automatics vs manual %

[imported_mega]

So I'm ordering a 135i, and my SA said today there's only 2 manual 135's in country or on the way that are not spoken for and he could try to get

anyone know the percentage of manual vs auto out there? Sure seems like everything is automatic now

[backtoreality15]

It is true that a large majority of 135i's in the US are indeed automatics. I think that 2 manual 135's in the country thing is a big exaggeration, however. (Or perhaps because of the '09 models coming in soon, there aren't many 1ers left anyways...)

On this forum, nevertheless, the vast majority of owners have manuals.

[imported_mega]

his search may only be for the east coast, one of them would cost me 600 $ to have delivered to the dealer, the other was free, probably still on a boat

[s204speed]

Just check out other dealer's websites in other parts of the country and/or give them a call. Bargaining power if nothing else.

[My135]

It is because most BMW dealers think most customers want automatic and therefore thye ordered almost 80% of their cars in automatic. You have to custome order for a 6 sp else it will be a rare find.

[imported_mega]

the dealer said he had a 6 speed when the cars hit the lots, but it did not sell for quite a while

I'm thinking 6 speeds will hold value better 10 years from now when kids are wanting these cars

[ucbsupafly]

I did a poll a while back on the number auto v. manual ordered. You can find it here http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12080. It should give you a pretty good idea of the distribution of the two transmissions on this board.

[imported_mega]

wow mostly manuals

I have searched every dealer in every major city around me, AL, TN, SC, NC, and Florida, almost all convertibles, and almost every one is an auto

I did not find a single manual 135i coupe, the car I'm ordering is..

AW, black'ette, glacier aluminum, sport pkg, comfort access, heated seats, ipod/usb adapter, MANUAL!!!

[mistermojorizin]

yea, that's why when i saw a manual on the lot with almost the exact options i wanted i had to buy it, back in april without any discount but without any waiting either

[warmtoes]

This forum is not indicative of the driving public though. We are definitely "enthusiasts" and addicts.

[x97Melbourne]

BMW makes mostly automatics, so therefore the manuals are in more demand....because there are LESS of them

and, it is true there are more manuals on 1-addicts, because it is an enthusist's/performance oriented page/group of people, myself included, and we mainly drive manuals
.....2 petals are for wusses.....just kidding......

[Redbeemer]

I think another factor is that I would guess that most of the cars of this forum's members were specifically ordered by the owners, not bought off the lot. I know that if you walk onto my dealer's lot on any given day, you will be lucky to find one car with a manual transmission and often that car was ordered for someone who backed out after it arrived. The dealer basically doesn't order manuals for his stock which is a bit of a contradiction since the manual BMW's that I have traded in (both coupes) have sold off the lot within one week! Having said that, I also feel that sedans with manual transmissions probably would be slow movers if the dealer did order them for his stock, but potential coupe buyers want something a bit different and a bit sportier, so they tend to favor manual transmission cars.

[subscience]

My CA printed out a list of all available 135s in the US and sure enough there was only a single 6 MT on the list -- just like he told me.

The 135 strikes me as an enthusiast's car, so it doesn't really surprise me.

Edit- And we had already agreed that I would pay delivery fees, so my CA didn't have a reason to leave cars that require shipping off the list.

[nordique14]

I have been told that there are 2 kinds of cars that they have a hard time selling at the BMW dealerships in the US - those with manual transmissions and those without a sunroof. That is the reason why BMW will not import cars without a sunroof. If they only sold cars they would have a sunroof as an option but they do not want to deal with lease returns without a sunroof. They already hate manual transmission lease returns.

[DCD]

In NZ there are not only no manual cars for sale there is not a single manual 1 series coupe in the country.
Mine was supposed to be the first one, but they stuffed it up and got an auto instead.
I was talking to one of the orders at the dealer and he said he would order 500 cars a year and probably only 1 manual.

Means the my car will be super unique when it gets here but also harder to re-sell. Oh well I'll worry about that when I'm trying to sell it I'm still waiting for the reordered one to come!

[2AD Tanker]

6 speed at my control!!! I LOVE it!! It is "the One".

When I took deliverly, a senior salesman peeked in on my ONE and told my SA "that is exactly how I would have ordered it!"

[Duckw]

Originally Posted by nordique14

I have been told that there are 2 kinds of cars that they have a hard time selling at the BMW dealerships in the US - those with manual transmissions and those without a sunroof. That is the reason why BMW will not import cars without a sunroof. If they only sold cars they would have a sunroof as an option but they do not want to deal with lease returns without a sunroof. They already hate manual transmission lease returns.

This makes a great deal of sense from the manufacturer's point of view, doesn't it? Typical of the way companies have to operate to maximize profit. The same kind of reasoning prompts Kellog to sell boxes of cereal that housewives find inconvenient for their cupboards: Kellog doesn't care about your cupboard; they care about shipping costs, so their packages are made to fit pallets and containers. A friend of mine who works there as a sort of shaker-up is trying to persuade them to study pantries and give some thought to what the customer would buy more willingly. Procter&Gamble's current boss works smart, trying to appeal to the homemaker by helping, as he says, "to take the 'yuck' out of housework." Thinking like that, his company has made a fortune on the Swiffer.

Look for more manuals and no mandatory sunroof when car makers move away from leasing (as NYT and WSJ say some are thinking of doing.) There would still be the problem, though, of Certified Pre-owned Vehicles for dealers to recycle, so enthusiasts might still have to order manuals and we might still all be stuck with sunroofs so long as most buyers want them.

Moral: do what many long-time BMW buyers have done for a long time: have the patience to order what you want. There were virtually no options on a 2002, so I took one of those as it came from the cow, ditto my 2002 Tii. But from the '80s on, I've felt constrained to order and wait: E30, E36, first gen new MINI, 135. Dealers in the flyover zone where I live are probably even worse than on the coasts and have stocked almost nothing but autos for nearly thirty years. Ms and many Zs with manuals. With other model lines, sedans and coupes and even verts run strongly to auto.

[Chop79]

I find it strange that there are so many autos out there. The 1 is a drivers car...

[arrutled]

IMO the only reason not to buy a MT is because you dont know how to drive it!

[imported_mega]

I just feel more involved with the manual, enjoying the drive more than pressing a button

DCT may make me change my mind in a few years, but only if it absolutely does NOT shift until you tell it to, ie can stay at redline in a turn but until then manual's for me

[subscience]

Originally Posted by arrutled

IMO the only reason not to buy a MT is because you dont know how to drive it!

Hell, I bought my MT not knowing how to drive it! Luckily I have a very gracious friend who let me learn on his Civic while my 1 was in transit.

I was quite nervous coming out of the dealer's lot, but I didn't stall it until I was pulling into my parents' (uphill) driveway.

[x97Melbourne]

I think a 1 series with a manual will be faster to sell because they are slighty less common. The masses order automatics.....because they use the car as a "touring car," not so much for speed or performance. When it comes to sell in a couple years, there won't be many manuals on the market.....and I think that is to our advantage.....
I had a Nissan Altima with a manual (VERY RARE) and it sold instantly....because less than 5% of Altimas are manuals.