[fazman]

I don't think it can ever really be a regret for getting a DCT/MT/AT, I think it really depends on your needs. Plus its not like you are married to your vehicle... they don't care if you drive one car and then drive another car :P

You should feel free to be able to trade in your car for any other type of transmission that suits your needs for the fleeting moment. Plus you can always go for the younger/newer models cuz even tho i get older... CPO cars are always about the same age

[Revlis]

So to summerize outta the 10 pages thus far...

The Auto is for the lazy and inattentive justified by the "Stuck in Traffic" excuse. Frankly an Auto in a BMW is for folks who REALLY REALLY wanted to buy a Lexus and got lost on the way. Kidding kidding, mostly... we all know the market and consumer demand in the US for the Auto is killing BMW and in a few more years BMW will be all yours.

The Manual is for those convinced they are "True Enthusiasts", or "Real Drivers".

As with just about everything on the forums the truth is somewhere in between.

After spending a couple hours with the Steptronic, many more years with a Manual, and then a few hours with a DCT I chose the DCT as the best compromise. It's faster in EVERY way than a Stick, has none of the disconnected feel of the Auto, and I can left foot brake while out playing much easier = full of win.

Oh and BMW has been giving them away here at the end of the 335is production run, so DCT for $450 was a no brainer.

Lastly! Manual transmission vehicles are stolen less. Apparently the thieves are too stupid to work out a stick.

[-Wingman-]

Dct tranny for 450 dollars?....uhhh

[skywalker]

Dont regret the AT!! Its a new age in car technology and the benefits absolutely outweigh the disadvantages. If you have power you get it form the second you put your foot down, no need to rev it up or play with the clutch. Also sequential transmissions work better if used on open roads, dont expect precision on the streets, they usually become clumsy and dont respond whenever you want them to. If you want to roll around town and do it fast, I suggest putting it on Sport, the car works smoothly yet you get instant response from the accelerator. Take care

[Revlis]

Originally Posted by -Wingman-

Dct tranny for 450 dollars?....uhhh

Yup, That's what I said and I had to check twice online then once talking to my buddy/sales manager when I was ordering. $450, though it lacks all the M3 modes, it's essentially the same tranny.

[mr_milo]

Originally Posted by Revlis

Lastly! Manual transmission vehicles are stolen less. Apparently the thieves are too stupid to work out a stick.

- I love it! (and my 6MT).

[kfriceman]

Never any regrets.....done and done with clutches and shifting gears. But I do find myself enjoying my bros 330ic with a stick.......but then I can get to hand the keys back to him when I'm done.......

-Kevin

[Rotary Rasp]

Anyone notice that there are plenty of auto drivers regretting not getting the MT, but i've yet to see one MT driver wish they got the auto. (aside from the dude that broke his shoulder, that doesn't count!)

[alexwhittemore]

I regret it a little, but not enough that it bothers me: For one, at the time I bought, I had an ankle injury (and still >6m later do) that would have prevented me from driving a manual. Even test driving manuals I couldn't handle more than a few minutes of driving. One tuned clutch was so hard my leg was shaking after two blocks, I had to switch drivers. Serious bummer, but I bet even now that I'm back to biking/rowing/mild climbing, it'd bother me for extended non-highway drives.

The other thing is, MT 328s are super rare. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere near the deal I got on my car, and it almost certainly wouldn't have been crimson, which honestly matters more to me.

It IS kind of lame though, mostly in terms of the connection between pedal and wheel. Even in M and DS, it doesn't have the same connection that a DCT or manual do.

[goofyboots81]

I've only driven a stick a handful of times so I don't have much of a benchmark, but I love my steptronic transmission. I have been in all three modes (D, DS, M) pretty much every day since I've bought the car, they all have great uses.

D for work commute and heavy traffic,
M for playing around, quick accelerations, and light traffic.
DS for pedal mashing fun / racing (it shifts right at the red-line and I try to avoid that in M - I just let the computer push it as far as BMW claims it can go..)

[Fitz335]

Turbo + Automatic = Weird.

There's something about spooling up the turbos and changing gears manually that's just way more fun.

