Why there are no manual fits out there...
#161
12-10-2009, 03:41 PM
It's a matter of personal preference and lifestyle. Driving the freeways around Atlanta sucks (flat, straight, congested). Stop and go for an hour with a manual isn't my idea of fun. YMMV.
#162
12-10-2009, 03:45 PM
[QUOTE=Stevens24;785877]T . FUCK YOU
No thanks, I don't swing that way and don't bother to ask again. I do want to apologize... I have only gotten shafted by 2/3rds of the dealerships that I have had dealings with and the other 1/3rd are no longer in business.
No thanks, I don't swing that way and don't bother to ask again. I do want to apologize... I have only gotten shafted by 2/3rds of the dealerships that I have had dealings with and the other 1/3rd are no longer in business.
#163
12-10-2009, 04:07 PM
I had the same problem last year--had to go to Florida to find a Fit sport with a manual. Well worth the trip.
And yes, I too am fed up with dealers who try to talk me into an automatic because that's what they have. We're not talking about floor mats or vanity mirrors here, it's a completely different car with an automatic. Do they really think I'm going to pay $800 extra for something I don't want?
And yes, I too am fed up with dealers who try to talk me into an automatic because that's what they have. We're not talking about floor mats or vanity mirrors here, it's a completely different car with an automatic. Do they really think I'm going to pay $800 extra for something I don't want?
#164
12-10-2009, 04:25 PM
actually, driving in mountains would be a very good reason to have a manual. The amount of control it gives you over an auto is an advantage, both uphill and down.
It's a matter of personal preference and lifestyle. Driving the freeways around Atlanta sucks (flat, straight, congested). Stop and go for an hour with a manual isn't my idea of fun. YMMV.
It's a matter of personal preference and lifestyle. Driving the freeways around Atlanta sucks (flat, straight, congested). Stop and go for an hour with a manual isn't my idea of fun. YMMV.
I dont think driving in stop and go traffic with an automatic is fun either. Its just not fun either way. And its certainly not impossible to do with a manual. Its probably a little bit more exhausting for your knee thats all
#165
12-10-2009, 04:46 PM
Thanks Prick. way to take things out of context. We don't order vehicle based on what vehicle need more service. And I don't lie to make a living. And I don't give a Shit if your Fit is faster. FUCK YOU
How about showing a little respect. Now I know why I don't come here anymore. And i paid MSRP just like you did in OCT 06
How about showing a little respect. Now I know why I don't come here anymore. And i paid MSRP just like you did in OCT 06
what a f'in disgrace.
#166
12-10-2009, 04:47 PM
[QUOTE=Texas Coyote;785927]Apology accepted. I have read many of your post and you seem very knowledgeable. Bummer that you've been treated badly at dealerships. But there are a few of us out there who do look out for the customer. It's all good.
#167
12-10-2009, 04:51 PM
#168
12-10-2009, 07:40 PM
actually, driving in mountains would be a very good reason to have a manual. The amount of control it gives you over an auto is an advantage, both uphill and down.
It's a matter of personal preference and lifestyle. Driving the freeways around Atlanta sucks (flat, straight, congested). Stop and go for an hour with a manual isn't my idea of fun. YMMV.
It's a matter of personal preference and lifestyle. Driving the freeways around Atlanta sucks (flat, straight, congested). Stop and go for an hour with a manual isn't my idea of fun. YMMV.
Stop and Go is no fun no matter what but it is more palatable in an auto or CVT. You don't have to deal with that "glazed" feeling on the clutch. That said, in most places, traffic conditions that cause this glazing effect is really rare.
~SB
#169
12-10-2009, 08:59 PM
Manual vs Automatic
I have owned several cars, my first car was a 1980 4spd automatic rx7, it was a good car, I did not have a choice whether automatic or manual on this car, as it was gifted from family. I was a young driver then, and didn't really make much obverservations on the automatic tranny other then that the car was not drivable in even an 1/2" of snow.
