Manual or Automatic?

I'm about to move on from my first car (RSX auto) to a CS. I have never driven a stick before, but will be practicing for a couple of months before I actually get the CS. I study in LA, notorious for its traffic, I don't drive tooo much, mostly for events and commuting to school etc. So I was wondering should I get a tip or a manual? Is the manual that much more fun the the tip to justify slugging through the LA traffic? Also would a manual CS be difficult for a new stick driver like me to semi-master? First post in this forum, thanks in advance.:cheers:

i know how you feel. i live in LA aswell and i bought this car as a stick before my dad taught me how to drive it.(about 3 months ago) at first it is really hard to learn bc the clutch is very sensitive and it is diffrent on all cars. if you are into cars a lot then a stick should be fine. there is a lot of traffic it is annoying and you will complain about it in traffic, but you would do the same thing about hitting the gas and the brake all day. tip is boring, no point, you push a butten and it does everything for you. no fun at all!

Easy answer..... if you are a guy....manual tranny (might as well get a station wagon if you're gonna get a tip) If you're a chick....auto (you don't need anything else distracting you when you're putting on your make-up/talking on the phone/ and doing whatever it is you all do when you caused all 4 of 4 accidents that I've ever been involved in)

I had my doubts about getting a manual, but now that I have it I LOVE IT! More fun than I can say. Russ

If one has to commute in LA traffic daily then the manual could get to be a pain in the tail. The choice is not gender specific (although it may be mature specific given what you will hear or read....). The manual CS is easy to drive but your intended use is more important than some pre-defined macho type definition. Manuals will not exist in a few years on new cars anyway since the computer controlled alternatives will eventually be so much quicker and better.

Grow up. This kind of immature, sexist stereotyping is out of line here. PS I know several female drivers who could blow your doors off anyday & at any road track. Indeed, they'd whip you driving a station wagon.

I'm with STLPCA; this kind of nonsense doesn't serve anyone well.

Sorry if I ruffled any feathers....BUT the man asked for our opinions. So....I gave him MY opinion. I'm not asking you or anyone else to believe in what I say or to spread my word. So please.....get your panties unknotted and have a nice day P.S. On a side note...I'm guessing you all bought tips?

c. snake, why dont you start a poll on what trany you should get, may help

Trex, nope I have a manual and I'm guessing you have some maturity issues based on your last comment which wasn't about opinions but directed at slighting those whose opinion might differ from yours. And making a personal decision on anything based on a poll would be a sign of....well I cannot think of anything that weak.

You sure the Cayman's the car you want if it's going to spend most of its time slugging through traffic?

relax everyone Hey everyone, lets just chill a bit. Part of the problem with the written posts are that we can't judge tone, mood, ect. So when a guys makes a "partly seriously mostly joking post" we can't really tell. He's said he was sorry, let's move on. Buy a manual; it's more fun and I think you'll do better on resale (or at least have a bigger market to sell to).

Cecisnake. I have driven the automatic with sport mode on and it is fun to drive. Not as much fun as the 6 speed but close.

1) A poll would undoubtedly show that most people prefer manual. It'd probably be 3 to 1. Thus, doing so is likely a waste of time. Also, I believe there's likely been a poll like this a couple of times already 2) TresX...you could have made your "opinion" known without resorting to suggesting that men should drive manuals and women automatics. That's more opinion than was needed.

Wrong. 6 speed factory sport shifter. For me, shifting gears is part of the fun of a sports car, although I'm rarely in heavy LA/NYC type traffic. If you get a stick, definitely get the sport (short throw) shifter. P.S. On a side note ... apology accepted, TresX. BTW, I haven't worn panties since sending my dress to the dry cleaner.

Manual w/ short shifter for me I looked at it this way, its a Porsche, its a sports car, I dont have kids right now, its a Porsche sports car. If not now, then possibly never or too late? Now was better Plus its practice for the manual Enzo I plan on gettin

Ok do not make me step in here with the big stick and close this thread, let's get back on-topic about stick vs. auto vs. SMG vs. whatever and away from the stereotyping nonsense, name calling and tree hugging. If you want to debate those issues take it to email or PM. Thanks in advance for your understanding and compliance.

A tiptronic would provide better practice, since the Enzo has SMG w/ paddle shifters.

Ceci, If you will not regularly commute in the car, and only use it every now and then, and thus the grind of traffic will not be an every day thing, then the advantage of a tiptronic is minimal. I can (kind of) see going for a tip if you have to deal with stop and go on a day to day basis, but you do not seem to be in that situation. IMHO, unless money is absolutely no issue, what makes a car like a Cayman arguably worth its high price tag is the artfully engineered engagement between you and the car, and that interaction is more fully experienced with a manual. Tip dulls it somewhat, and is there for those who have to deal with real-world driving dynamics (like endless traffic) that would kill the pleasure of a manual. But that does not seem to be the case for you.

smg- doint get it paddle shifting- performance, in order to get the quickest shifts possible.(faster then any human) stick shift- old schoolers that like throwing the stick into gear and controlling the car auto- someone who doesnt care much about cars, doesnt have the time, or need the extra speed.(daily driver) my opinion!

