to say this, but I just wanted to cover the bases since you didnt specify. I also hate you for being over 10 years youger than me and being apparently better with money than me .


Edit to fix errors... I hate typing on my phone woth crack from three different drops, one of which happened last noght and was on the corn of the desk, so the inital shatter is right in the middle....

Glad I started working for my own stuff. I'm able to buy the things I want with my own money, it just feels better and more rewarding. I'm also glad I realized I wasn't going to have a new car handed to me when I turn 16 and I have saved my hard earned money and will be able to buy the car I want with my own coin. I'm sure I'll baby it!

[BlaqWhole]

These days there is virtually no significant difference in gas mileage between a manual and auto. If anything, the auto would probably have better gas mileage. In stock configuration with no mods, the manual is about 1 tenth of a second faster than an auto...which isn't gonna make it a race car more than the auto. The manual may be cheaper...I dont know.

Personal reasons for me...manual is more fun and it seems to impress people more. But as far as the track, I'd rather have an auto for better launching and more consistent times. In heavy traffic, an auto is obviously easier to drive. In the V8 Camaro, the manual equipped car has more power and torque than the auto equipped cars. So really, there are enough good and bad reasons with both to make it a stalemate. It all comes down to what an individual prefers. If you really want a manual then you have to talk with your father...but if his mind is set, then nothing you say is going to change his mind. And definitely nobody here is gonna be able to convince him. Since you are 15 and this will be your first car, I would recommend you get an auto. And for that matter, I wouldn't recommend you get an SS for your first vehicle. You have a LOT to learn and driving is dangerous without a 400 hp car even if it is an auto...much less a 426 hp manual car. I doubt an SS is a good choice for you.

[90503]

Originally Posted by anti-ricer

Hey guys, first off sorry if this is in the wrong section. Anyways, when I purchase my first car (most likely Camaro) this winter I would like to get manual transmission over an auto. I have one problem though, my dad doesn't want me to because he says my car will be a "race car" if I get a manual. I have not driven a manual before but I'm sure I would learn fast if I did get a manual. (My dad knows how to drive manual well so he would teach me.) Anyways, I thought of a few reasons to let me get a manual over auto, if you have anymore please let me know. I will be buying the car BTW.

1) A manual transmission is cheaper than auto.
2) A manual requires more concentration while driving.
3) A manual can get better gas mileage than an auto.
4) In regards to my dad saying the manual is a "race car", manual is actually slower than the automatic most of the time. (I won't speed or race so I'd rather have a car I'd get the most fun out of, I think that would be a manual.)

...lol...You guys are falling for this one hook, line, and sinker...lol...

[snaphappy]

My LS3 was the first manual I ever drove. Got it about 13 months ago. Everyone is going to tell you about how awesome driving a manual is. But let me add this caveat. It won't be awesome at first.

Learning to drive this car was very challenging for me. It was an immense source of stress. You want to baby it, take care of it. And you can't. You're stalling it every time you get nervous, or when you're on a hill. You're going to burn the clutch constantly. And when I say burn, I mean burn, it's an awful smell. And it sticks around for a few minutes. It's your baby's way of asking "why are you hurting me?" Those are truly awful memories for me, especially because I'm OCD and I take perfect care of everything. You're going to mess up a lot. You just have to suck it up and keep trying.

This clutch is not easy. Anyone who's driven a modern clutch on a Honda, Toyota, they'll tell you first hand that this clutch is not easy to manage. It's a racing clutch IMO. Meaning it's not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to kick ass. It's not for babies and it's not going to make your life easy. Good news is, this thing is bulletproof in so many ways. So it will take the blows, as tragic as they are.

I'm just going to say this again, hills are so hard at first. Imagine you're at a stop light, the guy behind you is driving a real beater, and he pulls up right on your bumper. You know if you roll back too far, bam, you'll hit him. It's just stuff like that will freak you out. The truth is, you won't roll back enough to hit him, haha. And once you're good with the clutch you won't roll back at all. But that is a situation where you're going to burn the clutch until you know what you're doing.

But here's the best part. The LS3 engine in this car descended from heaven, it's a gift from Jesus, HE designed it I promise. The exhaust note is beautiful. The power and torque are incompressible. AND you can only get the LS3 with a manual shift. So don't deprive yourself and skip the LS3. Get it. Just get it. You'll be driving an actual piece of automotive history. It's remarkable.

Next. When you get good with your clutch, wow. I don't even know how to describe it. I will never buy an automatic again. Automatics have no soul. The LS3 has so much soul and the bond you develop with this car as you shift, and coach it, it's like a relationship with a real person.

