The key word is "and" meaning plus . Being manual and automatic in a non traditional manner of both is the strength of the PDK .

 

Same was written about steptronic.

Any way you slice it its an automatic car. Even manual mode is automatic...IMO it just has the two gears ready for you.

 

I don't even think that was the point was it? PDK or TIP or Manual for that matter?

I thought your point was:


In some cases, as noted, there is no primary driver - some couples share their bits more than others do - nothing wrong with that and if doing so means some Porsche in the garage vs no Porsche in the garage, a compromise seems like a good and practical outcome.

My guess here is that MT versus AT is just a wedge - maybe softer than coming right out and saying, "No Porsche!" An AT purchase based on that would be a sucker bet if that's true; wife is still pissed and you don't really love the car either (assuming you really wanted an MT). Some people are actually selfish - men and women.

Don't know. I frankly was just curious and like to try new things - 30 yrs of MT - I mean the clocks a tickin' - no time like the present. Now that I've done SMG and PDK, maybe my curiosity is satisfied and the next one is MT again. But I cannot imagine dropping the $$$ for one of these cars if I'm not really loving it.

I think transmission is a deal breaker as much as anything else can be - I did not consider any MT cars any more than I considered cars without other options I wanted. In fact I was more flexible on color - even model - than anything else. And if I would have been shopping for an MT, there's no way I would have considered anything else (I'm lucky in that my wife and I only occasionally share a car and even so, she can drive a stick.)

But it is possible that someone might like everything about a certain car and be OK with either PDK or MT or even TIP. That's a possibility, right?

Some people would not consider anything less that an "S", whereas I didn't care about that as much as I did other things - I would have taken a C2 or an C2S with my option list and color preferences.

Different things are important to different people.

I bet it is accurate. This kind of car attracts a certain kind of driver who probably has been around the block a few times with performance cars, driving events, and surely MTs. Sure there's going to be the exception, but not leagues of them.

But there are plenty of good reasons to go with an auto: practicality for shared driving, physical disability, curiosity, just tire of shifting, even running out of peanut butter. When a man wants to do something, any reason's good enough.

After reflection on this, I don't really buy the "forced into" one transmission over another by wife or anyone. I think it comes down to:

1 - suckered into it when "not buying the car at all" was the message (much bigger issue here - candidates for Jerry Springer Show)
2 - came down to practical, sensible shared decision due to shared needs.
3 - didn't really care - really!
4 - too embarrassed to admit no MT experience - rare, I'm betting.

 

Steve -
1) It is very hard to "share" a car . It is somewhat a personal vehicle . Most folks wake up and barely have time to get out the door than to decide who is driving car X over car Y . Even a shared car may have one persons belongings in it . At some point a car claims a primary driver .

2) PDK /Tip/ or Manual -- If the person is buying the car that he wants --that's not the discussion . It's those who feel that buying the car they don't want is going to be understood and even appauded based on this claim of "the wife factor" .

Lastly -- yout pointed out that chose the car that you wanted . It was the one that you felt was best suited for you . That's all my post was about .. being able to make that choice without pressure or embarrasment .

 

Larry will be able to tell it best, but I would still argue that the PDK doesn't drive quite like an automatic. Witness the jerky shifting into 1st gear problem witnessed by some (worked out yet?). Anyway, the benefits of manually shifting the PDK is awesome, but it is not a slushbox. Many women want the car to work and not be noticed. The PDK doesn't do that. You really want to and are conscious of the shifting. Many casual drivers don't want that.
I agree with Steve's point. Many buy the tip to please the wife - I've seen it in several threads. You buy the car to make it versatile and to get the buy in. She never drives it and you hate it. Did it with my SMG. At least you have the Porsche, but the MT will make you happier.
I found the better anwer is a car that is comfortable for them to ride in. lower suspension and louder exhausts make the car really unfriendly. I'm going to try to survive with the PASM suspension for a while. Just because everybody is really happy riding in the car. I'd love the damptronics, but I'm sure the family will not appreciate it. BUT with the smooth shifting 6 speed of the 997, everyone is totally comfortable with my shifting. I'm happy and the family is happy as well. Everyone is actually happier in the manual than the manumatic SMG I had. Granted, I know, the PDK is a lightyear ahead of the SMG. My 2 cents.

 

OT a bit, but PDK in Normal/Auto is so transparent it is embarrassing - you will not notice it - probably one of the best autos available. It is just the opposite of my SMG experience with auto being so horrendous that only my wife used it and now she confesses that she often used manual mode - it was just the right thing to do with SMG. Auto seemed like a design afterthought.

