Buying a used car: Automatic vs. manual transmission

Publised : November 21, 2013

Something every car buyer needs to consider is whether they should buy a car with manual or automatic transmission. Consider the features of both.

Manual transmission

• Cheaper. You will see that if you look at a certain model of a car with manual transmission, it will be cheaper than the same model with an automatic transmission. Manual transmissions also have less maintenance cost.
• Better gas mileage. With the driver in complete control of shifting gears, the car doesn’t rev up as much and this saves on fuel costs.
• Complete control over the vehicle.
• More complicated to use if you are not accustomed to driving stick shift.

Automatic transmissions

• More expensive than manual transmissions.
• Easy to use. Requires less thinking than driving stick shift. Better if you find stick shift driving to be a distraction.
• Much better for city driving. Driving in rush hour with a manual transmission can be exhausting since you have to constantly switch gears.
• Higher resale value. Vehicles with automatic transmissions are more popular and therefore more in demand.

Whether you’ve decided on an automatic or a manual vechicle, we at Real Motor Japan have a wide selection to meet your needs. Please click here to view our used automatic vehicles, and here for used manual vehicles.