Manual Transmission with regard to resale value - seeking opinions.

That was my exact thought. Fortunately for me, I was standing outside the bay as he backed it out so he wasn’t able to drive it any further.

 

When you look at 1st gen Tacoma’s with MT, people ask for premium on Craigslist and such and people are willing to pay for that premium.

You burn out a clutch on a MT, $250 for a clutch kit , some 4 hrs of your time in the garage gets you going again. Blow out an AT , …… your are looking at over $1k for rebuilt trans.

 

I would not pay more for a manual transmission vehicle over an automatic. The manual should cost less than an automatic, they do when they are new.

I don't think I'd pay what people ask for a used Tacoma.

 

I would not worry about it and get the MT! There is a very dedicated and enthusiast club of MT drivers, always will be and I'd bet in the future it will stronger. You will not have any issues trading or selling a SB MT TRD OR. Will the pool be smaller yes, but that will just weed out the tire kickers.

 

GREAT STORY !!! THANKS FOR SHARING

 

I purchased my 2017 MT knowing that I could potentially have a smaller pool when and IF i decide to sell, but like others have said, more serious buyers and enthusiasts are more likely to be willing to pay more for a well cared for truck.

 

Everyone has an opinion but my guess is, as manuals go by the wayside in new vehicles, there will be those out there willing to pay for a manual. I do not believe you have to worry about resale. Besides, if you itch for a manual now, get it. Take care of your truck then you don’t have to worry about resale.

 

Resale? Once you buy a MT, why would you ever want to sell it?

 

Another consideration - when you go to sell (in 5 or 10 years) how many buyers at that time will know HOW to operate a manual? Today's younger drivers don't have a clue and/or don't want to learn.
If you're in a position to wait for the right enthusiast when you go to sell, you may benefit. Otherwise ......?

 

My bet is Toyota will always offer a MT with a IC engine option. Of course when they go electric, they won't need one. The technology is too cheap for them not to offer it. As far as resale, you will always have a small but enthusiastic consumer demand chasing a small production number. So, a good $ should always be there for the best condition/mileage truck.

 

Seems like the AT guys on this thread love their AT which is fine but how do you know you’ll even be alive in 5 years? Get the MT if you desire it.

 

this is the exact reason I went hunting for a MT truck. If it don't move, I know what the problem is and can fix it. My car before the taco was a 06 IS350 RWD (6 speed auto). while cold, if you started it and started driving it the transmission would not shift from 5th to 6th until it was warmed up. you'd think it would be as simple as adding trans fluid. NOPE!!! sealed transmission, you cannot do anything with it.

 

manuals are good. That's why you see them slowly fading away. they don't want things to last anymore.

 

Spot on, I think the two factors make it wash, of course you can make any vehicle seem like a rare gem and hold out for that right buyer. It's why most choose to loose and trade in, it's simply not worth many/most people's time.

 

Exactly.

 

The MT for me is valuable - to the point where I’ve consistently traveled elsewhere to purchase the MT vehicles I want when the automatics are available locally. - this is true even pre-2019.

I can also say that when selling my vehicles I’ve also commanded a NOT-insignificant premium for a well-taken-care of vehicle with a manual gearbox.

I don’t even respond to many people pointing to the book values in reply to my ads.

Most of the time it is not the neighbors that buy my vehicles but people have been happy to travel from other states - and even other countries to purchase these despite being more expensive - because of the condition AND the manual gearbox.

- And I am clear about only accepting payment in cash at my bank. (This reduces the pool of buyers a lot more than any transmission type!)

I have typically driven German sporty cars - but the above was also true on a previous rare AWD with manual.

As manuals get rarer, they will be more desirable - to a few people.

People are always pleasantly surprised when they notice the 6-speed stick in my taco.

Yes, The pool of buyers will shrink, but I don’t need to show my vehicle to every tire kicker in the country.

- I simply need to show it to the RIGHT buyer.

I would definitely buy the manual version of the Tacoma every time. - I would likely not have one if it was available only as an automatic.

 

My Tacoma is AT and trust me I don’t love it lol. Only reason I have AT on this truck is because wife said in case she needs to drive it every once in a while. Women has not even sat behind the wheel of this thing once since it was new!

It’s ok though cause she knows how to cook and gives me plenty of sexy time

 

This is true about German cars with a manual.

When shopping for my E46 M3, the SMG was not even considered for me at all. No way!!!
I traveled to pickup my manual and paid all cash dollars for dollars cash. Did not hurt one bit. Happy as fawk I am with it.

 

My wife and I both love manual transmission vehicles, but we haven't owned any in a while. My last manual vehicle was a first gen Tacoma, and her last was a '12 VW Golf TDI. I guess you could count our BMW motorcycles, but that's not quite the same.

Truth is, modern automatics are pretty darn good. A while back I test drove a 3rd gen Tacoma with a manual thinking it was what I was going to do, and found it very unpleasant compared to the automatic.

Sure it comes down to preference, but as it's been stated many times, more and more people are preferring not to drive manuals anymore. Maybe you'd have no problem selling it, but you're going to have a very small audience. As for value, nobody can predict the future.

Buy what you like and don't worry about it.