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Pejazzle
05-01-2012, 07:07 PM
Which do you prefer and why?

http://www.familycar.com/Classroom/Images/Trans_FrontDriveTypical.gif

tinkertiler
05-01-2012, 08:48 PM
Manual my left foot feels lost in a automatic lol

There is other factors though if they go wrong they cost alot more than a manual to fix, manual is better on fuel than a automatic, re sale value of a automatic is not as much as a manual unless it is a high end car.

Ive always had manual cars and vans but drove a few autos and they just dont feel right and i never felt that i was in total control of a auto. I know its probably just me but it just didnt feel right.

thelostone
05-01-2012, 09:55 PM
manual every time, automatic uses more juice plus i never know what to do with me left foot lol

fergalsworld
05-01-2012, 10:35 PM
Manual for me to as stated auto's use more juice and cost more to fix plus you cant bump start an auto
there a lazy mans car imo.

Magnu420
06-01-2012, 12:14 AM
ive never had an auto allways been a manual for me

Diablo13
06-01-2012, 12:16 AM
I agree with all the above posts, mainly because of fuel economy and control of the power you give to the driving wheels!
When we do get snow, you may find an automatic harder to control in slippery conditions as well.
Automatics have one great feature, which is kickdown, which gives very good acceleration.

I hope this means you passed your test today?
If so congratulations and well done.

You definitely want a manual car though, so that you can get experience and learn to be a "proper" driver first.
Also if you start out with an automatic you will forget clutch control, which will severely limit your choice of cars later on.
I may be wrong but I think you will find your insurance is dearer for an automatic as well?

Pejazzle
06-01-2012, 12:39 AM
I hope this means you passed your test today?
If so congratulations and well done.


I did indeed :)

I did pass with a manual but have always thought about getting an automatic, purely because I fear stalling and believe not thinking about changing gears will help me look at what's going around me better?

Also for ease of use and being in a traffic jam for example and having to always change between 1st gear and 2nd or pulling the handbrake up and down all the time and getting the biting point and what not. I don't consider it lazy, I just think if a car can do it for you why go through the hassle? I know you get better control but isn't that control more useful for racing?

I wonder if we'll have this problem in 10 or 20 years when cars will be "driverless". From my understanding automatic cars are becoming the norm now? Or is it just in America?

tinkertiler
06-01-2012, 12:49 AM
I think it may be a good idea for you to see if you can find a auto to try as they are different to drive than a manual. If you have only ever driven manual and then jumping in a auto you have to think about it like sitting with your foot on the brake at rtaffic lights ect.

Well done for passing your test and i think diablo is right having a auto does bump the insurance up which if its your first car you need to try and keep costs down with the cost of insurance at the mo!!

Pejazzle
06-01-2012, 01:02 AM
Thanks tinkertiler. I will most likely buy a manual as a first car because I'm broke and need to get a job first aswell. Insurance will be a killer! By the time I get a car it will probably take me a while to get used to clutch control again, so I might do a pass plus course. If I can master a manual then I'll probably stick to it.

Whilst were talking about cars, is there any good 1st cars people recommend? That are cheap or cheapish at least.

Diablo13
06-01-2012, 01:33 AM
Your worrying too much about daft things like stalling!
All of us stall at sometime, even me and I have a class 1 HGV license!
Now you have passed your test you are just starting to learn to drive really.
You should be more relaxed without an instructor watching everything you do, and many things will soon become second nature so long as you are sensible.

As far as a first car goes, your insurance will be a killer, so before you look at getting any car have a look on insurance price comparison sites first. Maybe put your details in with different cars for a quote, which you think might be cheap, just so you get over the shock of what some of them will actually cost!
At your age and experience the only cheap car for insurance will be a pedal car! Sorry

tinkertiler
06-01-2012, 09:12 AM
All of us stall at sometime, even me and I have a class 1 HGV license!




That is one scarey thought pmsl

The best cars for you Pejazzle are ones with small engines either 1000cc or smaller insurance wise. I know they are not the fastest things on the planet but they get you from a to b and they will help you build up your no claims bonus which seem to take forever to get a decent discount lol It all depends on what budget you have for a car and the big one how much you will have to pay for the insurance but before you set your sights on a car look for the insurance first because that it what will make you think you did something wrong in a previous life!!!

thelostone
06-01-2012, 10:56 AM
First congrats on passing your test well done, as for your first car you could do worse than getting a little Japanese car good on juice, small engine (otherwise the insurance could be horrendous) and are usually bullet proof.Best thing imo is when you have seen some you are interested in let us know

Diablo13
10-01-2012, 04:19 PM
Something like a Nissan Micra should be good, if you can get one cheap!
They only have about a 900cc engine, carry 4 people, are small and easy to park with great fuel economy and should be cheap on insurance as well as road tax.
I had one of the older boxy type a few years ago for a few days as a hire car and the performance and comfort was quite good for a tiny car!

kingoo
16-09-2012, 09:26 PM
Maybe because I'm 'older', but I prefer an automatic. Last 4 cars have all been autos and I love them. I have been driving 30 years and can drive a manual as well as anyone but prefer the laid back, no fuss of an auto box, and my left foot does not get sore crawling in slow traffic.

