I need some advice, buying auto or waiting for manual Options

[obi1kinob]

I found a celica with a decent price, its about a 5-6 hour drive from where I live but its automatic. I'm going to do the 3sgte swap but I want it to be manual. I've searched and read other people's auto to manual conversions and some wish that they had started out as manual instead. Others who did the swap and convert at the same time, really didn't even mention anything about it.

I had a hard time finding any figures for the cost of the conversion, if done with the swap at the same time. Although most who have done the conversion alone have said around 700-1100 if I remember correctly. One person said 1000 for tranny 1000 for labor. I hope it wouldn't cost me that much.

I'll eventually be putting in a short shifter and some fancy pedals anyway. I had an order in my thingstodo list, interior mods came after engine. But I guess if I have to get pedals and a shifter and stuff I might as well do it now. What would you all suggest I do? Get this or wait?

[orvillescelica]

If you want a vert, you might not have a choice to wait for a manual. Out of all the verts on this site, i think only about 2 or 3 are factory manual?

Verts are sexy, fun! fun! fun!, and often times very very useful in hauling big stuff (other vert owners can attest to this i am sure), but sometimes i think finding a 6gc vert in a 5-speed are rarer than finding a gt-4. I myself did the auto to manual swap.

My advice if you want a vert, look for one... good price, good condition (make sur eyou check the seals between the top and the windows, esp the back window.) Then suffer with an auto for awhile until you can save mroe moeny to do the swap, if you are going 3s, then save a bit more money and do both at the same time. Then youll save on labor if you are having a shop do it.