PDK on the other hand is so good in auto that it seems like the primary intended mode of operation. Contrast that also with the fact that you are in auto at the outset and have to switch over to manual, whereas with SMG, it was in manual starting out and auto was the optional mode to switch to. That really tells the tale. PDK auto shifts so well, it is still hard for me to out-think it.

The abrubt shift to 1st in Sport is actuallly doing the right thing under "sport" driving conditions and feels right when driving agressively. It is only when you drive in Sport/Auto and drag slowly to a stop sometimes you get the abrupt downshift because that is what the sport program is supposed to do - get you ready to go in the appropriate gear - even at 10mph it will do that.

But I can get normal/auto to change programs to a sporty mode just by changing the way I work the throttle - literally shift points will change by 10mph or roughly 1k rpms. It just takes a while to learn how to work with it.

I compare it to an MT under any of these quirky cirmcumstances; with either, you can get it to do the wrong thing and learning how to get the most out of it is part of the fun.

 

I agree, Larry, that it is hard to share cars, but sometimes we do - we have to. Sometimes I need the SUV - Mary never "needs" the 911 (neither do I really), but she doesn't mind me sticking her with it - I just have to be careful that she doesn't start liking it too much.

Certainly I discussed buying the 911, but we've been together for 20 years and she knew I was a "car" guy (along with my other eccentricities) from the outset. And she knew I was struggling for months looking for a car and that I was not happy with the 550i. She didn't think the 911 made any sense (small, expensive, etc) and I agree, but she knew it was the car I should get - and so did I. We have a great relationship that has always been based on meeting in the middle to enjoy our overlapping interests, while also giving each other a pretty free reign to enjoy our independence as well. She had strong opinions about color (nixed the Launch Car Green) and MF Steering wheel - transmission never came up.

 

Vegasguy, can you (or anybody else) tell me where I can get this plate?

Thanks in advance.

 

1) The thread title was geared towards tiptronic --not PDK.

2) If the person stated that he wanted to buy the tiptronic it is very different than if he feel obligated to buy the car he doesn't want .
example - Many Turbo owners bought tiptronics after porsche released claims that it was faster than a manual . They wanted to buy the car for that reason .

3) I support the idea of mutual discussions and opinion sharing as part of a healthy relationship.

4) I support the idea of making the best choice . In fact almost all of my posts hinge on getting the right car from day one.

5) What I do not support is the idea that a person is buying a car for himself based on someone elses guidelines . I favor independence over co dependency .

6) I am confused by how one defines "our car" . The motor vehicle department would agree as ONE name is on the title when purchased. Divorce court would also agree if property is divided . In fact .. I never understood co mingling assets -especially a car.

7) My views apply equally to both genders but since there has not been even one woman who has posted that she bought a manual or a tip for her husband despite feeling otherwise .. the thread appears gender specific.

8) I oppose the idea of labeling any person male or female as incapable of appreciating the happiness of his (or her) partner with a special personal item.

9) I do not view love synonymous with compliance but rather being appreciated for who he is .

10) If the car is special and can't be right -I'd pass on buying it.
If a relationship faces a divide - coping does not mean changing someone else or even ones self .

11) There is nothing wrong of being alone and single with no car .. as long as one is happy in his own skin . It's not so bad .
In fact in many ways it can be better than having the wrong car and being unhappy and feeling like decisions are made for you rather than by you.

 

If the car is for you. Just buy the stick and teach your wife the joys of driving a stick. I am sure if she really cares about you and its your dream car she should not object. My wife learnt to drive stick. and may be once a year she drives my 911.

 

[quote][teach your wife the joys of driving a stick./QUOTE]

+1 --This sums it up .

 

Why? A deal breaker is a deal breaker, right? Why would it be worse to be forced into TIP than forced into PDK? It you want a manual, then either way, it is not going to be right, no?

Kind of like "our house", "our bed", etc. Maybe it is a cultural or generational thing...or an artifact of marriage. I grew up like that; in "our house" - had the "family car" - it was "our car" and my dad had the "company car". Kind of like "That 70s Show" - - no Vista Cruiser though, but some of "our friends" had them.

 

I don't know... I kind of equated my purchase of my manual 911 to my purchase of home theater equipment... and to her end, her choices for her particular running watch, her shopping choices or choice of clothes. This idea that a guy's car, like a women's choice of a purse, etc. is a 'couples' decision is puzzling to me. I mean it is a toy. She has hers, I have mine (mine tend to cost more though... and she's fine with it).

 

+1!!!

The way I look at it (even though I am not married), the wife would be lucky if I even let her drive it.

 

Sheesh.

To follow your logic then, would you describe all Ferraris with F1 tranny as automatic? If so, go make that statement on F-chat and see what happens