Need some opinions

Its just months now before a get my 2007 spec B....my question is....is drive a manual a pain in the butt?? I have never driven stick before but im def gonna learn...i live in a semi-high traffic area outside of philly....is the inconvienence of driving a manual gonna be that much of an issue?? Because i really want this car but my buddies tell me driving a stick in traffic isnt worth it

Its just months now before a get my 2007 spec B....my question is....is drive a manual a pain in the butt?? I have never driven stick before but im def gonna learn...i live in a semi-high traffic area outside of philly....is the inconvienence of driving a manual gonna be that much of an issue?? Because i really want this car but my buddies tell me driving a stick in traffic isnt worth it

your buddy is full of crap. I would also suggest finding a lesser car to learn on. I don't know how well the short clutch and learning to drive stick are going to go. The longer the clutch the easier it is to learn to drive stick. until you have such a master of driving it i'd wait on getting the car. Auto + subaru = suck like a cheap whore, or so i hear.

 

Stop and go traffic is definitly not AWSOME FUN in a manual but i find the outrageous fun of out of heavy rush our traffic driving largly outweighs the silly stop and go stuff

it all depends if u like driving or not

If normal traffic congestion will get u into rage, do not attempt to drive manual at all.

no...im getting an impreza in a few month to learn how to drive stick so i wont kill the spec b when i get it

youre buddy is full of crap. I would also suggest finding a lesser car to learn on. I don't know how well the short clutch and learning to drive stick are going to go. The longer the clutch the easier it is to learn to drive stick. until you have such a master of driving it i'd wait on getting the car. Auto + subaru = suck like a cheap whore, or so i hear.

 

Learn in a civic first.

and no i love driving i dont mind traffic in my auto at all

and no i love driving i dont mind traffic in my auto at all

 

Manual is not hard to learn, you will be fine.

In that case, u will gain more pleasure than pain.

A stick is for fun and an auto is to kick back. The sport shift lets you rev it deep but it just does not give you the boost or the snap of the shift as the manual does.

A stick is for fun and an auto is to kick back. The sport shift lets you rev it deep but it just does not give you the boost or the snap of the shift as the manual does.

 

Sportshift is an automatic transmission afterall.

i drove the legacy through katrina traffic and thru houston traffic everyday and the manual is fun to drive and actually keeps me awake on the road. i would never settle for this much turbo for an auto but that's just me...

manual = pain in arse thru downtown sf and daly city, and seattle!...

 

fun elsewhere!

 

but imho, its worth the trouble. it builds character.

Get the manual, you won't regret it. Driving a manual in traffic never bothered me. It just increases the pleasure of driving a car, if you enjoy driving a car.

basbal241b u get the conclusion here?

but afterall, i think all of us will suggest you to drive a manual (perferably subaru's) before making descision.

Hope we did helped

It's all up to you.

 

I enjoy driving stick - so crawling along in bumper-to-bumper is a trade-off.

 

Do you mind doing it? That's what you've got to ask *_yourself_*. No one else can judge otherwise.

 

Yes, I "lived with" a 45-lb. push clutch on one of my DSMs. And I loved every shift, be it WOT at 7K RPM or just inching along in gridlock.

These cars are thoroughbreds, and as such they like to run WOT. My 02 WRX was a manual. It was a lot of fun on twisty back roads and wide-open empty highways. However stop and go traffic, 1st – 2nd gear crawl was no fun. WRX was also prone to clutch stutter. In the end it’s your choice

In the weeks following the purchase of my MT Legacy GT, I doubted my decision. The GT is my first and only manual transmission car (all other stick-shifts that I've driven have been trucks, and mostly diesel) and the short shifter throws and more touchy clutch took some getting used to. At this point, even driving in Los Angeles and Las Vegas stop-and-go traffic, I couldn't be happier with my decision. The manual transmission adds an extra element of connectedness to the driving experience - it makes even normally-mundane jaunts to the store fun.

 

The only situation I could think of that I would not want a manual in would be living in a city, like San Francisco or Istanbul, with steep hills and other drivers who like to get as close to your bumper as humanly possible. I suspect, however, that if you lived and drove in that situation you would get used to it quickly.

