Automatic or Manual?

[Shooter452]

Be careful slamming all automatic transmissions, gang!

There have been several automatic gear boxes that gave a driver the same feeling and performance of a clutch/manual transmission over the years. One of the first was the B&M Hydro-Stick (it was an after-market version of the venerable GM Hydra-Matic), which would press you back into the seat at low gear just as good as any clutch ever made. I drove one once upon a time that was hooked up to a huge (440 cu in) Oldsmobile V-8 and it was exciting!

I must admit, that for sheer enjoyment, a clutch and a manual gear box is where it is at. My Subaru STi comes with a six-speed box that is more fun then a line dance and just as much work. When I am not in the mood for all that effort, it is nice to have a Cruise-a-Matic hooked onto my old five liter Ford Bronco! Neither one gets milage that is worth a damn! You need a deep pocket or a VISA Gold Card to drive them both.

Cogito ergo zoom! I think, therefore I go fast!

 

[brodiepearce]

i cant stand front wheel drive transaxles, mainly automatics, cause if they break your maybe $1500 up sh1t creak, or even more, when the gears in our family car (1994 mazda 323) seemed to dissapear we had to fork out 1500 bucks cause the insurance would only cover 1000, so it cost 2500bucks to replace the gears!!!! Manual all the way

 

[Mycernius]

All the cars I have owned have been manual. I find automatics sluggish and I feel less in control of the car on bendy roads, not that there are many of them in the US. I decide when I want to change gear not the car. The only time I have driven an automatic was in Canada and America. In the UK if you pass your test in a automatic you cannot drive a manual unless you have L plates on and must take your test again in a manual to have a full licence.

 

[Damicci]

Manual all day.......

 

[Doc]

Automatic for me. I just don't like trying to "get a feel" when shifting gears with a manual. Of course manual pickup trucks suck *** anyway.

Doc:ramen:

 

[raul20s]

Manual!! :d

I LOVE the cars with MT!!...it's just a different feeling!! cause, compared with AT you're actually driving...not just sitting there pushing the accelerator (that's my opinion) :sorry: and i love japanese cars!!!...one of my favorites it's the mazda RX-8...the bad thing is that we don't have mazda cars in Mexico... hope they'll be available here soon!!..

TAKE CARE!
ﾆ停?ｰﾆ脱ﾂーﾆ停?ｹ

 

[Eelco]

Of course manual pickup trucks suck *** anyway.

Ooooh, you hurt me there. I drive a manual pickup (Toyota Hilux 2.4D 4WD).
Everything in my car is manual, just the way I like it. It even has cranks for the windows, bicycle peddles for an engine, and I have to sing to have music.

Nothing like being a little active in a car

 

[Sensuikan San]

I always lived by MT until I moved to Canada ...

..and then ... switching to left-hand drive....I had to change gears with the wrong hand ...!

Never did get used to it.

Automatic is easier in heavy city traffic anyhow !

Regards,

ﾆ淡ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?

 

[Kara_Nari]

I learnt in a manual, and all but one of my cars has been a manual. My only automatic was possibly the first auto ever made it was a 1967 year or even older (this is not an invite to prove me wrong, I dont care, it was old!), but it was great with a walnut dash and black leather interior, didnt do so well going up hills, or even along the straight... it had three gears, a pretty shiny green paint job, but the radiator was buggered and I was too lazy to do anything about it, I just wanted a car to drive me to the beach and back. Therefore it died a peaceful death and was bought by a car enthusiast (dont know why he wanted my baby), for more than I paid for it.
However if I was to buy a brand new car I would get a manual or one of those fancy ones that has both... but I dont know if I want a car in Busan, the drivers are a bit more crazy here than in Seoul (yes its possible).
Is it scary to ride a motorbike in Japan? I want to get a motorbike next (manual). IF its less scary than Cambodia.

 

[Xkavar]

There are two vehicles in my family:

1. A 1986 Jeep Cherokee with a four-gear manual transmission. No longer runs and in dire need of transmission and engine overhauls, but the thing LOVED to accelerate around city corners. Everyone driving it for the first time was seriously surprised at how the four-cylinder engine reved.

2. A 1986 Toyota pickup with an automatic transmission. My family's primary transportation.

I learned how to drive a manual before we bought the automatic truck. Around Reno, the drivers are crazy. Many merge on a highway without looking behind, almost all don't know what a turn signal is. Semis come speeding down a narrow two lane pass that ends in a merger, and I've had drivers behind me angrily honk and zoom through my left while I was waiting for an open space.

In a manual, you have to concentrate on shifting and driving at the same time. In an automatic, you only have to drive.

 

[Jack]

i say manual, because why let her do all the work?

 

[m477]

I LOVE the cars with MT!!...it's just a different feeling!! cause, compared with AT you're actually driving...not just sitting there pushing the accelerator (that's my opinion) :sorry: and i love japanese cars!!!...one of my favorites it's the mazda RX-8...the bad thing is that we don't have mazda cars in Mexico... hope they'll be available here soon!!..

