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Finding a wagon is hard enough; try finding a manual transmission AWD wagon in the states! I overpaid for my 2006 audi a4 in 2016 and continue to pour money int

Finding a wagon is hard enough; try finding a manual transmission AWD wagon in the states! I overpaid for my 2006 audi a4 in 2016 and continue to pour money into it (as one does with a German car over 70k miles) because 6-speed turbo all-wheel wagons are only getting rarer. VW makes a manual sportwagen that is similar but uglier. I would prefer a more full-size wagon (think Volvo XC70/V90) with a higher clearance (like an Outback), but it seems I'd have to give up the third pedal. The upside is this might push me to be yet another van-converting yuppie for my camping/snowboarding needs and replace the wagon with a tiny electric commuter when it finally dies.

mdorazio 5y ago
Why do you want manual transmission? Every time I get the nostalgia for driving a stick shift I rent or borrow one for a weekend and rediscover that it's a huge pain in the ass and generally not worth it.
- claytonjy 5y ago
  Part of it is surely nostalgia, but I honestly think it's more fun, it makes driving more engaging. I don't have to spend much time in stop-and-go traffic so it's rarely a pain, and I really love engine braking, especially in the snow which is what much of my driving centers around. It's also good theft deterrent! A previous manual of mine was broken into and they didn't even bother to take the iPod in plain view or anything else; I think they wanted the car and didn't realize they couldn't drive it till they popped the window.
- lovelyviking 5y ago
  >Why do you want manual transmission? Less bugs! Seriously, dealing with all those auto-shifting is like knowing what you need and then a hard work to find how to make this stupid automatic to perform what you want as no one of them works as good as you wish. And why to have this extra troulble if you can do all you need with manual stick easily? Also automatic is extremelly boring. I was thinking like you once but once I 'eaten enough' of this 'automatic' transmission I came to a conclusion that it never works and never will. At least not the way I want it. Also real control with manual vs 'who knows what it will do' with automatic.
- deeblering4 5y ago
  Its a personal preference thing for sure. For me theres no comparison in feeling control between downshifting into a turn on a manual vs flicking steering wheel shift paddles.
- argiopetech 5y ago
  Manuals are longer lasting than automatics in my application. I tow with a '98 Dodge Ram with manual 5-speed. Even on newer models, auto transmissions are prone to hunt under certain circumstances (which causes heavy internal wear) and wear out much faster than a comparable 5- or 6-speed. You can install various lockout switches (i.e., lockout overdrive), but at that point my muscle memory with the manual is less effort. On the road, the manual needs no attention other than to keep it in a gear that doesn't lug the engine. Being in too high a gear is the only thing that causes excess heat. In the automatic, despite two coolers in my model (air to air and air to coolant, lots of lines and aluminum to fill and have fail), keeping an eye on the trans temp is a necessity. Service is also simpler. Manual gets oil topped off at normal oil change intervals (seldom needs it), and a change when I do clutches (every 100k-200k miles, depending on load.) Automatics require the same level of fluid top-off, but also require fluid flushes every 60-80k miles (requiring a machine I don't have.) Though it's never been necessary, I can rebuild a manual transmission in my shop fairly easily, where an automatic takes much more specialist knowledge and has many more moving parts. In this application, it's likely you need an automatic transmission rebuild every 200-250k miles (way more expensive than two good clutches.) This all aside, where in the US can you rent a manual for the weekend? Even the luxury car segment has transitioned to paddle shifting everywhere I've asked (which is everywhere I've rented.)
NaOH 5y ago
>Finding a wagon is hard enough; try finding a manual transmission AWD wagon in the states! That would be why I bought a used 2010 Volvo V50—a wagon with AWD, 6-speed, and a turbo. Volvo sold so few of that model in the US I felt lucky to find it.
- claytonjy 5y ago
  I am jealous! I remember learning that such manuals existed but was never able to find one.

mdorazio 5y ago

Why do you want manual transmission? Every time I get the nostalgia for driving a stick shift I rent or borrow one for a weekend and rediscover that it's a huge pain in the ass and generally not worth it.

claytonjy 5y ago
Part of it is surely nostalgia, but I honestly think it's more fun, it makes driving more engaging. I don't have to spend much time in stop-and-go traffic so it's rarely a pain, and I really love engine braking, especially in the snow which is what much of my driving centers around. It's also good theft deterrent! A previous manual of mine was broken into and they didn't even bother to take the iPod in plain view or anything else; I think they wanted the car and didn't realize they couldn't drive it till they popped the window.
lovelyviking 5y ago
>Why do you want manual transmission? Less bugs! Seriously, dealing with all those auto-shifting is like knowing what you need and then a hard work to find how to make this stupid automatic to perform what you want as no one of them works as good as you wish. And why to have this extra troulble if you can do all you need with manual stick easily? Also automatic is extremelly boring. I was thinking like you once but once I 'eaten enough' of this 'automatic' transmission I came to a conclusion that it never works and never will. At least not the way I want it. Also real control with manual vs 'who knows what it will do' with automatic.
deeblering4 5y ago
Its a personal preference thing for sure. For me theres no comparison in feeling control between downshifting into a turn on a manual vs flicking steering wheel shift paddles.
argiopetech 5y ago
Manuals are longer lasting than automatics in my application. I tow with a '98 Dodge Ram with manual 5-speed. Even on newer models, auto transmissions are prone to hunt under certain circumstances (which causes heavy internal wear) and wear out much faster than a comparable 5- or 6-speed. You can install various lockout switches (i.e., lockout overdrive), but at that point my muscle memory with the manual is less effort. On the road, the manual needs no attention other than to keep it in a gear that doesn't lug the engine. Being in too high a gear is the only thing that causes excess heat. In the automatic, despite two coolers in my model (air to air and air to coolant, lots of lines and aluminum to fill and have fail), keeping an eye on the trans temp is a necessity. Service is also simpler. Manual gets oil topped off at normal oil change intervals (seldom needs it), and a change when I do clutches (every 100k-200k miles, depending on load.) Automatics require the same level of fluid top-off, but also require fluid flushes every 60-80k miles (requiring a machine I don't have.) Though it's never been necessary, I can rebuild a manual transmission in my shop fairly easily, where an automatic takes much more specialist knowledge and has many more moving parts. In this application, it's likely you need an automatic transmission rebuild every 200-250k miles (way more expensive than two good clutches.) This all aside, where in the US can you rent a manual for the weekend? Even the luxury car segment has transitioned to paddle shifting everywhere I've asked (which is everywhere I've rented.)

NaOH 5y ago

>Finding a wagon is hard enough; try finding a manual transmission AWD wagon in the states! That would be why I bought a used 2010 Volvo V50—a wagon with AWD, 6-speed, and a turbo. Volvo sold so few of that model in the US I felt lucky to find it.

claytonjy 5y ago
I am jealous! I remember learning that such manuals existed but was never able to find one.