petee1997

This past Dec. I took delivery of a new 2010 997 C2S with 6M trans. Now I notice in most dealers 2011 inventory, they are stocking more PDKs than manual transmissions. I'm second guessing myself, should I have bought the PDK since it appears to be the transmission of the future and the manual disappearing into irrelevance?

w00tPORSCHE

Get what you want. If you like to use your left foot and row gears what difference does it make how fantastic PDK technology is all about. Dealers stock PDKs coz there is more demand for them. I love PDK. Contrary to what many believe, IMO, the PDK is very much a convenient unconventional manual transmission which offers lightning fast up/down shifts. Some feel that everyone's first 911 should be a manual transmission and not a PDK.

Chris from Cali

My next Porsche will most certainly be a manual. PDK is entertaining, but since I don't deal with traffic and I don't drive on the track, I miss the interaction with the clutch pedal and gearlever. It's the only thing I'm not in love with on my car...

petee1997

Sorry for posting this thread twice. I was trying to edit the title.

Mike in CA

Even as someone who chose a PDK after years of driving manuals, and loves it, I would hope that Porsche would continue to offer manual transmissions to those who want them. To answer your question though. If I had to bet money, my bet would be that companies like Porsche will hold out for a few more years. But building MT cars will become a losing proposition due to shrinking consumer demand and stricter fuel economy requirements and they will go the way of the dodo bird. That will be a sad day.

Edit: If you got a MT because you enjoy shifting for yourself and it completes the Porsche experience for you, then don't second guess yourself. It doesn't matter what anyone else is doing. Enjoy!

racer

It will, yes. Ferrari doesn't even offer a manual on the 458 iirc. Driving a manual is becoming a lost art. The PDK and others (DSG, SMG etc) are essentially manuals with an "auto" feature, vs say the tiptronic which was an Auto with some manual control.

Having only 1 trans would also streamline production and costs. I've also noticed that on some new cars, the "auto" gets better mileage than the manual.

If porsche needs to meet its VW Group sales target of 150K cars in the US, well, they need to make a car more than 2% of the market can physically drive!

stevepow

I don't see it making to the 26 +/- million year mark; but time will tell...

dhud

PDK vs. Manual was a decision I faced with my C4S and I had decided PDK. The sales manager at my local dealer loaned me a PDK and a manual to drive to my hearts delight one afternoon and when I came back I changed my mind. The PDK can shift faster than I can ever physically hope to do and launch control was physics defying. However, after the novelty of the launch control and sport plus wore off, I basically used the PDK as an automatic tranny. The manual, though slower, made me feel more involved in the driving experience. So, I concluded the PDK is absolutely brilliant and it can beat my ability to shift but it removed me one more level from the driving experience. In the end, I got the manual. Unfortunatley though, I agree with the above comments, the manual will probably eventually become very scarce if not disappear. I was shocked Ferrari dropped it from the 458 Italia and doesn't even offer it as an option. I also should mention that I have the luxury of a Cayenne with an auto tranny to drive if I tire of shifting. If I was using the 911 as a daily driver and my only means of transportation, the PDK would make a very compelling argument. It is nice to see the opinions of others as I have contemplated this issue often.

aaks38

I remember when the DSG first came out in 06 and I bought a VW GTI, although it was cool at first and a great improvement over the typical auto transmission. After 5 years now, i find it to be somewhat of a novelty and end up driving the car like a automatic car. I suspect most pdk drivers leave theirs in auto mode.

I bought a 07C4s and if you truly enjoy the driving experience of a sports car, i feel manual is the way to go. The dual clutch technology is very new to production cars unlike in motorsports such as F1 and is still somewhat buggy and the reliability is unknown..

Also the other thing is that in countries like America, 90% of the population drive automatics while in Europe and Asia its 90% manual...i suspect manual will be offered for some time..

Nugget

The final word on the subject:

Everyone knows that the PDK is a sterile, boring transmission designed for florists and dentists who want to turn their Porsche into an uninspiring transportation appliance with a badge. One time a guy tried to take his PDK Carrera S to a racetrack and he wrecked it because he fell asleep from boredom on the main straight and drove into the armco. The PDK transmission also weighs seven-hundred and thirty pounds (I heard).

Similarly, the manual transmission is clearly an archaic and dangerous performance-robbing anachronism like bias ply tires and hand-crank engine starting. Statistics show that 85% of all manual transmission cars will eventually be wrecked when the driver unwisely tries to shift gears while negotiating a freeway on-ramp, unsettling the car and sending it into a ditch. The only people who would ever want a manual transmission are just septuagenarian luddites who are afraid of modern technology.

ADias

I drive my PDK-car exclusively in M mode.

Mike in CA

I don't know about that. You might be surprised as I don't think I'm the exception. I have the paddle shift wheel and I probably use manual mode 95% of the time. The only exceptions would be in bumper to bumper traffic and autoX'ing where PDK in Sport Plus mode is simply more efficient at shifting than I am.

That's a good point about drivers in Europe.

ADias

True for the majority of cars but certainly not true with Porsches. PAG used to sell more Tips in Europe than in the US - just ask PAG.

RudyP

There have been (and still are) enough good cars made with manuals up to this point that if they stop making them tomorrow, there will be lots of good used cars for me to choose from for the next 50 years. And I'm sort of Ok with that. Maybe my car acquisition budget will even decrease because of it.

Seriously can't think of ever buying a PDK unless I lose a limb. But I certainly don't begrudge anyone from preferring their cars PDK-equipped. It's all about preference - I hope the automakers (the good ones like Porsche anyway, don't give a crap what Toyota does) keep giving us choices.

Edgy01

Don't sugar-coat this--tell us what you really think!