[shipo]

Originally Posted by RGB

I can't imagine why you want to fight with old fashioned clutch and stick! You will soon regret it.

Yikes! What's with the attitude? Old fashioned you say? Well, to me, "Old fashioned" is a "Three on the Tree" (three speed manual with the shifter on the steering column). The modern 6-Speed manual that comes in the E90 is one of the finest manual transmissions ever built (second in my mind only to the slick shifting 5-Speed that Mazda used to put in the old RX7).

As for your comment about, "You will soon regret it." Hmmm, that's kind of funny. I've always been considered as one who was fairly quick on the uptake; however, I learned to drive a manual transmission when living in San Diego in 1977. I didn't regret it then. In 1978 I moved up to Los Angeles and at the same time put a 3500 pound pressure plate in my 1970 Dodge Challenger. I almost regretted it then, fortunately I got transferred to Atlanta where driving the Challenger was fun again. In 1979 I got transferred to Detroit, and in addition to the Challenger, I bought a 1979 Scirocco 5-Speed. Traffic or no traffic, the Scirocco was a blast to drive, no regrets there. I was then transferred in rapid succession to Cupertino, California (south bay region down by San Jose), and then back east to Chicago, and through it all, the Scirocco was as fun to drive as the day I bought it. Unfortunately by 1981 I needed a car with A/C as I was now wearing a suit, and trust me, Chicago summers combined with suits and a non-air-conditioned Scirocco were horribly incompatible. Needless to say, my 1981 Audi 4000 4M had a 5-Speed, and while it was no where near as fun to drive as the Scirocco, it shifted, if anything, even better. In 1982 the new Audi GT Coupe was just too much to pass up, so, "Goodbye 4000, hello GT Coupe", which of course was a 5-Speed as well. Yup, still not regretting having three pedals, even in Chicago traffic.

In 1984 I started my own business and needed to be a little more thrifty with my available cash, so I replaced the Audi with a 1985 Dodge Daytona Turbo 5-Speed. No where near as refined as the Audi, but a hell of a lot faster. Three years later, with the profitability of my business improving, I upgraded to a limited production Chrysler LeBaron GTC (with the inter-cooled turbo) and of course a 5-Speed, Chicago traffic had still not dulled the enjoyment of shifting my own gears.

In 1992 I sold the LeBaron and moved to NYC to open up a second office for my company, as a result, I was "Stickless" for the first time since 1977 since my only transportation was either on my feet, on the subway or in a cab. Business flourished and by 1993 I needed a car again. Even though I was living at 59th and Madison, and even though the traffic in and around Manhattan was possibly even worse that what I had experienced in Los Angeles, I bought a 1993 Ford Probe GT 5-Speed. It would seem that I still hadn't learned to regret messing around with a clutch in traffic.

Around that time the woman of my dreams inserted herself into my life and we married, got pregnant and moved just across the Hudson River to New Jersey. The then two year old Probe was just not cutting it as a family car, so we went out and bought two new 4-Door Sedans on the same day, a 5-Speed Neon Sport and a 5-Speed Passat GTX. Gosh, I guess my wife hadn't learned to "regret" driving a stick shift either.

Two 5-Speed BMWs later and we are now living in southern New Hampshire, just north of Boston (plenty of traffic here too), and maybe it is due to my thick headedness, but I'm pining for a three pedal 6-Speed E90 330i.

Then again you did say, "You will soon regret it." Hmmm, maybe to your way of thinking, "soon" means 30 or 40 years. If that's the case, then I still have some time yet to enjoy stirring my own.

Best Regards,
Shipo

[Gnosis]

Sounds like a nice enough life...

probably to do with the stick shift

So listen and and take heed you weak thighed drivers - convert to stickshiftism you to!

[splintheter]

Come on my American Friends, If your gonna drive a BMW and you truly want to enjoy it, it has to be a manual...

My Grandfdather drives and Auto and hes dead...

[silverado]

Shipo,

Nice story, neighbor!

[shipo]

Thanks, neighbor!

