Indecisive about getting a manual or auto...

I have a manual in my '96 Taco, and have had manual sportscars most of my life. Was looking for a manual when purchasing my '18 TRD Sport, but decided to go with an auto and really glad I did.
I have NO issues with how it shifts. I sometimes think that owners might enjoy their Tacomas much more if never coming here to be made aware of Tacoma's supposedly shortcomings.

 

I’ve had 2 auto 3rd gens and 1 manual. Personally I’d go with the manual, I only got an auto the 2nd time so my wife could drive it on road trips- Get OVTune regardless of what trans you choose.

OVTune made the autos bearable unless I was going up a mountain or trying to do 90 on the highway. In town, an auto with OVTune (performance tune) is extremely nice to drive. However, after lifting my truck 2” it still sucked on the highway and couldn’t utilize 6th gear properly.

 

how have you gone through three 3rd gens, one every other year?

 

I have a taco problem. I’ve actually had 4 3rd gens, but one was a 2.7 so I don’t count it. Lol

I’m on Toyota truck number 12 (11 tacos 1 pickup) right now, but I’m going to keep it. I used to buy cheap 2nd gen Tacomas solely to fix a couple minor issues then flip them for ~$1k profit. I also worked at Toyota for a little bit and got myself into a 2020 TRD OR. It’s for sale right now at Ed Morse Honda in Palm Beach FL, unfortunately I forgot to reflash it to stock so some lucky guy is gonna have OVTune without even knowing...

my favorite truck so far has been my 17’ TRD OR Manual. But honestly, this little 2009 4x4 5MT I’m driving now is a close 2nd. It’s so simple and fun to drive, and only ran me $10k with 83k miles on the odo. I miss my manual 3rd gen, but I don’t miss having a car payment. I’ll have another one someday, but I’m going to save money for a few years and enjoy my simple truck. I will still probably flip a Tacoma or 3 every year on the side.

 

The Manual will come with 4.3 gears which helps in 4 low crawling around. It’s more fun to drive around town.

The auto is faster on and off road. Big difference is in sand and it’s easer to crawl over things. Also other unskilled losers can drive it.

I went with auto via much testing of both.
Drove my friends 2017 manual in the dunes and on road trips. Sucked shifting when it counts . It did have a noticeably lower “crawl ratio”. Essentially going down super steep hills (where ur butt hole is supper tight) felt more controlled in the manual. Not like a run away semi-truck going down hill with zero breaks (how it feels in my auto lol).
Also took my other friends 2016 auto For a joy ride in snow, mud, sand, before I made the choice. Not having to shift while beating was what sealed the deal. The manual didn’t bother me on road / in traffic. Only off roading it did.



idk , F it both are good ...

 

Auto gets you a long bed and remote start.

 

considering OP drives a CRZ, I don’t think he’s worried about bed space

I would love a DCLB manual. I’m gonna try to swap one ... one of these days.

 

I honestly know better than to click on these posts, I feel bad for the Toyota engineers sometimes.
As tocoman said the BS spewed about the auto it’s completely overblown at this point.
My truck drives like a dream come true compared to my Ford
Go with what works for you and tune out the rest of the noise.
But hey that just my opinion and as the saying goes
Opinions are like assholes everyone has one and they all stink.

 

If you are even considering the manual, I’d do it. On my 3rd taco all manual transmissions, basically every other vehicle we have owned has been manual transmission. Until we bought the 4Runner this spring, it’s great, except I hate I don’t really have control of the gears. The wife is in love with the luxury of the limited and fine with the automatic transmission.

 

You gotta polish your technique my friend. There is a method to feather those shifts so that you aren't lurching your passengers. When I was alone I didn't give one shit and stomped those pedals like they owed me lunch money, but I was mindful of it when others rode with me.

 

He's buying a truck for a reason. Love my LB

 

My guess on the premature clutch failures would be the combination of the accumulator and the inexperience of a driver. Well of course, there could always be a part defect, which i suspect more. I dont see why my stock clutch wont last me many many years. If anything it should last to at least 160k miles. I never had issues with clutches on any of my MT vehicles i had and i had a lot of them. Even the POS 87 camaro i had which had a daily dose of burnouts and poweshifting almost daily haha!

 

100% percent.

If you ride with me, 90% of time you will feel you are in an AT truck, feathering that throttle when completing shifts does wonders. It worked in all my MT vehicles. You are welcome to come up when covidz is over

 

I had a Civic Si (Manual 6-Speed) for five years. I recently went with the Auto and I don't regret it. Manual is fun, it really is, but sometimes you just want to relax and drive. Also, the wife can drive it now too so if I need to swap with her, it's possible.

 

My advice is if you are ambivalent about it, get the auto. If the manual is not a must have, you will probably be happier in the long run with the auto.
For me, the manual is a must have and severely limits my choices of vehicles, but I know I would not be happy long term otherwise.

 

Me too. 2003 AC v6 5 MT. There is a TSB that will help you a great deal. Don’t give up. I have been OV tuned for a long time and this TSB is really good.

Post 135.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/vf-tuning-for-at-tacoma’s.693221/page-7#post-24536829

 

I have an 07 FJ MT 4WD. I have an 18 Taco OR 4WD AT.

The FJ is a far superior ride than any Taco I've ever been off-road.

The Taco is a breeze to drive, tow, 4x4 etc. I can't bring myself to get rid of the FJ, but have a better time in my Taco.

 

I've read a couple of people's posts complaining a bout grinding gears in the MT. Test drive it though. Also, remember that you lose the push-button starter, and in the OR, some of the software for crawling etc.

 

You don't get the JBL with the MT either. Lord knows why.

 

I like my auto, not sure what all the fuss is about? If i could go back I'd probably go manual just for the fun though!