Stumped....Auto or Manual?

So guys I'm stuck, seriously....Need some advice from some seasoned Tacoma owners. I'm wanting to get a Taco, however i'm a little stummped on the manual/automatic decision. I love manuals, I've driven them all my life, but the only thing that 'erks' me is the fact that the manual only comes in a short box. *angry face* I love the idea of an extra 10 inches (or whatever the bed difference is...) that comes with the auto's so I can carry such items as snowboards, quad, toolbox ect ect... I took an 09 manual home and loaded the quad on the truck to see if it would fit, and it did with the tailgate down, however there would be no room for a toolbox in the front, also, a snowboard won't fit in the short box completely, it has to sit on top of the tailgate.

So to the question(s).....Are there any other differences between an auto and a manual in the Tacoma that I'm not aware of? Has anyone heard of or known the autos to be better than the manuals, or vice versa?

Any other comments or input to the topic would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys!

LF

 

I hear that the 6-speed manuals get better gas mileage than the autos, just because that sixth gear is a true "overdrive."

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-tacomas/49387-manual-automatic.html

 

Auto vs manual been discussed many many times. Search away.

I was in your shoes 5 yrs ago and wanted the stick (which has been great). I mange w/ 5ft bed fine.

My longer 165 cm board fits with gate up just at slight angle... Not sure where your talking about on 'top of the tailgate'. Heck, even 200cm XC skiis fit fine in the bed crosswise. Otherwise a bed extender gives you 6.5 ft. My Dualsport moto fits, rear wheel on the tailgate.

If your really need the ATV & toolbox you'll have to go long bed and auto. Your talking about $2K extra, or a trailer will cost you $500.

 

I was a big manual fan coming into this thing as well. The auto does really nice and the shift points are very low.... just where I'd want them. On top of that, I've heard nothing but problems from people with manuals.... throwout bearings going at 10k, theres always something going wrong with one on this forum. Not a lick of trouble from the autos.

You'll like the automatic.

 

Autos got their glitches too, for instance the infamous lurch, bad shifting during towing or heavy loads, some are not serviceable, ect.

My 6spd only complaint is the throwout bearing pilot shaft chirp that can be addressed with custom work if the system isn't upgraded by Toyota.

It boils down to you to decide if you need the longer bed or not.

 

Only conclusion is to buy the reg cab 5 spd manual!!
gotta run n duck now!

 

Do you need a double cab? Get an access cab, 6 speed with a full bed.

 

lol

Makes sense if you wanted trouble free transmission, but I need the DC..............

 

It was a tough choice between a v6/AC or the I4/reg cab.

 

Another way to look at if you want to have a big imagination:



Why do Corvette Z06's only have manual trannys? Probably because its the bomb dot com.


Easy choice after realizing that.

 

See if they have any with the "flappy paddle shifter" option

If you're unfamiliar with this term, search YouTube for "Top Gear Flappy Paddle."

 

If ya wanna be speed racer in a tacoma get a X-runner =P

 

After owning the auto, I would suggest going with the manual. If you are particular about the vehicle and how it runs, don't go with the auto, you have no control over the shifts, and it is always shifting from 2nd to 1st at low speeds when driving slowly. Although when you get going, it is great. Also, after passing other vehicles, it seems to stick in the passing gear for around 10 secs after you stop accellerating. And it uses engine braking when you take your foot off the gas, first auto I have owned that does this. I would have gone with the manual and the short box due to these issues.

 

I missed Manual for almost 15 years. I was involved with ski accident, both of my knee hit the pine tree. Downhill pretty fast and trying to get out of the way when three skier fell the same time. That happened when I was 12 years old. When I was 16 yrs old, I had no problem with manual until I was 20 yrs old. Had my right knee surgery for meniscus tear that time. Also my left knee about two years ago.
That is why I am stuck with automatic and had no problem with that. I also like the autoshift with my old suburu. Don't have to worry to press the manual panel. I think it will be nice if toyota to add autoshift or sport shift on tacoma. I would love to buy that.

 

Hands down the best auto I have ever had

 

I've experienced the not shifting after passing thing, and it WILL shift if you keep your foot in it for another split second. Its just the way the computer is programmed when you have your foot to the floor, its expecting a certain RPM before it shifts. I'd rather have that power rather than it shifting and losing it. Overall I like that feature.

As for downshifting from 2nd to 1st... thats wierd. Mine LOVES second gear, no matter what speed you're at. And I know its preference... but I love the engine braking/downhill assist thing, I hate riding brakes. 2 cents.

 

Just a note... I did find a longbed double cab with a 6spd. It was speedway blue at a dealer in az, about 1.5yrs ago. I wasn't really ready to buy yet but.... just something to note. It was badass even though I don't care for the speedway much.

My truck is an auto, and being a manual lover myself I can't really hate this transmission. It shifts fast and true, normally where I'd want to shift anyway. Either way, you should be happy.

 

I've had the truck since April... I really regret that the long bed double cab only came in automatic. I do not regret getting the long bed double cab though. That almost made me lean towards the Nissan Frontier, manual transmission longbed... (I came from a reg. cab manual everything most base of the base models nissan pickup).

It was a tough decision, between manual Taco, manual Frontier, or Auto Taco.

I almost always find myself annoyed at shift points, but I'm getting used to this...