stick vs auto

[rednecks_r_us]

Cause for the price of the mods( cold air intake, headers, turbos)...They arent cheap and dont sometimes do justice for the price..Everyone that mods the P5 does it for the simple fact they love the car..It just looks that damn good

I couldn't have said it better my self. Most people that get a P5 fall in love with it.

A car is just a car untill you pour your soul into it.

 

[StealthWyvern]

I say if you spend most of your time in stop and go traffic get a auto other then that geta stick!

 

[Crazy D]

This is my first auto....I drive a 02 auto w/the O/D button... is it less fun; naaaa. The only thing I miss is the ability to push the car to its max when I felt like it... other than that, in my CNY winters... I'll take the Auto.

 

[LilPixieMama75]

I didn't know how to drive a stick when I bought my P5. I just knew I wanted the car & had to have it. I saw it sitting in a car lot & it was calling my name. After looking at it, I went home & researched the crap out of it. I dreamt about it. I knew it was mine & dragged the family men down to look at it the next day. They all gave it a once over & okayed it...So I bought it.

Now, I had a car I couldn't even drive. Everyone else enjoyed it & I just enjoyed riding in it. My Hubby (who was my BF at the time) was extremely patient and taught me how to drive it. I wasn't really comfortable with it though, so he wouldn't let me drive my van so I HAD to drive it if I wanted to go somewhere.

I knew I wanted a stick. I knew I wanted this car. I knew I was going to learn even if no one showed me. I did and I LOVE driving it. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I was always thinking about shifting but it soon became second nature like they told me it would. I don't even think about it, I just drive. I also have a 5-speed Mustang, an automatic Mustang, & an automatic van. I enjoy driving the 5-speed so much more. I guess it's one of those things that either you enjoy it or you don't.

I got a short shifter installed a couple of months ago and love it. It has shortened my throws. It seems to make it a lot easier, in my opinion. The long throws were a pain.

As for the traffic & the hills. It can be a pain, you just learn to deal with it. When I first started driving the stick, we had a lot of construction going on on 75 & the traffic was a pain. A lot of stop & go. I managed to learn to deal with it & I don't even think about it anymore. My Hubby helped me on the hills at first. He would do the "e-brake thing" for me until I got used to holding it. I can now sit on a hill & not roll back when the light changes. It's just something you learn from doing it.

With the stick, you can use the torque to your advantage. It's a torque-y little car, especially in first gear. It may not be the fastest or most powerful, but I have learned how to use it to my advantage. It's all in knowing you car...How it works...And what it can do for you.

Yes, it's expensive to mod which is why I haven't gone crazy. I don't go race it, so it's not on my high list of priorities to do mad "modding." I enjoy driving it & one day I will get up the guts to auto cross it, but until then I like it the way it is. I have done a few mods to benefit me without going overboard.

You are doing the best thing you can do for yourself...Research. Research everything you possibly can before you buy it. You will be a lot happier. I researched this car as much as I could before I bought it. After I bought it, I signed up here & learned so much more about it. And not matter what they tell you...There are so many helpful, knowledgeable people on these forms with a wealth of information.

Sorry if my post is a little random...But I hope to have helped answer some of your questions or give you some insight about the little wagons we love.

 

[2002 MP5]

When we were looking for our third car, we test drove a manual. Fun, but mom said not practical. We can both drive a stick and I thought all of our drivers should learn how. Plus it might make them focus more on driving.

So we have an auto and it is much easier, especially in traffic.

 

[bazooka joe]

i was just looking for a fun new car and the wife had only one request, no stick! she had driven my other cars, which were manuals and she was tired of shifting especially in heavy traffic....of course the rest is history, and as planned (kinda) she won't even drive my car now, "it's too low and loud"(wink)

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

she won't even drive my car now, "it's too low and loud"(wink)

Cool side effect of modding isn't it?

 

[aMaff]

Actually I've seen it on a dyno that an automatic robs more horse power to the ground than a stick shift. Its only a small % though.

Beat me to it. @ the flywheel the power's going to be the same. But when you're driving a car (you know, transmission, diff, axles, wheels and tires) it doesn't really matter what it makes at the flywheel. What matters is what's hitting the ground.

And the manual puts more down to the ground


EDIT: In conclusion, 1az0r blu3 is t3h fastest! /thread


(outie)

 

[JoshP5]

I drive through traffic
I drive on hills
I drive a stick
I wouldn't have it any other way

 

[LilPixieMama75]

I drive through traffic
I drive on hills
I drive a stick
I wouldn't have it any other way

Well said. LOL!

