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Thread: Manual Tranmissions

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
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    Marshall, Michigan
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    I grew up with manual transmissions. The first automatic I ever used was on my first business trip to New York City. Rented a car at the airport, drove it to the hotel - no problem just use the D and the R and Bobs your Uncle. Got up in the morning to go to my meeting and the car wouldn't start. After jumping through all kinds of hoops to get help I learned that you can't start the car when it is in D. Who knew? Do i need to mention I was a small town dope in the big city? Anyway, I really like manual as a kid and young adult but as i got older and experienced heavy traffic every day on the way to work I learned to appreciate an automatic.

  2. #32
    Join Date
    May 2007
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    Fort Smith, Arkansas
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Demuth View Post
    I would have said "has already disappeared." 100% of the trucks in the regional used listing are Super Cab or Extended Cab trucks. Useless to me - I would much rather have the bed space.
    Agree totally. Currently have a 2003 I purchased new, 4 cylinder standard Tacoma (Taco Truck). Looked into something new and there is no way I would buy a PU with more cab area than bed. Honestly what’s the use of a 4 foot bed? Fortunately the 98 to 03 Tacoma’s are close to being immortal if you change the oil occasionally. And maybe if you don’t.
    My three favorite things are the Oxford comma, irony and missed opportunities

    The problem with humanity is: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and God-like technology. Edward O. Wilson

  3. #33
    Quote Originally Posted by mike stenson View Post
    I've driven in London, DC, Munich, Paris, San Francisco, LA, Berlin and NY with a manual
    New York London Paris Munich. A manual would indeed be helpful. It’s rare to have The Knowledge for _all_ of those places.

  4. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Demuth View Post
    I would have said "has already disappeared." 100% of the trucks in the regional used listing are Super Cab or Extended Cab trucks. Useless to me - I would much rather have the bed space.
    It’s called a Work Truck. It’s harder to find them used In good condition, because by that time they’re all used up. :^)

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
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    5,406
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    The grade braking in mine works great. If going downhill, with foot off throttle, if the truck picks up speed, it will downshift on it's own, and adjust rpms automatically so the shift is not so severe. Maybe with a Jake brake, the software disables grade braking. Does it have a Tow/Haul mode?
    I suspect you're confusing the Allison transmission in GM pickups with real Allison transmissions in coach buses, RV, and other heavy vehicles. Mine is a 4000 series Allison World transmission in a coach bus. They don't have a tow/haul mode because these types of vehicles are almost always towing or hauling. My Allison transmission doesn't have a grade mode, but mine is a 1995. I don't know that anything newer has grade mode either.

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
    Posts
    8,957
    Yes, mine is a 1000, in a GM pickup. It's a great transmission, for a pickup.

  7. #37
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Demuth View Post
    I would have said "has already disappeared." 100% of the trucks in the regional used listing are Super Cab or Extended Cab trucks. Useless to me - I would much rather have the bed space.
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Weber View Post
    Agree totally. Currently have a 2003 I purchased new, 4 cylinder standard Tacoma (Taco Truck). Looked into something new and there is no way I would buy a PU with more cab area than bed. Honestly what’s the use of a 4 foot bed? Fortunately the 98 to 03 Tacoma’s are close to being immortal if you change the oil occasionally. And maybe if you don’t.
    One of the reasons I've never replaced my trusty 2002 F-250 is it's a long bed supercab...
    my02.jpg
    -would you believe me if I told it's never been garaged or under cover, and it's never had a wax job-? True story
    (Automatic trans too, sorry )
    ...
    Last edited by Kev Williams; 07-24-2020 at 6:39 PM.
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  8. #38
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    Oct 2006
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kev Williams View Post
    One of the reasons I've never replaced my trusty 2002 F-250 is it's a long bed supercab...
    Ford is still offering those for sale per their website. Now, if you want used that might be an issue.

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
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    On the topic of pickup truck offerings people have to remember that every used pickup truck started as a new one. If certain styles of pickup trucks aren't selling many as new then there won't be many used ones available either.

  10. #40
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    Where was you new Ranger made? I was surprised my 2000 ranger automatic used a private party, French made, transmission and had been for years. Being the number one selling Ford I would expect ford to make the trnasmisson.
    I hear the mustang is the only ford car sold in the use anymore. The engine and transmission are made in China.
    Bil lD.
    Ford stopped making the Ranger for U.S. customers in 2011, but production continued for the rest of the world in overseas factories. My Ranger was made in South Africa. I don't know the origin of the components, but it was assembled at the Silverton factory near Pretoria . Rangers destined for the Pacific are made in Thailand. The only engine choices are the 2.2L and 3.2L Diesel, with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic.

    Ford introduced the Raptor Ranger for the U.S. in 2019, but I don't know where it is made. However, I think the only engine and transmission available for the U.S. market is the 4-cylinder 2.3L EcoBoost bi-turbo gas engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission. This is the same engine and transmission in my wife's 2019 Mustang, and at 310 HP it is good enough for the Autobahns. The GT version, with the 5L V8, would cost a fortune for insurance and she wouldn't drive it any harder than the 2.3L. My truck cruises comfortably with a nearly full load at 160-170 KPH, while her Mustang effortlessly cruises at 200-220 KPH, road conditions permitting.

    We both drove vehicles with manual transmissions, but love the automatics and won't go back to a manual for our primary vehicles.

