willc2
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Hi, I'm new on the forums, but I've been visiting this site regularly. Now that I'm actually planning to get a car (from parents, for making UCLA, budget is 30k max), I'm really interested in the TL type S.
I was originally interested in the automatic version, as I have never driven a manual. However, I've heard numerous times that Honda has excellent manual gearboxes, so this got me interested (Hey, why not get the gearbox in which they're famous for?).
Problem being, I've never driven a manual.
So, I have a couple questions regarding the technicality of a manual gearbox:
-When shifting, say from first to second, the procedure is:
press clutch, shift from first to neutral, then to second, then release clutch. Is this correct?
-When stopping from say... 60 mph to a stoplight. When I'm in 6th gear, can I just press clutch, shift it to neutral, release clutch, then start braking? Or is there a better way to stop?
-Does anything need to be replaced? For example, in the automatic transmission, the transmission oil will need replacement once in a while.
Also, is there any problem that I should look out for when purchasing this car?
Thank you for all the help!
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Atomic Frog
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I can't believe you're considering the TL-S for your first manual. Well, I guess you have to start somewhere :-)
It sounds crazy, but looking back, my first car was an Integra GS-R, manual of course.
- Let go of the gas, press clutch, shift from 1st to 2nd (why stop at neutral?), release clutch, apply gas. Once you get the hang of it, I think you actually end doing the gas & clutch near simultaneously.
- When stopping, I usually just shove it in neutral and coast till I have to use the brakes. You can actually start braking much earlier and press on the clutch much later on when the car is really slow. Listen and feel the engine, you'll know when you have to press the clutch.
- If you're a horrible learner, then I guess you might have to replace the clutch disks(?). To be honest, even though I learned on my GS-R, it went well over 170k with no need to do any special service. But there is transmission fluid too.
As for problems, search this forum and others regarding the 3rd gear issue.
I think your biggest problem will be starting from a stop and managing the clutch without stalling the engine, especially when you're on a hill. Once you're moving, the shifting is very easy as you can take your time and think about it and tends to be quite forgiving of mistakes.
Frankly though, if you're not living on dorm and need to commute, I would recommend buying a crappy car to get you to school and take a raincheck on that car until you graduate. You're going to school, not a party. A fancy car isn't going to get you better grades or impress any professors nor score you any more real friends. You ought to be spending most of your time studying, not driving around.
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vtecrocks
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Another way is to downshift when u r slowing down. Make sure you match rev to save the wear on the clutch though.
Parents will give u 30K USD to buy a nice car for making college, how nice! Enjoy your ride, dont worry too much about studying; it is who u know in college that is important; not what or how hard u study.
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willc2
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Thank you for the detailed response! My previous car was a crappy 01 auto civic EX (I really wanted an integra!), which I just decide to sell after having transmission issues. Your response pretty much covers all my questions, until you brought up that stalling issue!
So, the best way to encounter a stop sign going up a hill is... shift to neutral... slow down... brake to stop... then while pressing the brake, press the clutch, and shift to first, then gas, and let go of the brake?
Thanks for the concern regarding getting a crappy car instead, but I've been driving a jerky car for quite a while, and I just decided that it is time for a nice change. I'm getting the car not because I want to make more friends or impress professors, it's just simply I enjoy driving!
Thanks for the reply!
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willc2
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Thank you for the detailed response! My previous car was a crappy 01 auto civic EX (I really wanted an integra!), which I just decide to sell after having transmission issues. Your response pretty much covers all my questions, until you brought up that stalling issue!
So, the best way to encounter a stop sign going up a hill is... shift to neutral... slow down... brake to stop... then while pressing the brake, press the clutch, and shift to first, then gas, and let go of the brake?
Thanks for the concern regarding getting a crappy car instead, but I've been driving a jerky car for quite a while, and I just decided that it is time for a nice change. I'm getting the car not because I want to make more friends or impress professors, it's just simply I enjoy driving!
Thanks for the reply!
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boomer1
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willc wrote:
Thank you for the detailed response! My previous car was a crappy 01 auto civic EX (I really wanted an integra!), which I just decide to sell after having transmission issues. Your response pretty much covers all my questions, until you brought up that stalling issue!
