$$$frumnuttin'

If anyone has gone back and forth on trannies (not what you might be thinking), your thoughts/experiences appreciated.

Flame Red

If you are seriously considering going from a manual to an A8, I would rent one from Avis for a weekend. That will tell you for sure if you are making the right decision for a couple hundred $.

brooklync5

I had a c5 and c6 for a total of 13 years both with manual trans. I traded in the c6 for an auto cts-v. After the first week I was miserable and bored. I couldn't very well justify getting rid of the car after only a week so I kept it for almost a year. Aside from enjoying the massive amounts of horsepower the car had I hated it. I know I would have enjoyed it like crazy and maybe even have kept it if it had a manual transmission. Happy I bought an auto though because it got me back in the market for another manual corvette which is where I'm most happy. I can tell you unless my left leg no longer works I will NOT buy another automatic sports car. For me a manual transmission is a must. This will vary from person to person but my experience is if you enjoy driving a manual you will not enjoy driving an auto.

This is all said without even considering the massive amounts of problems with the A8.

obxchartercaptain

Having had a Manual Tranny in 3 of my last 5 Verts....I can tell you as a 72 yr old that I MADE A BIG MISTAKE NOT GETTING A MANUAL IN MY 2016 VERT. I got a A8 just in case my wife wanted to drive it....SHE DOESN'T.....I don't care that the Auto shifts faster by 1,00000th of a second or whatever it is....In a sports car you are ONE with the CAR you are driving with a Manual.

Larry/car

"Don't do it". I have played with paddle shift, it isn't like a manual transmission without the clutch. The transmisssion selects gears automatically as the car slows and denies shifts it doesn't like. Another thing to consider is; 4 cylinder economy is automatically selected unless you are in the manual mode if you want it or not. Like so what if the auto is a few tenths of a second faster.

DAFFYDRUNK

My dad has an A8 and I have a M7. I'd drive the cars back to back here and there, especially last year when they were new to us. Even had his in my garage for a couple months last year before we took it down to FL. Nothing really negative about the A8, other than I get so used to driving stick that my left foot gets a little antsy coming up to stop lights.

Honestly I kinda like the A8, but I wasn't gonna spend $1800 or whatever for it. I'd consider it if it was $0 cost option, but I like shifting too much to pay big bucks for an auto trans. The paddles are kinda fun. Has a nice pop when shifting gears WOT, but so does the M7 if you speed shift it fast enough. I don't think you'd be disappointed other than it's a little more hands off compared to the M7. A little more point and shoot. You notice it shifts gears alot when taking off slowly as you would imagine with 8 gears, but it's not irritating or anything... just something that I recall thinking about the first time I drove it. Seemed like it was in 4th gear by the time I cleared a large intersection. is it more boring? I dunno. You can play with the paddle shifters which, while not as instant as a Porsche PDK, are still repsonsive enough to have fun with.

JHundertmark

Difficult question to get an unbiased reply since opinions run so strong. Had many manuals over the years & sold Porsche 928 with manual after having the car for 30 years. We purchased a Z51 coupe with automatic this year & very happy with it. If I re-ordered I would not change a thing.


Suggest you take #2's advice & rent one for a weekend before committing. Best wishes on your decision.

mschuyler

Your only real problem will be pushing on the floorboard with your left foot. The opposite is worse because you keep wondering why the car stalled.

Corgidog1

I think a lot depends on why you are getting the car-for daily driving that includes commuting in traffic consider an auto, for track get an auto, but if you are buying the car to have some fun-get a manual. As for me, my C7 is a manual, and my daily driver, in which I hit major traffic, is also a manual. I just enjoy shifting.

ersatz928

Just say NO to an auto.....

Walt White Coupe

From a person that recently had 2 vets and 2 BMW's with manual transmissions I can tell you that I absolutely love the 8 speed automatic in my C7. I occasionally miss the manual shifting but not enough to feel I made the wrong decision. The major complaint of automatics is that you can't control what gear you're in. That goes away with the paddles. The only time it won't let you shift is if you try to go into too high or too low a gear for the speed of the car. That's not a problem, it's a good thing. And as for the car downshifting by itself when you are slowing down, so what? When you're doing twisty roads that require a lot of shifting, I feel a lot more comfortable with both hands on the wheel and paddle shifting. As far as what's better, ask a Formula One driver.

geraldschumann

I would love to have a manual however...

It's not always a matter of personal preference but also one of logistics. I live in a heavy traffic area near Dallas and I would be miserable driving a manual. I was not willing to be happy some of the time while creeping thru traffic most cars of the time.

The A8 is very nice with no issues and I can paddle shift as necessary.

...however if I move to Arkansas or Colorado as I am looking to do, helloooo M7!

Ernest_T

I have an A8 and wish I'd gone with the manual. Contrary to geraldschumann's assertion, there are issues with the A8.

Rebel Yell

I would say don't get the auto until you know you want one or you will regret the choice. That's how I did it, and haven't been sorry. We were out for a day trip to some small old towns in our area, and it seemed like I changed gears 1000 times that day. By the time I got home I knew it was time for an auto. Good luck in your decision.

BTW, on our last road trip we were caught in two very bad back-ups on the interstate, and I was quite happy I had the auto.

CCA Corvette Parts

Don't do it

Chip

Foosh

I've always had manual sports cars. I fell in love w/ the Jaguar F-Type, which wasn't available w/ a manual at the time and no manual at all on the V8 engine model. It was equipped with a superb ZF 8-speed auto w/ lightning fast shifts, no complaints of lag, and no reported problems as frequently heard here w/ the A8.

I drove it 99% of the time w/ the paddles, but I very quickly got bored, even with paddle shifting. It's just not the same level of involvement. It was a great car, and I wanted to love it, tried hard to convince myself to love it, but I just missed manual shifting too much. So, I sold it and bought my M7 C7.

C8-Vette

My 2106 is a M7. I'm 76, I come from a generation that converted their automatics to standard. M7 and rev match in the C7 is a win win..

Skid Row Joe

Made the mistake of buying an A3 in my 1st new C3 Corvette 40 years ago this month. Because it was an outstanding deal $. Never do that again, even though I'm 65 years old......if I wanted an auto, I'd buy a new Cadillac.

dvilin

Take an auto for a test ride and then you will know why you have a manual.

dbaker

I personally have never owned an auto....wifey has.When my new Vette comes in,it will be my 12th.....all shifters.

My first car & Vette was a 66 427/4 speed with side pipes.

I first gave an auto a thot,until I had my TKR and all is well with the clutch knee.

\db2