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Do you regret your manual or automatic decision?

OldGuyNewJeep

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Does anyone out there regret their transmission choice and if so, why?


Trying to decide and all practicality pushes me to an automatic (family, wife that can’t drive nor wants to learn, decent commute time with traffic, etc.) but my heart wants the manual for the simple fun of it.

Talking to a friend recently, he said he thought there is a higher chance I will get the manual and regret it later than if I get an automatic. I am curious to see if anyone here has those regrets or vice-versa.
Manual owner. Zero regrets. I do a stop and go, hour long commute (each way) and couldn’t be happier with my choice. Taught my oldest teen how to drive it, and my next oldest will be sixteen in a few months...

I never have and never will understand the “manual sucks in traffic” argument.

Get whatever is going to make you smile when you’re behind the wheel.
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OldGuyNewJeep

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Some don't like the manual in the jeeps because the 3.6 is a high revving engine and doesn't have a lot of low end grunt. I can see that. You gotta rev it out a bit to really see the power.
Just to be clear, this statement holds true for the automatic, too. The only difference is that the computer does the "rev it out" bit for you. There are a lot of complaint threads about this fact so it's good you brought it up. 100% as designed, however, and I've zero issue with it. Drives like a Wrangler!
 

Kluk Ztopolovky

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Does anyone out there regret their transmission choice and if so, why?


Trying to decide and all practicality pushes me to an automatic (family, wife that can’t drive nor wants to learn, decent commute time with traffic, etc.) but my heart wants the manual for the simple fun of it.

Talking to a friend recently, he said he thought there is a higher chance I will get the manual and regret it later than if I get an automatic. I am curious to see if anyone here has those regrets or vice-versa.
Possibly your friend may be right , unless you are a dedicated manual fan than get an automatic , I do not like my gearing ratios and the blank clutch spot when depressing the clutch pedal in 1st gear.
 

AlamedaJeep

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I have no regrets, but the ability to still be able to get a Jeep with a manual transmission and a manual transfer case was a big factor in my getting a JL. Objectively, I think the automatic is probably better than the manual, but it isn't what I wanted to drive.

If you are thinking about possible regrets, you probably should get the automatic. The manual has some quirks, but for some of us there is no other choice.
 

word302

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Welcome to the community!

Your friend is on to something there. The currently used ZF 8 speed auto is considered one of the best transmissions ever. As mentioned above, the current v6/manual combo has left a lot of room for improvement. More and more posts keep popping up that sound like people are not getting as much fun out of it as they had hoped. Just my opinion based on observation.
Lol. There's 3 to 5 people that are complaining about the manual compared to hundreds of us that love it.
 

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Kllrbee

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I have no regrets, but the ability to still be able to get a Jeep with a manual transmission and a manual transfer case was a big factor in my getting a JL. Objectively, I think the automatic is probably better than the manual, but it isn't what I wanted to drive.

If you are thinking about possible regrets, you probably should get the automatic. The manual has some quirks, but for some of us there is no other choice.
This exactly.
 

Hudson

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I would usually opt for the manual but the 8 sos is quite good.
 

RagTopDeluxe

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I regret that I can’t DD a manual anymore (shoulder). Thankfully the AT in the JL is fantastic (and hubby still has a three-pedal car that’s fun to drive).
 

Jlmoe

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Only option available was Auto..

I was not let down as it performs amazingly well.

Would have got a manual if available though.. Can't beat the fun of rowing through gears..

Regret, maybe if they offer an M/T which they won't here
 

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JeepDave

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You already regret it and you don’t even have it yet lol.

Automatic- everyone gets automatics, they are modern, normal, commonplace, practical, sensible, obvious, selfless, skill less, advanced, unsurprising, safe, boring, universal, conforming. Everyone wants you to get them an automatic transmission, the dealer, the internet, your wife, your kids, your kids friends, valets, jiffy lube, the person you sell it to in 8 years, carjackers and thieves. They all have their reasons but you should get an automatic for them. Can’t go wrong, safest choice in the world.

Manual on the other hand, that’s different, odd, old school, highly unnecessary, not practical, obsolete, dying breed, throwback, primitive, basic, no- frills, no nonsense, mechanical, traditional, minimalist, manly ( I don’t think they have that anymore these days though), cool, tough, independent, non-conformist, bold, individual choice you make for your Jeep for you to drive the way you want for you, dealer stock and re-sale be damned.

If you’re buying a Jeep and you want a piece of that 80 year heritage, remember it wasn’t just that grill over there conquering the battlefields of Europe, there were manual transmissions in them too.

So go on, get an automatic transmission, totally normal, good choice. Safe. You’ll love it.
 

Dogboyslim

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I chose the manual. I'm happy with my choice.

No auto-park, ESS is really my choice (only stops if I put it in neutral and let out the clutch),

stop and go traffic is easy...put it in first and idle along until traffic is moving again. I've done this many times through traffic jams in Chicago & Nashville. I live in the sticks and don't have a daily issue with traffic, but the stop & go is just fine.

Offroad the crawl ratio is so low I pretty much let the clutch out in first and it crawls up the rocks, and I use the brake and gas to control speed. Yes, I kill it every now and then, but no biggie.

There are some downsides: No remote start, no ability to control the auto-on seat heaters and wheel heater below 40 degrees.
That's pretty much it I think.

Anyway, Love the jeep, both transmissions are good. Go with what you want to go with and then be happy with it!
 

melendez69

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I like the brevity but which transmission did you choose that you have no effing regrets?
I like to row my own... manual all day, every day.
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