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
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    9,811
    I forgot the Ranger was still being built. Ford stopped selling them in the USA around 2012. About the same time they stopped making the Crown Victoria loved by police departments.
    Ford started making the Ranger in the USA this year based on the world version so it is a 10 year old design. It is about 90% the size of a f150 so kind of a pointless difference. I belive it was to be replaced for 2021 but I have a feeling the corona virus has upset model year release dates.

  12. #42
    Other than the name, there is little in common between my 2003 Edge and 2019 Wildtrak Rangers. When parked side by side, the Edge was noticeably smaller in every dimension and the difference in comfort is night and day. I can spend all day in my new Wildtrak, but the Edge was brutal with a stiff suspension and heavy clutch. The Edge had the 3L V6 gas engine and 5-speed manual transmission. The best it could manage on the Autobahn was about 85MPH with no load, and the fuel consumption was a thirsty 12MPG. With ten full sheets of 19mm plywood, the best (safest) speed for the Edge was about 60MPH and the fuel consumption was horrible. The Wildtrak manages about 25MPG at over 100MPH with a respectable load. Last year, my friend and I made two trips to Verona on bulk wine purchases from several wineries, and brought back about 65 cases of wine each time. The Wildtrak's fuel consumption empty and full was about the same, which surprised me considering there was just under a ton of wine in the bed for the return trips.

    I considered buying a bare bones F150 from the Military Auto Sales (MAS) before I retired and having it shipped to Germany. Even though I was planning about a year out, the MAS salesman couldn't guarantee delivery in time for me to register it in the military system for at least six months so I would be exempt from the taxes and import duties when I transferred it to the German system. This worked out well, since the F150 wouldn't fit in my garage and would block part of the public walkway in front of my house, which would not endear me much with my neighbors.

    The F150 is making a limited appearance in Germany, as are the Dodge Ram 1500 trucks, but all are imported from the U.S. by dealers and converted to the German specifications. I don't know everything involved in the conversion, but the conversion cost for a full-sized truck starts at about $5,000 depending on the number of items that must be changed. At a minimum, the exhaust and emission system, glass, brakes, tires, and lights are replaced. For example, the turn signal bulbs must be separate from any other running or brake light and the emissions must meet the stringent Euro 6d standard.

    The out the door price for a converted 2020 F150 in the Frankfurt area varies from €67K (about $74K) for the Platinum SuperCrew to €141K (about $156K) for the Shelby Offroad SuperCrew. Because each truck is imported by the dealer, the choice is limited, but some will entertain custom orders. For now, the F150 appears to be a novelty boy's toy for show since it won't fit in most parking garages, or many residential garages, and aren't likely to be used as a work truck. As a utility truck, there better options available, such as the Mercedes Sprinter line of trucks (a Pritsche in German). For the cost of one Platinum SuperCrew, you can buy three Sprinter Pritches.

  13. #43
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Kreinhop View Post
    I didn't want a four-door truck because I wanted as much bed as possible for hauling stuff.
    I had to laugh. My wife came with a 4-door truck. I call the little bed that is left over the truck's "purse". When did we decide that a truck bed was an aesthetic accessory? With 4 doors and a bed of reasonable length the whole vehicle becomes too large to park anywhere but off the street . I get so tired of not being able to get into parking spaces taken up by people who own more vehicle than they are able to park. What was that song . . . "90 pound suburban housewife driving in her SUV"?
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  14. #44
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Griswold Connecticut
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    Interesting.

    I wouldn't buy a truck that didn't have an Xtra cab of some type or the other. There are dozens of ways to overcome a short bed for hauling materials. My Toyota's all had 6' beds, and so does my Denali.
    My trucks were always filled with thousands of dollars worth of bicycles, and hunting gear, through the years. Inside the cab offered much more protection. It also made it more functional as a daily driver. I also don't really like the dog in a kennel in the bed of a truck. I'd much rather have them in a smaller kennel, in the cab, if possible.
    I also want the extra cab space, because it generally equated to a longer overall wheel base, and for towing a horse trailer, the longer the wheel base, the more stability.
    Everybody has different needs, which is why they make all types of trucks.
    I would never be without some type of truck.
    Last edited by Mike Cutler; 07-25-2020 at 10:25 AM.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Lafayette, IN
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    4,561
    Years ago, when I was a self-employed contractor, I thought any full-size truck without an 8' bed was ridiculous. Now that I have a "regular" job, I don't want a full-size bed that will attract everyone around me who thinks it's now a moving van. I have an '07 F150 Super Crew (4 full-size doors) with the 5.5' bed, with a hard, folding tonneau cover, and it suits my needs just fine. Other than the lower volume in the bed, it is far more truck than the '90 F150 I once had, and even more capable than the '93 F250 I had. And, at 143k miles, it is in far better shape than either of those vehicles were at that mileage, with far less mechanical intervention, and it gets better mileage with 40-60% more horsepower (300HP from the 5.4L V-8 vs. 210HP from the 5.8L V-8 and 185HP from the 5.0L V-8)

    I've owned several manuals over the years (smaller pickup and a couple small cars), and I don't miss rowing my own gears. It's fun once in a while, but I think technology has moved on--newer automatics are quite reliable, and, in conjunction with the tuning on modern engines, keep the engine running in its sweet spot of efficiency via 6-10 gears. I will concede that manual transmissions do make it much harder to do other things in the vehicle that may be distracting to the driver, such as using one's cellphone or eating.
    Jason

    "Don't get stuck on stupid." --Lt. Gen. Russel Honore


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