My second car was a 1985 5spd rx7, after my first car got totalled, and I was salvaging the motor at my mechanics, I saw another rx7 just like mine, and it was a 5spd, my parents saw my interest in the vehicle and a few days later when I got home it was in the driveway with a big red ribbon on it. I loved that car, I put over 70k miles on that car, rain, shine, snow, delivered pizzas, and thats when I noticed that I had much more control over the vehicle using a manual transmission, I could control via the clutch how much power from the engine I wanted to transfer to the wheels, where the automatic was more like all or none. I also noticed engine braking later on, though habit at the time would always depress the clutch when using the brakes, and its not until i encountered snow that I really began to appreciate it. The car ended up totalled in the end.
My third car (which I still have) is a 1991 Honda Accord LX Auto Coupe, I have driven this car also for 70k miles, and has been through all weather conditions, it is pretty formidable, but I began to miss the MT in the rx7, to the point that i would shift from d4 to d3 to downshift when slowing down from high speeds (engine braking), I never really had any problems with the snow in this car, despite it being an automatic, but I did have the chance of putting it on the dyno, 110whp @ 6k in 100*F weather, after finding some dyno sheets from another user that did an auto to manual swap and put it on the dyno before, I found the % difference in whp, and applied it to my cars output; if my car was converted to a manual it would be putting out 130whp, and I get all my advantages of an MT back. I also learned to appreciate/understand gearing as the automatic in this car only had 4 speeds. I've also experienced gear hunting syndrome (your slowing down and the light changes to green and you press the gas and its like it doesn't know what gear to select). I've also had to deal with a transmission computer dieing, and some "flare" sometimes. I'd be at a stoplight, i'd start to accellerate to about 10mph, then all of a sudden the whole car would jerk, the tires would chirp, and I'm thankful there were no cops around (as chirping the tires could be considered failure to maintain control of the vehicle, and/or wreckless driving); In the end this is the reason why I will not drive an automatic anymore, transmissions may have gotten better, but they have also gotten more complicated, meaning more things to go wrong. Only way I will own an automatic again is if I can no longer operate the clutch. After the car developed wristpin knock, I decided to relieve it of its daily driving duties and find a suitable replacement. I was planning on just fixing it and driving it, but my mother insisted that i get another, newer, but not new car.
I spent over a month monitoring local dealer websites inventories for 09 honda fits, looking for a Sport Manual (I wanted the alarm, fogs, and cruise control), but they were very few MT Fits around, and I watched them enter the dealer inventories and be removed in a matter of days. I also wanted one that wasn't a high profile color like red, or orange. I love black paint, but my accord is black, and living in houston, i've learned firsthand the downside. There were no whites, didn't want purple, I liked the Tidewater, but the one I found was sold before I got to the dealer. So I kept on looking, and then two Storm Silvers came into stock, silver sandwhiched between black and white, and I realized if I don't act as soon as possible they would be gone. So after a month of waiting, plenty of research, and having to deal with my mother (what an ordeal... you have no idea), I finally convinced them to give me cash for the downpayment, and then I became the proud owner of a 2009 Honda Fit Sport SSM MT, once again I can appreciate the control of driving MT. I use the vehicle for daily driving primarily two and from work, and the driving consists of 80% city speeds, 20% highway speeds, and as you can see in my signature i'm above the epa ratings even for highway driving, with the a/c on 9-10 months of the year. Hopefully soon I'll have a chance to find out the actual all highway driving mpg. BTW I paid sticker, but then again I have bad credit and was lucky I was able to get financing.
IMO MT's also keep you more aware of your surroundings, and helps you concentrate on driving, its also a deterrent from trying to talk on the phone while driving (without an earpiece/bluetooth/handfree), texting while driving, eating, and other things that distract you from driving. If i had a nickle for every driver that becomes a moving road block, can't stay in their lane, or tries to merge into my while they had phone to their ear, or texting i'd be rich. These people are accidents waiting to happen, I keep my distance, pass them quickly, and generally try to stay a safe distance away.