Best Regards,
Shipo

[YYimports]

Thanks for sharing your story shipo. Lesson of this is, if shipo can type so much to tell his story about coming full circle back to driving stick, it shows you how much drivers can come to love it

[ward]

automatics can be very annoying when you're used to a stick shift, it's a pain that you're not in charge of what gear you're in. Most drivers in the states are so incompetent that they couldn't drive a manual, drink their coffee, talk on their cell phones, watch a movie on the nav system, yell at the kids in back.........

stick shifts are sadly on their way out, BMW's about the only manufacturer that gives you an option. Try getting a stick shift infiniti or lexus, good luck finding one on the lot, that'll probably be a special order

[quackman]

I'm switching my E46 325i automatic..... to an E90 330i with a manual.
Threads like these make me so excited for it, with all you guys totally praising the manual transmission, specifically in this car too.
This will be my first manual tranny car... Though I learned to drive a manual on my dad's M5.(nothing fancy, just the basics to get moving)
Looking forward to learning all the subtleties of the E90's stick.

[wannabe]

Originally Posted by ward

stick shifts are sadly on their way out, BMW's about the only manufacturer that gives you an option. Try getting a stick shift infiniti or lexus, good luck finding one on the lot, that'll probably be a special order

What are you talking about? You can get the G35, IS300, TSX, TL, A4, and Mercedes C230 in manual.

Honda/Acura will be the last holdout as far as manual transmissions. Trust me. The only cars they make that can't be bought with a manual transmission are their SUVs, the hybrid, and the RL.

I talked to a BMW delearship the other day and they didn't have any e46s or e90s with a manual transmission. The chick that answered the phone didn't even know how to search by transmission type...thankfully the dept. manager answered and said he'd call me if a manual transmission car became available.

They told me I could always special order!

BTW it's not the option...it's the standard. You pay more for the automatic.

[shipo]

Originally Posted by wannabe

I talked to a BMW delearship the other day and they didn't have any e46s or e90s with a manual transmission. The chick that answered the phone didn't even know how to search by transmission type...thankfully the dept. manager answered and said he'd call me if a manual transmission car became available.

They told me I could always special order!

Hmmm, I guess it depends upon which dealership you go to. The dealership where I got my 1999 328i told me that they sell over 50% of their 3-Series cars and 20% of their 5-Series cars with manual transmissions. What is most surprising about this is that this dealership is in suburban New Jersey, 25 miles from Manhattan.

Best Regards,
Shipo

[fusionnv]

Originally Posted by shipo

Hmmm, I guess it depends upon which dealership you go to. The dealership where I got my 1999 328i told me that they sell over 50% of their 3-Series cars and 20% of their 5-Series cars with manual transmissions. What is most surprising about this is that this dealership is in suburban New Jersey, 25 miles from Manhattan.

Best Regards,
Shipo

Eh maybe things change. I had a hard time getting Xeon and a manual. They had to special order it.

[silverado]

Originally Posted by ward

automatics can be very annoying when you're used to a stick shift, it's a pain that you're not in charge of what gear you're in.

I completely agree. However, I must say that when I test drove the E90 325i with steptronic in sports mode, I was VERY impressed! In fact, I was impressed enough to consider getting my car with steptronic, but only for a short while. It was great for aggressive driving, it downshifted wonderfully and always kept me in control. However, it is still not manual and I came back to my senses in short order.

By the same token, I HATED manual shifting in the steptronic transmission. The response was way too slow for my taste.

[vivid]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

It amazes me that you can get a drivers licience in a Auto in the USA

If that amazes you then this will too... I failed my UK driving test twice (once at 17y/o and 18y/o), which is not uncommon when the fail rate is over 70%. But in the US I got my Florida license when I was 16 and all I had to do was drive round a PARKING LOT, I never went on a road and the driving part took 10 mins. It does answer some of the qu of US drivers in regards to lane discipline, turn signals, parallel parking ETC…

I’m English but have lived in the US for the past 13 years.

[ward]

Originally Posted by wannabe

What are you talking about? You can get the G35, IS300, TSX, TL, A4, and Mercedes C230 in manual.

the new IS can only have a manual if you get the small motor, the mercedes 230 is only the small motor,the caddy cts can only have a manual with the smaller motor. That's not giving the customer the option of transmission choices. If you want the big motor you're taking an auto from lots of manufacturers, BMW seems to be about the only one that lets you have a manual tranny on a well optioned car. I really don't think the TSX belongs in that list though, it's a 30 grand accord from across the ocean.

Originally Posted by wannabe

BTW it's not the option...it's the standard. You pay more for the automatic.

I meant that BMW lets you have the option to choose, when most manufacturers don't, of course an auto costs more