School me on trucks with manual transmissions

[Bobcat Sig]

ok yeah I wondered that. Taco's are closer to $40k here, whilst there are pretty big factory rebates on Ford/GM/Dodge trucks which bring down closer to $30k, depending on options.
I shopped round Ford/Dodge/GM/Jeep & Toyo dealers, & really only got the F150 because it was the cheapest. Bonus was the mileage was marginally better than others also. I wouldn't have got a big truck if I lived in the city either, but there are only 2 sets of traffic lights in my town.

Another thing to keep in mind, Fords and other domestics tend to depreciate faster than Tacomas. In a few years, you theoretically could get more truck for your money with a used domestic.

[jamesp]

sure but it depends where you live & what you're shopping for. I was truck shopping in market that salts roads in the winter, so used trucks generally were 2-3yrs old, 100,000kms & rusty.
In the end I paid $3k more for a new F150 than the cheapest Taco/tundra I could find (which had 60,000kms & rust). New vehicles make sense if you keep them long term.

I love Toyotas but the price premium isn't justified IMO (esp if buying used).

[XXX-er]

I found the same thing in 2010 it was 19K for a new ranger OR 32K for a Tacoma, sure the tacoma is nicer but rangers are pretty refined for what they are so it wasn't worth the extra $$$$ to me

don't forget when dicussing fuel economy one of you is talking imperial gallons (4.5 liters) and one of you is talking those sissy US gallons (3.8 liters)

[beaterdit]

My F150 cost at least $10k less than a Tacoma (Canada prices, factory warranty), has more room than your Tacoma, & gets 20mpg & that's with the 5l v8 & a tall cap on the back (the eco boost engine gets better mileage). Edit this is driving on winding mountain roads, I don't drive on many flat wide freeways either.

Trucks, despite their unwieldy size, get the same mileage & cost less, $10k buys a lot of gas...

Another thing to keep in mind, Fords and other domestics tend to depreciate faster than Tacomas. In a few years, you theoretically could get more truck for your money with a used domestic.

This is a good point. I happened to buy my Tundra, (used with 26K on the clock) at the height of the fuel bubble in '08, so I got a ridiculous deal. Asking prices for similar trucks now, five years later are still barely under what I paid.

If I were looking now, with Ford quality and mileage what it is now, a low mileage, factory warranty F150 would look pretty good.

[fastfred]

I won't purchase anything that isn't a manual transmission. The control you have over the vehicle can't be matched. Now if you live in an urban/suburban area the idea of a manual is probably silly. If you live in the mountains or a very rural area it comes in handy especially in winter.

While people ride their brakes down a pass I'll coast in third with much more control.

I have a twenty year old pick up with a five speed, the truck is a monster. I have M&S rated tires (snow tires) it handles like a champ. It's 4wd but I mostly keep in in rear wheel drive. It has hi/low 4wd settings

The best was the 84 subaru which rally'd in the snow, manual, hi/low 4 wheel drive they'll never make a better car than that for snow and mountain driving. It was a sad day when I limped it home and it sat in the driveway for months until I finally let it go. I would try to get that sideways and it was hard.

Studded tires are over rated, but a quality set of rated snow tires can't be beat.

I'd buy a manual any day, auto transmissions are for city people.

[Cocximus]

I won't purchase anything that isn't a manual transmission. The control you have over the vehicle can't be matched. Now if you live in an urban/suburban area the idea of a manual is probably silly. If you live in the mountains or a very rural area it comes in handy especially in winter.

While people ride their brakes down a pass I'll coast in third with much more control.

I have a twenty year old pick up with a five speed, the truck is a monster. I have M&S rated tires (snow tires) it handles like a champ. It's 4wd but I mostly keep in in rear wheel drive. It has hi/low 4wd settings

The best was the 84 subaru which rally'd in the snow, manual, hi/low 4 wheel drive they'll never make a better car than that for snow and mountain driving. It was a sad day when I limped it home and it sat in the driveway for months until I finally let it go. I would try to get that sideways and it was hard.

Studded tires are over rated, but a quality set of rated snow tires can't be beat.

I'd buy a manual any day, auto transmissions are for city people.

I felt the same about my audi and after two years thx to some valuable TGR input it's back. This is not your new school urbanite audi...

And yes I know my light is blown... as soon as it ran I bolted to the gravel roads.



Why awd and snow tires? So i can pass people like rog during a storm...

[Hugh Conway]

what the fuck is with manual trans homers who don't know how to downshift an auto transmission?

[LightRanger]

what the fuck is with manual trans homers who don't know how to downshift an auto transmission?

I was thinking the same thing...

I'm sure they'll say, "but you'll burn through the transmission quickly." And to that I say, "unlikely, and it depends on the car." The user manual for my recently-purchased vehicle with an automatic specifically recommends engine-braking and states that the transmission is designed for it.

[abraham]

For me it's habit. Never owned an automatic. The first few I drive took some getting used. Like not pushing the left pedal to the floor as I showed for a stop light. Only made that mistake once.

I do like the ability to rock the car back and forth with a clutch.

But down shifting an automatic for hills is easy.

[icelanticskier]

Why awd and snow tires? So i can pass people like rog during a storm...

no you won't. i'll have gotten there ahead of you and already skinned a lap or two

rog

[Mantana1]

what the fuck is with manual trans homers who don't know how to downshift an auto transmission?

From my experiences, downshifting on an auto doesn't give you near the control of the engine that a manual trans does. Its better than nothing (i.e. always leaving the auto in Drive) but not the same.