[Rupes]

Soon, in the near future, the threads will read, "do you regret geeting a car with electric steering?" To which the responses will read something like, "I never liked that sense of control with hydraulic steering," or, "that whole feeling the road thing is overrated."

I guess it's just all about what your willing to give up in the name of advancement/technology. Me? I tried to get an SMG M3 as a compromise. Biggest mistake I ever made, and one I won't make again.

[Snaggletooth]

Originally Posted by Fitz335

Turbo + Automatic = Weird.

There's something about spooling up the turbos and changing gears manually that's just way more fun.

Sorry but the N54 is too unique to hide behind an autotragic. The DCT might be a little better but I chose the manual not because it's faster (it's not) but because they are a hoot to drive and nothing beats the turbos kicking hard and then hammering it into the next gear. No auto, DCT, or _____ can really emulate mashing the clutch to the floor, quickly swapping gears, and then feeding out the clutch and gas while the turbos spool up and revs climb exponentially.

[NorthernCAE90]

Honestly the 6 speed auto in this car is so amazing it doesn't have me looking back at all, My last stick was a 88 firebird 4speed, fun car. The 06 325i with the 6speed auto though? amazing car this thing shifts fun for me even in drive! ive yet to play around fully with my DS and even manual mode yet.

[cap1]

No regrets but do miss driving a manual.

[thenewrick]

The num1 thing I like about my BMW is it came with manual shifter(used manual lux cars are typically harder to sell and depreciate a bit faster I find). 2nd is hard top vert and 3rd is highly tuneable engine.

[ASAP]

anyone who says they'd prefer a stickshift has never raced this car... at least in a straight line.

[captainaudio]

i visited a friend of mine Friday night. I won't mention his name but he is a legendary race driver (now retired) who had podium finishes at LeMans, National Championships in Trans AM, top 10 finisher in the Indy 500, competed in F1 (I could go on).

For a number of years he has been working as an automobile journalist for both television and print publications. He had just done a back to back track comparison for one of the major car magazines (the article will be out in a few months) of the new Jaguar F-Type and the new Porsche Boxster. The F-Type had an 8 speed ZF AT (AutoTragic, Slushbox, Chictronic, etc.) very similar to the one the BMW uses, and the Boxster had the Porsche Dual Clutch. I asked them how they compared. He told me that he and his co-driver really could not tell the difference. He told me that the ZF in the Jaguar was almost telepathic and eventually they just left it in drive as they went around the track.

He also said that he really liked the Jaguar and that it was probably a great road car but they were always fighting the cars tendency to understeer and with the Boxster they just wanted to do more laps because it was such a joy to drive on the track.

He owns a number of cars, some with ATs and some with MTs. He told me he has no issue with ATs if they are good ATs.

CA

[thenewrick]

My BMW is my slow car ^^ I already got the racing thrills out of my system in the Subaru. I just like a cruise with the top down, drift a lil, do burnouts for the kids and enjoy the weather

*I can't respect a driver who races the quarter mile in an auto. I can respect the person as a car builder though. There just isn't skill in pressing your foot down, until you get to extreme power levels when you just respect someone's balls for stepping foot in a sub 10 second car.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

My BMW is my slow car ^^ I already got the racing thrills out of my system in the Subaru. I just like a cruise with the top down, drift a lil, do burnouts for the kids and enjoy the weather

*I can't respect a driver who races the quarter mile in an auto. I can respect the person as a car builder though. There just isn't skill in pressing your foot down, until you get to extreme power levels when you just respect someone's balls for stepping foot in a sub 10 second car.

...best of luck on a roadcourse as well... there is a reason Porsche and Ferrari went all DCT for the future and the GTR (arguably the best value on the planet for performance in any race one could imagine is a DCT only car)...

[thenewrick]

So much for your straight line argument Mr. Flipflopper. Yes paddles/buttons or whatever F1 cars use is probably the quickest way around a track.

[kdbryce]

I will always be a 6mt guy, but the auto in BMWs is the best auto I've driven. I wanna check out the dct at some point soon. Maybe I'll head to the dealer and pretend I'm going to buy one