Micster

I know the manual is old-tech.
I know how to paddle-shift, glad you were able to learn that.
I will buy manual tranny's only until I can no longer find one in a great sports car.

mschuyler

Then you may be, but that's actually affordable. Manuals are running at approximately 20% among Corvette buyers these days. Not everyone who buys manuals will be so put off that they will leave the fold. So let's guess that half you guys who want manuals will go ahead and buy autos anyway and half will take your ball and go home. I think I'm being generous here, but let's just go with it for now. That means sales drop 10%. Offset that with the enthusiasm of a new model and you won't even see the drop as sales surge. In other words, those who leave won't be missed.

Tadge has said, "Enjoy the manuals now when you have them." which is a wake-up call. He says that a point will be reached where it is simply not cost-effective to make them and the few remaining factories will close. In other words: No Choice. So the real question for you guys who insist you will leave if you can't get a manual is, where will you go? You'll be faced with ever diminishing choices as other brands also drop the clutch. Ultimately you will be faced with buying an auto or not buying anything at all. That's not a reality that I personally like very much, but it is inevitable.

JackTripper

I would prefer a stick, but if that is not an option, I will get over it quick I'm sure.

1Turbo

Gated Gallardos & F430s are fetching a premium over Egears & F1 trannies. Nothing like rowing through the Gears.

Larry/car

Well there is always the Porsche!

JerryU

Hmm, learn to pull a level, sounds too hard!

Some folks just don't understand, even a dual clutch may be find for racing but a 3 peddle car is best for a DD, IMO. Pulling levers in a slush box is even worse!

In my M7 I also pull levers, for Rev Match! Agree I'm and old fart been shifting since my "3 on the floor" '41 coupe that I stuffed in an Olds engine in 1959! Have only had standard shifts in all my DD's since.

Yep quite good at heal-toe, even in cars with poor peddle position but LOVE Rev Match. Best thing since syncromesh. I use it all the time mostly appreciate it at slow speeds! I'll explain:

With a dual clutch you can't skip three gears as I do all the time! On the Intestate I'm usually in 7th at ~1500 rpm and when entering the exit ramp shift directly to 1:1 4th gear ~ 2500 rpm. Rev Match makes it a perfectly smooth transition. In fact the shiftier springs are designed for that, just pull back with no side force and you're there! Do the same thing when passing an 18 wheeler to minimize exposure time to flying stones and trooper radar!

Same thing in town where I am usually in 5th, downshift directly to 3rd. Heel-toe is easy at high rpm but modulating the throttle perfectly at those lower rpm's is not - to get it perfect. Rev Match does it perfectly every time and is especially useful IMO when not driving in anger!

To Each Their Own! Guess "young folk" are just too used to using your thumbs to write (if you can call 140 characters writing) so pulling levers is natural!

Frankie2blue

C6 Z got it right. You can have any kind of transmission you like as long as it's a stick. Gotta love it.

Big Lebowski

This thread is like listening to the guys without dates on a Friday night debating about whether the redhead or the blonde Super Model would or would not be a suitable date.

When and IF the mid-engine hits the showroom floor, half of the William Wallace ("Freeeeeedom") die hard manual transmission fans will jump at the chance to get a mid engine Corvette...Auto trans or not.

Paulchristian

....I will buy something else. No question.

mschuyler

That's exactly right. And the other half that does leave won't be missed in the sales surge that follows. And as the manual factories close, they'll have nowhere to go except to used vehicles. It is unfortunate, but inevitable. And the next big thing to go will be internal combustion engines. I don't think you'll recognize this place in twenty years. Everyone will be bragging about the immense torque numbers in their C9 'Lectric Vettes.

JGarland

C9 electric with a one gear tranny.

Even automatic shifting will be gone.

Sadly.

Big Lebowski

Well, now you lost me. At that, I may join the "Phreeeeedom" camp, and stick with my internal combustion C8 engine!