[ts01]

actually yers is 1st generation i'm pretty sure and is a bit more "truck" like. my body style ran from 03-06. a bit more aero. i have never had a roof rack of any kind. since i've owned it 25-29 has been consistently the range. mostly 27/28 to a tank. i don't drive aggressively at all and poke through my gears as i'm never in that much of a hurry. i drive a mix of highway and town, but probably 75% highway. everyone drives differently. that could be the big difference. been very happy with the mileage

killer little hauler. i cut/split/transport all of my firewood that i heat my home with. throw a tarp in, go to the log yard, load 600+ lbs at a time in it with chainsaw and it's works great. got over 3 chord with it this year. set for winter

rog

Son of threadjack: nope, 2001 was the last Gen 1, and Gen 2 ran from 2002 - 2006, so my 02 is basically the same vehicle as yours. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_C....80.932006.29; http://www.edmunds.com/honda/cr-v/ ("Produced from 2002-'06, the second-generation CR-V boasted a number of improvements compared to the original CR-V, including ...) And you are way at the high end of the mileage bell curve on fuelly.com.

I'll try driving with the rack off my car and foot off my gas pedal!

[icelanticskier]

heh, thanx for correcting me. good luck with the smooth roof and lighter foot

rog

[PNWbrit]

what the fuck is with manual trans homers who don't know how to downshift an auto transmission?

^ this.

Plus most modern 5 or 6 speed autos down shift and engine management rev match so smoothly that there isn't even any real argument that you can do it smoover with a clutch.

Don't get me wrong I love driving a stick (and in the UK a full driver's licence required you take your test driving one and I never owned an auto in the UK) but people act like driving an automatic in the mountains in winter is a matter of life and death.

[jamesp]

^ this.

Plus most modern 5 or 6 speed autos down shift and engine management rev match so smoothly that there isn't even any real argument that you can do it smoover with a clutch.

Totally agree here. I drove all sorts of manual cars & bikes in the past. First auto I owned was a Cherokee, 4 speed auto & it was pretty shit in the snow, mainly because it would only down shift into 2 or 1, so useless trying to engine brake going 70km/hr on a snowy mountain pass.

Now my F150 has 6 sp auto & a tow mode. If I want to use it, tow mode keeps the speed in check between about 70 & 100km/hr, & then I can change down into 3,2,or 1 when I need to go slower. Its smooth changing into 3rd then 2nd from ~80km/hr at the top of steep hill on my commute.

[Jethro]

I am on my third 4runner, a 1999 model. all have been sticks and have worked well for towing single sleds and up to three dirt bikes. They also work for my medium usage offroad. If I had to tow heavy loads, I would probably go with a auto and upgrade the cooling. It is too easy to burn a clutch with a heavy trailer.

I also run big meaty mud tires until it snows. On snow and ice, they are as effective as racing slicks, so the second set of rims with studded snows go on then. It is just smart to have the best traction one can get, even though I could get by with AT tires all year,

[volklpowdermaniac]

I am on my third 4runner, a 1999 model. all have been sticks and have worked well for towing single sleds and up to three dirt bikes. They also work for my medium usage offroad. If I had to tow heavy loads, I would probably go with a auto and upgrade the cooling. It is too easy to burn a clutch with a heavy trailer.

I also run big meaty mud tires until it snows. On snow and ice, they are as effective as racing slicks, so the second set of rims with studded snows go on then. It is just smart to have the best traction one can get, even though I could get by with AT tires all year,

I run knobby KM2s muds on my jeep, but siped, i haven't found them to be as death like as people say, not bad at all, that said, I have heard duratracs are the quiver killers of big truck tires.

[Cocximus]

Winder if I can install studs with QKs...

[uglymoney]

Don't get me wrong I love driving a stick (and in the UK a full driver's licence required you take your test driving one and I never owned an auto in the UK) but people act like driving an automatic in the mountains in winter is a matter of life and death.

The best part of driving a stick in the snow is upshifting during acceleration and mashing on the gas to the floor and not having to deal with tire spin. As the revs come up and they start to spin upshift again and you are locked in at maximum acceleration. If you have passengers it is likely they'd not notice a thing as you pull away from everybody. Traction control on an auto can't come close imnsho.

Not to mention total control when rocking the car to get unstuck and clutching from a standstill on ice.

But other than that it isn't really a safety issue especially with all the electronics on cars and trucks designed to keep them going straight.

Edit...now that I think about it some of the new autos will let you select a high gear and mash it (thinking Chevy Malibu that I drove and even the CVT in the Impreza to a degree held (fake) gears even with the throttle mashed) without downshifting. Should basically be the same deal as with a manual.

[Jethro]

I run knobby KM2s muds on my jeep, but siped, i haven't found them to be as death like as people say, not bad at all, that said, I have heard duratracs are the quiver killers of big truck tires.

I have Mickey Thompson's Baja MTZ's on. They have a few tiny sipes which do not go completely across the lugs. I am a complete menace on the road if it is snowpacked or icy. And it is the tires, not my driving. With studded snows, my vehicle is awesome in the snow. I do drive pretty prudently now though. After wrecking one car (16year old) and putting a few in the ditch over the years I have learned to be pretty cautious.

[LightRanger]

Totally agree here. I drove all sorts of manual cars & bikes in the past. First auto I owned was a Cherokee, 4 speed auto & it was pretty shit in the snow, mainly because it would only down shift into 2 or 1, so useless trying to engine brake going 70km/hr on a snowy mountain pass.

My brother rewired the shifter on mine and installed a relay and switch so I could switch between the two. Prior to that it definitely downshifted without warning at a few inopportune times. Loved the car otherwise though.