fatspider

I feel it's pretty disgusting the way Australian car buyers are attracted to autos, the ability to drive a manual car is gradually slipping away. In Europe manuals occupy probably around 90% of the car population, but here it is the reverse, trying to sell a manual car on the second hand market is incredibly hard. I am in my late sixties and have several cars in my fleet but not one auto and there is no likelihood that one will ever grace my garage.

Mike your facts and figures sound near identical to ours and we can identify with your comments perfectly but unfortunately I have too many cars and the least user friendly one just had to go and I miss the 86 immensely, the gearshift and ratios in that car were near perfection.

sounds like a plan, Patonga pub a top spot, unfortunately last visit to Killcare was 2 weeks ago when I picked up the RS so might not be back up for a couple of months but I will save it to the memory bank. cheers

Well Geoff we may have more in common than old age and infirm bodies, we actually have kids and grandchildren living at Killcare on the Central Coast and the highlights of my year as well as the visits to see the family is the drive up the coast to Sydney then the Old Pacific hwy to near Gosford which just has to be done in a vehicle that has a soul. You never know we may cross paths at some stage. Incidentally the RS rides marginally better than the 86. cheers Dave

Hi everybody just purchased a new pearl white 275 trophy but probably for different reasons than everyone within this forum, as a mature age enthusiast it was time that our loved 86 GTS manual got moved on as entry and exit had become impossible with old age. Love the new car but both cars have their strong points and I am sure I will become more attached as the miles roll on. Purchased the car in Sydney and the drive home to East Gippsland, Victoria has already incurred 3 demerit points and the accompanying fine, should have known better. The reason for the purchase was for the ease of entry but into something that was still exciting to drive as I live amoungst some of the best roads in Aus