Hey guys, unfortuneately after a little while with my mini im beginging to doubt my decision of buying a car that is stick. While i enjoy it half the time when there is traffic i really cant stand it. Im going to give it another few weeks and then make my decision but i was wondering if anyone on here might be interested in it if i were to sell. I'd like it to go to a good home and hopefully not get slammed with a huge loss if i sell it to a dealer. It would probably have around 200-400 miles in a few weeks and no flaws whatsoever. So if anyone in the New England area might be interested in in (im near Norwalk, Ct) shoot me a pm so i can keep you in mind if i decide to sell.
It is a Red MC with black stripes and black top, rear spoiler, auto wipers and headlights, rooster red interior stripe, black leatherette, all season tires, and DSC.
pics:

 

I thought getting a stick here in SoCal would be another decision I would hate myself for but it was a great decision indeed.

Once you get used to the action of the clutch and your leg is worked in and your mind is used to shifting it quite literally becomes an afterthought when driving in traffic. Just roll the windows down (weather permitting) and enjoy the motoring. The joys of driving a manual will always keep you balanced with the issues of driving in stop and go traffic.

 

I could not agree more w/ TrboKrt. I live in Miami and traffic here is awful. However, I love driving stick!!! It makes a big difference in the fun factor. You should try and give it some time before you get rid of the MINI. Have you driven stick before? If not, I'd say definitely give it time b/c it will become second nature and you won't really mind it.

Good luck!

 

Should have swapped it for my '05 MCSa

 

Hey, neighbor.

I drive down to Norwalk every day in the most awful traffic ...but I don't find the manual tranny to be a problem, just the opposite. It keeps me more actively involved and makes it more like driving than commuting. I hate the traffic, but look forward to the drive anyway.

Give it some more time.

dean.

 

I'm with them. Driving a stick in stop and go traffic is definitely something you learn over time. First of all, relax. Just because car in front of you moves six inches doesn't mean that you have to move six inches.

If you do need to move a short distance, just put it in first gear and let the clutch out just enough to get the car rolling and put it back in neutral. If you happen to be on a downhill grade you can keep the car rolling indefinitely with just a nudge. Of course uphill is more problematic and requires a bit more patience. Leave some extra cushion and watch the traffic ahead to anticipate when to move and when to just sit and wait.

Always take your foot completely off the clutch unless you're shifting. Otherwise you tire your leg and you may uncessarily wear your clutch. Rest your foot on the dead pedal, that's what it's there for.

 

I agree with everyone above me. Driving stick in heavy traffic has altered my driving habits (for the better, I like to think) as I try to "smooth out" the starts and stops of the traffic flow. Watch how the semi drivers operate in traffic... well, most of them, anyway!

I've only cursed driving a stick twice: in heavy traffic approaching the Lincoln Tunnel from Jersey and stuck on the Staten Island Expressway. In both cases traffic flow was really too slow to work up a smooth pace, but I also only had probably less than a year of full-time stick driving under my belt.

But if you honestly would prefer the automatic (and I wouldn't fault you for that) then that's of course your prerogative.

 

I have an automatic....It's great. no stick for me dude...it's get's old. I can shift if I want, but it's nice to just drive without worrying in traffic.

 

When I'm in a long traffic jam I get behind a semi. Most of the time they drive at about 1 - 5 mpg constantly, this allows me to just leave it in first off the gas and coast behind them.

 

Your Cooper looks very cute. I think it would miss you if you gave it up. I love driving a stick and pretty much all the cars I have bought myself have been stick. When I got my first BMW 325e, it took a summer of driving in heavy traffic to learn how to shift smoothly and keep the car moving. Since then I've never looked back, can't imagine driving an automatic, they are so unpredicatable. Give it a month or so and see what you think. Your car isn't even broken in yet, and will become a different animal once it is. The engine and transmission loosen up a bit and get smoother, and you'll find you can drive in traffic in almost any gear. One thing that helped my Cooper was a cold air intake and exhaust. That really bumped up the low end torque (at least it felt that way) The new MCS, in contrast, has gobs of torquie, and will go in any gear at any speed! Anyway, my two cents, good luck whatever you decide.