 

Buy the manual. I would suggest that you learn and get lots of practice driving manual transmissions before getting the Legacy though.

thanks to everyone who replied....im feeling a little better about my choice....keep the opinions coming .....i would like as much input as possible......how long do u think i would take to master a stick...b/c ill have the impreza manual for about 5 months before the spec b....enough time??...i just dont wanna mess up the spec B when i get it

thanks to everyone who replied....im feeling a little better about my choice....keep the opinions coming .....i would like as much input as possible......how long do u think i would take to master a stick...b/c ill have the impreza manual for about 5 months before the spec b....enough time??...i just dont wanna mess up the spec B when i get it

 

5 months is more than sufficient. If you're driving daily, you'll get the hang of it in no time at all.

Yup, 5 months is plenty of time to get comfortable with it. Comfortable != expert, but you'll be ready for a new LGT.

 

I hope you're not buying a new or recent Impreza just to learn stick, though. Get an old beater for < $1000, preferably <= $500, and save some money instead. Anything with a tach and that isn't in need of a new clutch will do. Get a friend who drives stick to let you know if it feels like the clutch is going before you buy.

 

As far as stick vs auto goes: If I had to commute in bumper-to-bumper daily for any significant distance I'd get an auto beater just for that and a fun manual car for everything else. Personally I *hate* driving stick in bumper-to-bumper. But *any* other time I'd much rather have a stick shift than an automatic, even in heavy traffic. Since I don't drive in bumper-to-bumper more than once a week putting up with a manual in it is easily worthwhile.

 

Drive your manual Impreza or beater for a few months and decide whether to get a manual LGT after you've been driving stick for a while. If you decide not to get a stick strongly consider other cars - IMO the LGT's turbo engine and automatic transmission don't work well together, even by automatic standards.

 

One important piece of advice WRT to the LGT (and 99% of the manual cars out there): If you get a manual one, GET A SHORT SHIFTER! I can't emphasize enough how important and worthwhile that is. Take your pick between the STi one and the aftermarket ones, but get one!

 

Also try out differently shaped shift knobs (on any cars; no need to try'em all on the same car). There are three most common shapes: ball (my preference), rod/rifle bolt, and snake head. The LGT's stock one is a snake head (at least 05-06); the STi accessory one (sold separately from the STi short shifter) is a ball. Many folks develop a strong preference for a particular shape, partly based on how they grip the shifter when they shift. OF course how they grip it is probably partly based on the type in their first (manual) car, but then again my first car had a snakehead and I much prefer the ball type. I didn't realize what I was missing in shifters till I got my second car though (which had by far the best feeling shifter and shift knob of any car I've driven, including the LGT even with the STi short shifter and shift knob, which together are enough to make it easily second best but still far from first).

I used to live in Exton & commuted daily to Berwyn in my 97 prelude 5mt. 12 miles in bumper-to-bumper on rt. 202 during rushhour took 40 minutes. My left knee was getting pretty ragged, so when I got a VW, I paid an extra grand and grabbed a "Tiptronic" automatic. It's just not the same. 3 months after getting the automatic, my commute changed & was no longer a consideration. Make sure that doesn't happen to you. Nothing connects you to the machinery like a stick. Sure, it can be a pain in rushour, but if that's what you really want, it's doable. I used a manual for 3 years on that commute and survived. I had a lot more fun the rest of the time, too! Give it some thought, then decide which way the trade-offs work for you.

I drive a stick (Volvo) in rush-hour traffic every weekday. It can actually be easier than an automatic. Just put it in 2nd gear, leave a good following distance in front of you, and let the gas pedal do all the work -- down to go faster, up to slow down using engine braking. In a typical automatic transmission you'll have to keep switching between the gas and the brake, which can get tiring. Once you try it, you'll see what I mean. The trick is not to be too aggressive in traffic -- leave a reasonable following distance and this technique will make it so easy.

 

As for the hills of San Francisco and so forth, YMMV. I for one actually prefer a stick on hilly roads because it's fun. Better than level roads.

Initially you will think about shifting especially as you will be inexperienced and it won't be second nature. Then you may find it a pain, however as you get experience you won't even think about shifting the car (really).

I wasn't sure which way to go until I test drove an Automatic in the GT. I didn't like the turbo lag. Driving the car with a Manual is much more enjoyable. And, as you gain experience with rev matching, you'll love the car that much more. Six months later I love the car more than I did the day I drove it off the lot.

I have to give Subaru alot of credit for only releasing the Spec. B. in manual. That is bold. However, if I had it my way almost all cars would be stick. So yes, you will have fun, no its not hard.

ANd now that Im on it. The new SL550 only comes in automatic. Like yeah, lemme drop 200 grand for an automatic sports car. OY. Ill take an auto Corvette too.