My second car was a 1985 5spd rx7, after my first car got totalled, and I was salvaging the motor at my mechanics, I saw another rx7 just like mine, and it was a 5spd, my parents saw my interest in the vehicle and a few days later when I got home it was in the driveway with a big red ribbon on it. I loved that car, I put over 70k miles on that car, rain, shine, snow, delivered pizzas, and thats when I noticed that I had much more control over the vehicle using a manual transmission, I could control via the clutch how much power from the engine I wanted to transfer to the wheels, where the automatic was more like all or none. I also noticed engine braking later on, though habit at the time would always depress the clutch when using the brakes, and its not until i encountered snow that I really began to appreciate it. The car ended up totalled in the end.
My third car (which I still have) is a 1991 Honda Accord LX Auto Coupe, I have driven this car also for 70k miles, and has been through all weather conditions, it is pretty formidable, but I began to miss the MT in the rx7, to the point that i would shift from d4 to d3 to downshift when slowing down from high speeds (engine braking), I never really had any problems with the snow in this car, despite it being an automatic, but I did have the chance of putting it on the dyno, 110whp @ 6k in 100*F weather, after finding some dyno sheets from another user that did an auto to manual swap and put it on the dyno before, I found the % difference in whp, and applied it to my cars output; if my car was converted to a manual it would be putting out 130whp, and I get all my advantages of an MT back. I also learned to appreciate/understand gearing as the automatic in this car only had 4 speeds. I've also experienced gear hunting syndrome (your slowing down and the light changes to green and you press the gas and its like it doesn't know what gear to select). I've also had to deal with a transmission computer dieing, and some "flare" sometimes. I'd be at a stoplight, i'd start to accellerate to about 10mph, then all of a sudden the whole car would jerk, the tires would chirp, and I'm thankful there were no cops around (as chirping the tires could be considered failure to maintain control of the vehicle, and/or wreckless driving); In the end this is the reason why I will not drive an automatic anymore, transmissions may have gotten better, but they have also gotten more complicated, meaning more things to go wrong. Only way I will own an automatic again is if I can no longer operate the clutch. After the car developed wristpin knock, I decided to relieve it of its daily driving duties and find a suitable replacement. I was planning on just fixing it and driving it, but my mother insisted that i get another, newer, but not new car.
I spent over a month monitoring local dealer websites inventories for 09 honda fits, looking for a Sport Manual (I wanted the alarm, fogs, and cruise control), but they were very few MT Fits around, and I watched them enter the dealer inventories and be removed in a matter of days. I also wanted one that wasn't a high profile color like red, or orange. I love black paint, but my accord is black, and living in houston, i've learned firsthand the downside. There were no whites, didn't want purple, I liked the Tidewater, but the one I found was sold before I got to the dealer. So I kept on looking, and then two Storm Silvers came into stock, silver sandwhiched between black and white, and I realized if I don't act as soon as possible they would be gone. So after a month of waiting, plenty of research, and having to deal with my mother (what an ordeal... you have no idea), I finally convinced them to give me cash for the downpayment, and then I became the proud owner of a 2009 Honda Fit Sport SSM MT, once again I can appreciate the control of driving MT. I use the vehicle for daily driving primarily two and from work, and the driving consists of 80% city speeds, 20% highway speeds, and as you can see in my signature i'm above the epa ratings even for highway driving, with the a/c on 9-10 months of the year. Hopefully soon I'll have a chance to find out the actual all highway driving mpg. BTW I paid sticker, but then again I have bad credit and was lucky I was able to get financing.
IMO MT's also keep you more aware of your surroundings, and helps you concentrate on driving, its also a deterrent from trying to talk on the phone while driving (without an earpiece/bluetooth/handfree), texting while driving, eating, and other things that distract you from driving. If i had a nickle for every driver that becomes a moving road block, can't stay in their lane, or tries to merge into my while they had phone to their ear, or texting i'd be rich. These people are accidents waiting to happen, I keep my distance, pass them quickly, and generally try to stay a safe distance away.
Last edited by cloudasc; 12-12-2009 at 12:12 PM.
