Manual Or Auto?

[Silverstreak767]

Hey guys

I'm still on the lookout for a G4 Celica, buy I cannot decide weather to go for an auto or manual transmission. I really do fancy an auto for a change but I'm wondering if performance and economy will be compramised. I have also heard of issues of manual gearboxes popping out of gear? I have trawled the net for any reviews on a g4 auto but so far I've found nowt, or even on a manual model for that matter. Has anyone here had any experience with automatics, good or bad?

[yellowchinaman]

I used to drive an auto. Trust me you will get bord of it.

If you want to drive a sports car then Manual is the way mate!

As for Tech Specs I'm sure one of these guys here can enlighten you.

[Silverstreak767]

I used to drive an auto. Trust me you will get bord of it.

If you want to drive a sports car then Manual is the way mate!

As for Tech Specs I'm sure one of these guys here can enlighten you.

Why did you get bored of it, Chinaman?

[daktari]

I`m guessing lack of driver input. Plus as you suggest performance and economy will be sacrificed to an extent.

[Dan_Q]

what he said :D

great for traffic though, must be said.

[Fizz]

MPG will be a fair bit worse mate.

With regards to the manuals popping out of gear... not heard of that on the boards myself nor experienced it.

With regrards to which transmission you should go for will depend on what you want out of the car. If you want a cruiser then fair enough the Auto will do you fine but if you want a drive thats a bit more 'fun' then Manual is the way to go.

Which model of GT4 would you be going for? the pop up lights version (ST185) or the frog eye one like in the picture under my name (ST205)?

[Dan_Q]

he wants a gen4 mate, they never did an auto GT4 did they??

[Fizz]

he wants a gen4 mate, they never did an auto GT4 did they??

Hence why i was asking... I have never seen a 205 auto but it dont mean that there isn't one.

[Silverstreak767]

he wants a gen4 mate, they never did an auto GT4 did they??

Hence why i was asking... I have never seen a 205 auto but it dont mean that there isn't one.

Yeah it's the 4th generation I'm after, which are the prettiest IMO. Have you guys any idea how many mpg I would get with an auto?

[Dan_Q]

was just saying he never mentioned he wanted a GT4......... a gen4, not a gt4......

[Fizz]

was just saying he never mentioned he wanted a GT4......... a gen4, not a gt4......

ooops.. my bad.. saw 'g4' and automatically thought gt4 :P

Asha has a Auto Gen 4 and the mpg is shocking.. about 18 i think...

[Calisto]

was just saying he never mentioned he wanted a GT4......... a gen4, not a gt4......

ooops.. my bad.. saw 'g4' and automatically thought gt4 :P

Asha has a Auto Gen 4 and the mpg is shocking.. about 18 i think...

Noooooooooooooo Asha has a Gen 5 Auto :P

[Fizz]

was just saying he never mentioned he wanted a GT4......... a gen4, not a gt4......

ooops.. my bad.. saw 'g4' and automatically thought gt4 :P

Asha has a Auto Gen 4 and the mpg is shocking.. about 18 i think...

Noooooooooooooo Asha has a Gen 5 Auto :P

Your not denying the mpg claim i made then..

[Dan_Q]

he hee no probs :)

to put it into perspective, andrewC (think his username is toyotasera.co.uk on here) says that a 1.5 sera auto has a very similar MPG to a 1.3 Turbo manual, which says quite a bit.

[Steven7393]

I used to drive an auto. Trust me you will get bord of it.

If you want to drive a sports car then Manual is the way mate!

As for Tech Specs I'm sure one of these guys here can enlighten you.

Have to disagree with this - I was hesitant at the thought of an automatic but now I wouldnt have my celica without one.

I guess its fair comment if the car is a little hot hatch and you need that all important 3rd gear. But if you have a car like a celica and plan to use the turbo and enjoy speeds of up to 135mph or so then there is no way I would be able to switch gears with as perfect precision as what the automatic transmission can do.

I love it - I regularly do 400 mile runs from london to edinburgh and its great that I dont have to fiddle around with a gear stick and clutch - 7 hours of not needing the left side of my body unless I need to change the music, turn the fan on or place another drink in the very conveniently located dual drinks holder to my left!

I welcome comments to disprove this, but im now of the opinion that if you have a decent engined pony car then automatic is the way to go.

As for the MPG claim - Mine only goes up if im crawling around london and stopping and starting, or if im racing up the motorway at over 80mph and using the turbo a bit

Other than that, I can do the run from london to edinburgh on around £50 - only £10 more than I do in my renault 5

[Teenage_Kicks1980]

I've got to say i have had a auto glanza turbo, and it was brilliant.

Before i bought it people told me, "Nah, it'll be boring" and "You'll miss the gear changes through the bends" and such like. Nearly put me off. Nearly.

I'm glad it did'nt.

Toyota Auto-Boxes are excellent (I can only say from experaince of a 1996 box, i don't know what the older ones are like).

The quote - "You'll miss the gear changes through the bends" is made redundant buy the fact you can lock the gear box in 2nd (Well capable of 60-70MPH, which is more than enough through tight and twisty country bends).

The quote - "Nah, it'll be boring" again is made redundant by the fact if your driveing along peacefully and then drop the accelerator, the smile factor alone at the speed that it'll change gear is awesome (Much faster than a manual could ever be).

