Well, I went to my dealer yesterday and have a 'presale' arranged for a '09 MT Sport.

The only problem is that, of the 7 cars they have been allotted, there are no MTs (manual trannys)!

They are going to try to arrange a swap with another dealer, but I am wondering just how many MT cars are going to be available on the first shipment.

Any ideas?

 

My dealer had at least 2 MT, and I think only 1 AT (which I took). The other dealer 20 minutes away that I had been talking to had at least 2 also. I thought that the AT would be harder to find!

 

it all depends on the dealer. they order what they want.
they all have a choice. but if one dealer knows they sell
more at then there going to order at. or reverse with mt.

 

The dealer I 'pre-ordered' from had 18 cars coming in over the course of 2 shipments - ONE manual transmission car - (the one I reserved). I guess people in NJ really don't like to do any work themselves!

Mark

 

that sucks, all i can say is:
don't settle for AT, you'll be regretting it

 

The type of transmission that people want depends on a lot factors. If you drive in stop and go traffic every day, then shifting manually can become a chore. Shifting up and down from first to second and back while only going a couple of miles per hour puts extra wear and tear on the clutch and the transmission.

All of the MT cars I have owned in the past from Honda came with very soft clutch pedals, (due to hydraulic actuated clutch release systems), and weak second gear synchronizers. The small amount of money that you gain in better fuel economy will have to be plowed back into the car in repair bills to either replace the clutch, rebuild leaky clutch master cylinders, or bad synchronizers. When there is no traffic, the AT paddle shifters are just as much fun to use and there is no chance that the driver can damage the car due to poor technique.

 

What he said. We in Dallas and Houston know something about stop and go traffic. Although I loved driving the MT when I tested the Fit, I quickly realized that shifting constantly would become very, very tedious when I only make it up to 3rd to the next red light. So it was the AT for me, and as Flyboybob says, if the lights are synched some find day, I can shift to my little heart's desire. Your situation may be different and you may have a lot more open road to drive. In that case, the MT makes better sense.

 

[quote=Flyboybob;406404] When there is no traffic, the AT paddle shifters are just as much fun to use [quote]

This is completely untrue for a lot of us out here. The delay in shifts of the auto and extra lack of control is simply unacceptable for me in any car. Yes, I do understand that probably 90% + of the population could care less about being involved in the driving experience, but for some of us who really enjoy driving, we would have it no other way!

Mark

 

^^^ X2
I have been commuting for 30 years in the Dallas area. I have had manual transmissions on most of my cars until about 10 years ago. Traffic is so bad on I35 that here is no "driving experience" left. Just sitting and waiting. It is better to have a car with a good stereo, air conditioning and comfortable seats.

I like the manual "feel" of driving, but it has become impractical here.

 

The same issue occured on the 07 Fit as well when it first came out as I recall. Lots of auto's and was hard to get your hands on an MT at first.

 

My dealer told me that 85% of the 08s were AT. I don't know if that is true or not. But I had a hard time finding a MT in any color let alone SSM like I wanted

 

I really enjoyed my old manual CRX and Civic; however, Chicago is an even worse driving experience than anything in Texas. Still, if I were buying this car solely for myself, I'd opt for the stick. Because my wife and 2 grown kids will be driving it at times, it was a no-brainer for the automatic. With the advances in technology over the years, the gain in MPG with manual over auto is minimal -- especially on the highway....

 

[quote=troch1;406433][quote=Flyboybob;406404] When there is no traffic, the AT paddle shifters are just as much fun to use
Right on. Manuals are better in real world driving. Keep the paddle shift for the track. I would not even want the GTR double clutch system. I have never had a problem driving a manual in traffic. Houston is almost as bad as Chicago and it just isn't a problem. Make a little distance between you and the car ahead and idle along. Yeah some one will cut in occasionally, but that is where the comfortable seats and sound system come in.

 

I choose to opt for the A/T. I have had 2 M/T Civics and love the feel of the driving them but my long time girlfriends mom also has a G35 which has a optional manual mode on her A/T and it is fun to use and her dad has a tsx that has an optional manual mode that is fun to use. Based on driving those and a test drive of the 08 Fit i decided to dump my M/T and get an auto. Sport padel shifters did have an influence on this decision. Even though most of you say they have a "lag", trust me, it is a much lesser lag than that of a G35 or TSX.

 

Too each his or her own. I agree the availability is very sparce. Of the 10 cars my dealer was getting only one was a manual. I am probably gonna be the second manual 09 to go through that dealership. America loves slushboxes. They are a pain in the ass to someone who likes feel driving, but they do have a purpose. They make commuting less stressfull in So Cal for instance.

 

I put a deposit on a dark blue (Sensation?) Sport MT w/o nav over a month ago at the Bremerton dealer. The first batch (4 on 8/26) was all ATs (not all preordered). I drove a Sport AT at the Fife dealer last week and it was OK but I gotta stir the spoon.