Auto or Manual?

Hey,

Been thinking about purchasing a new or used 330xi, and was wondering which
tranny to get. I've been driving a '91 Nissan Maxima for about 8 years, and
it has an automatic. I was tired of shifting when I bought it, but now I
miss the stick shift.

I've read a few posts saying some BMW clutches have lasted 200,000+ miles,
so that sounds encouraging.

What are your thoughts on the 6-speed Manual vs. the Steptronic Automatic?
What kind of life can I expect? I've driven the auto and it's fine in
auto-mode, but I don't like how the Steptronic shifting feels. But I'd be
willing to take it if I can expect longer life from the transmission. I'm
planning on keeping this car for 8-10 years, so I want to get it right and
not regret the decision down the road.

Also, as a bonus question, what kind of mileage can I expect out of a BMS
engine? My Maxima is purring along nicely at 175,000 miles, and I know I
could easily get 300,000 out of it without many major repairs.

Thanks for the info,

Bill G

In article >,
Bill G > wrote:
> I've driven the auto and it's fine in
> auto-mode, but I don't like how the Steptronic shifting feels.

It gives as smooth a change as in auto. It will also over-ride you if you
try to do something silly. There is a slight delay before it changes,
compared to a manual.

Most who have it rarely use it - so good is the ZF's programming. Can't
say about the GM boxes fitted to some US BMWs.

--
*It's o.k. to laugh during sexŒ.Œ.just don't point!

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

>, went clickity-clack
on the keyboard and spewed out this:
> Hey,
>
> Been thinking about purchasing a new or used 330xi, and was wondering which
> tranny to get. I've been driving a '91 Nissan Maxima for about 8 years, and
> it has an automatic. I was tired of shifting when I bought it, but now I
> miss the stick shift.
>
> I've read a few posts saying some BMW clutches have lasted 200,000+ miles,
> so that sounds encouraging.
>
> What are your thoughts on the 6-speed Manual vs. the Steptronic Automatic?
> What kind of life can I expect? I've driven the auto and it's fine in
> auto-mode, but I don't like how the Steptronic shifting feels. But I'd be
> willing to take it if I can expect longer life from the transmission. I'm
> planning on keeping this car for 8-10 years, so I want to get it right and
> not regret the decision down the road.

When I took my 530i to the mechanic to have it checked out before I
bought it, the mechanic pointed to a box with a BMW automatic
transmission in it and said, "Good thing you're getting a manual
transmission or you'd be spending $3500 on one of those eventually." I
take it to mean that the automatic transmissions are nowhere near as
reliable as the manual ones. And frankly, I like being able to
downshift and really get ahead of the slow guy in front of me.

It's your choice. There is plenty of power for the automatic to steal some
and still leave you with a spirited drive.




"Bill G" > wrote in message
...
> Hey,
>
> Been thinking about purchasing a new or used 330xi, and was wondering
which
> tranny to get. I've been driving a '91 Nissan Maxima for about 8 years,
and
> it has an automatic. I was tired of shifting when I bought it, but now I
> miss the stick shift.
>
> I've read a few posts saying some BMW clutches have lasted 200,000+ miles,
> so that sounds encouraging.
>
> What are your thoughts on the 6-speed Manual vs. the Steptronic Automatic?
> What kind of life can I expect? I've driven the auto and it's fine in
> auto-mode, but I don't like how the Steptronic shifting feels. But I'd be
> willing to take it if I can expect longer life from the transmission. I'm
> planning on keeping this car for 8-10 years, so I want to get it right and
> not regret the decision down the road.
>
> Also, as a bonus question, what kind of mileage can I expect out of a BMS
> engine? My Maxima is purring along nicely at 175,000 miles, and I know I
> could easily get 300,000 out of it without many major repairs.
>
> Thanks for the info,
>
> Bill G
>
>

> "Bill G" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hey,
>>
>> Been thinking about purchasing a new or used 330xi, and was
>> wondering
> which
>> tranny to get. I've been driving a '91 Nissan Maxima for about 8
>> years,
> and
>> it has an automatic. I was tired of shifting when I bought it, but
>> now I
>> miss the stick shift.
>>
>> I've read a few posts saying some BMW clutches have lasted 200,000+
>> miles,
>> so that sounds encouraging.
>>
>> What are your thoughts on the 6-speed Manual vs. the Steptronic
>> Automatic?
>> What kind of life can I expect? I've driven the auto and it's fine
>> in
>> auto-mode, but I don't like how the Steptronic shifting feels. But
>> I'd be
>> willing to take it if I can expect longer life from the
>> transmission. I'm
>> planning on keeping this car for 8-10 years, so I want to get it
>> right and
>> not regret the decision down the road.
>>
>> Also, as a bonus question, what kind of mileage can I expect out of
>> a BMS
>> engine? My Maxima is purring along nicely at 175,000 miles, and I
>> know I
>> could easily get 300,000 out of it without many major repairs.
>>
>> Thanks for the info,
>>
>> Bill G

Reliability and expense-wise, the manual wins by a nose. Yes, the
clutch will go after a while, depending on how you drive, but that is
not such a major expense to have it replaced. As contrsted to the
autobox rebuild/replace that will be required at about the same
interval.

