thinking of doing something crazy

[mike82_atx]

proud owner of a 04 base auto. i love this car, but i wanna learn a stick. i've done some work on it(intake, exhaust, springs,etc..) so trading it in seems pointless.......until i came across an 05 abyss gt that the dealer has for $15.6k. they wanna get rid of it fast. also been looking at the scion tc. for its price, performance is decent(160hp,163ft/lb). but its not as good on gas as the vibe(22city/29hwy). i like the 04 front styling better than the 05.maybe find an 04 bumper??? my dad has an 05 base auto too. he liked the car so much when i got mine he bought one! hmmm, maybe i could get him to trade his in(its not souped up) and give him mine. dunno what to do.

[Jahntassa]

Hey, it's up to you. The GT's transmission isn't as forgiving as some other sticks i've driven, but it does force you to get into the groove of driving stick pretty quickly.I probably wouldn't trade in until you have a good handle on how to drive stick, otherwise you'll have a car that you may not want to drive!

[Mase]

Go for the TC. It's a lot easier to learn on. The stick is as smooth as churning butter. Plus you have more torque off the line to keep from stalling.

[jwalcik]

as someone who learned how to drive a stick in their GT (on the way back to austin from san antonio no less), i can't honestly recommend it. since, i've driven a friend's nissan pick-up (an old hardbody) and a friend's civic. both cars were much "easier" to shift smoothly and the clutch in either of them felt like it wasn't nearly as tight as my vibe. of course, now that i've had some practice, the vibe is even more fun to drive, but that first month was rough. really, really rough.

[MRCN RCE]

yeah the tC is nice, i actually thought of buying one before i got my 05 GT. like everyone before me has said, the GT isn't a great thing to learn stick on. i've been usin my GT to teach my girl how to drive stick, and she stalls it almost every time because of the torque issue. the first time she drove a manual, it was a truck, so it wasn't as difficult. but yeah if you want the GT bad enough then go for it, that's what i would do. if you're like me, you COULD go with something easier and that vehicle might grow on you, but in the back of your mind, you'll regret not getting what you really want. after learning how to move that gt properly, you'll love it, and almost anything else you drive will be a walk in the park. good luck

[MRCN RCE]

oh yeah and you can swap the front bumper with an 04. someone on here bought an 03 GT with a kit for 05+ vibe, so it can be done. here's the thread with the GT i talked about: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=23163and an extra bonus: my lil GT has beat the couple tC's that have lined up with me.

[mike82_atx]

well thanx for all the input. doing more research too. vibe is ~150lbs lighter on curb weight. though what you all say about the tc's torque seems it would be worth consideration. what i would miss about the vibe is the 6 spd, vvtl-i(and a whopping 4 hp). drop the extra gear and add more torque and i got the tc. maybe i can find an old beat up clunker for a few hundred and practice on that.lol

[MRCN RCE]

Quote, originally posted by mike82_atx »maybe i can find an old beat up clunker for a few hundred and practice on that.lolsomethin to consider: rent a lil cheapie car for a weekend or so, get the insurance and learn on that. it's cheaper than the clunker, and no matter what you choose, you'll save yourself the possible embarrassment of having to get the car serviced for a new starter before you even get it off the lot for the first time lol. i teased my lady about that when she was stalling mine, saying "it's ok, don't worry baby... i'm sure the starter is covered under the warranty"

[mike82_atx]

hey that doesnt sound like a bad idea. haha i can see the puzzled look on the rental employee's face when he sees me drive off and im starting up every 5 yards.know any places that rent scions? or vibe gt's?or does anyone recommend something else?

[northvibe]

well I like the tC and the vibe, but i hear the tC is sorta slow.... I also heard that upgrading the shifter with a new one helps alot (like a short throw) I know lots of people did that on matrixowners.com. Trucks have a easy clutch, i was driving my lab partners jeep that was manual and it was easy i never stalled once! but cars i suck on

[mike82_atx]

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »I also heard that upgrading the shifter with a new one helps alot (like a short throw) you are talking about the gt shifter right? is it just too stiff, resistance?hmmm any other gt owners have input? did this seem to get easier with repeated use(it needed to be "broken in")yeah the tc is heavier, but i would think the torque would make up for it. as for the vibe, only 125 ft/lb but it has 6 gears and lift. ooooh if i could get a tc with the trd supercharger *drool*. too much $$

[mike82_atx]

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »Hey, it's up to you. The GT's transmission isn't as forgiving as some other sticks i've driven, but it does force you to get into the groove of driving stick pretty quickly.I probably wouldn't trade in until you have a good handle on how to drive stick, otherwise you'll have a car that you may not want to drive!i learn fast!

[MRCN RCE]

Quote, originally posted by mike82_atx »hey that doesnt sound like a bad idea. haha i can see the puzzled look on the rental employee's face when he sees me drive off and im starting up every 5 yards.know any places that rent scions? or vibe gt's?or does anyone recommend something else?i learned on a tercel and a civic. they were both pretty easy to learn on. and once you know how to drive a stick, it's gets easier every time, regardless of what you drive(to me anyway). the most difficult part about drivin a different vehicle is finding and remembering where the friction point is. Quote, originally posted by mike82_atx »hmmm any other gt owners have input? did this seem to get easier with repeated use(it needed to be "broken in") yeah it seemed to get a lil easier for me, but i'm sure that replacin the shifter would make it even smoother.

[jwalcik]

Quote, originally posted by mike82_atx »hey that doesnt sound like a bad idea. haha i can see the puzzled look on the rental employee's face when he sees me drive off and im starting up every 5 yards.know any places that rent scions? or vibe gt's?or does anyone recommend something else?you could always take someone with you who already knew how to drive a manual. a friend of mine took me out in his beat up old nissan hardbody the night before i went to pick up my gt to teach me the basics. that helped a lot in terms of my confidence the night i got the car.

[SeattleJeremy]

Quote, originally posted by mike82_atx »i learn fast! If your a fast learner, and you want to learn. Then there's nothing to worry about. I learned on a my WRX. With it's heavy clutch, and AWD it wasn't very forgiving. Just takes a little practice.

[mike82_atx]

woot! new update. as of jun. 30 i will be leaving tejas for 3 mos. going to mccall idaho to build a barn with uncle and aunt who are moving there from here. uncle has a saab with a stick. finally my chance has come! btw, im keeping my vibe. after much reasearch, it was much cheaper to stick with this one.(edmunds priced at 11.6k) ive only paid about 8. left me to refinance too much. oh well. after this one's paid for...then...