BTW also thinking of changing the motorbike to an auto one!!!

Reddevil
16-09-2012, 10:22 PM
Get the best of both worlds SMG II best invention going :D

quibb
17-09-2012, 12:02 AM
automatic all the way....relaxed stressfree driving and u can use the other to make/take calls :9:

bazzae123
18-09-2012, 06:43 PM
I have a twin clutch gearbox which I suppose is half way between a manual. I must say it's a great bit of kit and I don't think I could change gear that fast. The only down side is it's bit hesitant when your slowing down to a roundabout, for instance, and then decide to make a quick getaway, it can take a moment to sort itself out. Having said that, if you put it into 'M' mode you don't have to worry about the lag as it will stay in what ever gear you want as long as it's not to high.

Bazza

davie s
25-09-2012, 05:43 PM
I have cars with both and have been driving for 40 years but always prefer manual.

As has already been stated they are more economical on fuel, they are often, model for model, cheaper on car tax because to compensate for lower power the auto version has a slightly higher tuned engine. My auto Saab 93 is over ?400 per year where the manual version of the same car is just over ?200.

I always feel that because I can see the road conditions ahead I know which gear I need to be in better than the auto thinks it does, but the greatest difference comes in bad weather.

With an automatic you have no engine braking...Take your foot off the accelorator and you keep going at the same speed. Take your foot of in a manual and the engine will slow you down...safely...You can even come to an almost stop by dropping down through the gears without fear of skidding.

If auto's were any good they'd be used in motor-racing.

Yes, I know auto's have a 'manual option' but its not the same.

walkies
25-09-2012, 11:26 PM
i have only driven an automatic car once and it felt to weird yano?
sticking with the manuals :)

ukislander
26-09-2012, 12:34 AM
Got to be automatic for me was allways useless with gears and even scared my driving instructor!! haha so automatic all the way!

kind regards

dufcuk
28-09-2012, 03:59 PM
Manual.. Had an automatic for a year or so and I thought I was driving a go-kart! Ended up stalling the Mrs's manual a few times too which gave her sooooo much joy..

Been back in a manual now and its a fair bit cheaper in fuel costs too.

davie s
29-09-2012, 08:40 AM
If you still need convincing take a look at this thread:
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. There's lots of automatic car disasters on youtube.

Loki5550
29-09-2012, 01:46 PM
Manual every time - I once drove a friends automatic down under after 36 hours of travelling, he had to swap cars around in a hurry
He drove a lorry while I followed in his car , Because of tiredness/jetlag I could not get my head around the fact there was no gear stick and habittually tried to step on a imaginery clutch and search for the gear stick to no avail - never again will I drive auto , it put me off

ibb7
29-09-2012, 05:07 PM
It depends, if you travel long distances, automatic, if its town driving manual...I prefer manual myself.

But if I had to commute a long way, then I would buy auto.

davie s
30-09-2012, 09:03 PM
It depends, if you travel long distances, automatic, if its town driving manual...I prefer manual myself.

Although I personally much prefer manual for everything your choice almost seems backward logic!!

On a long distance (I assume you mean motorway) a manual would be best as not only would you more likely be in top gear for most of the way you would also save much more on overall fuel costs.

Whereas, if you are in town with your choice, you would be constantly de-clutching and changing gear as you negitiated all the lights, islands and other interuptions to your flow.

I have personally developed a style of driving where I rarely use 2nd and 4th gear for 'normal' driving. Most modern vehicles have more than sufficient torque (other than on steep hills or for 'burning off' at the lights) to just use 1st, 3rd and 5th and I never bother with the cluch to take it out of gear when stopping.

I keep records of my mileage and fuel consumption and I exceed the 'book' quotes and although I've done 165000 in my Volvo it still has its original clutch.

ibb7
03-10-2012, 10:19 PM
Although I personally much prefer manual for everything your choice almost seems backward logic!!

On a long distance (I assume you mean motorway) a manual would be best as not only would you more likely be in top gear for most of the way you would also save much more on overall fuel costs.

Whereas, if you are in town with your choice, you would be constantly de-clutching and changing gear as you negitiated all the lights, islands and other interuptions to your flow.

I have personally developed a style of driving where I rarely use 2nd and 4th gear for 'normal' driving. Most modern vehicles have more than sufficient torque (other than on steep hills or for 'burning off' at the lights) to just use 1st, 3rd and 5th and I never bother with the cluch to take it out of gear when stopping.

I keep records of my mileage and fuel consumption and I exceed the 'book' quotes and although I've done 165000 in my Volvo it still has its original clutch.


I wasn't looking it from a financial point of view...it was from the driving experience...driving in town requires lower end gears, sometimes quick changes (fun driving), motorway is constantly one gear, so auto (most probably diesel) would be the more logical.

