Preparing to Buy an MT Car

At the beginning of last month, I decided, “I will buy a manual transmission (MT) car myself within this year.” And just two weeks later, I never imagined I’d be writing an article titled, “Wow, a BMW 320i (MT) is coming home!”

なななんと、BMW 320i（MT）がわが家にやってくる！

Of course, my original plan wasn’t to buy so soon. I was thinking, “If I buy, it’ll be around summer. Realistically, I’ll replace the Golf when its inspection comes up in August,” so I intended to take my time looking until then.

But life is full of surprises—I really felt that! lol

From VW to BMW

The other day, when I went to the Volkswagen dealer to get an appraisal on my Golf 7, I casually asked, “Do you have any MT cars available now?” The answer was, “The only MT car available here right now is the up! GTI.”

Image source: WebCG Volkswagen up! GTI (FF/6MT) [Overseas Test Drive]

I see… The up! might be nice, but it’s a bit too compact. Considering I’m replacing the Golf, I told them I wanted at least something about the size of the Golf. That was the end of the conversation, and I left the dealer much sooner than I expected.

On the way home, I said, “I thought I’d get to test drive something since I went all the way there, but nothing happened. I’m not sure if they really want to sell or not…”

So, while we’re at it, why don’t we check out that used BMW 320i (MT) I found online before? The dealer is pretty close from here anyway.

We called right away and confirmed the 320i was still available, so we decided to go see it casually.

BMW’s MT Cars

The BMW used car dealership we arrived at was a large store with about 100 cars on display at all times. After being guided inside and filling out a questionnaire, a seasoned and steady salesman asked me this question right away:

So, you’re here for an MT car today, right? Just to confirm, you want a manual, not an automatic?

My husband replied, “Yes, we’re looking for an MT, so that’s correct.” The salesman then continued,

Understood. I hate to ask, but your husband says MT is fine—are you really okay with an MT car?

I answered, “I personally want an MT car, so yes, I’m fine with it.”

Wow (ﾟдﾟ)!! I’ve been in sales for a while, but this is a pretty rare case!

No kidding.

I explained, “I wasn’t interested in cars at first, but my husband encouraged me to get my license upgraded, and three years later, I’m still frustrated I can’t drive an MT, so I want to buy one myself and learn to drive it.”

Well, your husband really brainwashed you well, huh? (laughs)

That’s right. When I think about it, I was completely brainwashed by my husband (-_-) lol.

After that, the salesman told us a lot about BMW’s MT cars. Apparently, well-maintained MT cars from BMW (and not just BMW) are rare nationwide. We had trouble finding a BMW 3 Series MT online as well.

This dealership is large and carries relatively rare cars like MT cars, left-hand drive, and higher displacement models, so customers come from all over Japan. Naturally, well-maintained cars sell quickly. But once you own an MT car, although the value drops, the demand never disappears, so prices tend to bottom out at a certain level.

This didn’t sound like sales talk—I really believed it.

Meanwhile, in Germany, 40% of people still choose MT even for the 7 Series. Germany is amazing. That makes me realize how little demand there really is for MT in Japan…

Meeting the BMW 320i

After the talk, we got to see the actual car.

The car we went to see was

a 2014 BMW 320i (MT), Glacier Silver body color, certified used car, FR, 42,000 km, with minor scratches but no accident history or modifications, and a 4.5 rating on Car Sensor.

Seeing it in person, it looked cooler than I expected.

Though it’s a 2014 model, it didn’t look old and still felt fresh. My first impression was quite good. But you never know until you actually drive it.

I sat in the driver’s seat and cautiously pressed the clutch…

The clutch is light (ﾟдﾟ)!

Not light in a bad way like sloppy, but pleasantly light. For me, the only comparison is the Boxster’s clutch, and compared to that, this clutch was very light, shallow, and easy to press. The shift lever also shifted smoothly and felt good in my hand.

This looks like it’ll be really easy to operate the MT!

For someone like me who long thought, “There’s no way I can drive an MT car,” this was a completely new feeling. When I sat in this 320i, I could for the first time vividly imagine myself smoothly driving an MT car, and I got so excited I couldn’t stop. (If I can’t do it with this, there’s no hope.)

Excited, I shouted to my husband outside,

The clutch is super light and shallow, and the shift lever is so easy to use! I really feel like I can drive this!

After that, my husband sat in the driver’s seat and started the engine, while I kept asking the salesman silly questions…

Me: Does it have auto-hold for hill starts?
Salesman: No, this has a handbrake, so it generally doesn’t have that function. Most MT cars don’t.

Me: If you stall, you have to restart the engine, right? The Boxster automatically starts the engine when you press the clutch, but this doesn’t have that, right?
Salesman: That’s right, it doesn’t.

Me: When it’s delivered, I have to pick it up and drive it home myself, right? That might be a bit too much for me…
Salesman: If that’s the case, I can deliver it to your home, so no worries!

Asking so many questions at this stage made me start to feel a bit embarrassed, so I stopped. Then my husband asked the important questions:

Does the tire tread still have life? Which scratches are the minor ones? Can I open the hood and take a look? What size are the wheels? This isn’t a modernized model, right? It’s completely stock?

He asked all the right things, while I was stuck asking trivial stuff. I need to reflect on that…

Ordering the BMW 320i!

Afterwards, we went back inside and had them calculate options and the estimate. The car’s inspection had already expired, so including inspection costs, the final price was about 2.5 million yen.

Since I’m used to seeing quotes for the GT3 Touring and Panamera Turbo, I thought, “Wow, this is a great deal for less than Porsche options!” for a moment, but then I reminded myself, “Calm down, Mina, you’re buying this yourself… (-_-)” and realized it’s not exactly cheap.

Still, I really liked it, and good-condition MT cars are rare, so I nervously asked my husband,

What should I do? I really want this, but I’ve only seen one car… Is it okay to decide on my first car so easily?

He said,

Whether you buy or not is up to you. When buying a car, it’s not about logic, it’s about whether it feels right. If it feels right, buy it. If not, don’t.

In that sense, it definitely felt right… but just a few hours ago, I had no intention of buying, so I wondered, “Am I just being swept up by the veteran salesman’s talk?” and struggled for about five minutes.

I decided! I’ll buy it!

…And that’s what I said. Looking at the clock, only two hours had passed since we arrived at the dealer. How’s that for a quick decision?

The process moved so fast I barely had time to doubt, and I paid a 10,000 yen deposit (which was all I had in my wallet), completing the order.

Delivery is scheduled for mid-May.

Until the Day I Master Driving an MT Porsche

On the way home, my husband said,

By the way, when the F30 first came out, a friend had a 2014 BMW 320i (M Sport) and let me drive it. It was amazing. Even with 19-inch wheels, it handled well, rode smoothly, and felt so premium I thought, “Is this a 5 Series?” This car has 17-inch wheels and a lighter suspension, so I think it’ll be fun to drive. …But seriously, can you really drive it? lol

The BMW will replace the current Golf, so there’s no turning back now. I just have to face it head-on and master this 320i.

That said, it still doesn’t feel real, and I’m sure I’ll make tons of mistakes every day after delivery… But aiming to be a “cool woman confidently driving an MT Porsche,” I’ll do my best. I hope readers will warmly support me.

…Oh, I should buy a beginner’s mark lol