Talk me out of a manual transmission

I mean after mods those guys probably going 4.88 anyway

that requires:
-ignoring battery being low
-small chance of being parked on long downhill
-not carrying NOCOboost

 

I own a v6 AT. Its my day to day vehicle, I use it to tow trailers and go on drives that normally involve traffic jams. It tends to make my days easier not constantly having to take off, shift up, shift down, stop and restart.

I also enjoy that after a long day at the lake, i can just set my truck to drive and all I have to do is a hold a steering wheel.

But I also have a manual acura, so if I want to drive a manual I still have that option.

 

Those have bigger tires. The 2wd 5-lug I4 manual has a 3.31, auto is 3.56 because tiny tires and it’s aimed at highway mileage. 6-lug 2wd(prerunners) have bigger tires and fall between there and 4.10. Lots of ways to get you there. Some are better starting packages but most could stand some kind of improvement.

 

"small chance of being parked on long downhill". Not where I live.

 

• 100% PLUG & PLAY (Note: Manual Transmission version requires one wire snip; Auto does not)

 

Bedsides that, the comparison is flipped on its head making more possibilities a detriment.

 

Go test drive one (if you can find one). I was convinced I wanted a stick. Last month I considered buying a low mile ‘15 OR 4.0 6spd. Granted, I only drove it for 20 miles, but I just didn’t like the rev hanging between shifts. It felt like a lot of commotion to row all those gears especially through town. I’d probably gotten used to it but I kind of backed off the prospect of buying that particular truck anyway. FWIW I’ve had a ton of manual cars and trucks (currently own 3 manuals) and just wasn’t feeling it in the Tacoma.

 

Thanks everyone through your input. Ive learned a lot since joining this forum and through this post. I am going to open my search to include 6 cylinder. Both because what a lot of you have shared here and because Im getting tired of not having a truck. My preference is still a 4 cyl manual and Id be happy with a 6 cyl manual as well. Lots of pros and cons to consider for both.

 

I’m surprised you still have 5% of the market to consider. I was looking not too long ago and it found it to be more like 0.01% for a “new” truck in my area. I think the closest manual I found was just over 750 miles away. I did find a handful that would have been “new to me”, but they needed more work than my current truck does.

 

The day I picked up my new stick TRDOR in June there were 43 others for sale in the entire US.
IIRC they ended manual production in early summer ahead of the model year changeover.

 

I had 2 dealers nearby tell me that Toyota isn’t making manuals anymore and the only way you’d get one for a “new” truck was through a custom order. One salesman (probably more truthful than any other I’ve dealt with over the years) wished me good luck getting a dealer to work with me on a custom order over getting rid of something that was already on their lot.

 

I had to order my '15 6MT TRD OR. Back when I ordered mine, they told me that Toyota only makes the manuals once per quarter. I had to wait almost 6 months for mine because I had just missed putting my order in before that quarter's manual window.

 

I always second guessed myself buying an auto... until I broke my foot.

 

it's common practice to order a vehicle over picking from crap spec on a lot

if Toyota is phasing out manual then why did they do the opposite to 4Runner which next gen is claimed to be released with a manual option, that to my knowledge for the past 2 gens was not

(likely continued motor-sharing regarding bellhousing compatibility)

 

Best guess is they want to unload as many of the remaining ‘23 models before the 4th Gen comes out (plus it’s year end). I decided to stick with my 2005 for now.

 

I spent 6 months tracking down an unclaimed allocation. I had zero choice in what I got, but it was close enough to the spec I wanted that I put a deposit down while it was in production.

Had to drive 4 hours from home to pick it up. I don’t even want to know what that market looks like now

 

Quick question then back to the - regularly scheduled program...

Does the older 22 RE 4 cyl share bellhousing compatability/conversion with any v6 5 or 6 manuals?

 

Well you all did it. Im glad I posted this thread as I was truly talked out of a manual transmission (6 cyl only, Id still only ever consider a 4 banger in manual). Im in contract for a an automatic 6 cyl that meets all my criteria and I'm really excited about. I came across an awesome looking stick shift today and wanted to share it here in case anyone else is in the market for an elusive manual access cab from outside the salt belt.

https://charleston.craigslist.org/cto/d/charleston-2012-toyota-tacoma/7694342629.html

 

I like my manual. Rowing gears feels good. There's pros and cons. Both auto and manual have their merit.
Auto in general can mean no ability to engine-brake, fall asleep at the wheel, and not feeling connected or in control of a vehicle
Some automatics are reliable. Like this one. Or a 722.6 ZF in a W210 Benz.
And some are notoriously shit.

Manual may not crawl as well. But if so, that's likely due to stock gearing, and factory tcase ratio being 2.57:1 instead of 4:1. Not having a crawl gear, etc. (all stuff that can be changed)

If you're not sure, the best thing to do is find an example to compare, and test drive it to see if you actually like how it feels or not.
It can be easy. When I test drove mine, dealer tossed me the keys to take it for a spin by myself and didn't really care where I took it. They were pretty chill.

 

Well let me tell ya! My truck is a 05 double cab long bed v6 factory auto. First ever Toyota of the 30+ I have owned that was an auto. I decided to swap it to the 6speed. Instantly was plagued with the throw out bearing squeak. Fixed that which is pretty in-depth with machined parts ect. After finally getting some miles on it my take between the two is mixed.
Manual is enjoyable to drive day to day no issues. While hunting the manual kinda sucks.. stoping and starting on different grades with how high geared they are is not ideal. Def is nice coming down hill though. Try both like others have said