[eelton]

I know people like me who prefer manual transmissions are in the minority, but I'm surprised how difficult it is to find a 335i with a standard transmission to test drive.

Fields BMW outside Chicago told me that 98-99% of the cars they sell have automatics. They didn't even have one 335i with a manual transmission for me to test drive. (I drove an automatic and placed an order for a 335i with standard, although I felt at a disadvantage not actually trying it out first.)

Is that the same experience people have had elsewhere, or are North Shore Chicagoans unusually averse to shifting for themselves?

[VapoR]

i remember when i told the fleet manager i wanted a manual he gave he a weird look and tried to talk me out of it, along with my parents. he said that they almost never sells manuals. i had to put a $1000 deposit down just b/c i ordered a manual. he kept saying no one drives a manual in LA. there seems to be quite a few me included.

[Ray]

Not in Chitown, but my local dealer also did not have a standard for me to test.

Don't worry, you won't be disappointed when your car arrives.

[viobruin]

I've called around to many dealerships and found only one w/ a manual to test drive (Crevier BMW). To me, buying a 335 coupe w/ an automatic is simply a crime, even w/ the paddle shifters.

[HRC]

I didn't get to test drive the e90 at all, let alone the MT. Didn't matter, I just ordered it and my drive home was my "Test Drive".

Danny

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by viobruin

I've called around to many dealerships and found only one w/ a manual to test drive (Crevier BMW). To me, buying a 335 coupe w/ an automatic is simply a crime, even w/ the paddle shifters.

Paddle shifters actually makes it a Class 2 Felony IMHO.

When 330i shopping a year ago, I might as well have been looking for a '64 Ferrari GTO as looking for a 330i with a stick on a dealer's lot here in Phx. Not giving a rat's ass how the automatic drove, I just went ahead and ordered w/o a test drive of any kind.. and zero regrets.

[Asiann]

You will have that problem with most makes!

[eelton]

Originally Posted by Asiann

You will have that problem with most makes!

I know that's true, but if anyone would have an interest in seeling standard transmission cars, I would think it would be BMW. I also would have hoped they would have more buyers of standard transmission cars.

For what it's worth, I had no trouble finding an Infiniti G35 6MT coupe to test drive. I had actually planned to get the upcoming G35 (due out next summer), but I decided the wait was too much.

[txusa03]

move to europe, they are plenty of MT there. Infact MT rules in europe. I know what you mean.

[Touringman]

Strangely I could not get a test drive in the UK of a manual 335i - seems that all the early demo's that dealers got were auto/paddles.

Did get to drive the 330d manual against the 335i auto and this convinced me that the 335i manual was gonna be a great combination.

Cheers

[nmulax]

I ran into the same problem.
Test drove a 325xi auto and was still on the fence about the car. Then my dealer called saying they had a used E90 325i ZSP MT that I could test to check out the transmission. Ordered my 330i that day.

[742]

Originally Posted by eelton

I know that's true, but if anyone would have an interest in seeling standard transmission cars, I would think it would be BMW. I also would have hoped they would have more buyers of standard transmission cars.

For what it's worth, I had no trouble finding an Infiniti G35 6MT coupe to test drive. I had actually planned to get the upcoming G35 (due out next summer), but I decided the wait was too much.

Time and time again you see this complaint—people who want to buy a manual but get nothing but grief from the dealers.

I think that there are plenty of buyers, the dealers just don’t want the business. There is more profit to be made spec’ing their allotments for the “badge conscious” buyer who wants his leased car loaded than there is to be made from the guy who reads AutoWeek.

[spydrz]

I went through lots of grief in getting my X5 manual--they even originally ordered it wrong, with a Step, which I refused. The sales manager told me that nobody orders manuals--except I pointed to the two other X5s that arrived that day, both of which were manual.

[Carnage]

The dealer here has a manual demo but the majority of cars they are ordering for the lot are automatics.

[vladinecko]

my SA told me about 1/3 of all their sales are ordered in manual and yet, there are none on their lot. he said the most popular 3-series is stock 325xi with stick.

[e92law]

I drove both within one week and they are completely different. Lets just say that I ordered the manual.

[DrDomer]

I drove both within 1 week of each other. They are different. Probably for different reasons, I ordered the auto. Either way... the car rocks.

[PatsE92]

Had the exact opposite of your problem (OP). When I went to test drive in New Orleans they had only a MT. Drove home to Lafayette dealer and had only MT also. Ordered step (go ahead and flame me, got my NOMEX underwear on) since after driving an S2000 for the last 18 months I wanted a change.

To each his own...

[Hawkshaw]

Originally Posted by eelton

I know people like me who prefer manual transmissions are in the minority, but I'm surprised how difficult it is to find a 335i with a standard transmission to test drive.

Fields BMW outside Chicago told me that 98-99% of the cars they sell have automatics. They didn't even have one 335i with a manual transmission for me to test drive. (I drove an automatic and placed an order for a 335i with standard, although I felt at a disadvantage not actually trying it out first.)

Is that the same experience people have had elsewhere, or are North Shore Chicagoans unusually averse to shifting for themselves?

The market and dealership where I am (Halifax, Nova Scotia) is quite small, and even I was able to test drive both a manual and automatic transmission when deciding on my purchase. However, this was earlier this year so it was only the 330i and 325i that I was looking at.

They had a manual 325i that I tested, and an automatic 330i that I tested. Not an "apples to apples" test, but I ended up ordering the 330i with manual transmission.

I'm surprised that in a big market like yours there aren't manual 335i's to be tested, and surprised that more of them aren't being sold!

[wistarf]

I ran into the same thing with the dealers.

It's a self-serving conspiracy because above all, dealers want to try to sell what's on their lot before anything else, and experience has taught them that an auto car will sell more readily.

The reason is BMW's long list of a-la-carte options. There are SO many possible combinations, and since stick drivers are in the minority, the chances of a buyer wanting stick are already reduced, and the chances that a stick driver will want the exact color/option combo on the dealer lot are very small indeed.

So dealer's naturally don't want to order a stick from the factory unless they have a buyer who can specify the options that they want with it first. As a consequence, the only chance the dealer will have of selling an MT driver what's on their lot is to talk them into buying an auto.

As always, the dealer doesn't give a sh!t what's best for the customer, or for the car - they're just looking out for themselves. It's a cryin' shame because these cars really deserve to be driven with the wonderful ZF manual in my opinion. I hope that no other fellow MT drivers have been swayed by the dealer's insidiously self-serving arguments against it.

[flush01]

when selling, its actually good to have manual... almost every car is auto, and it's rare to have manual, therefore it'll be more in demand

[18LLC]

dealer didn't have unsold 6sp e90 for me to test drive. so I test drive someone else's 6sp e90 that sitting in dealer with only 4 miles on it. and I made it to 30 miles b4 they give to the owner. LOL. when 335 came in, there are couple of un sold 335 e92 sitting in the lot. I guess I have no problem finding 6sp in that dealership.