 

[Roxy25]

Cause for the price of the mods( cold air intake, headers, turbos)...They arent cheap and dont sometimes do justice for the price..Everyone that mods the P5 does it for the simple fact they love the car..It just looks that damn good

This sounds like me LOL. Serious you guys I been on this car for years I am only 23 when I saw this car it was love at first sight. Anyone who knows me , knows I don't like new cars at all ( love classic muscle cars). MOST new cars all look the same when I saw the protege5 I was like damn finally a car that stands out from the rest. When I saw the mazda3 hatchback I was in love also lol. But I can afford the protege5 so I thought I should get this car I been in love with for years. I am already crazy with trying to find me a proetege5 I have been looking for mods for a car I don't have yet lol.


This happened with all my hobbies I get obessed , I am into reefing ( no not that kind of reefing ) aquariums. its pretty expensive I have spent well over $1500 on a small 20gallon tank lol. I also into dogs, art, photography all expensive $hit hahahha.

 

[pasadena_commut]

I say if you spend most of your time in stop and go traffic get a auto other then that geta stick!

Also go with a manual if you do most of your driving in a city on steep hills. Stop and go in LA with a manual is a pain, stop and go up and down the hills of San Francisco with a manual can be terrifying. If you frequently drive streets where the "sidewalks" are stairs and there's a stop sign at the end of each block you'll curse the day you bought the manual. A little slope is no problem, but some streets in San Francisco are over a 30% grade and streets exceeding 20% are very common.

For general driving though a manual will give you much better MPG and is more fun to drive than the auto.

 

[aMaff]

I drive through traffic
I drive on hills
I drive a stick
I wouldn't have it any other way

(mswerd)

 

[Roxy25]

I didn't know how to drive a stick when I bought my P5. I just knew I wanted the car & had to have it. I saw it sitting in a car lot & it was calling my name. After looking at it, I went home & researched the crap out of it. I dreamt about it. I knew it was mine & dragged the family men down to look at it the next day. They all gave it a once over & okayed it...So I bought it.

Now, I had a car I couldn't even drive. Everyone else enjoyed it & I just enjoyed riding in it. My Hubby (who was my BF at the time) was extremely patient and taught me how to drive it. I wasn't really comfortable with it though, so he wouldn't let me drive my van so I HAD to drive it if I wanted to go somewhere.

I knew I wanted a stick. I knew I wanted this car. I knew I was going to learn even if no one showed me. I did and I LOVE driving it. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I was always thinking about shifting but it soon became second nature like they told me it would. I don't even think about it, I just drive. I also have a 5-speed Mustang, an automatic Mustang, & an automatic van. I enjoy driving the 5-speed so much more. I guess it's one of those things that either you enjoy it or you don't.

I got a short shifter installed a couple of months ago and love it. It has shortened my throws. It seems to make it a lot easier, in my opinion. The long throws were a pain.

As for the traffic & the hills. It can be a pain, you just learn to deal with it. When I first started driving the stick, we had a lot of construction going on on 75 & the traffic was a pain. A lot of stop & go. I managed to learn to deal with it & I don't even think about it anymore. My Hubby helped me on the hills at first. He would do the "e-brake thing" for me until I got used to holding it. I can now sit on a hill & not roll back when the light changes. It's just something you learn from doing it.

With the stick, you can use the torque to your advantage. It's a torque-y little car, especially in first gear. It may not be the fastest or most powerful, but I have learned how to use it to my advantage. It's all in knowing you car...How it works...And what it can do for you.

Yes, it's expensive to mod which is why I haven't gone crazy. I don't go race it, so it's not on my high list of priorities to do mad "modding." I enjoy driving it & one day I will get up the guts to auto cross it, but until then I like it the way it is. I have done a few mods to benefit me without going overboard.

You are doing the best thing you can do for yourself...Research. Research everything you possibly can before you buy it. You will be a lot happier. I researched this car as much as I could before I bought it. After I bought it, I signed up here & learned so much more about it. And not matter what they tell you...There are so many helpful, knowledgeable people on these forms with a wealth of information.

Sorry if my post is a little random...But I hope to have helped answer some of your questions or give you some insight about the little wagons we love.

Thanks that was awesome info , I research everything before I buy or get into. It saves you money in the long run !(wiggle)

 

[Roxy25]

Also go with a manual if you do most of your driving in a city on steep hills. Stop and go in LA with a manual is a pain, stop and go up and down the hills of San Francisco with a manual can be terrifying. If you frequently drive streets where the "sidewalks" are stairs and there's a stop sign at the end of each block you'll curse the day you bought the manual. A little slope is no problem, but some streets in San Francisco are over a 30% grade and streets exceeding 20% are very common.

For general driving though a manual will give you much better MPG and is more fun to drive than the auto.

hmmmm thanks I will see how I like to drive my friends lancer I will post this weekend about. I will see if I can get my first lesson in. I am trading him for painting lessons for stick lessons lol sounds like a fair deal right ?(lol2)