i want to order a mini cooper so bad but i do not know which transmission to get. i was going to get the 5 speed but i have never driven them and it seems as though they have a lot of problems!!! plus no one in my family has a standard anymore and i would have to practice on my car!!! they have better mileage, are faster and everyone says they are so much fun to drive!! the only problem is that every time i go to miniusa.com, i find myself wanting to build a car with an automatic!!! please help decide, what are the low and high points of each?
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I'm old school, BUT why would I have a sports car with an automatic? What's the point?

 

You mentioned no one has a manual in your family anymore, sounds like you've got family members that could teach you how to drive it then. Go for a manual, if you're like most normal people (and I'm sure you are) you'll be good enough not to stall it in a couple of hours at the most!

I drive a 5spd Cooper and have driven the CVT Cooper and the 6spd auto Cooper S extensively. It's more fun to drive my 5spd Cooper, period. I'm a motoring nut, I love driving, driving is something fun for me, and traffic isn't bad in the area I live in. Can driving be something fun for you? If (ignoring gas prices) you have free time would you go out for a drive just for fun? If you say yes to that go ahead and buy a manual.

In the mean time don't think too much, it really isn't very hard to drive a manual, save yourself the money and go buy it already

 

thanks for the input!! i think i might save the money and get a manual!!!!

 

Get the 5-speed transmission! MINI and manual tranny go together.

You'll learn to drive manual very fast and enjoy it... My guess is that after 1 week or so, you'll be comfortable with it and like it!!

Plus, once you know how to drive manual cars, you never forget it... It is just like bicycles... It will be in you for the rest of your life, so why not start right away!?!

Worst case, ask a friend or family memeber to help you in the first days.... Or ask it here on NAM.... Or PM me... or call 911 lol (just kidding)

 

Do you have to drive in a lot of stop-and-go traffic? Do you have a debilitating fear of shifting? Do you have a disability that makes an auto tranny a necessity? If you answered "no" to these questions then learn to drive a stick. You'll save some cash and have a chance to get additional "hands-on" interaction with your MINI.

Plus......if no one else in your family drives a manual any more, you won't have people trying to grab the keys. Think about it!!

 

lol good point!!

But don't scare the future-MINI owner about stop-and-go traffic... It is just another way to enjoy the MINI... Especially a manual one... While being stuck in traffic, a manual tranny is fun too. I know about it, I've been stuck in Montreal's traffic jams for 2 years! It might look boring having to do the "clutch-in, 1st gear, clutch-out, clutch-in, neutral, clutch-out" procedures, but it is actually fun! It just makes your whole body interact with the car, and also helps in case the faster lane gets a free spot to fit-in a MINI for a second or two lol

 

dude .get a 5 speed you are a dude. If your a real DUDE get an S with a 6speed, you will be sooo glad you did. 2 hours in a parking lot and you will be teaching others how to drive a stick. experience all there is even if it's something as simple as a stick shift. The Mini is the perfect stick car its all apart of the driving experience, without the stick you are just steering a Mini. Jim

 

Well, if they don't know how to drive a m/t, that sounds like a pretty good reason to get an a/t. Please don't waste time with rants about sports cars should only be equipped with m/t's. At the end of the day it is a personal decision of the individual buyer, not someone else.

 

You might try to get some seat time with a demo from the dealer (in a large empty parking lot) to see if you want to try to learn to operate a m/t. It isn't hard, but it is a transition. It is not as simple as switching from a road bike to a mountain bike - you have to learn to co-ordinate clutch engagement with throttle application.

 

Get the 5-speed. Mini's are fun to drive and mean't for manual shifting...It's a MINI THING!!

 

If you are going to get a m/t, why would you choose an arguably inferior 5 speed (as opposed to the 6 speed)?

Ignore this post, it would seem that a MC was being discussed. I saw the PW MCS in the signature line and jumped to a conclusion.