I've read lots of forums and articles about this topic but all they say is basically this
AUTO : easy, convenience driving, like city life etc.
MANUAL : good mpg, fun, more control, cheaper, bad trade-in value etc.

but I heard this too that
manual : require clutch and some part of tranny replacement pretty often, but not too expensive tho.
auto : replace only brake pads once in a while but if tranny goes wrong it costs over $1000.

I need to pick between manual and auto very soon for another honda or acura. can someone tell me the maintenance wise pros&cons of these two?
thanks

 

I think you pretty much have it down, at least the basics.

It's a personal choice.

If you do a lot of driving in traffic and you feel a little (shall we say) lazy, then an auto is for you. If you want a little more control and sportier feel, etc., then the manual.

Auto. trannies can be expensive to work on when they go bad but that generally isn't for many, many, many miles unless you got a bad one or you just are way too hard on it or whatever. With a manual, you will have to replace the clutch and do a few other maintenance bits but you do get better gas milage and better resale, etc. And how often you replace the clutch really has more to do with how you drive it/abuse it.

I guess the questions are: 1) What driving conditions will you mainly be in? 2) What is your driving style/preference? 3) Can you even drive a manual? ;-)

 

As a personal chocie...I'll always choose a manual over a slushbox for my primary car.

 

Good question!

Personally, I would tend to say that the manual will be cheaper in the long run if you know how to drive it properly and don't abuse the clutch and gearbox. However, if you're new to it or you suck at it, the automatic may end up being cheaper. My automatic died at 150k miles and I replaced it with a 33k old used example from Ebay for about $900 installed...at 179k miles (62k tranny miles) it's running perfect, especially after I just changed my tranny fluid.

I guess it all breaks even, as there's always the chance of an auto tranny failure requiring total replacement. If I were you, I'd drive both and see which one you prefer and not worry about maintenance costs - they're probably about even.

Which specific model are you looking at? Some models have more reliable transmissions than others.

jobrien: resale value for automatics is much higher.

 

its a personal choice, I would personally get the manual

 

manual, all the way

 

both my cars have manual trannys, and i definitely like having full control of the gear shifting. this probly doesnt apply to u, but i live near san francisco, and it's a real pain in the neck trying to parallel park on a steep road with manual tranny maybe it's just me

 

Depends, as long as you have an automatic car for the tedious stuff a stick is great for your fun car. Before I bought my benz I only had the WRX, and getting stuck in commuter traffic was a bitch, my knee woul kill me by wednesday every week. I also did a trip to tahoe when it was snowing like hell out. I kept getting stuck behind slow ass flatlanders and my whole leg hurt SO bad by the time I got there, it wasn't even funny, granted even now if I was going to tahoe I'd take the rex over my benz, but a stick can be a BEOTCH sometimes.

 

I'm deffinitly a fan of the manual for the fun factor. I have only driven an auto a few times (rental cars, etc) and I hated it. Id slam on the brakes and my left foot would go to the floor too... you just get so used to it. I would say manuals are much cheaper too assuming you can drive worth a damn. I have 170K on my original transmission WITH original clutch and I have no slip. As long as you know how to drive, you can strech a cluth life out to 200K + miles. Autos VERY rarely make it this far, and when things start to go, its much more expensive to fix. Plus gas mileage for manuals is considerably higher... i can routinely get 35-37 mpg on my 94.

 

To the people not answering the question: he's asking which has lower maintenance costs, not which one you would prefer yourself.