Should I buy an automatic?

[Yaris Hilton]

I'm perfectly happy with my automatic.

Then again, I have no interest in souping up my engine, modding suspension, wheels & tires or any of that stuff. I've built hotrods in the past and gotten it out of my system. It's a lot of work getting modified engines and powertrains to work decently, and they'll never be as flexible and reliable as the stock configuration that the huge corporations with nearly unlimited resources have spent years developing. Once you've got the hopped up configuration working, you can be obnoxious blasting off from traffic lights and such, but you've got to drive on the same roads with the same traffic and speed limits as everybody else, and you can't race around all the time before something's going to catch up with you, either the law or the laws of physics that make you more likely to crash. And you endanger others in the process. No matter what kind of horsepower you've got, if you have any sort of sense of responsibility and self-preservation, there's always some kid in an old Neon who's got less and will hold his foot to the pedal after you back off and beat you. Around town, sticking to the speed limits, I either catch up at the red lights with the boy racers, or if I've been watching and timing the lights properly, roll by them just as the light changes.

[ktoyo]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

I'm perfectly happy with my automatic.

Then again, I have no interest in souping up my engine, modding suspension, wheels & tires or any of that stuff. I've built hotrods in the past and gotten it out of my system. It's a lot of work getting modified engines and powertrains to work decently, and they'll never be as flexible and reliable as the stock configuration that the huge corporations with nearly unlimited resources have spent years developing. Once you've got the hopped up configuration working, you can be obnoxious blasting off from traffic lights and such, but you've got to drive on the same roads with the same traffic and speed limits as everybody else, and you can't race around all the time before something's going to catch up with you, either the law or the laws of physics that make you more likely to crash. And you endanger others in the process. No matter what kind of horsepower you've got, if you have any sort of sense of responsibility and self-preservation, there's always some kid in an old Neon who's got less and will hold his foot to the pedal after you back off and beat you. Around town, sticking to the speed limits, I either catch up at the red lights with the boy racers, or if I've been watching and timing the lights properly, roll by them just as the light changes.

Yeah, I agree. Stock rules. Still I want something to put rims on and kinda "mash up" from the beginning. You could say "trick out", but my skillz may keep me on the low end.

You know in high school (90's) I wanted a Civic. I'm damn near 40 with no kids and no wife. If I don't buy what I want now, then when? This car is a symbol of some kind of late-adolescent-pre-mid-life event.

I'm not into racing, I've gotten that out of my system. (If I go fast, I don't calm down well. I'm the kind of person, who should use public transit.) STILL I just want something to "express my freedom and originality", even if I'm limited by a budget and have to copy a bunch of forum members!

[Yaris Hilton]

Go for what makes you happy!

[ktoyo]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

Go for what makes you happy!

I'm trying.

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

I'm perfectly happy with my automatic.

Then again, I have no interest in souping up my engine, modding suspension, wheels & tires or any of that stuff. I've built hotrods in the past and gotten it out of my system. It's a lot of work getting modified engines and powertrains to work decently, and they'll never be as flexible and reliable as the stock configuration that the huge corporations with nearly unlimited resources have spent years developing. Once you've got the hopped up configuration working, you can be obnoxious blasting off from traffic lights and such, but you've got to drive on the same roads with the same traffic and speed limits as everybody else, and you can't race around all the time before something's going to catch up with you, either the law or the laws of physics that make you more likely to crash. And you endanger others in the process. No matter what kind of horsepower you've got, if you have any sort of sense of responsibility and self-preservation, there's always some kid in an old Neon who's got less and will hold his foot to the pedal after you back off and beat you. Around town, sticking to the speed limits, I either catch up at the red lights with the boy racers, or if I've been watching and timing the lights properly, roll by them just as the light changes.

Same here, and when I need the feeling of power and speed, I get my 450-lb sportbike out that has 50% more horsepower than my Yaris. Oh, and it's got a manual transmission as well!

[risamuels]

Having last Friday bought a 2007 automatic Yaris sedan, I agree with Yaris Hilton that modding is for the young (and the young at heart). I bought my Yaris for the mileage and for the hope that with 18k miles, it'll last me for ten years, a decade of not having to think about my car beyond normal maintenance. That's peace of mind at a great price ($8900).

[127.0.0.1]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

I'm perfectly happy with my automatic.

Then again, I have no interest in souping up my engine, modding suspension, wheels & tires or any of that stuff. I've built hotrods in the past and gotten it out of my system. It's a lot of work getting modified engines and powertrains to work decently, and they'll never be as flexible and reliable as the stock configuration that the huge corporations with nearly unlimited resources have spent years developing. Once you've got the hopped up configuration working, you can be obnoxious blasting off from traffic lights and such, but you've got to drive on the same roads with the same traffic and speed limits as everybody else, and you can't race around all the time before something's going to catch up with you, either the law or the laws of physics that make you more likely to crash. And you endanger others in the process. No matter what kind of horsepower you've got, if you have any sort of sense of responsibility and self-preservation, there's always some kid in an old Neon who's got less and will hold his foot to the pedal after you back off and beat you. Around town, sticking to the speed limits, I either catch up at the red lights with the boy racers, or if I've been watching and timing the lights properly, roll by them just as the light changes.

+eleventy

No issues with an automatic. TSome things to consider is, possibly a tranny rebuild with better clutch packs,
modified valves and solenoids, and an external tranny cooler with electric fans, if you want to build a Q-ship on an automatic...and not melt the tranny early and keep it as a daily driver....

I have had my fun racing motorcycles on the track for years, and blasting around on the roads in souped up micros...I got it out of my system for all the reasons stated above. Now I putz around in the 4runner or Yaris at normal speeds because 'fitting in' goes a lot further than 'loud music, fart cans, and 3fast3furious behaviour' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4rtXYgqaPQ