#170
12-10-2009, 10:15 PM
cloudasc...... A very long post that held my limited attention and is very on the money as far as I am concerned.... I'm glad that I took the time to read it all.
#171
12-11-2009, 05:12 AM
Maybe this is where I'll post my first post here at the FitFreak. On the afternoon of this past Wednesday I put in my order with a dealer for a 2010 Black Fit Sport with a Manual Transmission. A home internet search plus the findings of CarsDirect and also my dealer seems to have confirmed that there were/are in fact no new black sport m/t's in the state of California. I was half considering Silver and found one or two with m/t's. A rare breed indeed! My car will probably arrive in February/March. No tax credit for me!
#172
12-11-2009, 07:13 AM
I have owned several cars, my first car was a 1980 4spd automatic rx7, it was a good car, I did not have a choice whether automatic or manual on this car, as it was gifted from family. I was a young driver then, and didn't really make much obverservations on the automatic tranny other then that the car was not drivable in even an 1/2" of snow.
My second car was a 1985 5spd rx7, after my first car got totalled, and I was salvaging the motor at my mechanics, I saw another rx7 just like mine, and it was a 5spd, my parents saw my interest in the vehicle and a few days later when I got home it was in the driveway with a big red ribbon on it. I loved that car, I put over 70k miles on that car, rain, shine, snow, delivered pizzas, and thats when I noticed that I had much more control over the vehicle using a manual transmission, I could control via the clutch how much power from the engine I wanted to transfer to the wheels, where the automatic was more like all or none. I also noticed engine braking later on, though habit at the time would always depress the clutch when using the brakes, and its not until i encountered snow that I really began to appreciate it. The car ended up totalled in the end.
My third car (which I still have) is a 1991 Honda Account LX Auto Coupe, I have driven this car also for 70k miles, and has been through all weather conditions, it is pretty formidable, but I began to miss the MT in the rx7, to the point that i would shift from d4 to d3 to downshift when slowing down from high speeds (engine braking), I never really had any problems with the snow in this car, despite it being an automatic, but I did have the chance of putting it on the dyno, 110whp @ 6k in 100*F weather, after finding some dyno sheets from another user that did an auto to manual swap and put it on the dyno before, I found the % difference in whp, and applied it to my cars output; if my car was converted to a manual it would be putting out 130whp, and I get all my advantages of an MT back. I also learned to appreciate/understand gearing as the automatic in this car only had 4 speeds. I've also experienced gear hunting syndrome (your slowing down and the light changes to green and you press the gas and its like it doesn't know what gear to select). I've also had to deal with a transmission computer dieing, and some "flare" sometimes. I'd be at a stoplight, i'd start to accellerate to about 10mph, then all of a sudden the whole car would jerk, the tires would chirp, and I'm thankful there were no cops around (as chirping the tires could be considered failure to maintain control of the vehicle, and/or wreckless driving); In the end this is the reason why I will not drive an automatic anymore, transmissions may have gotten better, but they have also gotten more complicated, meaning more things to go wrong. Only way I will own an automatic again is if I can no longer operate the clutch. After the car developed wristpin knock, I decided to relieve it of its daily driving duties and find a suitable replacement. I was planning on just fixing it and driving it, but my mother insisted that i get another, newer, but not new car.
I spent over a month monitoring local dealer websites inventories for 09 honda fits, looking for a Sport Manual (I wanted the alarm, fogs, and cruise control), but they were very few MT Fits around, and I watched them enter the dealer inventories and be removed in a matter of days. I also wanted one that wasn't a high profile color like red, or orange. I love black paint, but my accord is black, and living in houston, i've learned firsthand the downside. There were no whites, didn't want purple, I liked the Tidewater, but the one I found was sold before I got to the dealer. So I kept on looking, and then two Storm Silvers came into stock, silver sandwhiched between black and white, and I realized if I don't act as soon as possible they would be gone. So after a month of waiting, plenty of research, and having to deal with my mother (what an ordeal... you have no idea), I finally convinced them to give me cash for the downpayment, and then I became the proud owner of a 2009 Honda Fit Sport SSM MT, once again I can appreciate the control of driving MT. I use the vehicle for daily driving primarily two and from work, and the driving consists of 80% city speeds, 20% highway speeds, and as you can see in my signature i'm above the epa ratings even for highway driving, with the a/c on 9-10 months of the year. Hopefully soon I'll have a chance to find out the actual all highway driving mpg. BTW I paid sticker, but then again I have bad credit and was lucky I was able to get financing.
