What a cool website!
 

This is a great website. I´ve been reading it for a while now. Thanks for all the information and ideas.

At some point I´ll probably have some questions and I appreciate the ability to comment so I had to register.

My cars at the moment:

1991 Toyota Pickup
1992 Nissan 240SX , it´s not running at this time :(
1994 Nissan Sentra SE-R
1999 Infiniti G20

All I4s with a 5 speed. :)

Great to have you here.
Welcome !

I am so jealous right now!

Just a coincidence or were you specifically running away from the automatics?

It was intentional. Manuals usually lasted longer and got better mileage. From what little I´ve read recently, automatics seem to compare more favorably than the past. A CVT might interest me if I knew it would last as long as a manual.

The Toyota is over 300k miles on the original clutch, pressure plate, and release bearing. The Infiniti is at 252k miles. I bought the Infiniti at 217k miles and I don´t think it ever had it´s gear oil changed until I bought it. I call it ¨the best effing car in the world!¨ I could find no evidence it ever had any repairs done until I bought it. Most cars would never go as far as it did with so little repair or maintenance. It may be scrapped next year.

If the car has a 4 or 5 speed automatic, a manual can still compete with it (manuals need one more gear though to be comparible). But with 8 and 10 speed automatics, I don't think anyone is going to come out with (or want to drive) an 11 speed manual. And even then, the drive would have to be very contientious to match modern computer shifting.

Toyota's Hybrid CVT's seem to last a very long time (500,000 miles and up if the oil is changed on a regular basis). But the hybrid battery won't. Expect to replace it every 200,000 miles or 15 years. Still, with SUV's that get 40mpg and even a minivan that gets 36mpg the battery replacement may be worth it.

My only experiences with a CVT were with my mother's Toyota, and even though her car was only 2 years old the last time I saw it I'm sure it's not so weak as she has a harsh driving behavior, no matter if she is sober or under influence (which BTW happened almost everyday, and she even got her driving license revoked exactly because of it, yet is still driving). Once I remember she simply pulled the parking brake and kept the shifter on D for a while, with the engine on to keep the AC working while she went to pick something at a store.

Welcome! Love those S13 Nissans, used to have one. This place is great. I've been lurking around the aero forum for a long time now.