Hello all,
I'm just days from ordering, and I've pretty much decided on a MCS RG/S, English Leather, Sport, Premium, Cold Weather, Convenience packages, but I'm still woefully undecided about which transmission I should get. Ever since I heard that automatic was available, I was determined that that was the one I'd get, but I'm reconsidering. My only experience with a manual, though, was driving my dad's beat up Honda just long enough for him to declare that I was a lost cause. Would my brand new MCS be the right car to learn on, though? Also, if I would get the 6-speed, I'd probably end up popping for the LSD. I don't imagine that would make much difference for learning how to shift, but that's another thing I have to consider.
Any thoughts would be well appreciated,
John

 

I learned on a manual many years ago. To this day, no matter what type of car or truck I drive, I prefer a manual and it limits my vehicle choices. I'm biased and I admit it. With that out of the way...

The MCS is one of the easiest manuals I've ever driven. I used mine to teach a 17 year old friend how to drive a manual. The MCS has enough torque to make it easy to drive. Give it a shot before you get an automatic. Once you get the hang of it, you won't want to go back to the dark side.

Rawhyde

 

Congrats on your new car!

When I was a wee lad, I too never had driven a manual. Not to say anything bad about my Mom (bless her heart) but she learned how on inner city streets with the shift on the column

I figured if she could learn, so could I. I bought a manual car without knowing what to do but sure enuff, I didn't kill too many clutches

Get the manual

Just think about all the people who can drive manuals ... are the any better than you

 

Go manual, it will take work to learn, its best to learn on another car, MCS is the easiest manual to drive, becomes almost impossible to have as much fun driving esp. in an MCS
As fa as the LSD goes, get it, make turns more fun helps in bad weather, has warranty and is geat price b/c aftermarket means big install cost and won't affect learning to drive a manual.

 

My only experience with the manual is from the test drive at the dealer but it seemed much livelier than my wife's auto. For me, I'm buying the MCS because of the driving experience and I feel the manual just enhances that. My wife is the one who taught me to drive a stick longer ago than I care to admit and now she prefers an automatic. Personal preference . You will save $1300 with the stick (less the $500 if you get the LSD). The other thing to consider is how much traffic will you be in during your daily commute.

 

Just take a lot of "test drives" in one of the dealers manual cars, and learn in their car.

 

I would go with manual. It makes the driving experiance much beter,unless you are going to be sitting in traffic alot. It still isn't that bad thier either.

 

How would you get it home?

 

If he is in or around Sacramento, California, I will be nice enough to drive it home for him.

 

Don't get an automatic get a 6 speed. The Mini is the easiest shifting car I have ever driven. Also without a doubt get LSD. I got my Mini right before LSD became available but my next Mini will have it without a doubt. if you wanna save major moolah get leatherette seats (not leather). The leather is overpriced & not worth it IMHO .

 

The British version of English Leather has nice stitching on the seat back and cushion, however the US version doesn't have the same stitching due to the airbag sensor. That killed it for me, plus the additional $400 more than the standard leather.



British



USA

 

Stitching or no stitching makes no difference to me. The feel & the look of the leather vs the leatherette is so minute plus the fact that my MA said leather is a total waste of money made me go the cheaper route

 

This doesn't look like leatherette to me......There is a difference.

 

Ya gotta go for the Manuel. It just rocks!!

I have stayed away from LSD since high school, but I guess if you gotta have some, getting it from a reliable source like your Mini Dealer is betta than getting it off the streets!!

 

First, my old man thought I'd never be able to drive a stick too. Having been divorced as a result of attempting to teach a former spouse* how to drive a stick, I can say that relatives don't make good data points for deciding whether you are a lost cause or not.

Second, driving a stick isn't rocket science, and if you want to, it won't be any easier to do than right now. The MINI, as has been pointed out is a pretty easy car to drive (although I'd disagree slighty with this as the e-throttle and lack of low end makes it a little tricky off the line). Most people can learn the basics in a couple of days, its just a matter of practise. Have a friend take you to a big empty parking lot and practise starts and shifts into second. You'll be fine.

Best of luck in what ever you decide and welcome to MINIland!


*Well actually, I was right of course...she never did learn to drive a stick hahahahahaha....

 

6 speed and you won't regret it,my choice was leatherette instead of leather.My impression from this forum is leatherett looks better than leather after some time.I saved money on my choice and spent it on other options that i'm happy with.