IMO MT's also keep you more aware of your surroundings, and helps you concentrate on driving, its also a deterrent from trying to talk on the phone while driving (without an earpiece/bluetooth/handfree), texting while driving, eating, and other things that distract you from driving. If i had a nickle for every driver that becomes a moving road block, can't stay in their lane, or tries to merge into my while they had phone to their ear, or texting i'd be rich. These people are accidents waiting to happen, I keep my distance, pass them quickly, and generally try to stay a safe distance away.
My second car was a 1985 5spd rx7, after my first car got totalled, and I was salvaging the motor at my mechanics, I saw another rx7 just like mine, and it was a 5spd, my parents saw my interest in the vehicle and a few days later when I got home it was in the driveway with a big red ribbon on it. I loved that car, I put over 70k miles on that car, rain, shine, snow, delivered pizzas, and thats when I noticed that I had much more control over the vehicle using a manual transmission, I could control via the clutch how much power from the engine I wanted to transfer to the wheels, where the automatic was more like all or none. I also noticed engine braking later on, though habit at the time would always depress the clutch when using the brakes, and its not until i encountered snow that I really began to appreciate it. The car ended up totalled in the end.
My third car (which I still have) is a 1991 Honda Account LX Auto Coupe, I have driven this car also for 70k miles, and has been through all weather conditions, it is pretty formidable, but I began to miss the MT in the rx7, to the point that i would shift from d4 to d3 to downshift when slowing down from high speeds (engine braking), I never really had any problems with the snow in this car, despite it being an automatic, but I did have the chance of putting it on the dyno, 110whp @ 6k in 100*F weather, after finding some dyno sheets from another user that did an auto to manual swap and put it on the dyno before, I found the % difference in whp, and applied it to my cars output; if my car was converted to a manual it would be putting out 130whp, and I get all my advantages of an MT back. I also learned to appreciate/understand gearing as the automatic in this car only had 4 speeds. I've also experienced gear hunting syndrome (your slowing down and the light changes to green and you press the gas and its like it doesn't know what gear to select). I've also had to deal with a transmission computer dieing, and some "flare" sometimes. I'd be at a stoplight, i'd start to accellerate to about 10mph, then all of a sudden the whole car would jerk, the tires would chirp, and I'm thankful there were no cops around (as chirping the tires could be considered failure to maintain control of the vehicle, and/or wreckless driving); In the end this is the reason why I will not drive an automatic anymore, transmissions may have gotten better, but they have also gotten more complicated, meaning more things to go wrong. Only way I will own an automatic again is if I can no longer operate the clutch. After the car developed wristpin knock, I decided to relieve it of its daily driving duties and find a suitable replacement. I was planning on just fixing it and driving it, but my mother insisted that i get another, newer, but not new car.
I spent over a month monitoring local dealer websites inventories for 09 honda fits, looking for a Sport Manual (I wanted the alarm, fogs, and cruise control), but they were very few MT Fits around, and I watched them enter the dealer inventories and be removed in a matter of days. I also wanted one that wasn't a high profile color like red, or orange. I love black paint, but my accord is black, and living in houston, i've learned firsthand the downside. There were no whites, didn't want purple, I liked the Tidewater, but the one I found was sold before I got to the dealer. So I kept on looking, and then two Storm Silvers came into stock, silver sandwhiched between black and white, and I realized if I don't act as soon as possible they would be gone. So after a month of waiting, plenty of research, and having to deal with my mother (what an ordeal... you have no idea), I finally convinced them to give me cash for the downpayment, and then I became the proud owner of a 2009 Honda Fit Sport SSM MT, once again I can appreciate the control of driving MT. I use the vehicle for daily driving primarily two and from work, and the driving consists of 80% city speeds, 20% highway speeds, and as you can see in my signature i'm above the epa ratings even for highway driving, with the a/c on 9-10 months of the year. Hopefully soon I'll have a chance to find out the actual all highway driving mpg. BTW I paid sticker, but then again I have bad credit and was lucky I was able to get financing.
