Where are they?

[joel5425 3]

while I prefer a manual...I must admit I love my auto e39. its my daily driver and work car and to be honest when I get off a boat sometimes at 3am in the morning with a 4hr drive to get home after been away for weeks on end the auto is the best thing in the world...I can still put it in manual if I want to hold gears etc

im saying this im looking for another e36 2.8 to turn into a track car and there is no way anything but a manual will do. everything has its place depending on what its used for or what people want from it so.....who gives a flying f*ck if this person thinks manual is better than auto/auto better than manual.

[kiwi535 538]

look on the BMW NZ web site , they don't even provide pricing for manuals

compare this to BMW USA- they have manual pricing for identical models

 

Is it really the buyers choice - Not it is not really-.

 

Unless you get stroppy with them McMillans won't even admit the manual version exists.

Joe average  won't wait 3 months for Mc Millan to fart around and bring in a special order manual especially as they will make him pay up front

 

 How anti customer friendly is that !!!! - THE CUSTOMER IS KING YEAH right .

 

 P.S. where does Ray get most of his Manual boxes for conversions - EX USA.

 

We are the dummies, plenty of Europeans ( more than 60%) English , Americans and others are ALL driving Manuals  (where do you think the import manuals are coming from?? )

 

Do your homework and stop putting up lame arguments to justify a lame culture

 

Fine if you don't like manuals - but don't rubbish them they are just as relevant today as 50 years ago and like autos much improved.   

 

I got told the Manual X5's that were bought in were an order f**k up by BMW NZ - try buying one- I bought mine sight unseen and the guy had numerous offers for more than I paid to break the deal I have also had people leaving notes on mine wanting to buy it, does that happen to your auto ?

And the bmw uk web site the yanks even got a manual e60 m5

[lord_jagganath 421]

http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/48167-manual-conversion-from-my-car/ ... This Manual kit is coming out of an e30 that will be made into an auto.

[Tristan 338]

http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/48167-manual-conversion-from-my-car/ ... This Manual kit is coming out of an e30 that will be made into an auto.

What great timing!

[jeffbebe 1559]

There are two arguments going on here. One is an argument over whether manual or auto is better... Well, that depends on the box, on the driver and personal taste but the other main point is why aren't there more manuals...

Car manufacturers, including BMW don't make cars for the 3rd, 4th, 5th+ owners. If they clipped the ticket each time the car got re-sold, maybe they would sell more manuals but as many people have said on here the new car market wants autos, so the R&D goes into making better autos.

As for the brand... I don't think most car manufacturers will be too worried what fanbois like us think of their brand if we never buy a new car. If diversifiying the model range and utilising the strength of the ///M badge sells more cars and attracts more new car buyers to their brand, they ain't going to care much about us. It just maybe that the head honchos at BMW have a slightly different vision for the brand than a bunch of Exx owners in New Zealand.

EDIT: And if you want a secondhand manual car by a cheap auto and get Ray to convert!

Edited February 16, 2014 by jeffbebe

[MD13 459]

Wow this got long... To those that responded to the OP cheers. The answer does appear to be buy a nice auto car I like while leaving some money over for Ray to make it all better

Manual vs. Auto - everyone is different and it would be kinda boring if that weren't the case. However I like driving my car. If something bad happens it's because I fu$ked up.

Seems to me that people buying new cars these days want a 'bus ride' experience - auto, cruise control, auto braking based on car\pedestrian distance ahead, auto steering (Merc tech I saw in a doco somewhere), self parking, GPS and I'm sure things I haven't even considered. Sad really.

[Tristan 338]

Seems to me that people buying new cars these days want a 'bus ride' experience - auto, cruise control, auto braking based on car\pedestrian distance ahead, auto steering (Merc tech I saw in a doco somewhere), self parking, GPS and I'm sure things I haven't even considered. Sad really.

Most people aren't enthusiasts. They don't drive purely for pleasure and enjoy the journey. They want to get to the supermarket.

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2915]

look on the BMW NZ web site , they don't even provide pricing for manuals

compare this to BMW USA- they have manual pricing for identical models

Errr, I think you find there is pricing for manual gearbox in there for ALL models that are available in manual. I just pulled this off the web-site Option Pricing / Spec list for the 3-series..

It is in there if you look. If a customer wants a manual, and the car is actually built with a manual then it is available. As for waiting, 99% of customers that want to "build" their own car to exactly what they want (as most new car buyers do) have to wait anyways due to the huge number of options making it most unlikely that the EXACT car is already in the pipe-line.

Each to their own, maintain your belief system and bang that drum. Peace out.

Edited February 17, 2014 by E30 325i Rag-Top

[kiwi535 538]

Errr, I think you find there is pricing for manual gearbox in there for ALL models that are available in manual. I just pulled this off the web-site Option Pricing / Spec list for the 3-series..

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It is in there if you look. If a customer wants a manual, and the car is actually built with a manual then it is available. As for waiting, 99% of customers that want to "build" their own car to exactly what they want (as most new car buyers do) have to wait anyways due to the huge number of options making it most unlikely that the EXACT car is already in the pipe-line.

 

Each to their own, maintain your belief system and bang that drum. Peace out.

Haha even bmw say manual has advantages

[Tristan 338]

BMW NZ are a principal perpetrator in the myth.

If that were true they wouldn't have the option on there at all for manual.

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2122]

If that were true they wouldn't have the option on there at all for manual.

Possibly BMW AG influence there.

You would think the manual option would but under transmissions though???

but i do not work for BMW so i dont know how they work like Jon does.

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2915]

3pedals

Actually it's standard in Europe and the US and included in the base model pricing which Is my point.

I think all that fiddling with your stick is starting to affect your eyesight, again you are incorrect. Cut from the BMW US web-site..

So infact the US version is an auto as standard, and not only that the cheeky buggers don't give a rebate if you select the manual like we do here in NZ - even more of a discouragement from buying a manual. Twisting the facts to say it's included.

I have no problem with people having a preference for either one, manual or auto, and would normally keep out of the argument, but when things are put forward as facts to back their argument that are wrong I tend to bite.

I can't even be bothered getting into the sports suspension argument been done too many times before. Love, peace and harmony

Edited February 17, 2014 by E30 325i Rag-Top