A common question that I encounter while looking at the next sports car goal (which I have affectionately named “the future dilemma”) is whether I want it to have a manual or an automatic transmission. This is a serious question. The first time I ran into this was when I purchased my Mazda 3. That Mazda was the first car I actually purchased wholly on my own. I vividly recall that when I walked into the dealership, I had my heart set on a manual transmission hatchback, preferably black in color. The ultimate plan was to paint the calipers red and put it on some black wheels, resulting in a black on black Mazda 3 hatch with accent red calipers. Unfortunately, I ended up with a used automatic, grey in color, with 5000 miles in like new shape for a moderate discount. Car salesmen…

What I learned from that experience is that the regret was real. I owned that “mistake” for around 9 years, eventually leading me to a manual Miata and a manual BRZ. I’ve been driving manual cars for around 5 years now and have experienced many different flavors of clutch. I have also experienced what a DCT is capable of with my brief stint with the Porsche 911. This has broadened my perspective walking into my future dilemma. A properly engineered automatic vehicle could not only result in a solid track driving experience, but also an improved daily driving experience. Driving a finicky manual transmission in stop-and-go traffic is not the most enjoyable experience.

I’ve already reviewed and identified my manual candidates for resolving my future dilemma:

  1. Toyota GR 86
  2. Nissan 400Z
  3. BMW M4

These include brand new models and a new generation in regards to the M4. As any of the lists I include here, they are all subject to change, but this is the list as of today. Now, when it comes to automatic transmissions, I’ve thought about those candidates for quite some time and it has moved all over the place. Although fully-electric vehicles have a similar “problem” as automatics regarding less driver engagement, I will place them in a third separate category as they are also very different. In that list I would prefer:

  1. Tesla CyberTruck vs Ford Lightning
  2. Tesla Model Y
  3. Tesla Model 3
  4. Porsche Taycan

The truck option is a toss-up. The biggest variable there is the price point versus the performance. The Taycan is at the bottom of the list because of the price point. I’m not writing off the expensive options in any list, it’s just a more white knuckle experience waiting on saving up the necessary funds in addition to the fact that if I buy the car outright that it would be an eye-watering financial hit. It’s impossible to get around the notion that for the price of one of these cars, you could buy multiple of a competing car model.

So here’s the interesting list–automatic vehicles. This list will include dual clutch and torque converters within the same list. From what I’ve read, the engineering of torque converters has significantly improved to the point that they are good contenders against the dual clutch technology.

  1. Porsche 911 Carrera S
  2. Toyota GR Supra 3.0
  3. Porsche Boxster or Cayman
  4. Lexus IS F or RC F
  5. Acura TLS Type S
  6. Porsche 911 GT3
  7. Nissan GTR
  8. Lamborghini Huracan or Audi R8
  9. Dodge Charger or Challenger RT
  10. Genesis G70
  11. BMW Z4 M40i

This above list is especially volatile given the price points are all within the same general vein. I also can’t really justify the fact that the 911 Carrera is at the top of the list aside from the fact that my brief ownership stint made quite an impact. The 2017 model that I owned was an absolute joy from a performance standpoint, although I admit I was not prepared for the ownership costs. I will not discount those types of costs in regards my future decision. I also find it hard to stand behind the fact that since the price of the 911 is 6 figures, definitely not the most financially prudent choice in the list. I think the most financially reasonable in the list would be the G70 starting at around 38k.

All of the cars listed (and perhaps even some not listed) are fair game in regards to the future dilemma, although I did have a focus on the manual vehicles initially.