CloudLS9

I cringe every time I see a commercial where they try to pass off someone in a suit downshifting on the steering wheel as "driver excitement" or "performance oriented".

Yawn... talk about boring. I understand that some need to have autos due to heavy traffic or age, but it just takes all the fun out of driving for me. Our MDX is an auto and a very practical and reliable car, but it is purely a utilitarian A->B family hauling vehicle that does not stir my soul in any way. I don't care if a dual clutch transmission is a few ticks faster. I'd rather row my own gears when I'm driving a sports car and enjoy my drive.

I'm excited about the prospect of a mid engine corvette as I loved my two mid engine Boxster S's (with manual transmissions). However, if the Corvette were only offered in automatic trim, I'd look elsewhere.

JoesC5

What makes you think the those 70% that own automatic transmission Corvettes(plus those that drive millions of other performance vehicles) do not have their "soul stirred"?

Do you think that all those people that own C7 Z06's with automatic transmissions are bored to death when they are out driving their Corvette in the twisties, or doing a 40-150 pull?

Do you think they have to hold a gun to their head in order to push the start button on their automatic transmission Corvette, or their DCT AMG GT R, or their PDK 911 Turbo, or their DCT 2017 Ford GT?

mschuyler

Where will you look? When Tadge said "Enjoy the manual while you can." he wasn't suggesting GM would unilaterally stop making manual Corvettes. He was suggesting GM would have no choice because the manual transmission makers would go away due to lack of demand causing a point of diminishing returns so that it was not cost-effective to make them. We've seen several top end sports car brands revert to auto only already, so relying on your favorite now-manual model to remain so is probably not realistic. And even if you're old enough that you will weather through this until you stop driving altogether, your kids won't have that option. To your grand kids manuals will be distant memory.

CloudLS9

Different strokes for different folks. I get that some like automatics, but there will always be hardcore manual transmission fans. Corvette could keep everyone happy by continuing to offer both, but I realize manual transmission days are numbered.

CloudLS9

I believe it's already the case with Porsche that most dealers are ordering PDK standard, and manuals are special build to order.

My dad hung on to his 67' 427 Corvette for 45 years. I typically flip cars frequently, but I'm beginning to think my ZR1 might be "the one" worth hanging on to for the long haul.

I've got a son who's 10 moths old.. I've thought about how manual transmissions won't be around by the time he's driving.. hell, most cars might even be self driving at that point. If he's interested, I'll teach him how to drive a manual. I can potentially see us restoring an old "classic" manual transmission car together with a modest amount of power that won't get him hurt, so long as he's in to it.

Krystal

It wouldn't......you still have plenty of other sports cars available to you even if Chevrolet decides against the manual.

Thing is though......and it's just a wild thought.......IF the manual is no longer offered.... that really says something about how GOOD the new auto must be.

then there is the other little tid bit........I do wonder how many manuals vs automatics are currently sold in a car where the median buyer of new one is well over 50 years old and probably closer to 60 than 50.

Seems to me the Corvette is the young man's car John Delorean said he could sell to an old man despite the idea he couldn't sell an old man's car to a young man........older buyers are the target buyers and I bet most choose Automatic already. Young man image car........but the old man car auto-transmission option is probably sneaking in more often than not when buyers actually spend their cash and take one home.

Michael A

I drove a friend's Porsche 911 with PDK. The PDK was well done, but boring as hell. It was like not even driving a sports car. I might as well have been in a Mercedes S Class.

An automatic is one foot in the grave as far as driving goes. "In the grave" will be autonomous cars.

Michael

tbasco 6

I'm excited about the prospect of a mid engine corvette as I loved my two mid engine Boxster S's (with manual transmissions). However, if the Corvette were only offered in automatic trim, I'd look elsewhere.[/QUOTE]

I love my M7, however I love the Corvette more. I will own an auto before I would own something else just to get a manual.