What does an auto or manual transmission have to do with "extra speed"? If anything that would be a function of the engine's power and torque rather than the type of transmission. Personally I find it pretty shameful that people have to ridicule and make fun of others' choice of transmission, especially on a forum like this one. It's also quite sad to see what kind of preconceptions these people have about people who drive an auto tranny - they automatically assume it's "someone who doesn't care about cars", etc. I bet you've all got similar preconceived notions about African-Americans, Jews, homosexuals, Asians, and Hispanics, right? I thought so. But then, it's "just your opinion", so that makes it OK. Whatever.

interpol i see the point you are trying to make but i think its a little extream, we all make comments about something that will affend someone. the 0-60 on most cars are faster being a manual rather then automatic but porsche seems to disagree. the whole point of my post was to what i belive about the topic even though i do not no much about cars. i see this topic is getting a little to personal so i will back off

I don't disagree about most manuals being faster from 0-60 than their automatic counterparts, but to be quite honest the difference between the two is usually less than 1 SECOND. Why anyone NEEDS that insignificant difference in "extra speed" is beyond me. Personal? I'm not taking any of this personally. I'm just making an observation of some of the posters in this thread and have come to the conclusion that their views over something as stupid as auto vs. manual are an indication that they're more ignorant than they realize. I'm not taking any of this personally because I've owned both auto and manual tranny cars. I'm just open-minded enough to realize that BOTH have advantages and disadvantages, and I certainly don't think any less of someone just because they happen to choose an auto over a manual. TRUE car enthusiasts don't care what other enthusiasts drive, and they certainly don't denigrate others for choosing differently.

stick vs manuel tranny I have lived in LA for 26 years and have driven both sticks and autos. the "s" I have now is the first stick in 5 years. In traffic, the stick can be a bit of a pain but after all it is a sports car. According to Porsche some of the new 911 varriants shift faster with the tip. I would go with the stick, the light wieght flywheel make the whole experience quite enjoyable.

And everyday I learn beneficial new information from this forum.

+1 :cheers:

Hmm...and people wonder why 911 owners bash Cayman when 911 and Cayman are both true Porsche sports cars. Here we have the same car with different trannys...*shrug*

Thanks for all the help guys! Very informative and helpful. I've decided to go with the manual. I won't be getting it though until may (can't wait...), so after the tranny is set, I'm off to decide on the options, ah decisions decisions....not to mention what color I want, blk,basalt blk or carrera white, gah too many things to decide, but I do have plenty of time

Actually the only one that can answer your question is you, and the answer will depend upon your temperment. Of the fifteen or so cars that I've owned in my life, only one of them had an auto tranny, but I live and work in the country. So you know my preferance, but over the holidays I travelled to the city on several occassions to attend parties and got caught in many stop and go driving situations which seemed to last forever. Despite my love of manuals, there's no way in hell that I'd have a manual if I had to drive in that kind of traffic on a regular basis. My wife on the other hand does commute to the city on a daily basis and she goes out of her way to buy a manual. My wife has the temperment for that kind of driving with a manual, but I don't. Hitting the clutch and shifting gears every five seconds for an hour + each day is not my idea of a pleasurable driving experience.

I solve that prob. by using my auto-equipped Avalanche for most daily driving activities, so I can save the Cayman S for mostly fun drives. Still, I won't be able to resist commuting in the CS once or twice a week, even if it means my left leg will get an extra workout.

Here's my $.02. If I was a single leg amputee, I would get a tiptronic. Otherwise I would get a stick. BUT, if I was going to be in LA stop-n-go commute traffic, I wouldn't use my Porsche. Porsches are made to be driven, not idling for long periods. Even the owner's manual advises against warming up the car just sitting. As to learning how to drive a stick. I would strongly recommend purchasing a VW Rabbit or old Beetle, You can get a fairly nice one for about $2K. They are very forgiving and easy to learn in. The VW Beetles were used for driver's ed when I attended high school in Norwalk. If you chose to learn in an automatic (smaller waiting list), you were placed in an Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser wagon. (I think those were the first official SUVs - haha). The after a week or two of putting around mastering shifting, you can donate the car to a charity, get some cash back from the tax guys, and feel good about yourself ...

I've taken some heat for getting the 7-speed automatic in my SLK 350, but I use it to commute to work. I've never been crazy about clutchless manuals such as Tiptronic or the paddle shifters in newer Ferraris. To each his own. I would not have an automatic in any Porsche, and I have to shake my head when companies like Ferrari extol the breathtakingly fast shifts in their "automatics." We're not F1 drivers. Those who don't know how to properly use a clutch buy the so-called automatics. I don't fault them one bit, but think it is disingenuous to say that they sell because people value lightning-fast shifts above all else. No one's shifts are being timed on the street. For me, letting the clutch out on my own terms is what it's all about. We can all still be friends though, can't we? 987f

I really love threads about manual vs. automatic. Here is my situation: My wife cant drive stick and I cant drive automatic. She tells me that doesnt make sense to which I reply that she doesnt make sense. She then tells me I cant have a grown up conversation to which I tell her I agree. I then go for a drive in "our" porsche that she cant drive

Did you mean that you wouldn't use your Porsche?

I would say it's a little bit more than just the 'lightning-fast shifts', although I myself am looking forward to the PDK transmission for exactly that reason. You also never have to worry about mis-shifting, missing a gate, rev-matching, heel-toeing, or accidentally shifting from 5th to 2nd at 70mph. Also, if I'm in stop-and-go traffic, I can just put the car in auto mode and not have to worry about shifting whenever I feel like it. Ultimately all these conveniences add up to one thing: better driving performance - both from the improved raw performance of the engine/transmission as well as the driver having one less thing to worry about and being able to focus more on driving the car well. I'll take that any day over the warm fuzzies I get in my stomach while rowing gears. I realize a lot of manual tranny fans like the 'fun factor' of a manual. That's fine, but what's fun for one isn't necessarily fun for another. However, superior performance is something no one can deny.