Automatic vs. Manual Transmission

[GeorgiaGirl]

get one of each and stop worring

Jim, one of each would be my dream. Maybe I'll win the lottery soon!

Lisha

[djape1977]

however, 50% of women never master a manual shifter

In your opinion, how hard do you think it would be to learn on an older Fiat? Guess we could keep an extra clutch around, just in case.

it's a seasy as it gets. fiat manual gearbox is very precise and smooth. it doesn't take any force at all to change gears and you'll never be in doubt which gear you have scored as in many other old cars.
no need to keep a spare clutch set just in case, it's unlikely that you'll manage to destroy it, but maybe a gearbox wouldn't be such a bad idea .
my girlfriend managed to destroy a reverse gear in my fiat 131 when she was learning to drive.

first try driving any car with manual tranny. if you can, get a spider with manual. 10x more fun than auto and much faster.
however, 50% of women never master a manual shifter

and yes, auto box on a two seater... i'd shoot the person who first tought of it.

Your stat is not only sexist, it is inaccurate. Score 1 for ignorance

i don't really care if it's politically correct or not and i'm not trying to be a sexist, i'm just stating a fact of life. i personaly know many women who just simply couldn't master a stickshift and very few men.

[djape1977]

and make shure to bring along someone who knows his fiats when buying a car with a manual gearbox. if gearbox is in good shape to start with, you'll enjoy years of trouble free use, but if it's in bad shape to begin with, than it will be a constant pain in the ass.
any noise coming from a gearbox area when on idle and clutch is released, or whining when driving, loose shifter etc is a big no-no. what's normal and what's noisy? there you need someone with experience.

[4uall]

@djape1977 no disrespect (this is why I am a big fan of "in person" interaction so as to see facial expression along with tone etc)

[fiat218]

get one of each and stop worring

Jim, one of each would be my dream. Maybe I'll win the lottery soon!

Lisha

ok, i had a 69 in my garage ,sitting there for 17 years,hoping someday i could get it all nice, well one day i found a 69 100 mile from me , this car was pretty close to immaculate { no it not worth 44,000 lol } as on ebay
but anyways i bought it , all i wanted was one fiatspider, now i got a 72, and 80 (auto) and a 74 alfa and 79 fiat
so u may get more

[kmac33]

Another plus for the manual - less likely to be stolen! With the decrease in those learning to drive manuals, it is becoming more common for car thefts to be thwarted by the lowly stick shift.
From a driving perspective though, you can't beat the visceral feel of shifting gears for yourself - especially in a basic open top convertible. In my book that out weighs the convenience of the slush box when driving in town/stop and go traffic.

[124ADDHE]

It literally takes an hour to learn to drive manual, obviously longer to master but to be safe, only an hour; some people can master the basics in 5 minutes, all depends on how your brain works.

Some people dont ever even master driving in a straight line (always accelerating and then braking, in a straight line - come, on, we all know one and it somehow makes one question their overall intelligence ).

I would say to stick with the manual because the whole auto tranny thing was to "amuricanize" the thing for sales; if you are interested in the original concept of a fun to drive, precise car then it would be best to learn the new skill, plus, it will allow you to operate other manual tranny vehicles. the spider has such a low gear that there are many circumstances that you will start from a stop with second gear, the spider is very hard to stall!

[azruss]

To me, part of owning a older sports car is the tactile experience. this is the noise, smell, wind in the hair, and shifting with a clutch. Both my wife and my daughter had no trouble learning a stick. Of course, if its the only car you have, there isnt much choice. I have been driving automatics since i got rid of my MR-2 in 2003. (the fiat resto isnt complete yet). Here is my take. a stick is only an issue if you are driving in rush hour at less than 3 mph, or if you are planning on driving and holding a coffee cup, cell phone, eyeliner pencil (i had to throw something sexist in ), burrito, etc. If the car is a daily driver, then these things come into play. For most recreational driving, you are boulevard cruising or on a highway where you arent shifting that much.
The major thing is this. There are 100 or more stick fiats for every auto fiat. This gives you a much greater choice to find a car you like for the money you want to spend.

