Post your rarest manual find!

yatzee

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 4, 2004
Location
Montreal, Qc
TDI
see sig
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For many years my father drove a 1.8t 4Motion Passat w/ a 5 speed manual. Kind of odd to see a 1.8t with dual exhaust.
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[FONT=&quot]I ran 1 of those for a little while up here. Was slow, drank an astonishing amount of fuel, but was unbeatable in the snow. Left with the ex (miss her more than that car!)[/FONT]

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The strangest rarest ones I have encountered with a manual transmission:
Mercedes Benz C240, about a 2005
I have a close friend who has a 2005 c230 6 speed - that car gets truly remarkable fuel economy. And a family member just picked up a 2004 c320 6 speed - very rare - i'd never seen a 6 speed in that model. Haven't driven it yet, but I hear it pulls quite well[/FONT]

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In my 10 years at the Vw dealership level, I think the rarest gear cruncher I personally saw was a 2003 Passat Wagon W8 4 motion 6 speed manual.
Nearly bought 1 of those with a bad oil cooler last month, but the unknown extent of the damage scared me off[/FONT]

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Maybe not that odd, but in the late 80s/early 90s my mom had a 1st Gen (in NA) Land Rover Discovery with a 5-speed manual. Dealer said it was one of 75 brought into the US that year, and none after that. Not a bad truck to drive as long as you slowed down enough for corners. And didn't mind buying gasoline
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[FONT=&quot]There are a surprising number of those still running around the west coast. But they rusted terribly badly on the east coast – just couldn’t stand up to the rust.[/FONT]



I guess it’s pretty obvious – I’m strangly attracted to orphan cars. Getting parts can be a huge pain (all the parts for the W8 are dealer only) but there’s something to driving around in something that basically no one else has.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Yes, they did look a bit similar. They (and the 411s) also looked vaguely like a Corvair at certain angles, too.

I actually had all three 412s at one time: a manual trans 2dr fastback sedan, an automatic 4dr fastback sedan, and an automatic 2dr variant. They were all '74s (last year), and the automatics got an L-jet 1.8L engine, while the manuals still got the D-jet 1.7L engine, and that actually made a bit more power. They actually ran pretty good for what they were, especially the 85hp manual one.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Nope, all the 4dr and all the variants were automatics (at least here they were). That was a really revolutionary car for them at the time, though. The last breath of the air cooled era. Nordhoff's pet project, the first "Phaeton", LOL.

There were a lot of firsts for Volkswagen with the 411/412:

first reversible key
first coil springs
first hydraulic clutch
first fully automatic transmission (we actually saw that first in the Type 3, because the 411 did not make it here for a few years)
first power brakes
first fresh air electric blower
first unibody (technically the Transporters were unitized but were more of a body on frame welded together than an actual modern unibody in the traditional sense we think of it today)
first 4 door car (excluding WW2 era military models)
first alternator
first totally new engine since 1961, and an all aluminum case at that (that engine outlived the car by nearly a decade)
 
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IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
There were some pretty interesting air cooleds coming out of Brazil in that time frame.
 
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Chris B

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2001
Location
N. central Illinois
TDI
2002 Jetta Wagon 5 spd
My father ordered a '74 Mercury Comet 4 door with zero options except for a 3 speed on the floor. The standard manual option was three-on-the-tree, I believe, and I remember him saying he had to order it special.

It had the 200 CID six, bench seats, AM radio, no power anything, no A/C, nothing. It was a metallic "poop" brown with light brown interior (vinyl, of course) but not bad looking for the era. Was a good car, too, and remember spending several summer road trips in the back seat sweating my ass off while dad went on about the "4-60" air conditioning.

Chris
 

PlaneCrazy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 3, 2000
Location
Province of Quebec, Canada
TDI
Gone...
I've owned, and continue to own quite a few manuals. I think the one I had the hardest time to find was my 2007 Passat wagon. When I bought my current Golf TSI I told th salesman that I wanted a base 5-door. He said, some distance into the discussion when he started looking online for available colours, "I presume automatic". I responded "you presume wrong, that isn't a base model. I don't buy automatics and when I have to drive one, it's with the greatest reluctance".

I guess he figured a 57 y.o. guy had outlived his manual kick. Ageism. I actually find an automatic takes the most concentration to drive in traffic. It doesn't behave the way I'm used to!
 

