Cutler

iTrader: (3)

I had a debate on this with another member and he swears a manual is worth more than an auto, I didn't say which is more fun to drive

Please post, and I think Autos are worth more....

SteVTEC

Much of the $800 or so that an automatic tranny adds to the original purchase price of a car usually carries through when it comes to resale value. Just go to www.edmunds.com and price out a car with and without an auto tranny and you'll see that a manual is worth less. But keep in mind that the person with the automatic paid more originally for their car. As a percentage value, an automatic won't necessarily have a higher percent resale value than a manual. The automatic is worth more because it cost more originally.


The above paragraph assumes you're talking about the general buying public. What's ordinary plane-jane to one person can be THE GOLDEN CAR to some of us enthusiast nuts which can jack everything up.

2k2kev

define "worth" ... when I first looked to buy my 6-speed they wanted to jack the price up because it was "in demand." But when I sell it I'm going to take a hit because it's not auto

like I said... define "worth"

(I didn't pay the markup in case you were wondering)

Cutler

iTrader: (3)

I am saying in general. If one buys a car that has all the same options, the only difference is the tranny type. The automatic tranny is gonna be more expensive, granted an enthusiast will feel the car is worth more if its a manual, no doubt. But in the world in general, the auto tranny is gonna be worth more at time of original purchase and thus demand a higher resell value later.

This being said any person who buys an auto sports car should be put in jail

Dev

iTrader: (5)

i think you're talking about financial worth...
in that case an auto would be listed with a higher price.

the worth in terms of value would depend on the buyer.
many cannot stand auto and would do anything to get into a standard car.

think of a car thats been through a 5spd conversion. they paid more initially for the auto tranny, and paid again to have it replaced with a manual transmission plus other parts and labour. do you think these people spent that much money just to have a car thats "worth" less?

RF951

An auto is worth more and a lot easier to sell. There are very few people who will drive a stick shift any more. The local Nissan dealer has 6 5 speed Altimas and they can't give 'em away.

Y2KMaxGXE-R

iTrader: (4)

appreciate Cutlr trying to withhold my name so I dont get laughed at here on .org. but thats not the point, a healthy discussion is always good. We had this dispute on the resale values of a fully loaded 5spd SE vs. GLE or I30. Back in the summer of 2000, when I was shopping for a used 5 spd Max with the dealer (friend of mine), we went to the Manheim Auto Auction in PA, one of the largest in the country. I was standing there in the lanes and heard the bids, and was kinda surprised that some 5 spd SEs with 40-48K mi were sold for a a bit higher than a low mileage, impeccable condition GLEs and I30s, given the same model year (1997). Yes, we all know the GLEs and even I30s cost more than SEs, but still somehow on that particular day there were too many of autos and too few 5 spds, they were all banged up. I asked my dealer, and he said that 5spd SEs are more youthful and more appealing to buyers than GLEs and i30s (no offense to anyone), therefore 5spd SEs are in high regard. I am talking the difference of up to 2,000 dolars man, there were i30s with 30K miles on them rolling out for 15,500 and I could not find a single 5spd SE under 40K miles in the same condition, they were all selling for like 16.5-17.5K

Cutlr7 is citing the Blue Book straight up, says this can't be true simply because of the fact the new GLE or i30 costs more than loaded 5spd SE. Thats all, share your thoughts.

Igor911

iTrader: (10)

i want a stick :cry:

Cutler

iTrader: (3)

You need to lower the car

Dave B

Most automatic cars have a higher resale and the same can be said for the Maxima. HOWEVER, there is a HUGE "underground" demand for 5 speed/6 speed Maximas especially among younger buyers. I'm pretty sure most of us manual owners could sell our cars at the higher end of resale. Only 8-10% of the Maximas sold in this country are manuals and I'm pretty certain the demand is high, especially for higher end SE 5 speeds.


Dave

NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

generally
there is a bigger demand for autos.. look at the sales figures for autos vs. manuals.. Someone mentioned only around 5% of the maximas are stick.. i'm sure it is a bit higher but not by much.

Most people don't want manuals in todays age.. especially a MAXIMA.

Say we were talking about a sports car, obviously people that buy sports cars most likely want nothing but standard transmissions.

But who buys maximas for the most part?
middle age family people. I doubt most of them want a 5 speed.


in the case of the maxima.. and most cars..
auto is worth more than the manual.



on the org, it may be a different case though, being people here are enthusiasts..

SteVTEC

If it's true that as a trend, Maxima 5spd's are actually going for MORE than the automatics (neglecting blue book value) then that really does say a lot about these cars

Newman

iTrader: (3)

an automatic is technically worth more because the auto is an option and a luxury and cost more to make.

however, if someone is looking to buy a used car and they know they want a manual tranmission im sure they would be willing to pay just as much for the manual as an automatic is worth.

look at all of the people searching for months to find a 5-speed 4th gen. in same cases i bet people would pay more for the hard-to-find 5-speeds than for an automatic.

its almost like you can find automatic cars anywhere and the manuals are a rarity. i think a manual transmission will help the resale for sporty-type cars (and by "sporty" i am including cars like the maxima) because there will always be someone searching and searching to find one.


edit: basically, i agree with dave b.

Jason R

iTrader: (39)

i think the auto is worth more but the manual is more fun to drive.

vito1281

I agree with Newman. I would say in GENERAL, for the run of the mill type of cars, an automatic will GENERALLY attain higher resale value. That's simply because most people in this car class are looking for automatics. Therefore, you have a large consumer base, and more customers to choose from. HOWEVER, there are some people (definitely not the majority of US population) who drive nothing but standards, and for them, paying as much or more for a manual that's otherwise hard to find is no problem. That being said, with the Maxima in particular, I think there are enough people looking for these in manual that you can sell one for as much or even more than an automatic.

It's very circumstantial, but I will still say that in general, for most cars, autos will have higher resale value.

RF951

I think the other variable is that different parts of the country have higher and lower values for manuals. I remember last summer I looked at BMWs, I asked the sales guy if they had any manuals on the lot. The answer was no! Over 45 3 series cars for sale and not one stick. They have figured that this particular market aint into shifting (Central California). Yet I'm sure that if I went to the Bay area I could find them all over.

Last week I ran an ad for my 6 speed in the local paper. 30k miles with Bose and sunroof, asking $17,600. Not one phone call. If it was an auto I would have had a line at my door.

Dave B

Hmmm, that's funny because I had hinted in the Midwest forum that I was considering on selling my immaculate black 96 SE 5 speed Maxima with all it's mods (not the 17s) for around $11000. It has 93000 miles, MEVI, UDP, Y-pipe, 2k1 muffler, intake, custom leather, H&Rs, AGX/Koni, and stock 15s with brand new tires. I got 8 emails asking where I lived and "to keep them in mind" when the time comes. I didn't even post my car in the "Maximas for Sale" section either. I've tracked 5 speed 4th/5th gens in the Kansas City paper and they last about 2-3 days.


Dave

KsuMax

I think $11,000 is a little high for a 96 with those miles.

Dave B

You've never seen my car in person $11000 includes all the modificiations and it's black with a custom black/charcoal leather interior (very high demand for this color). NADA lists my Maxima's value at $9700.


Dave

ericdwong

I dont expect to get more then $9000 if I'm lucky for my 97 SE 5 speed that has every option minus gold emblums and CD changer thats been returned to stock with 79,xxx miles with new clutch, new battery, new rear main seal, new CPS and new tires. I'm seriously considering keeping it as a fuel efficient, snow/foul weather, keep the miles off the Corvette- beater that I'm NEVER taking to the drag strip again.