BMW, you are dead to me. DEAD! I say...

The next M3 will have no manual transmission option? (sniff...)

A turbo I could deal with... but no manual? Sad, sad day...

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120807/CARNEWS/120809892

Yep.... BMW has "jumped the shark", as they say.

It doesn't matter to me anyway, as I would never be able to afford one to begin with. Besides, the older ones are cooler anyway.

BMW already went through this with the M5. They didn't offer a manual at first. People went apeE36 M3 so they offered a manual...any nobody bought one.

I think Lamborghini and Ferrari have already phased out traditional manuals. You can only get robo-manuals from them now.

Having had an E46 SMG, I can say it is a thousand percent the right choice. And the newer DSGs are even better. Kill the stick, drive the car.

Unlike Lugnut I don't like the older SMG, but the DSG in the current M3 is pretty awesome. I wonder what ratio of manuals to dsg's is right now?

Can't afford one; couldn't care less.

E36 M3ty Motherberkeleyin Gearbox...no thank you.

That old SMG was trash. I can't believe ANYBODY test drove that car and said "Yah, this is much better than a stick or automatic." Who wouldn't like a auto "stick" that shifts like a 15 year old taking his permit test? I'll take a CVT e46 M3 over that old crap.

I have heard that the latest generation is a vast improvement, not too high of a bar to reach. Why was VW able to make a great DSG and put it into a $20K car?

nderwater wrote: Unlike Lugnut I don't like the older SMG, but the DSG in the current M3 is pretty awesome. I wonder what ratio of manuals to dsg's is right now?

I would imagine it's heavily towards the DSG, but I don't care. Nor do I care if the DSG is faster on the track.

Otto Maddox wrote: BMW already went through this with the M5. They didn't offer a manual at first. People went apeE36 M3 so they offered a manual...any nobody bought one.

Much as I would truly love to share the outrage that they are dropping the third pedal, Otto's got it right on the money.

For 85% of us here on this board, an M5 or M3 Touring with a 3-pedal manual is our ideal car, for which we would pledge our left huevo.

0.00085% of us will actually buy one.

Honestly this is just going to be something else that is going to add cost to the car and make repairs a PITA and even more expensive

I know... the folks who want the manual (us!) are dirt-poor schleps who drive around in ratty E30's... the folks who can actually afford a new M3 want fancy gadgets and transmissions with more computing power than some 3rd world countries...

I'll stop driving a manual when they pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

At least I say that now. If I were to find one that was better at an autocross, I might change my mind, but that hasn't happened yet.

The closest I plan to be to an automatic in autocross would be a F500/F-Mod.

Ian - I know someone selling an FMod in Michigan

jstein - I understand C4 autos are faster than C4 manuals.

So my issue with them is because I am a cheapo buy them depreciated bastard and paying the repair costs on the whiz bang fancy transmissions sucks

I have to say that I welcome the inevitable move toward DSG gearboxes as the "sporty manual" option for cars with more than 2 seats (i.e. not toys). Rowing gears is fun under certain conditions (nice roads, light traffic, track/autoX), but I have no desire to do it in traffic... which just seems to get worse every year (I live in a major metro area). Right now the selection of DSG cars that (a) I want, (b) I can afford, and (c) have enough utility to be daily drivers is pretty small. I mean, what is out there besides the Lancer Evolution, VW GTI, and non-ST Focus/Fiesta that is under $35k?

My solution -- keep the manual option in raw sports cars like the Lotus Elise and put DSGs in everything else.

this issue doesn't have me burning roundels in effigy. the simulated engine noises through the audio system does though.

In reply to Caleb: Exactly. Can you imagine in 10 or 15 years when these things need to be rebuilt??!! Geeez why do the Germans always want to make things so crazy complex??

I love how the SST/DSG/SMG transmissions drive, BUT I hate that my GTI's DSG E36 M3 the bed twice and led to the car going back to its home at VW. That experience soured me on the thought of buying any of the dual clutch automated manuals.

I want to love the DSG (and brethren) so much, but I dont trust them even more. The lack of a true manual would prevent me from buying the BMW whether new or used.

I would love a well executed 7 speed sequential manual with paddle shifters and auto clutch in my race car. Shifting is time lost.

Yeah only thing I might like a robo-manual on is a dedicated track car. And even then, they get really hot for reasons that I don't understand (wet clutch maybe?), there's a big aftermarket for add-on Evo 10 trans coolers...

Unless I move to an area that is congested with traffic, I have no use for an automated gearbox.

I'm not an F1 driver....I don't care about shaving .0001 a second at an HPDE. I want as much communication with my machine as possible. I have no desire to own a Ferrari without a gated shifter. I have no desire for any sporting car without a clutch pedal.

Of course I also listen to vinyl more than MP3s....so YMMV

GET OFF MY LAWN!

With the 6 speed gearbox being on the "negative" side of the list for what I like and don't like on the car I just bought, I understand why the trend is going this way.

No arguing that more gears ARE better. Just not if the driver has to be the one endlessly rowing on the lever and deciding if fourth or fifth is where the lever should be for a given moment.

As much as I am a devotee of manual gearboxes, give me 5 gears and some torque.

VW Golf R only comes with a proper manual trans. New 911 comes with a 7 speed manual trans.

On another completely different tangent, notice that no one is making a wagon anymore? Or at least isn't importing them to the USA?