Manual Transmission Still Popular with Corvette Buyers
#1
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Manual Transmission Still Popular with Corvette Buyers
Make no mistake about it, Corvette buyers still crave a lot of the hard-core traditional performance stuff that has always defined the sports car, even when opting for the new Corvette Stingray. Amid the growing trend among carmakers to do away with the traditional stick shift in sports cars, GM says 40 percent of new Stingray buyers are opting for the manual transmission.
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#2
Make no mistake about it, Corvette buyers still crave a lot of the hard-core traditional performance stuff that has always defined the sports car, even when opting for the new Corvette Stingray. Amid the growing trend among carmakers to do away with the traditional stick shift in sports cars, GM says 40 percent of new Stingray buyers are opting for the manual transmission.
More on the blog.
#3
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St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '16-'17-'18
Woohoo! I'm part of the 40%!
#5
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I have a manual but this is the last Vette with one. Mark my words.
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St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '16-'17-'18
#8
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The C8 will not have a manual. Between a shrinking market base of people who want them or even know how to use one added to fuel and emissions regulations will kill the manual forever.
The new auto 8 speed coming next year will really cut into manual sales.
The manual is being squeezed into a smaller and smaller pocket. Nothing coming on the horizon will change that. No one is going to buy a manual Corvette if it's their first manual car ever in their life. Where else can you find a manual in a car today?
The new auto 8 speed coming next year will really cut into manual sales.
The manual is being squeezed into a smaller and smaller pocket. Nothing coming on the horizon will change that. No one is going to buy a manual Corvette if it's their first manual car ever in their life. Where else can you find a manual in a car today?
#9
Instructor
Only reason I choose Manual was because the current A6 auto does not come close to a PDK or DCT transmission in upshift/downshift responsiveness performance wise. Hopefully the new 8 speed gets it right.
#11
Make no mistake about it, Corvette buyers still crave a lot of the hard-core traditional performance stuff that has always defined the sports car, even when opting for the new Corvette Stingray. Amid the growing trend among carmakers to do away with the traditional stick shift in sports cars, GM says 40 percent of new Stingray buyers are opting for the manual transmission.
More on the blog.
Well.....except for one thing.
A manual is a blast to drive and an automatic transmission is just one step closer to being in the passenger seat.
There's something to be said for the non measurable intangibles that put a smile on your face. Technology's contribution to the quality of human life is vastly over rated. Automatic transmissions are for minivans and mobile homes and Mercury's and Maybachs. Corvettes are best when you mate with the machinery and stir your own.
#12
Melting Slicks
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My reason for the manual is simply that I find it more fun. We have both a paddle shift and a manual, and the paddle shift is nice but doesn't give me the same feeling of being as much fun to drive. No matter how many speeds they add to the auto, without the clutch it's just not the same.
#14
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Older drivers prefer manuals. Some 20 year old today isn't going to want a manual when they are 10 years older and wants to buy a sports car in the year 2025. He's going to want this.
The manual is a dying dinosaur.
The manual is a dying dinosaur.
#16
Melting Slicks
Older drivers prefer manuals. Some 20 year old today isn't going to want a manual when they are 10 years older and wants to buy a sports car in the year 2025. He's going to want this. Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8K4Rq7uhGw The manual is a dying dinosaur.
#18
Older drivers prefer manuals. Some 20 year old today isn't going to want a manual when they are 10 years older and wants to buy a sports car in the year 2025. He's going to want this. Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8K4Rq7uhGw The manual is a dying dinosaur.
#19
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The ONLY reason GM puts in a manual box is because they still can design the car to do both economically. Soon, new technology, fuel regulations, and emission standards will make that obsolete. A shrinking market base of new manual owners will continue to get smaller, making it economically unfeasible to continue.
When Porsche announces acceleration numbers of their models, they announce them in PDK. The reason? It's faster. When the new auto 8 comes out, my suspicion will be it also will be faster than the manual. I also suspect manual owners who don't like the old auto box will jump to the new quick change auto because it's faster, easier to drive everyday, has less maintenance, and in fact a new and different version of what "fun" is.
Last edited by Sin City; 05-01-2014 at 09:08 PM.
#20
Le Mans Master
I agree with you. I really hope the A8 is as good as the advertising. If it is I may consider it for my next Z06.