So, the best way to encounter a stop sign going up a hill is... shift to neutral... slow down... brake to stop... then while pressing the brake, press the clutch, and shift to first, then gas, and let go of the brake?
Thanks for the concern regarding getting a crappy car instead, but I've been driving a jerky car for quite a while, and I just decided that it is time for a nice change. I'm getting the car not because I want to make more friends or impress professors, it's just simply I enjoy driving!
Thanks for the reply!
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I wouldn't buy an 6MT TL-S, if you've got a lot of traffic to negociate while driving. Purists say you have to have an MT to truly enjoy a performance car. I disagree with that and you're buying a high performance sedan w/o ever having an MT? The 5AT TL-S has rev-matching on downshifts in manual-mode and a 6MT can be tedious. My 07 6MT Si is being used primarily for urban driving and I've been shortshifting lately to avoid so many gear changes. I would like the car more if it were a shiftable AT so I could just relax in heavy traffic.
I used the 5ATs manual mode on both my 03 350Z and my 04 TL a lot. You are buying a car with an increase of 140% more hp and you've never driven a manual transmission on a regular basis? Drive an 09 TSX and and/or 08 Si sedan before you jump into a 6MT TL-S. You might want to reconsider such a purchase. Test the water before you jump in; also, where have you found a Tl-S for 39 large? I've been reading the certified TLs ads and the plain vanilla base approaches $30,000, not even close to an S model which could be 34-35,000!
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boomer1
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Not 39 large; 30 large. It was a typo.
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willc2
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The 30 large figure was a rough estimate. There are some used 07 TL-S that I found for a little under 30 grands. You did bring a good point about the horsepower increase though, I think I should do some test drives first before getting a 140% horsepower boost. Thanks for the advice!!
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cksi1372
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Forget the TL-S, buy an 07-08 Civic Si Sedan, and drop the leftover $10k in a nice financial stock....yes, there are some good one's left that have been beaten to a pulp, so you'll get a good price. You can thank me in 4 years.
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Atomic Frog
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I second that. The Civic Si will still be a ton of fun and cost you much less in gas. Or I'd try to find a used Integra Type-R or S2000 (I saw a few in the Bay Area at under $20k). Making that big jump up to the TL-S and never having driven manual? You'll probably end up look like a doofus by squealing your tires at every start.
Whichever way you go, all I gotta say is practice, practice, practice. (It took me about 2 weeks to get comfortable, but longer than that to be 2nd nature).
Before you're comfortable, on a hill, when stopped, use the hand brake to hold yourself in place. Keep one foot on the clutch and one on the gas in first gear. Just slowly release the handbrake as you release the clutch and apply the gas. Easier than it sounds and probably far better than trying to quickly getting off the brake and on the throttle while trying not to panic about rolling back.
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VTECaddict
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willc wrote:
Hi, I'm new on the forums, but I've been visiting this site regularly. Now that I'm actually planning to get a car (from parents, for making UCLA, budget is 30k max), I'm really interested in the TL type S.
I was originally interested in the automatic version, as I have never driven a manual. However, I've heard numerous times that Honda has excellent manual gearboxes, so this got me interested (Hey, why not get the gearbox in which they're famous for?).
Problem being, I've never driven a manual.
So, I have a couple questions regarding the technicality of a manual gearbox:
-When shifting, say from first to second, the procedure is:
press clutch, shift from first to neutral, then to second, then release clutch. Is this correct?
-When stopping from say... 60 mph to a stoplight. When I'm in 6th gear, can I just press clutch, shift it to neutral, release clutch, then start braking? Or is there a better way to stop?
-Does anything need to be replaced? For example, in the automatic transmission, the transmission oil will need replacement once in a while.
Also, is there any problem that I should look out for when purchasing this car?
Thank you for all the help!
|
FYI, if you are dorming there is basically a higher probability of you getting hit by lightening than getting a parking permit. ;)
and you DEFINITELY dont want to be street parking a nice car in westwood (besides the fact that you have a higher chance of getting into UCLA than finding a space :P). people bump :(.
so if you are dorming i would say maybe hold off on a nicer car until you graduate and will actually put it to good use, or at least until you move out of dorms and have parking in the apartments. dropping so much money on a car doesnt make sense if you wont even be using it for a significant portion of the year. if you are commuting, then by all means go for it. though an Si as suggested would be much easier on gas.