Lug_Nut

TDIClub Enthusiast, Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 20, 1998
Location
Sterling, Massachusetts. USA
TDI
idi: 1988 Bolens DGT1700H, the other oil burner: 1967 Saab Sonett II two stroke
one of one:
1979 Chevy Nova, two door, 301 V8, 5 speed. black on black
Was my ex-brother in law's.
He had special ordered it with a 5 speed. Chevy wouldn't build a 350 5 speed, and the 5 speed wasn't available when connected to the Chevy 305 in the Nova. Maybe the combination was not EPA certified? Whatever, it came with the Pontiac 301 and the 5 speed.
Sweet ride the one and only time I got to drive it.

one of a few dozen:
1968 Saab 96, "Shrike" engined,
My dad's last Saab
The last of the 2 strokes brought in the states. Emissions limits had stopped the importation of the 2 strokes from end of 1967, but the smaller bore 'Shrike' version was under the cc limit and was exempt, at least until the end of 1968 when it, too, was banned.

one of 28
1966 Saab 97 Sonett II
not mine, but I did get to drive it with a very nervous owner in the other seat.
all revs, no torque, totally different from..

two of 639
my pair of 1969 Saab 97 Sonett V4
gobs of torque, and the redline of 5500 compared to the stroker's near 9000 saves the eardrums. Much easier to drive in town.

rare PAPER manuals:
I have the owner's manual for the 1969 Sonett V4 and full factory manuals for the Saab 95 (wagon) and 96 (sedan) and the factory supplement covering both versions of the 97 (Sonetts).
 
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IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
One of my dad's closest friends had three two-stroke Saabs when I was a kid, a 96 sedan, a 96 wagon (family car) and a Sonnet II. I remember him taking me for a ride in the Sonnet II. I was only 10 or 11 but it was a blast. I still would like one of those, or a Monte Carlo 850 96. Girl who drove me to school had one of those.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
My dad had a saab 96 two stroke sedan. In fact he taught me to drive in it on the rural dirt roads we lived on. I thought it was funky and beautiful, with amazing personality- if not overwhelming power. What a glorious racket it made at full throttle. Would love to still have that car.
 

Auslndr

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
Location
Florissant, CO
TDI
2012 Golf TDI, 2009 Golf Variant TDI
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP

In September, I snagged a 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP with the 6-speed manual. The G8 is a rebadged Holden Commodore and was only imported for model years 2008-2009. The GXP, only available for model year 2009 (GM then shut down Pontiac), added the 6.2L LS3 V8, the manual transmission (optional), bigger brakes, and tuned suspension.

Of the 1829 G8 GXPs sold, only 846 were manual transmission. The one I snagged is one of 21 sold in Sport Red Metallic with the manual transmission and no sunroof (source: http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19580)



 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
You realize that your numbers indicate that 46% of the G8s were manuals. That's a pretty high percentage.

The Chevy SS is still available with a manual. Nice car, if you like that kind of thing.
 

bignivanut

Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2007
Location
Wroxeter ON
TDI
2004 Jetta sedan
I'll answer both potential questions

rarest stickshift/manual car 1976 Pontiac Ventura 4door sedan 260 olds V8 with a 5spd borg/warner 5spd, bought it of the original owner who ordered it and they made him order the bucket seats....... cool car to drive to trade school getting over 25mpg! got wrecked but I saved the trans/bell

rarest manual: hard cover Lada Niva service manual, translated from Russian into English(ish) , 1980 copyright, production of the vehicle started in 1977 in Russia.
it is almost impossible to read but the pictures are nice LOL
for the Americans. niva was a 4cyl compact fulltime 4wd SUV , actually still available in Russia in almost same production as its original form.
 

larrydk

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2015
Location
Brookfield
TDI
Sportwagen
Friend I college had a 1983 Chrysler K car convertible with 3 speed manual...it was a huge POS
 

leicaman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2004
Location
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2005 TDI GLS, RIP
What is no doubt rare now was my first car. A new 1981 Plymouth K-car. PL21 model. 2 door. Had a blank out plate where the radio went. Four speed manual. The next year or so I believe they went to a 5 speed manual. It had what I call vacuum torque. Got 39mpg however.... ;) First of the 2.2 liter engine. When we first got it, Mopar used a bigger filter, much like the other chrysler motors. Then they had some upgrade and a new spin on gizmo was installed and the smaller sized oil filter was installed. My 81 was an early car.
 
