Most engaging flappy paddle/DSG/dual clutch gearboxes that last 150k miles

Or more and aren't attached to a maintenance hog or nightmare fuel vehicle with regards to reliability. 

I've pushed in my last clutch for at least the next 6 months and with all three major joints of my left leg either being bionic or having had a full replacement (or pending replacement before the end of the month) it's time to accept the fact that I'll likely never row my own gears again. 

I'll be Prius and Sienna shopping (along with, more importantly looking at ranchers) but eventually, I hope to be in the market for something engaging that allows me to select my own cog, even if clutchless. 

PDK 

In reply to yupididit :

I do low key await the bottom of the depreciation curve on 4 cylinder 981 Caymans 

Aren't there only 4 total? 

Vw/audio DSG

Porsche PDK

The BMW unit offered sparingly in mostly M cars 

And Hyundai/Kia's offering

Curious how well the latest Kia version compares to the Germans. I think the early ones weren't all that great. 

Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to yupididit :

I do low key await the bottom of the depreciation curve on 4 cylinder 981 Caymans 

We may be there already.  40k for base 718s with under 100k miles is pretty juicy.  Their floor won't be much if any less than the older flat 6s just because of performance.

Depends on how quickly they phase out the ICE Boxster/cayman and how many more price increases they do.

Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to yupididit :

I do low key await the bottom of the depreciation curve on 4 cylinder 981 Caymans 

There were no four cylinder 981 Caymans, those didn't come in until the 718. But I think the bottom may have already passed, I sold my 981 for 10% more than I paid and it would be worth 10% more than that now. 

In reply to sevenracer :

Ford had one, but it wasn't reliable or trouble free at all.

In reply to Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) :

I guess they have a new one now in a Mustang. Plus the new Corvette has one right?

And I guess I neglected to include the Italian varieties. 

The VW 6- and 7-speed in the  mk 7/7.5 GTI, as well as the Audi 7 speed in the previous gen (B8/B8.5) S4/S5 are both excellent.  

B9 Audi S series cars with the ZF 8 are quite responsive when in flappy paddle mode and you can find many more cars with the same transmission and great transmission tuning, I.e the GR Supra.

In reply to trumant :

I came here to say that the ZF 8H is an insanely fast auto transmission. My wife's 3 series wagon will shift as quick and violently in sport+ mode as my M4 used to with the DCT. 
There are a ton of different cars that use that ZF. 

Some Hondas have a twin clutch transmission as well.  With a torque converter, so the clutches don't have to try to sleaze the car from a stop.

This is also the company whose automatics for many years were basically automated manuals with a torque converter, so this is an obvious progression.

VWAG twin clutch transmissions are pretty reliable, to be honest.  I have only had to deal with two repairs on them, and one was caused by physical damage.  (Mechatronic replacement in an Eos, and whole trans replacement in a Jetta after something sawed through the case)  The rest of the time they just work, or at least outlast the TFSI engine usually attached to them

If you're looking for DCT only, most all been mentioned except the Alfa 4C and the Nissan GTR. Oh and the NSX. 
 

If your open to an auto with a torque converter, I have heard great things about the aforementioned ZF trans. I believe BMW put it in the new M2 it's so fast.

To my knowledge, the most pedestrian cars with a DCT are the VWs and Hyundai/Kias.

I have a Passat with the DQ250 dsg (if I remember right), and despite the need for a few solenoids, it's very solid and reliable. The chassis has 192k on it. 

AMS DL800 in the Lambo and the R8. I will accept no substitutes, its more fun the the PDK in the 911 Turbo's. Helps that you have a v10 behind it. 

With proper (meaning sometimes expensive) maintenance,  BMW SMG is an option. My m5 has it. Not a huge fan but it's better than Ferrari's F1 box of the day

To me even the best autos don't feel as connected as a dct.  Most dcts do suffer from some low speed shuttering/snaching.  They do tend to be reliable other than fluid leaks though, apart from the previously mentioned Ford power shift.

The DCT's in my Audi and 911 have no shuttering problem. Fantastic transmission. Had problem with my left knee so I sold my s2000 and bought 911 specifically for the PDK. 

No complaints about the DQ250 DSG in my Passat. Just keep up on the filter and fluid changes every 40k and you'll be fine. 
 

It's not the most engaging transmission in my experience, but that's probably mosrly because it's a TDI lol

Just purchased a Hyundai N car. Only 300 miles on it so far so I have nothing of any substance to add but I am getting more use to it and really liking it after driving manuals for 35 years.

I really like the Honda DCT (with torque converter) in our Acura TLX. So far, so good with respect to reliability, but it is only 25k miles old.

sevenracer said:

Aren't there only 4 total? 

Vw/audio DSG

Porsche PDK

The BMW unit offered sparingly in mostly M cars 

And Hyundai/Kia's offering

 

Curious how well the latest Kia version compares to the Germans. I think the early ones weren't all that great. 

Hyundai/Kia have 2 different variants.  The one found in N cars seems to be pretty good.  The one found in other stuff does not.

The cheapest Porsche with a PDK is going to be a 2009-2011 987.2 base Boxster or Cayman. They are ~$30k at the moment. Make sure it has Sport mode though. The standard mode is pretty sedate. 

VW DSG in a MK7 GTI. The PCV system is bad and the turbo doesn't like pushing enough air for 330 horsepower all the time. Apart from that they're excellent high-milers.

Feedyurhed said:

Just purchased a Hyundai N car. Only 300 miles on it so far so I have nothing of any substance to add but I am getting more use to it and really liking it after driving manuals for 35 years.

Same here, except we're just over 2k miles in our Elantra N. The DCT is phenomenal.