5 speeders...

[Paule]

... I need you to sell me on it.

I'm days away from finally putting money down on a L300 and I really want a standard transmission. Only problem is, I've never driven one. I'm aware of all the mechanical differences between the auto and stick and my heart still wants one, but my brain is doing it's usual 'question the unknown' thing. Having driven standard all my life I'm willing to bet that I'll have no problem in one, but I would like to hear from other 5 speeders.

Is it awkward with the cab-over design?
Too painful in the city?
Repair/maintenance costs?
Anything else?

I love the feel and control of a standard tranny, but I need the goods and bads from those who drive them.

Many thanks,

Paul

[Firesong]

Hi
I have a 5speed.
If I were you, and I were to do it again.. I would
go automatic. The top end speed is greater in the automatic
and highway speeds don't rev the motor as much.

I wouldn't change mine now that I have it running like I want
but...
L300 5 speed White and Black

Firesong

[thedjjack]

Like mine...Lower top gear ratio then the Automatics limits topend.

Easy to switch over to (grew up shifting for my dad so it was natural to shift with my left hand).

Shifts slower due to the cables connecting it. Light clutch so the city is not bad.

Few advantages:

Holding on hills
Way less heat (automatics make lots of heat)
Roll start when the started won't work
More power to the wheels

Personally I like the 5 speed (edited)

[Mr. Flibble]

After much research, my L400 will be automatic. Truth be told I love driving standard, I miss heel-toe in an automatic. As well as speed-shifting and the ability to bump start.

Having said all that, I went with an Auto because of the top end highway speeds on the Delicas. For some reason, the gearing in the standard is too low - so you miss out on a great deal of top-end speed. If you never drive on the highway, then this won't be a problem. However, if you do, it will be...

[jessef]

With the L300, I preferred the 5spd.

Side by side, it has more grunt/acceleration off the line as an L300 auto.

It's fun to drive and keeps you alert. Auto tends to get the lazy side kicking in. Press on foot to go. Press on foot to stop.

The one vice I had with 5spd's is the gearing. This can work for you or against you.

If you lift the L300 2" inches and put on 31" tires, then the 5spd feels right at home in the city and on the highway up to 120 km/hr.

If you do not lift the L300 and keep the 28-29" tires, then the 5spd feels overrev'd a lot on the highway. It doesn't feel comfortable past 90 km/hr. In the city it's very tiring. The shift points are horrible. 1st gear goes to 5 km/hr and you have to shift off to 2nd and 3rd quickly. It's not comfortable downtown or in stop and go traffic.

The auto feels comfortable at all speeds in the city/on the highway.

Very different driving styles.

[Rising Sun Auto Import]

PM sent.

[thedjjack]

I should mention I am running 31" tires

[almac]

i like my 5 spd. but then again, i'm biased towards anything standard. especially for off roading.
i feel that manuals have better control off roading, and in the snow. but that's just my opinion.
highway travel is ok. i have a 2" lift and 31" tires and i find that i drive at around 110kph @ 3000rpm. the engine runs pretty cool, considering...
it is pretty slow on steep hills, like the coquihalla tunnel hill. but then again, i have the added weight of a full size roof rack, steel tire carrier, and camper modules in the back.

as for mainenance? take care of your 5spd or it will cost you dearly(like all vehicles, i guess... ) . trust me on this. i had to replace my 5spd after owning my L300 for only a few months. it was not a cheap or pleasant experience.
i wish my tranny had an external gear oil filter, like the engine block has.
i'm actually considering the installation of a trans temp gauge, just to be on the safe side. (call me paranoid )

on the plus side. it drives great in town and am pleased with it, especially after my new shocks.

[Adrock]

The top speed is the only reason to consider an automatic in my opinion.

Nowhere near as weird a clutch as my friends surf, and it felt like driving an automatic after driving my friends WRX, that honestly got tiring when you weren't trying to have fun.