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nayr

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Location
Colorado
TDI
2014 Audi Q7
my first vehicle was a 1981 VW Rabit "Sportruck" Pickup..

yeah it was either a Spor Truck or a Sport Ruck, but it was not a Sport Truck.

tought my self to drive manual in it, took an hour and a half to find reverse and then 20mins more to master the standard transmission.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
my first vehicle was a 1981 VW Rabit "Sportruck" Pickup..

yeah it was either a Spor Truck or a Sport Ruck, but it was not a Sport Truck.

tought my self to drive manual in it, took an hour and a half to find reverse and then 20mins more to master the standard transmission.

Those were common. The RARE ones were automatics. ;) And yes, they sold a few. I have only ever seen one in person, though.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Those were common. The RARE ones were automatics. ;) And yes, they sold a few. I have only ever seen one in person, though.
That must have been lovely. My daughter briefly had a MK2 2.slow with a 3-speed auto. Boy did that thing rev on the highway.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
The A2 got a 1.8L, not a 2.0L, unless it was the very late GTI/GLI which got a DOHC 2.0L engine.

There were three different 1.8L gasoline engines in the A2. The CIS GX engine '85 through '87, the Digifant (Motronic) RV engine '88 through '92, the higher output SOHC GTI/GLI engine, and the 16v GTI/GLI engine. But regardless of which engine, they would have only gotten bolted to the 010 3sp automatic, which had no lockup, a really low final drive ratio, and very closely spaced gears. While it was a reasonably reliable transmission, it was awful for performance and fuel economy. My wife's first car was an '88 2dr Golf base that was an automatic. It got about 23 MPG, which is pathetic for a car as small as a 2nd gen Golf. The manuals with the same engine could get over 30, even 35+ if you were not going too fast.

The RV engine was only 100hp too, so it was no rocket sled... but even that was nearly TWICE what the diesels had in the same car, so.... :p
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
oilhammer, you're right, it was a 1.8. My daughter is one of the least fuel efficient drivers I've ever met. She managed to go through a set of front brake pads in her A3 (also auto, that one was a 2.slow) in 8K miles. I think she's a bit better than that now, but not a lot.
 

Wilkins

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2005
Location
British Columbia
TDI
05 Jetta Wagon 5sp, 10 Sportwagen 6MT
I had a 90 A2 with RV engine and close ratio 5 speed. Originally over 3000 rpm at highway speed if I recall right. Switched the 5th gear for one out of a TD which dropped the revs to around 2600. Big drop going into 5th, but comfortable relaxed cruising at up to 75 mph and pretty good fuel economy. Sold 10 years ago but I saw it last spring, still looked good.
 

ezshift5

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2003
Location
West Coast
TDI
2013 JSW TDI (Enroute BB).......2017 Jetta 1.4 turbo 5M ....................
Those were common. The RARE ones were automatics. ;) And yes, they sold a few. I have only ever seen one in person, though.
IIRC, Sport Trucks had additional instrumentation (oil pressure, ammeter, perhaps a tach).

.....and at one time a 2000 Toyota Camry 3.0 V-6 5M coupe was mine. Got great freeway mpg (but acceleration was dog**** when compared with the Accord V-6 6M replacement.

ez sends
 

2015vwgolfdiesel

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 1, 2016
Location
Oklahoma
TDI
2015 VW Golf S DSG Silver
1965 Chevy 4 door ~`~`~` Two I think
1966 Chevy Super Sport
1973 Ford PU 150
1978 3/4 Ton Chevy Beouville (sp) Van
1981 Honda Civic
1981 Honda Accord
1982 Honda Accord
1983 Honda Accord

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May still have 2003 VW Golf GSL
May still have 2001 Toyota Camry LE
May still have 1981 4 door Chevy

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Maybe 3-4 more too tied to think straight
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
1965 Chevy 4 door ~`~`~` Two I think
1966 Chevy Super Sport
1973 Ford PU 150
1978 3/4 Ton Chevy Beouville (sp) Van
1981 Honda Civic
1981 Honda Accord
1982 Honda Accord
1983 Honda Accord
--------------
May still have 2003 VW Golf GSL
May still have 2001 Toyota Camry LE
May still have 1981 4 door Chevy
--------------------------
Maybe 3-4 more too tied to think straight
Most of those are not exactly rare. In fact I would venture to say early '80s Hondas were manuals more than not. The '78 G-van on your list would be pretty rare with three pedals.
 
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