What do you drive?

[Kruel J]

They sure have. When I was a kid and bought my first car, my dad told me it had to be a stick or I wasn't allowed to have it. He told me I'd thank him later for making me learn to drive on a manual trans. It's funny, my salesman told me that he had several people not consider my car because they couldn't drive a manual.

 

[DeanMk]

Oddly enough, the first car I drove on anything like a "regular basis" had an auto tranny in it....all the cars I actually bought have all had manual tranny's...hadn't even noticed until you brought that up just now (about your first car).
I tell ya' one thing, stay away from the later Ranger's with the manual tranny.
They made the t'out hydraulic, so there's no separate slave to unhook the clutch.
Better protected is the reasoning I was told.
Would be fine, except its a piece of junk. Never holds its pressure and the pedal can get pretty dam floppy at times (and a hydro clutch is NEVER supposed to have even the slightest slop in the pedal).
Occasionally it pumps up, but then leaks down again after a few rows of the shifter.
Aftermarket replacements are even worse. That's what I'm dealing with now. Ugh.
My kingdome for an S-10!

Dean

 

[The Heretic]

I had an '86 Bronco II. Thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, until the manual trans went bad. Engines are good, but apparently Ford went cheap on the transmissions - two different brands, both low capacity (meant for lighter weight non-4x4 vehicles) 5 speed from Japan. First one lasted 80k miles, second - a rebuilt - lasted 40k miles and I babied it. Sold car for $300 with brand new tires because it wasn't worth the $2500 to replace the trans again.

Nothing against Japanese transmissions - I have had a number of Japanese cars including my Toyota 4x4 which seemed to have bulletproof transmissions, but the ones in that Bronco II did not last (I believe the Rangers had/have similar transmissions?).

 

[DeanMk]

Those Japanese tranny's are Mazda units on the Ranger-based Ford trucks.
Up until the time your Bronco was made, those tranny's were known to have reliability probs when more power was applied to them.
I had an '89 B2200 for almost 21 years and that tranny (or the rest of the truck, except the engine) never gave me a lick of trouble...sometimes I wish I still had it.


Dean

 

[The Heretic]

I learned to drive on tractors with more gear ratios than most semis - many had 20 gears or more. They also mostly could not shift from one gear to another when moving. Then it was farm trucks - all manual, some with a two speed axle. Then it was other manuals. It wasn't until I was married that I drove an automatic. Most of my cars have been manual but I do like my X1.

 

[DeanMk]

I have to admit, I usually most appreciate an automatic around the time I'm turning back onto the highway, after pulling out of the drive-thru at McDonald's.


Dean

 

[DaveLikesGuns]

2001 Rav 4. I had to put a new ECM in it- it should have been a recall but otherwise it's a great car and it handles very well in the snow with some cheap chains.

 

[revjen45]

'03 F-250 V10 4WD The Scharnhorst, my Cowboy Cadillac. 11 mpg at any speed and load condition.

'14 Hyundai 2.0T. Last year for 274hp

'49 Chev Suburban. Reconditioned running gear with disc brakes, Clifford Research 292, Getrag 5sp. I can work on it.

'79 XLS. 72 cu in S&S Stroker, Andrews close ratio gears, Dell'Orto 40mm 2bbl, Dyna ignition, Supertrapp exhaust.

 

[308]

That's another reason I did not buy a Subbie even though their AWD is superior....."the CVT does not perform as well. In theory it is a good idea, in practice not so much"

How did you come to that conclusion...have you driven one in the snow and ice?

 

[Kruel J]

How did you come to that conclusion...have you driven one in the snow and ice?

I have. As stated before my 2015 Forester had the CVT. It did quite well with the snow we had last winter. No troubles at all. BUT, at 23k it started to act up and wouldn't always go when I pressed the accelerator. Hard to explain, it would rev but nothing would happen. Subaru knows its a problem, and has even extended the warranty on the trans to 100k. Since I didn't want to put a new trans in my car every 25k or so I dumped it for the WRX with a 6 speed manual. Problem solved.

 

[308]

I have. As stated before my 2015 Forester had the CVT. It did quite well with the snow we had last winter. No troubles at all. BUT, at 23k it started to act up and wouldn't always go when I pressed the accelerator. Hard to explain, it would rev but nothing would happen. Subaru knows its a problem, and has even extended the warranty on the trans to 100k. Since I didn't want to put a new trans in my car every 25k or so I dumped it for the WRX with a 6 speed manual. Problem solved.

I have seen mine act srange at some point between coming to a full stop and pressing the gas about the same time as letting off the brake the foward
movement chokes

 

[pigiron]

I know y'all sing "I luv muh truck" but for me it's a BMW 328i, manual transmission, Ohlins suspension, Quaife limited slip differential. When the government insists, I use cable chains. I can get anywhere in the mountain west from El Paso to Banff in no more than two days absolute max without the indignity of getting anywhere near a TSA groper or their back-up thugs who will appear instantly if you so much as politely complain about anything at the airport.

On the exceedingly rare occasions when I absolutely need a truck, I live two blocks away from a rental spot.

 

[The Heretic]

How did you come to that conclusion...have you driven one in the snow and ice?

Ridden in one. Driven? No. But I have heard a lot of anecdotal stories about how well they do, and my neighbors with Subbies have done better going up our private road than my X1 does, and about as good as my 4x4s do - or better. I've seen the vids of various AWDs and the Subbies always seem to do better than others.

