lipschitz Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I have never understood the problem some people have with automatic cars. You are still in control of the car, you turn the steering wheel to point the car in the direction you want it to go, you control the speed you want to go with the accelerator and you stop it with the brake pedal. Therefore, you are controlling the car. You just have one less job to do because you don't change gear, so what? Over the years I have driven both manual and automatic cars, I don't have a preference, but my current car is automatic and is great. A giant dodgem car on the road, simple and easy to drive. I would have thought that with all the labour saving devices that people love these days an automatic car would be popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzo77 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I have never understood the problem some people have with automatic cars. You are still in control of the car, you turn the steering wheel to point the car in the direction you want it to go, you control the speed you want to go with the accelerator and you stop it with the brake pedal. Therefore, you are controlling the car. You just have one less job to do because you don't change gear, so what? Over the years I have driven both manual and automatic cars, I don't have a preference, but my current car is automatic and is great. A giant dodgem car on the road, simple and easy to drive. I would have thought that with all the labour saving devices that people love these days an automatic car would be popular. It does take the fun away slightly. Depends what you want from a car I suppose. I wouldn't buy one for commuting long distances, they're not as fuel efficient. Having said that, I've just bought a car that does 20mpg....oops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harleyman Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 1. You have more control over the vehicle. 2. Better fuel economy 3. Simpler vehicle - more reliable How better control? Better fuel econmy? Perhaps 3-5 miles per gallon more with stick. Hardly signifcant considering all the mucking around changing gears and using an extra pedal. More reliable? How so? Service an automatic trans at manufacturere's recommended intervals and it will last 200 K miles at least. A clutch plate on the other hand is only as durable as the person's ability to shift properly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjw47 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 1. You have more control over the vehicle. 2. Better fuel economy 3. Simpler vehicle - more reliable 1, Not in terms of actually being able to concentrate totally on the road and other vehicles whilst not having to worry about gear selection you're not, the opposite in fact. 2,The DSG box in my car is more fuel efficient than the equivalent manual. If you choose to disregard economy, it also faster than the equivalent manual. 3, I've driven three different automatics since 1998. At no time have I had a problem with any of them. Having said which I've never had a gearbox problem since I started driving in 1965. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccit Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Lipschitz (post #81) is correct IMO. We have had only one automatic which is our current vehicle. We have had the car for about 8 years and I much prefer this transmission. I've recently been driving a manual and I just find it a nuisance. Can't understand why people think that moving a stick and exercising your left foot relieves the boredom of driving. I've found that folk who drive automatics don't tend to want to go back to manual transmission. I certainly wouldn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratter71 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 1. You have more control over the vehicle. I completely agree, I often have to drive quite "progressively" in a selection of vehicles, both auto & manual. The manual offers much more control & a sort of organic feel, particularly in bigger vehicles where engine braking allows for smoother slowing than jamming on the brakes. Given the choice i will always pick the manual, also find them smoother on hard acceleration, kick down seems too unpredictable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medusa Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 It does take the fun away slightly. Depends what you want from a car I suppose. I wouldn't buy one for commuting long distances, they're not as fuel efficient. Having said that, I've just bought a car that does 20mpg....oops! Fun is no argument for me to have a manual, and neither is racing (as per earlier post). What is an argument for me is that I can safely operate the car and get from point A to point B with only one and a bit working arms. I passed my driving test in a manual but my choices became severely limited by the surgery to remove the tumour that was wrapped around the nerves to my right arm, so if I can't hold the wheel predictably with my right arm then I can't take my left arm off the wheel to change gear. So I have a choice, which is not driving at all or driving an automatic (and then finding the best auto gearbox to drive). Fun and racing are all very well, but practicality outranks both of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjw47 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Medusa. Sympathize with you on the restricted movement, my problem sounds nowhere near as bad as yours but is still - literally - a pain. My left shoulder has severe inoperable muscle and ligament damage which means that I have trouble adjusting anything to my left hand side. Don't know what your driving now but as and when you need to change I would strongly suggest you test drive an auto DSG box. Available currently on Audi and VW and about be available ( if not already ) on Porsche. I had no problems with my previous autos which were 5 speed and perfectly smooth. Didn't really think it possible to be better but the 7 speed DSG is superb. Changes of gear both up and down are only detectable by dashboard display, engine tone, and change in speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzo77 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Fun and racing are all very well, but practicality outranks both of them Maybe for you, but for me it's about enjoying the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megalithic Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 It's funny that this thread was started by someone saying they kept failing their test because of the theory test, blaming it on manual gearboxes. I compared it to vexation due to not catching a cod in the canal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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