i'm 99% sure i want a manual, but my gf's been pressuring me to get an auto since she can't drive a stick. (yeah i told her to her her OWN!! da##!! LOL)

how much does having an auto transmission steal away from the whole "MINI experience"??

 

i was in the same boat as you are, and opted for the auto to pacify my wife. i regret not getting the manual and DO feel like it takes away from the experience, but that pretty much goes for any car. to compound my regret, my wife loves the MINI but does not like to drive my car. arrgghhh

i will say that the paddle shifters on the steering wheel help satisfy the urge to row through the gears. AND, it sure does help to have an auto to keep your hands free for answering the phone, changing the ipod, eating your fast food...

if ur 99% sure than get the manual. no offense, but gf's come and go.

 

I was seriously contemplating getting the auto. I test drove both again last weekend and...ordered the manual. No way on the auto. The new auto does beat the CVT, but...no thanks. Greg

 

It doesn't really matter much if others regret it or not, it sounds like you have decided and YOU might regret it.

It's your mini, get what you what. I assume as you are posting in the 1st gen section, you are interested in getting a used one? If you are looking at the R53's, you should go test drive some with your girlfriend and teach her how to drive it. The R53's are one of the easiest cars to teach someone how to drive a stick in, they are tough to stall and VERY forgiving!

My girlfriend had never driven a stick either, but after one test drive, where I showed her how to drive it, she wanted me to get a stick... I did and she now loves driving it, and does very well!

 

Great post. Good advice.

Dean.

 

Make her learn to drive a stick. Everyone should at least learn to drive a manual transmission. You never know when you will need to do it. Other than broadening the sales market I don't even know why a mini is offered in an automatic...

 

thanks guys. i'm looking at both a 1st gen & 2nd gen. my gf's a pretty good driver, but when i tried teaching her how to drive stickshift on my Honda S2000, let's just say it didn't go so well.

btw, i'll tell her tonight that since gf's "come & go" and MINI is mine forever, it'll be a stick. LOL!

 

I test drove an auto as well as a manual MC and MCS. I have also had 3 different MCSa loaners when my car was in for repairs. I was not impressed by any of the autotrans cars I drove.

The short of it is, if you want a mannytranny, get one. If you're like me, you'll sacrifice a huge part of the reason for owning this (or any) car if you get an autotrans.

My .16 bit.

Zip

 

Whose car is this, anyway? Is she going to be making the payments?

Get the manual.

When she protests... say she has two options:

1) Allow you to teach her to drive manual
2) Buy her own automatic MINI

Then point out to her... how would she feel if you insisted that her next car had to be manual, because it's what you wanted, for her car? Yeah, I thought so.

There's an old saying... "Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it". Well, the same rule applies to manual transmissions.

The biggest problem with most people who never learn to drive a manual is that they get impatient and give up too quickly. They just get too frustrated and give up. Perseverance is key - did they learn to ride a bicycle without training wheels on the first try?

Now, clearly, if the two of you had to share one car, the reasoning would be different... but if she has her own car, then it's really not fair of her to dictate to you what you should buy - particularly when the manual transmission is also cheaper.

 

HA! Good luck with that

 

I got an automatic (after driving a manual which I loved!) b/c I use my MINI as a commuting car. I appreciate the not having to shift for stop & go traffic. Ideal world- I'd shift. YMMV.

 

Since my hubby is a keeper we got the automatic. (health reasons) I would much prefer the stick but as I am getting older appreciate the auto.

I like the paddle shifters though for heavy cornering as you can hang on with both hands when pulling out hard and the torque steer kicks in

 

I have the auto trans...I just prefer not having to manually shift. And I still love every second I'm behind the wheel.

I drive 2.5-3 hours per day, often in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and never find myself wishing I had to push the clutch or shift gears.

No regrets...

