Manual or Automatic?

retlod · 03-07-2012, 03:29 AM

Just curious...

Not what you drive now, but which you would prefer to drive if every vehicle came with either and there was no price difference.

chollyred · 03-07-2012, 03:37 AM

I currently drive an automatic. Mainly due to the miles I drive in heavy traffic. I really love driving a stick shift. More sporty and fun to drive.

I've been considering buying an old Miata or something similar just to have as a weekend play toy. Would have to be a stick shift convertible.

goober · 03-07-2012, 04:20 AM

I would only choose manual in a sportscar.

It makes no sense for me in a regular sedan, minivan SUV where I am driving slow, in traffic and don't need precise shifting for acceleration.

mikeler · 03-07-2012, 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chollyred

I currently drive an automatic. Mainly due to the miles I drive in heavy traffic. I really love driving a stick shift. More sporty and fun to drive.

I've been considering buying an old Miata or something similar just to have as a weekend play toy. Would have to be a stick shift convertible.

Same for me. Stick is more enjoyable to drive but definitely not in "stop and go" traffic.

tennismonkey · 03-07-2012, 05:10 AM

if there was no traffic or prospect of sitting in gridlock for an hour - manual all the way. it's more fun, more engaging.

oddly the performance benefit of manual has mostly been mitigated by some really good automatics (7 and 8 speed) and automanuals.

LuckyR · 03-07-2012, 09:42 AM

Automatics are great for being transported, especially through heavy traffic.

Manuals are great for those who like to drive, even in heavy traffic.

The automanuals are good for launches and little else IMO, I would use them in auto mode and just listen to the radio.

quest01 · 03-07-2012, 10:09 AM

I drive an automatic and I've only driven a manual once and that was years ago. I forgot how to drive a manual.

woodrow1029 · 03-07-2012, 10:26 AM

My car now is a manual and I have had it for 12 years, and I love the car, but when I bought it, I didn't live in San Francisco.

Now, I live in San Francisco, and unless I am buying a sports car, or something where I would really enjoy driving the manual, because of the hills and traffic here, my next car will definitely be an automatic.

chollyred · 03-07-2012, 10:35 AM

Yeah, Stop-and-Go traffic, paricularly on hills, is not fun.

My first vehicle was a '61 Ford pickup with 3 on the tree, no parking brake, and a screwy clutch. On hills you had to use one foot on the clutch, and the other on both the brake and accelerator. Get stuck on a hill in traffic and it was like juggling chainsaws to keep from rolling backward onto someone.

But if you could learn to drive that thing, you could drive anything! My father made us all learn to drive that before we could get our regular license.

Pacific lefty · 03-07-2012, 10:47 AM

Although automatic is not suited to narrow crash prone Irish roads it is easy on the arm if you have to drive with the steering on the right hand side (and you are left handed)...

Mick · 03-07-2012, 11:17 AM

manual for me. All of my cars have been manual. I enjoying going through the gears. to me, it is like playing tennis versus watching tennis being played.

jmverdugo · 03-07-2012, 02:04 PM

Currently only automatic but we used to have only manual cars. Withe heavy traffic automatic can save you from some leg cramps !

It would also highly depend on where you are. In south america most people drive manual cars, traffic or no traffic.

ollinger · 03-07-2012, 04:25 PM

The subtext here is "how do you feel about being replaced by machines that are more efficient and more effective than you?" Every car I've owned for decades was a manual, until my current car which has a dual clutch automatic. Works great, shifts are literally imperceptible (I wouldn't know it had shifted without looking at the tach) and it gets better fuel economy than the manual versions. Easy to see why fewer and fewer cars are being sold in the US with manuals (even Ferrari only sells dual clutch automatic in the US now), and some auto writers predict they'll be virtually unavailable in 5-10 years or so.

LeeD · 03-07-2012, 04:34 PM

Had an even split most of my years.
You can pushstart a manual, you call CSAA with an auto....

You have fun driving a 5-6 speed. Your left knee thanks you for owning an auto.
Woodrow1029. I left SF in '85, after living there 35 years. What district are you living at?

Xisbum · 03-07-2012, 04:38 PM

Was a stick man all the way til my clutch knee got so cranky. Now I'm the little old grumpy from Pasadena.

OrangePower · 03-07-2012, 04:44 PM

Manual all the way. More fun to drive, plus as an added bonus, my wife can't drive stick... so my car stays all mine

Andres · 03-08-2012, 03:44 AM

Manual. In fact, maybe it's a matter of lack of market down here in Argentina, but I haven't seen an automatic car in my life, let alone drive one.

BobFL · 03-08-2012, 06:04 AM

Manual of course

Peters · 03-08-2012, 06:09 AM

In the UK, it's nearly all manual anyway. The only person I know who drives an automatic is my brother, because of a partial disability in his left leg.

Manual's are great - never liked automatics. Feels like too much is taken out of your own hands.

bad_call · 03-08-2012, 06:14 AM

owned manual drives for decades...still do. was fun when renting a small 4 door in London and driving around visiting castles and the such. shifting gears with the left hand and driving on the other side after visiting the pub had the group of us laughing a bit. fun times were had in the "mother" country.

View Poll Results: Manual or Automatic?
Manual	29	61.70%
Automatic	18	38.30%
Voters: 47. You may not vote on this poll

03-07-2012, 03:29 AM	#1
retlod Professional Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 941	Manual or Automatic? Just curious... Not what you drive now, but which you would prefer to drive if every vehicle came with either and there was no price difference. __________________ Cheating on my APDGT+ \| Co-Poly Du Jour

03-07-2012, 03:37 AM	#2
chollyred Rookie Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Loganville, Ga. Posts: 254	I currently drive an automatic. Mainly due to the miles I drive in heavy traffic. I really love driving a stick shift. More sporty and fun to drive. I've been considering buying an old Miata or something similar just to have as a weekend play toy. Would have to be a stick shift convertible. __________________ MG Radical OS, VS Mains @62, Syn Crosses @ 58

03-07-2012, 10:35 AM	#9
chollyred Rookie Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Loganville, Ga. Posts: 254	Yeah, Stop-and-Go traffic, paricularly on hills, is not fun. My first vehicle was a '61 Ford pickup with 3 on the tree, no parking brake, and a screwy clutch. On hills you had to use one foot on the clutch, and the other on both the brake and accelerator. Get stuck on a hill in traffic and it was like juggling chainsaws to keep from rolling backward onto someone. But if you could learn to drive that thing, you could drive anything! My father made us all learn to drive that before we could get our regular license. __________________ MG Radical OS, VS Mains @62, Syn Crosses @ 58

03-07-2012, 04:25 PM	#13
ollinger Hall Of Fame Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4,418	The subtext here is "how do you feel about being replaced by machines that are more efficient and more effective than you?" Every car I've owned for decades was a manual, until my current car which has a dual clutch automatic. Works great, shifts are literally imperceptible (I wouldn't know it had shifted without looking at the tach) and it gets better fuel economy than the manual versions. Easy to see why fewer and fewer cars are being sold in the US with manuals (even Ferrari only sells dual clutch automatic in the US now), and some auto writers predict they'll be virtually unavailable in 5-10 years or so. Last edited by ollinger : 03-07-2012 at 04:28 PM.