Second thoughts... HELP?

[mike@newera]

Originally Posted by BackinBlackSS/RS

That's only on the V6 model.

Did something change that I am not aware of???

[BeermanSS]

No I do believe that the L99 does have VVT.

[DeathChill]

I don't know, I drive in heavy traffic all the time and ever since I started driving it's been a standard. Yeah, the first couple times it may hurt your leg but I guarantee after a week of it you won't even notice anymore.

Personally, I love driving a manual car and you couldn't pay me to take an automatic, but it's all personal preference.

Also, I've really never heard of someone getting tired of shifting; honestly it becomes second nature and you don't even realize you're shifting anymore.

[SScattergunSS]

If you get a stick, just don't break your leg (like I did back in February) or somebody else is going to be driving your new Camaro while you ride shotgun. I was getting an SS automatic anyway, but if I get my car before it heals completely, at least I'd still be able to drive it off the lot myself. Now if I went the other way, can you imagine how miserable it'd be to not be able to have your car's "first" drive all to yourself?!

[Hooy]

Big factors that affected my decision to get an automatic:
1. Other people, at some point, will NEED to drive. Could be that I'm drunk, sick, injured, masturbating, or sleeping after a shift on a road trip.
2. There's no real practical advantage in normal driving to having a manual. To me, it's solely for fun.
3. Safety. Missing a gear, downshifting on accident, stalling, having to "plan" out each shift in my head beforehand (even if it's second nature), etc, are all possibilities that can easily end up in an accident. Also, say you are cruising in 6th gear on the highway and someone is wildly changing lanes into your lane, and you need to gun it out of the way very quickly. One stomp on the automatic pedal and you're out of trouble. Manuals force you to process more information than autos, and sometimes, that's exactly what you don't want.
4. The automatic has tap shifting. Not too bad.
5. Automatic start. Love it. I live in very hot weather, and am rather sensitive to cold. I want my car comfy when I get inside of it.
6. Straight up convenience. Make a list of all the things you do with a free hand while driving an auto, and then imagine it being impossible every time you need to shift.

Reasons to get a manual:
1. For fun.
2. For competitive driving.
3. To make it more difficult for your relatives/friends to drive it, therefore hopefully deterring them from asking to.

Hope this helps.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Hooy

Big factors that affected my decision to get an automatic:

Some good points, some that need a little more thought...

1. Other people, at some point, will NEED to drive. Could be that I'm drunk, sick, injured, masturbating, or sleeping after a shift on a road trip.

That was a big concern that prevented me from getting a manual for 10 years. Finally I had enough of worrying about that and enough of listening to other people (wife, parents, etc) about what I should drive and really stopped to think about it. I found that nobody ever drives my car, even if I'm too tired and begging others to drive I'm always the one who has to drive. So, I got a manual.

Since then, for over a year, nobody has even needed to sit in my driver's seat to operate the radio, let alone to drive it. My wife wanted to learn, so she drove it to learn, and could drive it if necessary...but it just hasn't been necessary. She wants her next car to be manual but still doesn't want to drive my car.

2. There's no real practical advantage in normal driving to having a manual. To me, it's solely for fun.

Very untrue. Cost is a very practical advantage. Purchase price, fuel economy (even if the EPA ratings are the same, the manual is easier to improve by changing your driving habits), maintenance costs.

Then there's towing, if you have a motorhome (I doubt many here do) you can tow a manual on a dolly or with all four wheels on the road, but not an automatic.

3. Safety. Missing a gear, downshifting on accident, stalling, having to[...]

Mostly good points, but in reality they don't cause any actual accidents. A surefire way to tell is to check insurance rates. The insurance industry is in the business of knowing what correlates with increased claims and charging more for it.

The thing about needing to suddenly accelerate to avoid an accident is a bugaboo, commonly mentioned in many different types of discussions. The fact is that loads of people drive auto/manual cars/trucks that can't suddenly accelerate in any gear at all, and manage to remain safe.

4. The automatic has tap shifting. Not too bad.

That's perfect if your only concern is easy gear selection. It's very practical and effective and will get you to your destination (or the finish line) in a big hurry.