So here's some technical stuff. Some advice. First get the LS3. Ha! Next. The clutch goes all the way to the floor, but I don't know why. I'm not a pro driver, maybe there's a reason. But listen, to operate this car the clutch doesn't need to go anywhere near the floor. You can push it down there if you want, maybe to manage your tension. But the shift point is up high. That's good to know. Next. Take off is different when the engine's cold, take off changes with the weather, even changes with the AC on. For example, I start it up cold in my garage, back it out, put it in first, the AC is on, and the Camaro wants more gas pedal than usual. Why? It's cold and the AC is on. When you don't know that you might stall. Not a big deal. Just something to know. Next. You don't have to shift 1-2-3-4-5-6. I shift 1-3-5 pretty often. Second gear has mind boggling power, so I skip second gear in thick traffic. You can see the MPH in the windshield (I hope you know that ) and you can go into third at 16MPH or so. Letting out the clutch from a dead stop pretty much takes you right to 16MPH. So you can go into third no problem there. Third will go all the way to like 120MPH or something like that. But you can go into fourth around 26-30, and fifth around 34 if you want. It just has that much torque. Just trying to give you some real life info here.

Someone might skip everything I said, so I wanted to add this rebuttal last. The automatic is a fraction quicker 0-60 than the LS3, a fraction. But in the 1/4 the LS3 with the manual beats the automatic. Look it up. I'm 99.9% sure about this.

Edit: be thankful it's 2013. You're paying for this yourself right? Well in 1993 a car with similar specs would have cost you a LOT more. A LOT more. The LS3 has 426hp, 420lbs of torque, does 0-60 in 4.7. That was Viper power in 1993, you know, supercar territory. So don't skip out on that LS3 Carpe Diem

[SS785]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

These days there is virtually no significant difference in gas mileage between a manual and auto. If anything, the auto would probably have better gas mileage. In stock configuration with no mods, the manual is about 1 tenth of a second faster than an auto...which isn't gonna make it a race car more than the auto. The manual may be cheaper...I dont know.

Personal reasons for me...manual is more fun and it seems to impress people more. But as far as the track, I'd rather have an auto for better launching and more consistent times. In heavy traffic, an auto is obviously easier to drive. In the V8 Camaro, the manual equipped car has more power and torque than the auto equipped cars. So really, there are enough good and bad reasons with both to make it a stalemate. It all comes down to what an individual prefers. If you really want a manual then you have to talk with your father...but if his mind is set, then nothing you say is going to change his mind. And definitely nobody here is gonna be able to convince him. Since you are 15 and this will be your first car, I would recommend you get an auto. And for that matter, I wouldn't recommend you get an SS for your first vehicle. You have a LOT to learn and driving is dangerous without a 400 hp car even if it is an auto...much less a 426 hp manual car. I doubt an SS is a good choice for you.

Agreed. As "cool" as it may be, I wouldn't get an SS as your first car. It's a lot of power and you don't have much driving experience. However, If you are stuck on the idea, at the very least, get the auto.

[2012-1822]

These days you get a manual because you like rowing through gears. And if you don't you get an auto. Used to be you get a manual because it would handle the power better. But technology has about caught up so these autos do fine.

So its just preference now, and price.

[snaphappy]

A couple more things to consider. 5 star crash rating, air bags in the doors, you know? The heads up display - also a great safety feature. You can see the radio station, the name of songs playing from bluetooth, you can see turnbyturn directions right in the windshield through On Star. So the heads up display is a great safety feature. No need to take your eyes off the road. I think they should be required on ever car! On Star is great too. They know when you've been in a wreck and they'll notify an ambulance immediately. They'll also shut the car down if you're in a wreck, pretty incredible. Your parents can also use Family Link to enforce speed limitations on you, they can see where you are, and get text messages if you drive too fast, or drive out of a designated area. You can also set a speed warning on the car itself, to warn you if you go too fast. But be sure to look up Family Link, it's like $3 a month. Don't forget it also has a backup camera, so you wont hit anything backing out. It's a safe car. It weighs 3900lbs. It's going to handle impact well. It's not gonna get tossed around by impact with a Camry, you know?

Also you said you're paying cash right? Well this car has great resale value, I mean really good. I would buy one that was slightly used, just my opinion.

Finally, I wish I had researched color, stripes, mods, more than I did BEFORE I bought the car. So look around the forums quite a bit, find a look you love. That will help you know what color to go with

[anti-ricer]

Thanks for all the input!

[plus1zero]

Well, FWIW if I were buying a brand new one myself, it'd be a tough choice. If it was my DD, I'd get an auto just because driving a manual in constant stop n go would get old. If it was my toy, I'd DEFINITELY get an LS3.

You do know about the TAPshift right?