Larry

 

I Also have an auto MCS. Mainly because the manual was next to impossible for me to drive due to the fact that my feet are ridiculously big. Size 16, I can't even drive the auto with shoes on, I tend to get my foot caught on the brake and/or the paneling around the pedal. I need driving shoes.

Anyway, if you get an R53 auto, try to get an 05 or 06, as they had the new tranny, which was much better than the predecessor.

 

Chick here: I hadn't driven a stick until I ordered my MCS. The first couple times I tried it didn't go so well, either. But I had it down by the time I got Lewis, and I LOVE driving him.
That said - there's nothing wrong with an auto. But she should learn how to drive a stick. The question is just if you want her to learn on your car.

 

I was actually torn between a stick and an automatic when I ordered my Mini. I didn't actually know how to drive a stick but I thought it might be more of the Mini experience to drive the stick....so I had my (very patient) boyfriend teach me to drive a stick. I'm still not very good.....so I ordered the automatic. I'm more comfortable in an automatic so it was just more fun for me personally. And I don't regret getting my auto at all - it's still really fun to drive.

That being said - it's your car and if you think you'll regretting getting an automatic, get the stick. My boyfriend wouldn't drive an automatic for anything and there is no way he'd get an automatic so I could drive it too (and I'm pretty sure I'm a keeper)....

Just get what you want! And then offer lessons to teach your girlfriend to drive the stick...

 

Nope. Although the random jerkiness of the CVT does annoy me sometimes.

 

My first attempt at learning how to drive stick was on an Acura RSX-S, and I was lousy at it. Now when I drive the RSX-S, I can appreciate the silky smoothness and brilliance of the Honda transmission, but they're definitely not easy trannies to use for learning how to drive stick.

The gf learned how to drive stick on my MINI in about twenty minutes - definitely one of the easiest cars to learn manual on.

 

Girlfriend can't drive? Isn't that a plus?

 

All I know is it wouldn't be the same without the manual...and your not alone, I still have to teach my girlfriend how to drive the manual when the snow clears

 

Yeah, she can learn to drive a stick. My girlfriend after over a year of riding around in my MINI asked me to teach her how to drive a stick last fall, now whenever we go out somewhere she asks for the keys, or gives me a look, and I ask her if she wants to drive. She's all giddy about it now, and says her next car will be a stick shift.

 

Ok here is my 2 cents worth. My 1st MINI was a manual (03). At the time I purchased it (in 05) I drove an auto- it was a dog so I bought the manual and I loved driving it. The only drawback-the cell phone, try driving the manual and talking on the cell phone quite the balancing act. So when I ordered my 07 my husband seriously encouraged me to buy an automatic due to the cell phone issues.

In 07 when looking a purchasing a new MINI I drove both the auto and the manual and decided on the auto "S" because it has great get up an go, and no more issues with talking and driving, however I did get the package that included the blue tooth so I don't hold my phone anymore either.

If you are thinking about purchasing a previously owned car then make sure you test both auto and manual before deciding.

Also I taught my daughter to drive a manual in my 03, honestly she had a tough time with the MINI but had no problem driving a manual in one of our other cars.

Decide who will be doing most of the driving decide on what to buy based on that. No matter if you go for an auto or manual you will not be sorry MINI'S are a blast to drive in whatever form!!!

 

The last time I had the choice between an auto and a stick, I got the auto so my wife could drive it. In the 3 years I owned it, she drove it maybe twice. So this time I got the stick. She still likes the car enough to settle for just being driven around in it.

 

Good info..I'll stay far away from Colorado. Driving and Yakking on the phone are generally recipe's for diasaster..

 

Mine is on order, but there's no way I can regret auto. Never really had the chance to drive a manual, tried on my husband's mini and learned that it doesn't go too well with my arthritis, which is worse on my left leg. Least I won't know what I am missing, well ok autocross, but thats about it. Seeing that he gets up at 4 am on weekends to drive across the state to autocrosses, I wouldn't do it anyway...not a morning person!