Manual transmission

[ross the hoss99]

Im considering buying a used truck with a manual transmission- more fun to drive and a little more power. I just wanted some input/advice on how the manual compares to the automatic- especially in the maintence/durability area...any advice would be greatly appreciated.....o yeah and how much money do you think i would save if buying a truck with about 50k miles with a manual vs. automatic? Thanks

Register today or sign-in to remove these ads!

[wittom]

From what I'm being told when I ask a dealer what they would give me for my truck in trade, they should practicly give you the truck. Apparently "no one" want's a manual these days. If you haven't already talked to the seller, when you do act like you'd really rather have an auto but if they drop the price you'd settle for the manual.

I think if you prefer a manual you'd think that the manual is better. The manual in these trucks is a Mazda transmission, not known for being smooth. It's kind of notchy shifting and you may even get a grind every so often as the syncronizers don't always keep up. There is a considerable throw between gears but I believe this is common to most trucks. Hurst should be releasing a shifter soon that has shorter throws.

I know I make it seem bad but my F150 is a manual and I like it. I drive an '03 E250 with the 5.4 for work and I hate the way it shifts. That 5.4 has good power but the auto tranny doesn't let me see it's potential.

I think if you don't drive the truck too hard the manual would be the cheaper to run. An auto has to be flushed every 30k. The clutch in a manual truck could last over 100k. There really isn't much else to do, except change the fluid every 30k which cost a lot less than an auto tranny flush and fill.

Hope I helped a little.

Good luck!