so i'm currently in search of my future SC300. i'm finding a ton of automatics and very few manuals. i'd REALLY like a manual for obvious reasons but the ones i'm finding are either beat up or out of my price range. i'd eventually like to swap the motor to either a 1j or 2j gte. what are your overall feelings on your automatics? for the guys who are running a swap with AT, i really would like to hear what you have to say. thanks in advance.

 

I like my automatic. My car is my daily, it's my cruiser. I like just going out for drives sometimes and just not worry about a clutch or a shifter to shift.

With that being said, there's times when I feel like getting on the gas and go for more "spirited" driving, and that's where the automatic kinda hinders that driving experience. Plus there's only four gears, whereas a manual has 5 or 6.

All in all, I like the automatic. I don't plan on boosting/swapping a turbo motor anytime soon. When the time comes for that then a manual is definitely going in. Until then, I think I'll make do with the auto.

 

you'd be better off buying a nice cheap auto then swapping out the tranny later on. i myself have an auto (for now) and it does what it's supposed to do, but at times it kills the driving exp and the pwr function button only gives you so much before you want more. if you plan on swapping for a more powerful motor, then your gonna want a stronger transmission. hence buy the auto then with the new motor go R154 or V160. you'll be much happier later on. or if u want instant gratification go W58

 

i've had 3 SC's, 1st was a automatic that i did a 1jz swap in (kept it auto) i loved it! was my first automatic car, 1jz is so torquey with stock twins and the auto was fun for racing cause i could just brake boost off the line and get consistent launches..

my 2nd SC was a 5speed, i definetly enjoyed the 5 speed, but some parts of me missed my auto with boost..

now i have a another turbo automatic SC, to be honset i do like it in automatic more sometimes, buuuuut i miss driving a manual so much i would like to convert it if i keep the car..


all in all, i say both are good, i mean they are both fun in my opinion, after having 1 tan interior and 2 black interior SC's, i'd recommend finding a black interior one over a manual one.. it's alot easier in my opinion to convert to manual then it is to have a original black interior, and i dunno i just think the black interior makes it feel much sportier.

 

Im currently doing a 1jz swap into my 94 sc and trying to find me a r154. If your trying to make serious power, get a r154.

 

if your trying to make serious power you need the v160/161 or a TH400.

 

Depends what you consider serious power, a R154 is good for 700whp, that's pretty serious.

 

definately appreciate the replies. keep em coming!!

 

I'm in the exact same boat as you; I was so determined to find a 5spd for the longest time, but now I'm starting to research ATs and doing a swap, seems like it may just simply be easier in the long run, and possibly even cheaper. I'm subscribed to this thread, let me know what you decide to Lammy

 

I just bought my Sc 5 weeks ago and was in the same boat you were, trying desperately to find a manual but eventually "settled" for an auto, but now that I have it, I love it. I miss the freedom of a manual trans at times like some guys said, but overall as a daily driver, the auto has good power and a smooth ride, plus if you wanna have some fun drifting or spinning tires off of hole shots, pull your abs relay and the auto will smoke the tires almost as well as the manual.

 

i have a auto myself but i would rather have manual, i miss the rolling back feeling when you let go of the brakes. Bunch of people complain in traffic how its annoying, to me i dont mind its fun to drive. Auto is a lot easier when your slammed on the ground, its easier to go up dips speed bumps etc.

Since your gonna swap the motor to a 1jzgte i say go for a cheap auto. Not exactly sure how much a 5spd conversion cost but i am assuming its around 1k

 

man, this is such a tough decision....i just found a red auto 99 with 112k for just under $3G's in immaculate condition!!! wondering if its a typo, but the price is listed twice. the owner is'nt contacting me back though!!!! GRRRRR

 

maybe if you don't plan on racing it, I have a few friends that have been through a couple R154's each, none of them making more then 300whp.

R154's aren't not bullet proof by any means up to X amount of power, if you plan on giving your trans hell, launching and snatching gears..

i dunno my personal opinion is the R154 is waaaaaaaay overrated, if a w58 and R154 where the same price, i'd get the R154, i'd probably even pay a few bucks more, but i wouldn't pay double the price of a w58 to get a R154, i just don't believe in it that much after seeing so many take a **** cars making such low hp.

 

Mine's my DD and it's an auto. If I want to go fast, I'll just flip the ETC to Pwr

It's a great tranny though. Very smooth and very predictable. I'm going to swap in a 5spd at some point in the future, but for what it is, I'm good with it.

 

The 11th Commandment is "Thou shalt have more than one car to suit thine purposes." I LOVE manual transmission cars, but didnt really want one in the SC. I currently have a 6 speed Legend Sedan (talk about RARE!) but will be selling that for another 6 speed sedan, probably a Maxima. Something about grabbing gears in a quick 4 door is pretty cool IMO.

I'd get the cleanest best priced example (within your budget) out there and roll with that, no matter what tranny is in it.