[Russ]

Originally Posted by 4.0i OHC

Don't forget that manuals are often considerably quicker around the track.

I've never understood the point of autos. Why let the car decide which gear you should be in when you can easily do so yourself? I don't particularly like it when autos decide to kick down/up at seemingly random and inappropriate times. In the end, autos will always be 'reactive', as opposed to manuals, which are 'proactive'. As for DCTs, it's simply not the same as a proper manual. Yes, shift times are decreased, but that doesn't change that it's like playing an Xbox, not to mention the reliability issues that started this thread. If one more car salesman starts to feed me the BS about autos being just the same as manuals when in tiptronic, or that manuals are unable to be driven in traffic (as if a manual car is some sort of uncivilised throwback from the past which is unable to be driven in areas of modern congestion), I will go crazy, and not the good kind of crazy.
The auto transmission was obsolete the day it was introduced in my view, at least for serious drivers. The mechanical connection between the engine and transmission provides a magical connection between car and driver. Keep in mind though that all my experience has been in cars making power figures of approximately 200 kWs or less; I sometimes hear things said about, say, a manual F6 being like "a bull in a china shop".
Sorry about the angry rant, but it's just a pet hate of mine. I'd hate to see the manual transmission die (notice how it's only those in Australia and the US saying this) just as I'd hate to see the inline six die.

Jeeez I'm pleased I'm not a car salesman at any of your local dealers