 

Give it time. Right now its still new to you, you have to think about it. Soon enough it will be a task you do without even noticing. Like looking in your rearview or putting on your seatbelt....it is all part of driving.

 

I always knew I wanted a car with a stick, even when I was a kid. I've been driving manual tranny cars for 30 years in and around the NYC area and I have never regretted owning a car with a stick. After a while, the whole shifting process becomes 2nd nature, and, if it turns out to be your thing, evolves into an art.

Of course, some people are just not cut out for it, and are really better off with an automatic. Only the person in question knows for sure.

Zip

 

Of all the manuals I've driven (in commute traffic in both Massachusettes and California), this one has the easiest clutch. The more quick grab 'tight spring' feel of former clutches made stop and go driving really tiring. This car's much better in that respect. So .. If this manual is proving hard for you I would recommend automatics from this point on. But I do know where you're coming from. When you're driving in what seems like a parking lot that's slowly creeping along, stop-and-go, at an average speed of 8 mph, it's the one time when you might wish you'd gotten an automatic. Then again, come the weekend driving the twisties in the Mountains, that's when you experience one of the many times you're truly glad you bought a manual.

By the way, when did they start selling the non-S cars with manuals? They were all being sold as automatics last I heard.

 

You can get a manual Cooper (non-S) as of 3/1. My Cooper is ordered with a manual as well.

If you find you have to think about shifting, I can understand it being tedious. After it becomes an after thought, it is fun. It is when you realize you have become one with the car. Your are plugged in, as it were.

Sheesh. What's that Zen carp all about Skuz?

 

I have to say the R56 is such a nice manual car. The fact that you get hill assist in the manual makes taking off on an incline sooo easy and never have to worry about doin the e-brake trick if you get some jack stopping too close to you.

Automatics always make me feel like a passenger as opposed to a driver where I can dictate what gear I want and keep the revs up to have immediate power available while driving an average speed. Just some things to consider too.

 

i have a new to me '05 s cabrio with six speed auto and i am wishing it were a stick. paddle shifters work pretty good but just not the same. my other summer ride is an '87 benz 190 16v with a five speed. manuals are a pain in traffic but after a while you get used to it and the payoff driving through the twisties is well, well worth it....i feel way more involved and like keeping rpm's in a band relatively high and tight. car is unquestionably quicker with a stick. girlfriend and i share mr. mini and she does not drive stick. next mini for me will be stick without question. give it time my friend. with all due respect, lose the cell phone, stop playing with the stereo, listen to the engine and get involved with your driving. these slot cars are for drivers. become one. cheers

 

Well said!

 

I've always had a manual and I drive the Balt-Wash beltway daily. It's just something I don't think about anymore.

Don't sell your Mini, you'll regret it. just give it a bit more time.

 

My 3 cents: I opted for a stick for my MCS after 20 yrs of Japanese automatics. This car is FUN to drive, and I'm simply getting used to driving the stop and go with the stick. What I DO miss, however, is not being able to eat, drink, talk on the phone, and (I admit it) occasionally steer with my knees. C'mon, don't ALL drivers of automatics do those things? Seriously, it's nice to focus on driving again.

 

Unfortunately your new MINI is a used car with a used car price. Your best bet would be to find someone who doesn 't want to wait. I don't know what the supply and demand in the Northeast, but here in the far West there is little available except for R53 coupes and some 2007 Cooper Convertibles.

 

I have been driving a stick in LA for 11.5 years. It becomes a part of you and you become a better driver. You don't even think about it, you just drive. Having said that, my new MINI MCS will be an automatic. Just tired of shifting now. Give it time before you decide.

 

Out of curiosity. Did you end up selling your car or have you gotten more used to driving stick in traffic?