TAKE CARE!
ﾆ停?ｰﾆ脱ﾂーﾆ停?ｹ

Yeah, the RX-8 is a very nice car... I should know because I own one!!
Sure, some cars might put out a better 0-60 time in magazines or whatever, but nothing beats the sound and feel of a rotary engine at 9000 rpm!

Anyway, I'd rather walk than drive anything automatic or FWD. But that's just me.

 

[Kinsao]

I've never driven an automatic! I can imagine, yeah, one less thing to think about = good...

On the other hand - one more thing to go wrong and cost a lot of money...

 

[Riyko]

Automatic for me, I've tried learning with a Manual, but it's too hard for me mainly because i'm left handed. Also Manual car's are made for right handed people.

 

[sabro]

I have five cars. Three are manual. One is a BMW Auto/manual, and my truck is automatic. I like manuals- better on gas.

 

[m477]

Automatic for me, I've tried learning with a Manual, but it's too hard for me mainly because i'm left handed. Also Manual car's are made for right handed people.

Actually, steering is a lot more tricky than shifting gears, so manuals in America should be easier for left-handed drivers.

And in any case, cars in Japan, China, Australia and England have the driver's and passenger's sides reversed, and right-handed people in those countries don't seem to have a problem with it, so being left-handed really has nothing to do with it.

 

[Sensuikan San]

I drove for many years in England using manual.

When I came to North America ... I actually had to be taught how to drive an automatic!

I still can't handle a manual transmission with my right hand very well. It feels clumsy!

... and in modern city traffic ... at my age ... automatic rules!

... but in the mountains ... with a right-hand drive car .... Gimme a five-Speed box! (Actually - I used to like a four speed box with an electric overdrive on third and top ... aaaaah! memories!)

ﾆ淡ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?

 

[トラちゃん1]

I used to jump on the band wagon for manual. After owning my first 'powerful' auto, I would prefer them now. Nothing wrong with either though.

 

[AllMakesCombined]

I prefer manual. If I had a spare car solely for the dragstrip, it would probably be an automatic, though. Even without the right stall and shift kit, an automatic is almost always going to be more consistent on the drag strip.
However, I like to take turns... Sometimes I like to take turns at ridiculous speeds. Even more, I like to take many combinations of turns at ridiculous speeds. IMO, manual trasmissions give you better control of a vehicle when taking corners because you can keep the engine in the powerband at your discretion - which in turn gives you better control while throttle steering.
You also get better mileage with a manual.
I am also a smoker that doesn't need to smoke so much... If I'm driving an automatic, my arms get antsy and need to do something, so instead of changing gears like I would with a manual, I'd just be smoking more. lol.
Some people complain about traffic with a manual transmission, but that's because they usually don't realize you can simply put it in 1st gear at a low RPM and keep a steady slow pace while everyone else sucks gas and wears out their brakes.

I don't know how I'd fair in Japan, though. I can't imagine shifting with my left hand. That just seems wierd thinking about it.

 

[dan_j]

here are my thoughts:
well manual's are much stronger
you can control the car much better in manual (mainly turbo cars)
manuals make your car a tiny bit lighter

 

[Kyoko_desu]

I can only drive an automatic. I would hate to drive up a hill and have to stop at a red light if my car was a manual. I'm sure it would go back and hit the front of a car behind when I try to start it when the light turns green.

 

[-Rudel-]

I love my 6-speed Getrag and wouldn't give it up for the world. For me, manual gives the sence of real driving, cause you know your car better how to shift, when to shift, and it's manly...hahaha.

@kyoko, with practice it's not hard at all. Apply the E-brake, then when the light turns green, apply the gas and clutch as if you were on a level road, then release the E-brake....Off you go!


All About My Vehicle

Here: http://www.vmfa-531.com/Ford_Focus_SVT/FocusSVT.htm

6 Speed, Stroked 2.3 with ProCharger's C2B Super Charger.

 

[MissMurder]

manual of course.. I prefer to drive, not ride.

 

[Pepe]

In all honesty, I like the idea of a manual transmission, but both the latest advancements made in automatic transmissions as well as the arguments which have always been in support of an automatic transmission have gained validity in my life.
Firstly automatics are getting faster - the shifts are faster and cleaner, as well as smoother (case in point: DSG), so they are no longer un-sporting to drive. And the counter-argument that automatics are 'booring' has been further undermined by the Tiptronic and other similar automatics, as it allows one to further enhance the sporting drive. Automatics have also always been pretty bloody fast in a straight line. There is also the economic perspective - the automatic transmission will shift earlier and save on fuel (if on Economy mode like in the BMWs). Automatics allow one to also drive 'lazy' if the traffic thickens - and that is happening more often nowadays. I don't want to know how many tonnes one pushes with the clutch per kilometer in heavy rush-hour traffic.
I guess it boils down to personal preference. I will stick with automatics (or semi-automatic transmissions) for the convenience factor, as long as they still offer some fun factor - 6 or 7 speed gear boxes please - none of this 3 gear crap that many American manufacturers persist on.

 

[yamahaR1]

manual transmission, always