[leftfield6]

I'll spin this sexist thing around. I taught my wife (25 years ago) to drive a manual transmission in about an hour. This was on a Triumph TR8. This success came about in spite of the fact that both her Dad and older brother had failed at teaching her. Therefore I don't think it's that a certain percentage of women can't learn to drive a manual shift, I think it's that most men are lousy teachers!

After mastering the TR8 clutch and transmission, she went on to buy a 79 Beetle convertible. A 4 speed with a somewhat, ah, vague transmission. She did fine.

I would encourage you to consider the manual for another reason. You will have multiple for sale Spiders to choose from with 5 speeds, you will be shopping from a much smaller selection to buy an autobox.

[dville]

I've got a '79 automatic, and while I can drive a stick, I wasn't taught to drive on one, so I just didn't feel I'd be 100% comfortable driving my young kids around with it. My husband hates the automatic and won't drive it (fine by me
I would have bought a stick if I didn't find this one, though.

[Exit98]

The 5 speed trans is an intrigal part of the Spider experience. It is also suprisingly easy to use and master. It is far less fussy than my 6 speed manual Acura regular car. I taught my wife how to drive a stick on my original 72 Spider when we were courting. 35+ years later she can still drive my shifter cars just fine, not that she particularly enjoys them.

But...recently I had an opportunity to dirve an auto Spider a very short distance. It still felt like a Spider, much to my surprise.

So my point is, go with what you think is best for you. It will be a very cool car which ever way you go.

Here are what looks like a nice auto Spider just over the border in Pennsylvania:

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3011652769.html

[fiat218]

The 5 speed trans is an intrigal part of the Spider experience. It is also suprisingly easy to use and master. It is far less fussy than my 6 speed manual Acura regular car. I taught my wife how to drive a stick on my original 72 Spider when we were courting. 35+ years later she can still drive my shifter cars just fine, not that she particularly enjoys them.

But...recently I had an opportunity to dirve an auto Spider a very short distance. It still felt like a Spider, much to my surprise.

So my point is, go with what you think is best for you. It will be a very cool car which ever way you go.

Here are what looks like a nice auto Spider just over the border in Pennsylvania:

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3011652769.html

says 55.00

[GeorgiaGirl]

[quote="leftfield6" I think it's that most men are lousy teachers![/quote]

I have to say, my husband isn't a good teacher for me, but he promises not to make me cry. As a backup, my best friend (female) said she'd teach me, so I should be good to go.

[GeorgiaGirl]

The 5 speed trans is an intrigal part of the Spider experience. It is also suprisingly easy to use and master. It is far less fussy than my 6 speed manual Acura regular car. I taught my wife how to drive a stick on my original 72 Spider when we were courting. 35+ years later she can still drive my shifter cars just fine, not that she particularly enjoys them.

But...recently I had an opportunity to dirve an auto Spider a very short distance. It still felt like a Spider, much to my surprise.

So my point is, go with what you think is best for you. It will be a very cool car which ever way you go.

Here are what looks like a nice auto Spider just over the border in Pennsylvania:

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3011652769.html

says 55.00

I can definitely swing the $55.00

[RedWolf]

I'll spin this sexist thing around. I taught my wife (25 years ago) to drive a manual transmission in about an hour. This was on a Triumph TR8. This success came about in spite of the fact that both her Dad and older brother had failed at teaching her. Therefore I don't think it's that a certain percentage of women can't learn to drive a manual shift, I think it's that most men are lousy teachers!

After mastering the TR8 clutch and transmission, she went on to buy a 79 Beetle convertible. A 4 speed with a somewhat, ah, vague transmission. She did fine.

I would encourage you to consider the manual for another reason. You will have multiple for sale Spiders to choose from with 5 speeds, you will be shopping from a much smaller selection to buy an autobox.

Out of curiosity - how does the TR8 shifting compare to a Spider? My Spider is an automatic and many years ago, my brother taught me to drive a manual on his Mazda 626 which was very easy to shift; however, I found his TR7 difficult to shift. I figure a TR7 and TR8 wouldn't be much a difference shifting wise (overall acceleration and speed quite another story!)