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92WhiteyGSR
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Atomic Frog wrote:
It sounds crazy, but looking back, my first car was an Integra GS-R, manual of course.
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Same here, '92 GSR, but I had about 1000 miles of road duty on a friend's '88 Accord before getting the GSR so I wasn't exactly a newbie on it.
Anyway, if you have ZERO experience with a manual and you're even thinking about the TL-S, then I would say get some extra money on the side for clutch repair. The Honda/Acuras are very good, but they're not bulletproof to bad drivers and if you'll be starting on this, you'll be considered a bad driver.
I can't tell you NOT to get a manual, because they are really more fun than an automatic, but at the same time, I don't think the TL-S is a good first experience (both power and maintenance wise). I would go with some previous posters and say get a Civic (maybe not even Si, perhaps EX) and play with that for awhile and get use to a manual, then upgrade later to the TL-S.
Whatever it is... make sure to thank you parents for the greal deal. Wish I had $30K for a car when I went to college... I ended up inheriting the family minivan.. ugh, "no lay for Mr. Gay..."
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willc2
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Thanks for all the helpful responses guys!
VTECaddict wrote:
willc wrote:
Hi, I'm new on the forums, but I've been visiting this site regularly. Now that I'm actually planning to get a car (from parents, for making UCLA, budget is 30k max), I'm really interested in the TL type S.
I was originally interested in the automatic version, as I have never driven a manual. However, I've heard numerous times that Honda has excellent manual gearboxes, so this got me interested (Hey, why not get the gearbox in which they're famous for?).
Problem being, I've never driven a manual.
So, I have a couple questions regarding the technicality of a manual gearbox:
-When shifting, say from first to second, the procedure is:
press clutch, shift from first to neutral, then to second, then release clutch. Is this correct?
-When stopping from say... 60 mph to a stoplight. When I'm in 6th gear, can I just press clutch, shift it to neutral, release clutch, then start braking? Or is there a better way to stop?
-Does anything need to be replaced? For example, in the automatic transmission, the transmission oil will need replacement once in a while.
Also, is there any problem that I should look out for when purchasing this car?
Thank you for all the help!
|
FYI, if you are dorming there is basically a higher probability of you getting hit by lightening than getting a parking permit. ;)
and you DEFINITELY dont want to be street parking a nice car in westwood (besides the fact that you have a higher chance of getting into UCLA than finding a space :P). people bump :(.
so if you are dorming i would say maybe hold off on a nicer car until you graduate and will actually put it to good use, or at least until you move out of dorms and have parking in the apartments. dropping so much money on a car doesnt make sense if you wont even be using it for a significant portion of the year. if you are commuting, then by all means go for it. though an Si as suggested would be much easier on gas.
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You know, I just had a talk with my parents today regarding dorming. Your advice convinced me to hold off the car until I move out into the apartments (in 2 years), the same amount of money can be used to buy a better car in the future! (perhaps an 08, or even an 09).
So I'll be pretty much carless for two years, but I'm sure the wait will be worth it!
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ihatesi
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Isn't UCLA campus hilly? I think parking is always bad there.
You sure you want to drive an expensive stick shift car there?
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TonyEX
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Well, that was some good advice eh?
Look at the date of the advice: Mid 2008.
God, I hope the kid got his TL and didn't invest a penny in Citibank or ANY financial stock.
cksi1372 wrote:
Forget the TL-S, buy an 07-08 Civic Si Sedan, and drop the leftover $10k in a nice financial stock....yes, there are some good one's left that have been beaten to a pulp, so you'll get a good price. You can thank me in 4 years.
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willc
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Man... sure funny things happen! I was seriously considering investing in one of those stocks, but because I had to conserve money for school, I decided that I could not afford to do such a gamble.
I just BOUGHT the car, after waiting carless for a year!
TonyE wrote:
Well, that was some good advice eh?
Look at the date of the advice: Mid 2008.
God, I hope the kid got his TL and didn't invest a penny in Citibank or ANY financial stock.
cksi1372 wrote:
Forget the TL-S, buy an 07-08 Civic Si Sedan, and drop the leftover $10k in a nice financial stock....yes, there are some good one's left that have been beaten to a pulp, so you'll get a good price. You can thank me in 4 years.
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