Once rolling the Auto Will be quicker than the manual because of the quicker gear changes (same state of tune, same model). As is evedent of the Supras, Glanzas.

They are fantastic around town.

That being said, the bad points are you do feel a little alienated when driving because of the limited input you have to make, and even more annoyingly is the stigmatism and the taboo nature that most people show when you say it's an auto (Even tho most, not all, but most have never driven one, never mind a good one)

That being said, ultimately i do prefer a manual, but the critical point is, i would'nt not have a car because it's an auto.

[Steven7393]

Well summed up!

I used to look disparaging at automatics and make fun of them - 'oh its not a real car, more like a dodgem' 'but the brakes wear down too fast' 'you cant get a decent speed out of an automatic 'it uses too much fuel'

All complete nonsense as far as ive experienced so far with my only auto car - the current gen 4 celica.

Every single one of my friends who have been in my car or driven the celica have been gobsmacked by the experience of driving it, the power steering, abs, smooth as silk gear changes, low road handling and complete ease of use. And every one of them has eaten their words about the auto transmission.

Automatic is fantastic fun, and there is no way on earth I could do a gear change as efficiently and effectively as the toyota auto transmission can do - I just dont think its possible.

Plus I like my ICE too much, I dont want to have to faff around with a gear stick when I have a tomtom to program, music to choose and phonecalls to make.

Cant knock it at all. The fun factor is there on a much bigger level for me. I absolutely love sidling out of a service station towards the motorway, flicking the overdrive and ect buttons, and then flooring it, straight across 3 lanes and out into the distance

Thats absolute adrenalin for me, and I couldnt do it with a rough old manual gearbox, the engine would be screaming before I had chance to change gear - plus I really dont like having to pay out money for clutches

[Ant-Val]

I won't argue for or against either option since I've owned both in a gen4 Celica.

I have (over time) gotten to be quite fast with the 5spd and can in fact do that 3 lane acceleration from a standstill with ease now a days. It took me moving to New York City, USA and getting used to the crazy traffic patterns to get that aggressive in my driving habits but it worked out well. I just passed 193-K on the factory original clutch so I don't think that clutch life is a problem either, but then again I'm not driving an All-Trac turbo: but just a ST model. It's still a blast to drive compared to most other cars available, it's like a big go cart! The auto was my preference for rush hour though, the 5spd could nearly wear me out with the stop & go every 10 seconds for 2 hours straight (after the long work day).

I've seen equally convincing comments for each, but I'll go by what's actually available here and lets see what's for sale: there are 17 manuals available and 19 autos, so I'm gonna guess that they were probably manufactured close to equal quantities for equal demand, hence equal opinion on which is better... Just my 2 cents...

[Dan_Q]

I think the toyota auto boxes are great (my missus' sera is a spazmatic) especially for driving in traffic :) the overdrive is a great function, and the changes are smooth as silk. I have driven a standard engined sera manual though and it felt much quicker.

I personally would never change to one, unless it was a strict daily driver, when i live close to work and have to travel in heavy traffic........ I like my "stick in its bucket of bricks" too much :)

[Fizz]

I think it all depends on the car...but personally speaking if i was to buy a performance car i would prefer it to be a manual due to the lack of driver input with the Auto.

Used to love using the heel and toe technique in the MR2 Turbo and GT4 ST205 as it was so rewarding. If it were auto i would be a lot more boring.

The Supra TT is a car where i have been lucky enough to have driven both the manual 6 speed box as well as the Auto and due to the cars nature (as in being a big barge) the Auto suited it better.

[Billygoat7]

Hi Guys, my wife is looking at purchasing a 2005 Toyota Celica, however it has to be an automatic. She won't drive a manual! Anyway, do your comments hold up in the later generation 7 units? What should we look out for in problems with the box?

[Uncle Bob]

I wrote this for the Celica-Club a few years back....

Gen 4 Facts & Figures

The 4th generation Celica was announced to the UK on the 20th August 1985, it had a 1998cc engine and was sold as a 5 speed manual and an automatic.

First vehicle launched was the 2.0GTi coupe, followed 2 months later by the cabriolet, a year later it was joined by the GT-Four.

Spec for the 2.0GTi,

1998 cc,

147 bhp,

0-60....8.5 man, 9.6 auto.

131 mph manual,

125 mph automatic.

133ib/ft@4800rpm.

MPG,

Urban 28.8 auto 27.4mpg,

Constant 56 mph, 47.9, auto 48.7 mpg,

Constant 75 mph, 37.7, auto 38.7 mpg,

Dimentions....

Length 4365mm or 171.9" (14.3 ft), Cab 45mm longer.

Width 1710mm, 67.3" (5.6ft)

Height 1290mm, 50.8" (4.2 ft)

Tyres...

195/60VR-14,

Pressures F30, R30psi.

I've also owned a Gen4 Auto and manual, at the end of the day its down to driving style, manual will give you better control over engine revs and allow faster overtaking .

The Auto is more of a cruiser and in our city's of bumper to bumper driving an Auto is the way to go, you still have some control over engine revs with the power and economy switch, plus you can knock the lever down a gear if needed, my last thought is the gen 4 is becoming a rare car and if you are looking to buy as mint an example as possible, then buy for the condition not whether its an auto or manual.