Hey everybody. I may be getting a cobalt ls coupe (with quite a bit of financial help from my dad :) ) and I'm wondering which tranny would be the best option for reliability and longevity. I really want the 5 speed but my dad refuses to get one because it can be annoying during traffic (which I have only ever gotten stuck in 3 - 4 times in the almost 3 years I've been driving!) so I'm trying to convince him of the advantages of the manual. Any input on these trannies and advice would be welcome :-D .

I'm getting a manual and I live in NYC...don't tell me about traffic! :cry:

Manual's get better fuel economy, better stoping distances (so they are safer) and cheaper maintenance.

Hope the convincing toes well ;)

You get and have better control over the car as a 5 spd.

Cheaper to buy... Auto is like $850.00 more!

Better gas mileage.

Better response from the engine!.. ( You control how much you want to wind out a gear or not! )

Manuals put more power to the wheels, allow for engine breaking, allows more control over the engine, get better milliage, and are cheaper.

As all the other guys have said, go with the manual, you won't regret it ;)

Why pay $850 more to have a less responsive, slower, boring car that gets even worse fuel mileage? Its just doesn't make sense to me, and the excuse about "getting stuck in traffic" is pretty lame IMO.

Everybody seems to want automatic these days, they don't want to be bothered actually driving the car; they want the car to drive them :rolleyes:

Good luck, and don't listen to any BS from your Father about how automatic is better, go with the stick shift :cssNET:

Manual is better fuel economy….but not if you drive it like I drive my WS6 :D


get the manual :cool:

Manual is the way to go man..even on my slow civic its still a fun drive :-D
Plus for all the reasons above, you can't go wrong. Auto aint my style nowadays :cool:

yea i have a lot of friends that drive manuals... they seem so much fun compared to auto's... well im 18 and i have drove a manual once... i know how to do it, its very easy, but i just have only practiced it once... i want to get a manual on my cobalt when i get it too... if i tell my dad if want to get a manual he will probably disown me.... he has owned 2 transmission business's since he was 25 and he knows everything about transmissions... he hates fixing cars nowadays because they are so advanced in technology that you usually have to have someone else fix it for you....

i want a damn manual hhaha

Just tell him having a manual will force you to pay more attention when you are driving.

it really all depends on what your using the car for. If this is your daily driver and you will see a lot of traffic I would get the auto myself..

If you want a more sporty ride, then get the manual.


If you plan on moding the car, then you have to think about what you will be after..

Normally autos dont do to well in autocross unless you have one of those cool M3 auto trannys..

But Drag racing, all the fastest cars at the track run autos.