 

[The Heretic]

I know y'all sing "I luv muh truck" but for me it's a BMW 328i, manual transmission, Ohlins suspension, Quaife limited slip differential. When the government insists, I use cable chains. I can get anywhere in the mountain west from El Paso to Banff in no more than two days absolute max without the indignity of getting anywhere near a TSA groper or their back-up thugs who will appear instantly if you so much as politely complain about anything at the airport.

On the exceedingly rare occasions when I absolutely need a truck, I live two blocks away from a rental spot.

My 325ci could barely get out of its own way in the snow much less get up the private road, so I would just park it and use one of my 4x4s.



No limited slip or anything else beyond the std traction control - it was a plain Jane with no options (previously a lease for a Trailblazer which was good as it had no sunroof - I am 6'6" and I need all the headroom I can get).

I've driven for 50 years in the PNW, every kind of vehicle from a little TR3 to a bus to a 5 ton flatbed to a dozer, so I know how to drive in the snow. But RWD only without a locking diff and simple all season tires can only go so far up a slope in the snow or ice before it just sits there. Now if I had studs or chains I could have done better.

 

[pigiron]

I like the idea of no sunroof. In addition to extra headroom it keeps the weight down. Good luck finding one at a dealer. I had to order mine from the factory just to avoid the auto tranny, sunroof, and all sorts of other unnecessary garbage like a backup camera.

 

[The Heretic]

I like the idea of no sunroof. In addition to extra headroom it keeps the weight down. Good luck finding one at a dealer. I had to order mine from the factory just to avoid the auto tranny, sunroof, and all sorts of other unnecessary garbage like a backup camera.

Mine was absolutely no options - business CD/radio, and nothing else - the only things that were power were the steering/brakes, the windows and the door locks. The only unique thing about it was that it was a 2 door coupe. It was a good car - put 130K on it for 10 years and then gave it to my daughter who drives it now as her reliable daily driver.

I like the backup camera on my X1. It has all the options except a few, including a sunroof, but it has plenty of headroom - it is the M-Sport version. Sometimes I wish it had a little more room, especially when I have more than one passenger, the back seat is not for people near or over 6' tall when and adult is in the front seat, but 99% of the time it is just me, myself and I, and then it is just the right size - although it is lacking in cargo space (about the same as the 3 series with fold down rear seats, except the X1 has no rear deck so taller things can fit into it).

I like the size and stance. It is not as tall as an SUV, but taller than a station wagon.

 

[pigiron]

Mine was absolutely no options - business CD/radio, and nothing else - the only things that were power were the steering/brakes, the windows and the door locks. The only unique thing about it was that it was a 2 door coupe. It was a good car - put 130K on it for 10 years and then gave it to my daughter who drives it now as her reliable daily driver.

I like the backup camera on my X1. It has all the options except a few, including a sunroof, but it has plenty of headroom - it is the M-Sport version. Sometimes I wish it had a little more room, especially when I have more than one passenger, the back seat is not for people near or over 6' tall when and adult is in the front seat, but 99% of the time it is just me, myself and I, and then it is just the right size - although it is lacking in cargo space (about the same as the 3 series with fold down rear seats, except the X1 has no rear deck so taller things can fit into it).

I like the size and stance. It is not as tall as an SUV, but taller than a station wagon.

I test drove an X1 and really liked it, especially the seating height. No manual transmission option though. It is built on the 2 series/monster Mini Countryman chassis. There was less rear leg room than my 328. The X3 is built on the 3 series chassis but is most definitely bulkier/more top heavy than an X1.

 

[The Heretic]

I test drove an X1 and really liked it, especially the seating height. No manual transmission option though. It is built on the 2 series/monster Mini Countryman chassis. There was less rear leg room than my 328. The X3 is built on the 3 series chassis but is most definitely bulkier/more top heavy than an X1.

I considered the Countryman but I read that the ride was harsh. When I found a good deal on the X1 with the options I wanted (HID lights, AWD - some are not AWD) and more, I jumped on it.

No - no manual. First auto I have owned in a long time (decades). I usually don't like them, but this an 8 speed, it is very intelligent - only makes choices I don't like occasionally and with the sport mode or the paddle shifters (M-Sport has the paddles) I can easily and quickly override it. It isn't as quick shifting as a DSG, but they don't offer the DSG in the X1. Nice in traffic. Has the auto-stop which is nice most of the time. The turbo has some lag, but when it kicks in it works well, and if you pay attention you can keep it on the spool.

 

[Kruel J]

I have seen mine act srange at some point between coming to a full stop and pressing the gas about the same time as letting off the brake the foward
movement chokes

Yeah, I almost got rear-ended a couple of weeks ago. Guy making a right turn in front of me so I switched to the left lane and when I pressed the go pedal, nothing really happened. It was like I was stalling for a couple of seconds, then started to go. The guy coming up fast behind me flashed his brights and honked his horn. It was really strange. When I took it to the dealer, they told me the CVT was shot. He said he saw one replaced at 8k miles. Not good.

 

[308]

^^That's disappointing. Aside from the obvious computer timing issue between brake and throttle, I really like the smoothness of the CVT, and it truly is a monster in the snow and ice even tho it doesn't have a lot of HP.