 

I've been driving both sticks and autos for a loooooong time. My last tuner was an RSX Type-S with 6-speed. This is THE ONLY way to have control over the shift points, period. With the RSX, it was the only way to live in VTECH land. My 840Ci is auto, but that is the only way they came into the U.S.! It is much more a sport tourer though. The MCS, as it exists, almost requires the use of a manual tranny IMHO. But then, I am a control freak!
Cheers and congrats on the '06.

 

As I said I prefer Leatherette

 

Actually this is what you said.

You just prefer leatherette.

 

I was in the same boat as you a few weeks ago ...

I have always driven an automatic ... but am also comfortable in a manual. My husband's truck is a manual and I end up driving it at least once a week.

It was a tough call, but ultimately I decided to go with the manual. I figured if I was getting that extra horsepower on the S, I might as well go with a configuration that enables me to take greatest advantage of that model. The MINI is, fundamentally, a driver's car. And drivers (usually) like to remain as connected to the experience as possible.

I test drove the automatic S several times and even with the paddle shifting, the experience was not the same; the delay is only a split second but feels like much more. Just my two cents.

As for the English Leather versus Leatherette discussion ... the English Leather * is * beautiful, but pricey. Because I plan on keeping my MINI for several years, I went with the Leatherette ... the dealer told me it ages much better, with much less care required and I am all about the low maintenance.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

 

Get a standard. I am still kicking myself for ordering an Automatic...I can't complain though, an Automatic MINI is better than no MINI at all :D .

 

You may eventually end up regretting the automatic but you will never regret having gone for the manual. The car that my MINI will replace in a few weeks is a 1993 Ford Explorer four-door (not Sport) - with a 5-speed transmission, which tends to be rare for that car. If you were taking on a vehicle like this, I would decidedly steer you to the automatic - since my car shifts like a school bus - and while I have never regretted the manual, it has made the car seem like work to drive on more than one occasion....

Test driving the manual of the MINI was a whole different experience - with the much shorter throws and a much nicer feel. Every manual seems different to me - but I got used to the MINI one very quickly and it definatly enhanced rather than subtracted from the motoring experience.

My personal view is that you have much more control over a car with a manual transmission - both in good weather driving and bad - and in your effort to squeeze out every bit of performance from the vehicle, well, I will only say that it is much easier to do that with a manual.

What is the worst that can happen? You replace a few clutch plates maybe? No biggie. Unless the MINI is different than most cars, it tends to be cheaper to work on a manual than an automatic tranny with problems.

There are many people absolutely averse to the manual expereince and the automatic option is perfectly fine for them. But if you are on the fence and weighing the options - and you have at least some experience with a manual - then definately go for it.

Bill

 

Manual!
LSD
The other stuff.... only you know your budget. The first two should be manditory though. My .02 cents.

 

I too had never driven a manual transmission before my MINI, but when I planned on my MINI purchase, I asked my b/f to teach me on his 2003 Nissan Frontier. When I tackled his truck after multiple stalls, I felt good about my future with the MINI.

Just to be sure though, when we took delivery in July of last year I had him drive us home. Our first stop was a deserted area in Irvine where I first drove my car. Its been 7 months and I still love my lil' 5-speed!

 

I, personally, went with leatherette since I've heard some bad stories about Mini leather seats about how they bag and whatnot. In addition, it's nice to not have to upkeep the leatherette as much as the leather. On the other hand, I wish I had adjustable lumbar support, but it only comes on the half and full-leather seats.

The Mini is my first manual car and I was worried too. Get the manual, just practice on somebody else's car and you'll be fine. In fact, just practice some on your dad's beat up honda. I've never driven a honda manual, but compared to my friends' miata and maxima, the clutch engagement on the Mini is so easy and that's the most difficult part. If your dad won't let you drive the honda and you don't have friends magnanimous enough to sacrifice a bit of their clutch for a friend, then get somebody to rent a manual car for you. The manual will take a little while getting used to. On one of my particular forgetful days, I forgot to set the parking brake and had Morgan roll out of the parking spot and toward some other parked cars. Luckily, I wasn't too far away and got their in time, the THREE times it happened that day. I was messed up that day.

LSD , c'mon we're saving you a couple of grand already.