If you want a different driving experience, not so much. Stuff like feeling the shifter pause while the synchros spin up or feeling the shifter slide in instantly when you double-clutched perfectly...you'll never get that.

5. Automatic start. Love it. I live in very hot weather, and am rather sensitive to cold. I want my car comfy when I get inside of it.
6. Straight up convenience. Make a list of all the things you do with a free hand while driving an auto, and then imagine it being impossible every time you need to shift.

Those are really great arguments for the automatic.

Reasons to get a manual:
2. For competitive driving.

No way. If you're more interested in results, get the auto. This isn't 1966, or even 1986. We're not talking about a 3 speed vacuum-operated automatic with a non-locking torque converter. Modern automatics really get the job done, and when you combine paddle shifters with an obedient computer (and maybe some aggressive locking of the torque converter) you get all the competitive advantages of both manual and automatic.

[Chevyrocker]

I feel more in touch with my car when it's a manual. But now that I have a wife and kid, automatic just makes more sense because I never really get to enjoy driving anymore. I always am doing 2 or 3 things at once when I'm on the road and would not be able to deal with the manual at this point in my life...

Like others have said, make a list of the benefits of both and just go with which ever one makes more sense to you.

[NightmareSS]

Originally Posted by theholycow

I made the switch 20,000 miles ago and I don't regret it. It's rare that I find it annoying enough that I wish I was in an automatic. It does happen sometimes, but if I only had an automatic then wishing I had a manual would happen every day.

How do you feel about it? Have you always wanted to drive manual?

What kind of traffic do you drive in? Part of the reason it works so well for me is that my driving is mostly rural/small town roads and low-traffic highway. When I get into the city I enjoy it but if I drove in the city every day I might not. When it comes to traffic jams, though, nothing is fun to drive.

he is 100% right...im like you venom, first manual car this will be...and i live in nyc and the traffic if horrible but like he sed automatic or not traffic sux...and the main thing he sed that really hit home was those few times where u get annoyed will happen but if you get automatic ull be wishing u had manual everyday...there isnt a day that goes by that i dont wish my 300zx isnt stick...i enjoy driving and its not like i deliver pizza opr something where im driving all day...i go to and from work and thats really it...i know when i get my camaro imma be doing a lil more driving then that but that will be cuz i want to and ill have fun doing so...and if i dont feel like driving my car for wuteva reason ill have my gf take her car...2008 G35x sedan...shes got the luxury car so she can shoufer me around =) besides id rather not put that many miles on my car...idk if you have a gf that u can switch driving with but either way i dont think it will be that bad, unless you drive A LOt, A LOT!

and i too believe that all sports cars should be stick...if you want a automatic cuz its your daily driver and you dont wanna have to deal with gears cuz you'll be driving it in traffic alot or wuteva then you should just go for the v6 IMO...cuz if having stick will annoy a person because of the where and how they will be driving then why do you need a v8? sounds like it will be a daily commuter and not a performance thing so save gas money and go v6...but to each his own...thats just how i feel about it

[BackinBlackSS/RS]

Originally Posted by BeermanSS

No I do believe that the L99 does have VVT.

The L99 has active fuel mgmt, but not Variable Valve Timing.

[mike@newera]

When and where was this announced?

[UsedTaHaveA68]

Originally Posted by BackinBlackSS/RS

The L99 has active fuel mgmt, but not Variable Valve Timing.

Yes it does. It uses a camshaft phaser to adjust the timing of the camshaft, allowing it to open/close the valves earlier or later.

:::::And while not needed for LS3, the E38 is capable of supporting VVT and AFM features found in the LS3's close relative and Camaro stablemate, the L99.:::::

Taken from http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...ons/index.html

[BackinBlackSS/RS]

Originally Posted by mike@newera

When and where was this announced?

Here's the info:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/wiki.p...specifications

[cyberbro]

This is very simple, if you were a stick type of guy, you would not have asked and just got it.

Go auto you can still shift it when you have the need!

[UsedTaHaveA68]

Originally Posted by BackinBlackSS/RS

Here's the info:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/wiki.p...specifications

You may want to read that info a little closer. Cam phaser = VVT. It enables to computer to Vary the open/close Timing of the Valves. VVT.