[RacerDad]

I test drove the 8AT when I was first shopping for a 2 series. I had a 428GC as a loaner with that transmission as well. There is no doubt the 8AT is a great transmission. However, I enjoy the 6MT in my car because I feel more engaged when I am driving it. I have experienced some of the same things as the OP, but I believe the 6MT is a great match for the inline six. It is very easy to drive and the shifter has a nice feel to it.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by Rayscott

I love my auto, but then I am 73 yo, owned tons of manuals and now I just want to let the car do the work. Kudos to lovers of MT's, been there done that.

That's about it in a nutshell. I'm 70 and have owned more manuals than I can remember. All were enjoyable.

I had the misfortune to twist my left knee at work about 9 years ago and it's never been the same. So, auto it is. Enjoy while you can. Never thought I'd live to see the day when an auto could beat a manual, though. Not that it matters - I don't street race.

[9t2hoo]

I've never considered any cars that didn't come with a manual, and that's one of the reasons I've owned four BMWs.

I know the autos are faster (my father has a 997 turbo with an auto that hits 60 in 3.5 seconds), but they are WAY less connected. To make an auto fun, you have to drive FAST. I can drive to the grocery store at 30 miles an hour and enjoy it with a manual.

And to the dude above who said he's considering an auto for the M2 because of the auto rev-matching, I would just point out that it took me 5 minutes to code that crap off with BimmerCode.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by 9t2hoo

To make an auto fun, you have to drive FAST. I can drive to the grocery store at 30 miles an hour and enjoy it with a manual.

Negative. While I'm sure you have loads of fun in your manual at 30 MPH, so do I in my auto. Windows down, Sport mode on... sounds awesome. And don't forget, I can select gears too. And man, do they select quickly.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Rayscott

I love my auto, but then I am 73 yo,

Originally Posted by 3.0L

That's about it in a nutshell. I'm 70 and have owned more manuals than I can remember. All were enjoyable.

The best part of this thread for me is finding out, at 63, I'm still one of the "kids"!!

Yeah, I realize it won't last....

[XutvJet]

I should have added that if I was competitively racing this car, I would absolutely have the automatic. You'd be a idiot not to. But for daily driving and some autox and maybe a track day here there, the 6mt is it for me.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

The best part of this thread for me is finding out, at 63, I'm still one of the "kids"!!

Yeah, I realize it won't last....

I made it to age 67. I had been driving a Mazda RX-8 6-speed manual for 10 years when I traded it in on my M235i auto.

As an aside, my left knee doesn't bitch at me as much as it used to. And I'm still having fun driving a very bitchin' car.

[BSMF87]

Originally Posted by BarryJI

I test-drove an M2 with the MT and was disappointed. I found the throw too long but most importantly the auto-blip is intrusive and unnecessary for those of us who can manage high-RPM downshifts manually and you cannot disable it without switching off every traction-control system on the car, i.e. basically putting it in track mode. I found this unacceptable and will likely go for the DCT in the M2 because of it.

The auto-blip can be coded out.

[amw896]

Great write up! To answer your question - never!

[BarryJI]

Originally Posted by BSMF87

The auto-blip can be coded out.

That is good to know.

[DF]

I would love to drive this car in a MT just to see how it performs. Living on LA for so long its been years since I rowed my own.

[Dylan86]

No regrets, here. But I do like an auto for my dd's..

[OrangePeanut]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

I think you hit on the difference. For some, the value is in the driving experience inside the car. Others are concerned with who else might be faster...and there's always someone faster, and I sincerely do not care, as long as I am having the most enjoyment actually driving the car that I can have.

definitely this ^^. I honestly don't care who's passing me or who I'm passing either, I'm in the car and I'm having fun. That's all that matters to me

The only concern I have is resale value. I came from a scion tC that was a 5MT. Even tho I took fantastic care of my car and it was in really nice condition at 100k miles it turned off a lot of people when they heard it was MT. So it did take a little bit longer to sell that off.

[SteveInfante]

Originally Posted by OrangePeanut

definitely this ^^. I honestly don't care who's passing me or who I'm passing either, I'm in the car and I'm having fun. That's all that matters to me

The only concern I have is resale value. I came from a scion tC that was a 5MT. Even tho I took fantastic care of my car and it was in really nice condition at 100k miles it turned off a lot of people when they heard it was MT. So it did take a little bit longer to sell that off.

Just remember that the Scion crowd is much different than the BMW potential owner crowd.

[Tpeterson]

Unless it's a Scion FR-S.

[WolfGTI]

No regrets - FYI a shift knob does not shorten the shift.

[BillD1953]

base 2016 6MT coupe turning 30,000 this week. Flawless, fun to drive. It IS my daily driver with my MB GLE 350 on standby !

[wjones14]

No regrets here either. As far as manual transmissions and clutches go, it's about as light effort as you can have while still being firm and precise. It's fun.

The only negative for me is the amount of clutch pedal travel before it engages. Fixed that with a clutch stop, and now it's pretty near perfect.

[B_Rice]

No regrets until I drive my friends s2000 from time to time. I wish bmw could make a manual that could feel as good as Honda's.

[9t2hoo]

Originally Posted by B_Rice

No regrets until I drive my friends s2000 from time to time. I wish bmw could make a manual that could feel as good as Honda's.

The feel is great (as good as the manual in a miata), although there is more noise because you replace plastic parts with metal parts.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by WolfGTI

No regrets - FYI a shift knob does not shorten the shift.

It does. The MP shift knob is narrower and shorter thus the throw reduced by around 1/4+" in each direction plus the feel is quiet a bit more direct. It's perfect, IMO.

[WolfGTI]

The actual travel between gears is the 'throw' the only thing the shift knob has changed is the feel and effort - the actual throw has not changed. It cannot change without actually changing the linkage.

Originally Posted by XutvJet

It does. The MP shift knob is narrower and shorter thus the throw reduced by around 1/4+" in each direction plus the feel is quiet a bit more direct. It's perfect, IMO.