I recently assisted a friend with a vehicle purchase. I test drove a standard transmission vehicle for him, as he cannot drive a stick. Neither could the sales rep at the dealership. My friend over 30 yrs and sales rep well under 30. I'm older than both and learned at a time when most smaller cars only came in a manual transmission. Seems like many drivers who learned in the 90's, when automatic vehicles were in abundance, never had the need to learn a stick. Have others noticed this too? Given a choice, would you drive manual over automatic? Is driving a stick becoming a lost skill? Interested in your viewpoints and experiences. Cheers!
Cars: Automatic vs Manual Transmission
- Thread starter Rolo Tomasi
- Start date
The car I drive is a slug with an automatic, but with the 5-speed, it really zips.
I find that an auto-box makes me a lazier and less attentive driver.
I find that an auto-box makes me a lazier and less attentive driver.
I have owned 5 cars, 4 of them manuals.
I think about half my buddies can drive a standard, enough to get home.
Some cant at all.
I am the only one I know of that owns one. I dont think I currently know any females that drive a standard.
Passengers will mention it looks like a lot of work, and confusing.
More and more sportscars are coming out with autos that are faster than the sticks.
Kinda boring I think, whats the point of taking an auto to the dragstrip?
I think about half my buddies can drive a standard, enough to get home.
Some cant at all.
I am the only one I know of that owns one. I dont think I currently know any females that drive a standard.
Passengers will mention it looks like a lot of work, and confusing.
More and more sportscars are coming out with autos that are faster than the sticks.
Kinda boring I think, whats the point of taking an auto to the dragstrip?
Standard
is the only way this gal drives... As I am a gal that loves to play with the Stick... I have always dressed up the knob as well... Pretty knob is easier to play with the stick and change gears...I agree with Old Fart that an automatic puts me asleep ... So behind the wheel, you will find a stick in her hand, happily playing with the pretty knob... :thumb:
Carly
I also learnt on a stick shift...
is the only way this gal drives... As I am a gal that loves to play with the Stick... I have always dressed up the knob as well... Pretty knob is easier to play with the stick and change gears...I agree with Old Fart that an automatic puts me asleep ... So behind the wheel, you will find a stick in her hand, happily playing with the pretty knob... :thumb:
Carly
I also learnt on a stick shift...
I learned on a stick and prefer it. I currently am driving an SUV with an auto but starting to think about downsizing in a big way.
I have test driven a Mini Cooper S with a manual transmission and the thing is like a little rocket ship with a lot of torque. Surprising thing is I have plenty of head/shoulder room and being 6'2" is not an issue at all.
I have test driven a Mini Cooper S with a manual transmission and the thing is like a little rocket ship with a lot of torque. Surprising thing is I have plenty of head/shoulder room and being 6'2" is not an issue at all.
Manual
The sales rep must be new. Almost everybody should be able to master the clutch and stick shift within days.
It depends on your needs. Manual is preferred if possible since it's more fun, especially on sport/exotic cars. Manual cars are generally cheaper as well for those on budget.
However, if you drive bumper to bumper in traffic a lot, probably automatic is a better choice. When I lived in Los Angeles almost everybody drive automatic, unless you have a second/weekend car. If you live in Victoria or Kelowna there's no point of getting a matic.
The sales rep must be new. Almost everybody should be able to master the clutch and stick shift within days.
It depends on your needs. Manual is preferred if possible since it's more fun, especially on sport/exotic cars. Manual cars are generally cheaper as well for those on budget.
However, if you drive bumper to bumper in traffic a lot, probably automatic is a better choice. When I lived in Los Angeles almost everybody drive automatic, unless you have a second/weekend car. If you live in Victoria or Kelowna there's no point of getting a matic.
I have been driving since 1976. Manual is always my preferred choice. The road handeling, braking and controlling are way better than automatic. Every time when I drove through the zig zag mountain roads, no automatic car could catch up with me!
True that and I think we default to automatics mainly for convenience. Some makers for simplicity sakes want to promote Automatics and you have to actually request Manuals. Also people here are mainly city dwellers who prefer manuals but for simplicity sakes drive an auto in the city. If I had to commute from the Valley every day the constant gear shifting and clutching would drive me nuts. Manuals are best when you have an open road.
unfortunately automatics are the only way to go
I enjoy driving a sporty manual especially on open roads, but rush hour in a manual sucks
more importantly, cars depreciate and manuals depreciate faster as far less market to sell them into.
I bought a 5 speed Saab turbo manual new and looked after it, (only driven on sundays by little old ladies etc) but 5 years latter I could not even give it away to my 2 adult daughters when they needed cars - they took cheap automatics instead.
I enjoy driving a sporty manual especially on open roads, but rush hour in a manual sucks
more importantly, cars depreciate and manuals depreciate faster as far less market to sell them into.
I bought a 5 speed Saab turbo manual new and looked after it, (only driven on sundays by little old ladies etc) but 5 years latter I could not even give it away to my 2 adult daughters when they needed cars - they took cheap automatics instead.
Up until recently, manual transmission cars were quicker with better fuel economy(assuming you could drive them correctly). However, technology has caught up and cars with automatic transmissions built within the last few years have outpaced their manual counterparts. Automatics also have a longer life than manuals these days.
I also remember reading a study somewhere about how people assume driving a manual makes them a better driver and keeps them focused on driving. The opposite is in fact true. Driving a manual adds more for the driver to do and they are more likely to become distracted, which leads to problems.
I also remember reading a study somewhere about how people assume driving a manual makes them a better driver and keeps them focused on driving. The opposite is in fact true. Driving a manual adds more for the driver to do and they are more likely to become distracted, which leads to problems.
I drove a manual for over 30 years .. only time i enjoyed them was in my RX7 .. When they don;t work that smoothly they can be a bitch to drive , but i got use to it . About 7 years a go i could not get a f150 in a standard so i had to go automatic .. I go a consul shift and i just love it I can still play with the nob when i am driving lol but it would be nicer if some one was playing with my nob lol
