Supposedly they don't sell many MT 550is. But, I have only ever seen it in MT. Perhaps they were on lots and there for a reason. Nevertheless, how many V8s can you get in a MT?

 

Yea, it's super uncommon to find any 5 with the MT; I remember when I was M3 shopping, I stumbled on an M5 that had a MT ... I almost bought it. I can't imagine actually shopping for an M5 MT on the used market, you'd never find one.

 

Any idea of the ratio of auto to manual M cars?

 

What rominl describes applies to rather spirited driving, unlikely to be applied on the street. Stuff like braking before the corner, being in the right gear during the corner, and accelerating out of the corner just doesn't apply on the street. Braking through the corner and loosing control sounds like an inexperienced driver on a race track, if you drive like that on streets, you'd lose your driving license pretty quick.

Riding brakes down the hill is also applying to inexperienced drivers. Most automatics let you downshift manually so you can engine-brake.

Well, that I can agree with, although it probably doesn't have to do so much with the fact that they are driving an automatic, but because they are lousy drivers by nature. If you put them behind the wheel of a car with manual transmission, they would just cause insane traffics, and some will just give up driving all together.


But you still get your work done faster and more efficient compared to old DOS commands, right?

Again, not discrediting manuals completely here. It is useful to learn how to drive a manual, and in general being familiar with all of the cars components, and understanding how they work. Much like it is good to know your way around computer through command line. But driving a manual on daily basis, or using command line instead of icons, just isn't very benefitial.

 

I meant the automatic option is 6 speed, not 8.

 

Whats there to prove? Its called volume, even if the automatic transmission is more costly, its volume easily offsets the cost.

 

No real idea on the ratios; but I can say that the two most common things I found were SMG coupes and manual verts ... which made a manual coupe hard enough to find. I did find that SMGs were easier to come by overall than the 6MT. Now, I don't know if that's because manual drivers hold on to their cars or because way more people ordered SMGs; I suspect a combination of the two.

 

The old M5 or the current M5? I wanted to get a used old M5, but didn't mostly because it ONLY came with a freaking manual.

 

thats probably because the SMG owners had to pay $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ when they failed and then dumped their cars

6MT FTW!!!!

 

Well like I said earlier, everytime I found a MT Legacy GT it was sold. One dealer told me that the buyers of the MT Legacy I had traveled two hours to purchase were eating across the street and that I should make them an offer....I didn't do it. Lesson learned, call ahead.

 

Oh boy, you do know that regardless of speed the same principles apply right?

I live in a rather hilly area and what do I see every day? People riding the brakes when they're going down a hill. I doubt most auto drivers even know they can use those lower gears (but if they drove stick they'd figure it out pretty fast).

nature / nurture argument right there; I'm going to argue nurture. Teach them to drive the MT and they'll be better at it (of course they must also put the phone down, not try to eat the burger while they're driving, or what ever else people like to do while driving. For those that would give up driving because they can't do it: that's probably a good thing, if you can't handle your ~3500lb machine you probably shouldn't be piloting it in the first place.

There are certainly times when I do far better with keyboard commands - they're more precise and you don't need to move your hands as far.

I'm going to stand by my position that one is better off being able to really drive a manual for all the reasons I (and others) have put forward. While so far the only argument in favor of the automatic is "it's easier" (or less work or what have you).

 

current M5

 

Well in regards to the M5 remember it debuted with SMG only. It was the AMERICAN market that was so pissed about no manual that BMW made one pretty much for our market.

Then they saddle it with electronics that cannot be fully defeated whereas in the SMG you can.

 

I don't know nearly as much about the particulars on the M5; but that's pretty cool that the American market is the reason the MT happened (I didn't know!).

Are the electronics anywhere that you might actually notice them? or are they so past where most people would be driving that it's not really an issue.

 

Yes and no. I doubt that on the street you brake hard before the corner, downshifting into the right gear, take the corner at the maximum possible speed, and then come out of the corner on full throttle.

The way people take corners on streets, its irrelevant whether they are driving AT or MT.

Well, ignorant drivers are just that. It doesn't take much brain to figure out how to downshift an automatic, its even easier than a manual.


I can agree with that, there are too many people that shouldn't be driving.

Its less work and much more practical, and safer too. Imagine trying to hill start with someone on your rear bumper - make an error, and you get into accident. Imagine trying to make a quick left turn with oncoming traffic - make an error, stall, and get t-boned. Downshift into the wrong gear, and damage your engine.