You could drive either a manual or an auto the same economically if you want, it would just depend on your style of driving.

xsteven2012
04-10-2012, 01:44 PM
Manual For me As also stated above heaver on juice then manual , but if you lots motorway driving auto can make a better car maybe ...

topdig
03-11-2012, 01:43 AM
Manual for me to as stated auto's use more juice and cost more to fix plus you cant bump start an auto
there a lazy mans car imo.

higher insurance too manual all the way

huggybbear
19-11-2012, 09:18 PM
Hi for me its got to be auto but they do use a bit more juice but they are getting better. Your only talking about a couple of miles to the gallon.
The type of car they are usually fitted to is normaly the higher class of car you wouldn't have a manual box in a Bentley Continental.
The type of car that has a manual box is normaly smaller engined or lower powered I know you have the Evo's and Impressa's not into screamers
prefer real power Veyron's or most of your Ferraris.you should see the faces of the kids in the impressas when they've been taken out
by a diesel automatic (Volkswagen Phaeton V10). No I aint got one yet!

LtShinySides
04-12-2012, 01:09 PM
Has to be a manual, I like to drive my car as in have as much input as possible. :o

thedoccwc
20-12-2012, 01:23 AM
Has to be manual - there's very little excitement left in driving, and going with an automatic takes away a large part of what's left.

scott2102
17-02-2013, 02:05 AM
i my self have a manual sports car and love it and would have never choose an automatic car up until i drove my gaffers 2006 bmw 535d and it is very impressive especially in sports mode such smooth fast gear changes and perfect for long motorway driving in stop start traffic, but i suppose it depends on the quality of the car as some cheap branded auto cars seem to be poor to drive especially when coming to a stop they near put you through the window the power is on or of no in between like a manual, my overall decision would be a manual as i feel i have more control over the car also my left foot feels lost with nothing to do in an auto

immy
03-03-2013, 02:48 AM
manual since there is more to do

auto if your desperate to pass :D

Yardimci
06-10-2013, 06:59 PM
I am also trying to decide on 'auto vs manual' nowadays. I drove manual cars the past 14 years. But I am inclining more and more towards getting an auto due to its ease of use in the city. Plus this will be my first car in the UK and I dont want to think about changing the gear while getting used to driving on the opposite side:)

huggybbear
07-10-2013, 12:43 PM
Hi go for an automatic its so much easier no thinking. Especially if you do a lot of town driving just slip it into drive and you are away. That's what I don't under stand when others say get one for motorway driving in a manual you're in top gear all the time so no changing anyway. Around town is when you appreciate an auto because you do a lot of gear changing and clutch work.
That's what a lot of people don't realise that they are to save changing gears' and where do you do a lot of that, in town. Where you from by the way.
Thanks John.

Yardimci
07-10-2013, 07:47 PM
Originally from Turkey , but have been in the States for the last 14 years. So I was always driving a manual while most people drove automatic. If I get an automatic in the UK, I will be the odd one out again:)

huggybbear
07-10-2013, 09:09 PM
Hi
Quite a few of the larger cars are auto's so you wouldn't be the odd one out. Even 4x4s, Range Rovers and four wheel drive Audi's and BMW's. If your used to an auto stick with them as you will be driving on the other side of the road and it will be hard enough trying to remember that. Let alone struggling with a gear lever in a foreign country.
Safety first!
See you John.

tonytony2232
06-01-2014, 12:58 AM
Manual every time - I once drove a friends automatic down under after 36 hours of travelling, he had to swap cars around in a hurry
He drove a lorry while I followed in his car , Because of tiredness/jetlag I could not get my head around the fact there was no gear stick and habittually tried to step on a imaginery clutch and search for the gear stick to no avail - never again will I drive auto , it put me off

if you tried to step on the clutch in a mercedes, you would be putting the handbrake on :-O

huggybbear
12-05-2014, 01:46 AM
Hi every body is decrying automatics but of recent they have become quicker and more economical. I'm thinking of the BMW m235i here with the eight speed box. 0to60 time of 4.8 seconds which is quicker than the manual box. And why do people say use them on the motorway its in built up areas that they are of most use. That is why the old fx4 taxis used an auto box to save on the gear changes which are rather frequent in London.
John.

Digital
10-06-2014, 08:56 PM
if you are a two car family, i'd always have an auto for the big family saloon/estate. Merc and BMW (and VAG etc) autoboxes are unbelievably good. You don't buy these type of cars to be an F1 driver, they are for luxury and convienace and in traffic, on motorways, for the general confort of your passengers, these autos can't be beaten.

...then for your second car a nippy manual, then you don't loose the magic.....

Tooslow
30-07-2014, 01:39 AM
As I run classics it has to be manual as they didn't make my models in auto, but my American cars were autos, so as usual I'm indecisive.
Martin

Timoweb
30-07-2014, 10:59 AM
Manual because of tax and fuel cost but if I was loaded I'd probably have a nice lazybones manual Bentley just to cruise around in.