IMO MT's also keep you more aware of your surroundings, and helps you concentrate on driving, its also a deterrent from trying to talk on the phone while driving (without an earpiece/bluetooth/handfree), texting while driving, eating, and other things that distract you from driving. If i had a nickle for every driver that becomes a moving road block, can't stay in their lane, or tries to merge into my while they had phone to their ear, or texting i'd be rich. These people are accidents waiting to happen, I keep my distance, pass them quickly, and generally try to stay a safe distance away.
#173
12-11-2009, 07:24 AM
Maybe this is where I'll post my first post here at the FitFreak. On the afternoon of this past Wednesday I put in my order with a dealer for a 2010 Black Fit Sport with a Manual Transmission. A home internet search plus the findings of CarsDirect and also my dealer seems to have confirmed that there were/are in fact no new black sport m/t's in the state of California. I was half considering Silver and found one or two with m/t's. A rare breed indeed! My car will probably arrive in February/March. No tax credit for me!
~SB
#174
12-11-2009, 10:33 AM
I do have the good fortune to own a 2002 S2000 (AKA The Garage Queen),with 6 speed manual. Great fun to shift but painful on the rare occasions someone else has to handle it. Have you ever watched the tire store technician try to back the car up by putting it in sixth (right next to reverse), and stall the engine several times before he finally succeeded in backing up - just seconds before I would have run over to strangle him. Lack of manual gearboxes is a matter of consumer demand. I also drive a BMW 335i, and there the choice was definitely automatic, simply because of the extremely small supply of manuals; it's less than 3% of sales according to the dealer. That being said, the Fit's automatic is fairly good. For those who do not believe that automatics have improved, I wish I could resurrect for them my '53 DeSoto with its Tip Toe Shift with Fluid Drive, or any early 50's Buick with Dynaflow.
#175
12-11-2009, 10:46 AM
I don't think anyone doesn't believe automatics have improved, but on the same token manuals have also improved.
#177
12-31-2009, 01:25 AM
own two, a manual and an auto trans
I just bought a new Fit Sport Manual. There was only one in TX. My wife bought an auto trans Fit Sport a year ago. Although her's drives wonderfully, it is no where near as much fun. The manual is peppy, you can hot rod a bit if you want. You can squeal the tires. The auto will not spin the tires no matter what you do.
Manual is my vote for sure.
steve
Manual is my vote for sure.
steve
#178
12-31-2009, 02:53 AM
Aside from syncromesh gears, how so? That's the only major manual improvement I can think of at the moment.
#179
12-31-2009, 03:58 AM
one from your friendly IRS and uncle Obama.
, also a Sport/manual 
#180
12-31-2009, 08:44 PM
I got a 2010 Fit, base model, manual, blue sensation. Each dealer tried to tell me there were no manuals available. I wont name dealers, but they didn't even try to trade one in for me. I wanted a crystal black pearl fit, but I needed a car asap, its winter. I had my brother call some honda dealers around and we found a blue sensation fit. Good enough I needed a daily driver. I love it, and I am gonna probably do some mods to it. Mainly looks, but eventually motor work. I have a 2009 Civic Si with a JDM Type R conversion on it. Here is a link to a photo shoot I did in it. I do plan on putting a crystal black pearl tailgate spoiler on my fit, and change out the emblems to the jdm red honda badges, and the jazz badges. I am also gonna throw my Type R badge on my jazz. I bought the badge for my civic and I didnt put it on there because of the color scheme.
Jose's 09 JDM FA5 - a set on Flickr
FD2 Type R Trunk Badge
Jose's 09 JDM FA5 - a set on Flickr
FD2 Type R Trunk Badge