I find the automatic feels kind of like a spaceship, while the 5 speed feels more like a truck.


Come on David don't like the auto more, at least not publicly, that just hurts my fragile delicaless heart.

[thedjjack]

Come on David don't like the auto more, at least not publicly, that just hurts my fragile delicaless heart.

I cannot I wrote I like the auto more!!

I have an ear infection and really meant to write 5-speed!!

I am in shock I wrote that....5-Speed all the way!

[Paule]

Thanks for the info everyone, keep it coming...

If this adds fuel to the fire:
Most of my driving will be in the city, with a couple of off-road trips a year to the Kamloops area. I'm not really against driving slow(ish) on the highway - the last few years I've done all my fishing trips in a 84 turboless LandCruiser (you wanna talk about slow, try under 30k up the Coq!). Unfortunately I won't be able to give it a lift or too much larger tires as I'm in a condo with a 6'10" height restriction.

as for mainenance? take care of your 5spd or it will cost you dearly(like all vehicles, i guess... ) . trust me on this. i had to replace my 5spd after owning my L300 for only a few months. it was not a cheap or pleasant experience.

Now I'm curious about that....

Shifts slower due to the cables connecting it.

That's not something I was expecting. I presume this will require (regular) maintenance to keep the cables properly tensioned...?

I recall seeing that there was a way to change the gearing somehow. Whether it was in the transmission or the diff... can't find it. Any thoughts on that? - Not that it would be something I would jump to do, or be able to pay for...
Can anyone give me an idea what a clutch replacement might cost?


SKDelica; PM not received (yet?). But I bet it's about the 5 speed you've got coming in soon...


Cheers,

Paul


Edited because I've got so many questions!

[Adrock]

consider yourself convinced and thank us when you drive your new 5 speed.

I had a ton of fun with the 5 speed. The grunt it has in 2nd when you make a right turn.... those rainy days sure were fun. I went down to coachella in a 5 speed, doing about 90kmh the whole way, a bit more because we were on 31s, I calculated it should be around 100 and gps said around 98. It took longer than other times, but it was more comfortable so it balanced out. Trips to kelowna might be 20 minutes longer, so what.

[Super Low]

I`d go with a 5spd had one on my 93 exceed but with the 95 as an auto (wasn`t able to find a 5spd at the time) makes me miss the peppyness of it the manual. The auto feels really slow in the city and the highway. Also the manual was better suited for off roading, the auto is alright but it`s just not the same.

[jessef]

search for 'turtle'.

If I had my way, I would buy him back in a second.

5spd.

If you have a 1% inclination to drive a 5spd L300, buy one.

You will regret the auto.

I would not buy an auto L300 after driving a 5spd.

Offroad, the 5spd is much better. Rocking back and forth, slipping, etc... cannot be done on the auto.

Onroad, the 5spd has more torque and grunt when you floor it in gears 1-3.

Manual or auto transmission maintenance/problems are all the same. They're old vehicles and you can buy a lemon or a cherry one. That's just the way it is.

Turtle was the best L300 I've owned & driven. Dare I say it, almost as peppy as my current L400.

[FalcoColumbarius]

I come from the manual stick shift world and learned to drive in the UK so have no issues whatsoever with shifting with my left hand. As a matter of fact I think I prefer shifting with my left hand. Having said that ~ and having driven a manual five speed petrol Delica roadster ~ I think the automatic tranny is better suited for my interests. Usually the forests that I go are not next to Vancouver and often require hours of highway driving to get to. At 105 KPH in my automatic my tach reads 2,600RPM. In a manual it would read more like 3,000. That's a lot more diesel. The fact that I am not continuously clutching with my left foot means that I can steady my body with it whilst the other three limbs are busy negotiating a steep de-activated road. I still gear down ~ it saves on brake pads and doesn't boil bubbles into the brake fluid. In fact I shift a lot ~ just don't have to clutch.

Falco.