Motors Right, I am gonna start an arguement

I have a Honda Civic 1.6 VTEC, and I have the chance of getting a very tidy 1986 Toyota Supra, but (and it's a big but) it's an automatic, I have never been very fond of autos, I don't really know why, but I think it's mainly the lack of effort the left hand side of my body will do. Also there doesn't seem to be much engine braking with autos, and the lack of control of the gears.

What I would like you to do (the forum browsing public) is to enlighten me as to whether autos are any good or if it's worth sticking with manual cars.

I await your replies!

 

i would go on about great modern auto cars, but your talking a 1986 car.
no idea how they compare

 

**** autos. Manual/standard is the only way to drive a car.

 

Agreed - And I don't even drive.
Nice choice of car though

 

wasn't one of the later model supra's quicker with a auto box?

 

I don't like driving autos, I don't like the way you can't get the gear you want when you want it, then theres the fact that changing gear is fun, can't beat a sweet change up when giving it some!

 

ya id def keep the civic

 

Just out of curiousity, I'm assuming its a Civic EK?

 

Go manual. That was the best thing about my Tiburon. If that thing had an auto it would be a weak bastage. But the manual makes the car really fun to drive. I enjoy switching gears and fiddling with them the whole time I drive. Like when cruising, downshifting and flooring it as you drop it into gear and flying past that country boy in his ford pickup.

- serial_

 

is the civic u have manual? (i thought it was the first time i read, but i cant find it anymore lol)

man it was funny, theres a bunch of hicks at my school, and all there trucks have big "REDNECK" stickers on the windshield, it was funny cuz one of them was cruising along in his rust bucket bumping some rap lol

 

Its fun only untill you drop a gear (remember its a tiburon and those dont exactly have the best trannys). Then you will kick yourself. Sounds like your beating on that thing. My godfathers GF used to beat on her m3 like that untill she had to have the second and 3rd gear changed....Pitty too the car only had 65k miles. She sold it and got a z4.

@ the rest of you guys, autos are not that bad as long as its not a 3speed auto. The van I drive has a 4speed auto (4gear actual automatic gears) and tell you what, off the line the front end nearly takes off when hiting about 1/2 way gass. But the down side with autos is they shift eradicaly in the higher speeds due to the lack of gears so insted of engine breacking it will disconect engine let it rev down and shift the trany down. You get worse fuel economy with an auto and its slower in aceling at the higher speeds (usualy 65mph+) but if the auto has a good tourque converter it will slam you in the seat off the line. It could be a give and take.

PS the supra has plenty of tourque so go take a spin in it and see how it stacks up to that civic. I can almost gurantee its more fun as it will acel quicker and you will feel the power from the tip of your toe to your neck if you do it rite

FYI vtech=variable valve timing. Nothing new so stop making it sound special.

 

vtech sounds so cool though

 

If your buying a Supra to pose in then it dosent matter

If your buying it to attuly drive then i dont know why you have to ask such a simple question!

 

Well you can do engine braking with an auto to some extent, assuming it has more than just "drive". My parents both have autos and as I don't have my own car (which I fully intend to be a manual, but in reality it's whatever ends up being the cheapest thing I can find) I drive theirs.

Anyways, our Accord has P R N D4 D3 2 1. P R N obvious enough, D4 is it'll automatically do first, second, third or fourth, D3 is same as D4 but limted to third, 2 and 1 are forced into that gear (ie, 2 is ONLY second, not first or second which would be "D2"). Point being that you can engine brake if you want to (though my dad's 05 civic doesn't have a selectable first gear for some bizarre reason, but it's not as if there's no brake pedal)... we were even advised to do so in driver's ed. As for some lack of control of the gears, that's basically the point of getting an auto, "set it and forget it" (yay for infomercials!) if you will.

Of course just drive an American car for a while and get used to not having the left side of your body do anything

They're fine if you're lazy or (like my mom) just suck at driving, but unless you have a decent reason to get the Supra I'd stick with the manual civic.

 

Asuming I were to shift like a jackass. That's actually standard manuever. Even an auto tranny does that. You downshift to put the car into the power band, taking it out of the 2300rpm cruise you're in and dropping it into around 3200-3500rpm so that you can now accelerate very rapidly. The Tiburon was geared for acceleration and to be driven as such. If you don't believe me go test drive one and try starting off the line like you would in any other car and the thing will bog down and act like it's going to die. Give it a little more gas as you release the clutch and it will say thank you much and take off.

I'm not rough on my tranny, as I smooth shift and/or double clutch a lot of the time.

On a final note, I'd just like to point out that your tranny-trashing friend was, in fact, a woman.

- serial_

 

I thought that VTEC was unique in the way that it variates the valve?

 

oh and modern autos actually have better fuel consumption than manuals jaguarking11.

 

There were two variants designed by Lotus for Rover and Honda AFAIK, and the Honda version was deemed as being far superior. Although Variable Valve Timing is nothing new, the VTEC Honda implementation is the one that absolutely kicks ass. Not to be mistaken with the VTEC-E, which is the fuel economy version that actually closes the vales to save fuel. For those who don't know, the VTEC system opens the valves that little more as the engine hits approx 5000 revs, the upside is massive amount of torque, the downside is you have to be fecking quick to upchange before redlining, my 1.8 VTEC used to shoot from 5500 to 8300 revs in a split second, kicking you in the back in the process. The other advantage is no Turbo, so no lag. If you havent tried it, I suggest you test drive a VTEC car, and if you get a chance try an Integra type-R if you can find one.

As for the OPs question, stick with manual. I drove an auto for a while and it turned me lazy.

 

The advantage of the supra despite the slushbox its also rear wheel drive so can be a mite more "interesting" to drive in the wet than the fwd honda, that said if its the 2.8 straight six the fuel consumption can be a bit of a killer if you lean on the loud pedal enthusiastically

oh how i long for a quick rwd car again , nothing quite beats hooning it around a nice set of bends getting a bit of sideways action going

 

I thought the Old supra only came with V6's?