Manual gear new cars

[malct]

We have been looking on google for a new Toyota Yaris from the UK Via a VPN linked to Thailand on the Toyota website and all their cars seem to be Automatic, We really do need a Manual car in Thailand since we are planning on spending a lot of time in Thailand in the future but also going back to the UK. I have driven Automatics, But i just can't get use to them and my wife has only driven Manual since passing her UK Driving test.  My wife is Thai and passed fitst time in the UK.

So which companies are building cars with Manual gear boxes ?  Ideally we are looking at mainstream cars like Hondas, Toyota, Maybe fords but interested to hear what other manual cars are in Thailand worth buying 

 

[DavisH]

6 minutes ago, malct said:

We have been looking on google for a new Toyota Yaris from the UK Via a VPN linked to Thailand on the Toyota website and all their cars seem to be Automatic, We really do need a Manual car in Thailand since we are planning on spending a lot of time in Thailand in the future but also going back to the UK. I have driven Automatics, But i just can't get use to them and my wife has only driven Manual since passing her UK Driving test.  My wife is Thai and passed fitst time in the UK.

So which companies are building cars with Manual gear boxes ?  Ideally we are looking at mainstream cars like Hondas, Toyota, Maybe fords but interested to hear what other manual cars are in Thailand worth buying 

 

Honda jazz came with a manual gearbox, but they are not made anymore. A number of the smaller ecocars had them also. I can only think of the suzuki ciaz that currently has a manual option. Unless you go to something more expensive like  subaru brz. Lots of older cars came in manual, but will cost more to maintain. 

Have you driven much in Thailand before? I've used a manual here as out first car, but would in no way go back to a manual car now. The traffic can be really bad in many places, and you will wish you were in an auto. 

[malct]

5 minutes ago, DavisH said:

Honda jazz came with a manual gearbox, but they are not made anymore. A number of the smaller ecocars had them also. I can only think of the suzuki ciaz that currently has a manual option. Unless you go to something more expensive like  subaru brz. Lots of older cars came in manual, but will cost more to maintain. 

Have you driven much in Thailand before? I've used a manual here as out first car, but would in no way go back to a manual car now. The traffic can be really bad in many places, and you will wish you were in an auto. 

Thanks for your reply, No i have never driven in Thailand or my wife and only use to Manual, The last time that i drove an automatic in the UK I kept on going for the clutch and pushing the brake all the time , But i guess its getting use to Auto Boxes 

[DavisH]

Just now, malct said:

Thanks for your reply, No i have never driven in Thailand or my wife and only use to Manual, The last time that i drove an automatic in the UK I kept on going for the clutch and pushing the brake all the time , But i guess its getting use to Auto Boxes 

You get used to it pretty quickly, and resale on an auto is much easier later when you plan to sell it. You have to stay on high alert driving here, so its best not to have to be changing gears a lot as well. Once I drove 17 kms in over 3 hours when the roads flooded badly. Imagine that in a manual? I would recommend getting a vehicle with more ground clearance (as opposed to looking for a manual). I have a crv diesel with 9 speed auto. You can get one for 700-900K now second hand. It does well on flooded potholed roads. browse on www.one2car.com

 

[Tropicalevo]

I haven't bought a new car for a while, but when I did, manual was not advertised as an option.

However, on talking to the sales rep, I could and did order a manual version.

Delivery took a while.

It was a Mitsubishi. Great car.

[malct]

Just now, DavisH said:

You get used to it pretty quickly, and resale on an auto is much easier later when you plan to sell it. You have to stay on high alert driving here, so its best not to have to be changing gears a lot as well. Once I drove 17 kms in over 3 hours when the roads flooded badly. Imagine that in a manual? I would recommend getting a vehicle with more ground clearance (as opposed to looking for a manual). I have a crv diesel with 9 speed auto. You can get one for 700-900K now second hand. It does well on flooded potholed roads. browse on www.one2car.com

 

Thank you , i will check out the link

[Tropicalevo]

5 minutes ago, DavisH said:

You get used to it pretty quickly, and resale on an auto is much easier later when you plan to sell it. You have to stay on high alert driving here, so its best not to have to be changing gears a lot as well.

When you have learnt to drive in a manual car, changing gear often is never an issue. It is happens without thinking.

I learnt to drive a manual car more than 50 years ago.

All of my cars have been manual ones but I have also driven hundreds or rental/company automatic cars.

Floods and steep hills, manual is much better. (Very hilly where I live.)

It is called clutch control.

Not an option in automatic cars.

Overtaking? Dropping a gear is quicker in a manual (and you can choose the gear)

Edited October 1 by Tropicalevo

[timendres]

The only manual transmissions I have ever seen in Thailand, aside from trucks, are in taxis.

[DavisH]

21 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

When you have learnt to drive in a manual car, changing gear often is never an issue. It is happens without thinking.

I learnt to drive a manual car more than 50 years ago.

All of my cars have been manual ones but I have also driven hundreds or rental/company automatic cars.

Floods and steep hills, manual is much better. (Very hilly where I live.)

It is called clutch control.

Not an option in automatic cars.

Overtaking? Dropping a gear is quicker in a manual (and you can choose the gear)

I leaned to drive in a manual also, In Australia. Then drove a mini. The manual was fun in that but autos have come along way. my car's paddle shifters shift much faster than I could ever in an manual car (unless it had been modified for racing. Un country driving is fine, and I drove a manual honda city when i first came here. I would not get a manual unless it was a second car, maybe a k-swapped eg civic for fun or something like that. But not a daily driver.