Sportiness, of course, goes to the manual transmission. Steptronic is
OK to attempt to *emulate* driving a standard, but just it's not that
much fun. That's why most steptronic cars spend all of their time in
"auto" mode.

Convenience goes to the automatic. Driving in true stop-an-go
commuter traffic everyday in a manual trans car can suck. This is the
*main* reason why anyone should buy an automatic.

Resale price goes to the autobox by a little except on certain sporty
models (M3, Z3/4, etc.) Since the potential driver market is larger,
the supply/demand thing keeps the automatic cars prices higher. Plus
of course, the initial price was higher.

It really should come down to how you intend to use the car, not how
expensive or reliable it will be. If you will be stuck in traffic a
lot consider the auto, otherwise sprint for the car with the manual
and enjoy!!

-Fred W

In article >,
The Malt Hound <Malt_Hound@*no spam please*yahoo.com> wrote:
> Reliability and expense-wise, the manual wins by a nose. Yes, the
> clutch will go after a while, depending on how you drive, but that is
> not such a major expense to have it replaced. As contrsted to the
> autobox rebuild/replace that will be required at about the same
> interval.

Hmm. I'd say most decent autos will last about 150,000 miles regardless.
It's a *very* gently driven manual that will get that out of a clutch. And
the same with wear on the synchromesh.
Now most manuals are chosen on 'our' cars (in the UK) by 'spirited'
drivers - so the gearbox and clutch is likely to have had a hard life. As
maybe, the engine.
Of course it depends on the type of usage. But with a lot of town miles,
an auto is likely to survive rather better than a manual - and not just
the transmission. If mainly highway - who knows. At the end of the day,
buy what you prefer. Because that's why you drive a BM rather than a Ford.

--
*There are 3 kinds of people: those who can count & those who can't.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

The Malt Hound wrote:
>>"Bill G" > wrote in message
...
>>
>>>Hey,
>>>
>>>Been thinking about purchasing a new or used 330xi, and was
>>>wondering which tranny to get.
[...]
>>>Bill G
>
>
> Reliability and expense-wise, the manual wins by a nose. Yes, the
> clutch will go after a while, depending on how you drive, but that is
> not such a major expense to have it replaced. As contrsted to the
> autobox rebuild/replace that will be required at about the same
> interval.
>
> Sportiness, of course, goes to the manual transmission. Steptronic is
> OK to attempt to *emulate* driving a standard, but just it's not that
> much fun. That's why most steptronic cars spend all of their time in
> "auto" mode.

This is exactly what I've heard. A friend replaced his manual Audi A4
with a steptronic 323i and reported a bit of dismay at the lack of
feedback coming from the steptronic. He described it as feeling
'detached' from the driving experience, since the engine does no braking
with the steptronic. Otherwise, he had no complaints. I think he just
uses it like an automatic.

>
> Convenience goes to the automatic. Driving in true stop-an-go
> commuter traffic everyday in a manual trans car can suck. This is the
> *main* reason why anyone should buy an automatic.

Ditto. If you do much stop-and-go, then the auto/steptronic makes
sense. If you don't, and you *like* shifting, I think the decision not
to be shiftless is an easy one.

>
> Resale price goes to the autobox by a little except on certain sporty
> models (M3, Z3/4, etc.) Since the potential driver market is larger,
> the supply/demand thing keeps the automatic cars prices higher. Plus
> of course, the initial price was higher.

Yeah, I think auto trannys definitely hurt the resale of M3s. At least,
that's what I've heard from others and that's I'm expecting when I sell
mine.

Randy

>
> It really should come down to how you intend to use the car, not how
> expensive or reliable it will be. If you will be stuck in traffic a
> lot consider the auto, otherwise sprint for the car with the manual
> and enjoy!!
>
> -Fred W
>

--
Randy Crawford http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~rand rand AT rice DOT edu

In article >,
Randy Crawford > wrote:
> This is exactly what I've heard. A friend replaced his manual Audi A4
> with a steptronic 323i and reported a bit of dismay at the lack of
> feedback coming from the steptronic. He described it as feeling
> 'detached' from the driving experience, since the engine does no braking
> with the steptronic. Otherwise, he had no complaints. I think he just
> uses it like an automatic.

An auto *does* provide engine braking. Indeed, the ZF on my 528 drops a
gear in auto for just this reason when descending a hill on the over-run.
Can be a bit disconcerting first time it happens. However, the amount of
braking also depends on what the torque convertor is doing, so at low
engine speeds it will seem less than a manual.

There is a slight delay with the Steptronic between operating the lever
and the gear engaging - more obvious at low speeds. If you want an
'instant' change you'd need a SMG box, and loose the smooth changing of a
conventional auto.

--
*How many roads must a man travel down before he admits he is lost? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.