Manual or auto?

[GoktimusPrime]

I drive auto, but I can drive manual. Wife only drives auto though... :eek:
For those of you who switch between operating auto and manual vehicles, please vote for whichever one you drive more often. :)

[1orion2many]

I put other as I drive a manual during the week but have a weekend car that is Auto;):)

[KalEl]

I drive manual and prefer it in my personal car as its more fun.
But wish my work van was auto lol

[Sharky]

i drove manual for years until i shattered my left knee, now i am driving an auto as the constant operation of the clutch is not good for me anymore...

i miss my manual....

i have thought about getting one of those cars with the sports electronic diff or whatever where i dont need the clutch...dont think it is the same tho

[gamblor916]

Drive auto. Can't see how anyone can stand being in a traffic jam with a manual.

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah, I must say that's one thing I absolutely do NOT miss about driving manual, and that's driving in rush hour! <shudder> But under normal traffic conditions I do miss manual. Also, manual driving gives you gooderer driving skills IMO - so even if you drive auto, if you have previous manual driving experience it helps. :) My wife's never driven manual and erm... yeah... :rolleyes: *cough*

[Paul Agnew]

Drive auto. Can't see how anyone can stand being in a traffic jam with a manual.

Quite well, thanks. It's manual all the way for me.

Work that gearstick!

[Bartrim]

Whenever we travel to Sydney we take my wifes car as it is bigger and it's auto. A lot easier in the traffic with an auto but my overall preference is for manual. I love driving through the gears or dropping back a gear and booting it to overtake a slower car.


i miss my manual....

i have thought about getting one of those cars with the sports electronic diff or whatever where i dont need the clutch...dont think it is the same tho

Don't. You will feel ripped off. My uncle went that way with his Mazda 6 and regrets it.

[jena]

I drive a manual and I much prefer to drive a manual than an auto (I've owned both). I find auto so boring and it's just not proper driving to me.



i drove manual for years until i shattered my left knee, now i am driving an auto as the constant operation of the clutch is not good for me anymore...

My very first car was a manual and the guy selling it was only selling it because he ruined his left knee also. Both my knees have suffered some pretty bad injuries in the past so I'm dreading the day I can no longer drive a manual :( I feel your pain.

[Accel]

Drive auto. Can't see how anyone can stand being in a traffic jam with a manual.

This!


I however know how to drive a manual in case of emergencies.

[Shirokaze]

Definitely a manual for me. I don't think it's possible for anyone who has never learnt to drive manual to be a decent driver.

[gamblor916]

I have my bike when I want to rip through the gears. Cheap auto car is for getting from A to B.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I went for other. For my everyday driving of my little hyaundai, I like the zippy manual-ness. Plus I rarely get stuck in traffic coz of bizzare working hours, so I am not concerned about that.

However, having had some car experience in Japan, I would go for an auto there, considering traffic and HILLS!

I guess if I had a larger engine I would go for auto as well, for fuel efficiency.

[optimus1]

Unfortunately I can only drive automatic :(
At the time I was learning to drive, I could only get access to Auto transmission cars.

At the moment I'm driving semi-auto, better than standard auto but not quite the control of full manual.

I want to hopefully learn manual sometime, when I get the chance. Likely on a cheapo bomb to practice on :p

[Slag]

i'm driving manual hilux atm. last car was a falcon t semi-auto. before that was manual too
thinking manual this time but not sure.
that whole city driving thing while drinking coffee and on the phone is a bitch.

[loophole]

does driving a manual without the clutch count as an auto :P

both my cars are manual at the moment so no choice there. but the car im building up as my next daily driver is going to be an auto.

eventually I want an automatic for daily driving/cruising and my manual car for weekend fun :D

[UltraMarginal]

i drove manual for years until i shattered my left knee, now i am driving an auto as the constant operation of the clutch is not good for me anymore...

i miss my manual....

i have thought about getting one of those cars with the sports electronic diff or whatever where i dont need the clutch...dont think it is the same tho

I feel for you, but I would think twice about the "sports shift" I have rented a couple cars with that sort of transmission and it's not as satisfying though with a bit more time you might get used to it.



Drive auto. Can't see how anyone can stand being in a traffic jam with a manual.

Manuals have a special gear called Neutral. no point being in gear if you're just sitting there.

I have a manual, and I do enjoy corners every once in a while...
Hill starts aren't a problem, in fact I'd say I've become rather lazy at hill starts, the Suby has a hill start system where if you're in gear the brakes hold for a second or two untill you start to pull off, no handbrake required at all and no slippage at all. love it.:cool:

[Slag]

, the Suby has a hill start system where if you're in gear the brakes hold for a second or two untill you start to pull off, no handbrake required at all and no slippage at all. love it.:cool:

sounds like a nice feature.. what model is that on

[Slag]

does driving a manual without the clutch count as an auto :P

both my cars are manual at the moment so no choice there. but the car im building up as my next daily driver is going to be an auto.

eventually I want an automatic for daily driving/cruising and my manual car for weekend fun :D

what are you building..

[loophole]

what are you building..

just a 1971 Ford XY Wagon its going to pearl green with white pearl roof and a V8 302 Windsor oh and ghost flames on the front guards :D

[Slag]

just a 1971 Ford XY Wagon its going to pearl green with white pearl roof and a V8 302 Windsor oh and ghost flames on the front guards :D

:eek:awesome!!!!!!!......really really want to get an xr,xt,xw,xy myself one day but need more space 1st.. i'll hafta settle for my old biantes for now :confused: post some pics up when you finish..:D

[loophole]

:eek:awesome!!!!!!!......really really want to get an xr,xt,xw,xy myself one day but need more space 1st.. i'll hafta settle for my old biantes for now :confused: post some pics up when you finish..:D

you should defientaly try to get one.....you are really going to hate me though because one of my other cars is an XW sedan with a 351W and toplaoder :o

[Slag]

you should defientaly try to get one.....you are really going to hate me though because one of my other cars is an XW sedan with a 351W and toplaoder :o

:mad:yep. i hate you:p.. nah, well post pics of that too:D sounds rock solid

i've seen some cool ones but i just have nowhere to keep a second car..

i'll bide my time and fork out decent money for a good one, one day:rolleyes:
maybe sell the transformer collection

my first car was an xd 351c that i spent time and money doing up, around that time i saw xw gt's for 15k and xy's for around 30....but that was 20 years ago:( . . . if only

should i ask what your other , other car is..

[Trent]

I voted manual as 4 of my last 5 cars were/are manuals. And the auto was free. The wife's corolla is an auto. I have always preferred manuals...

However as I am getting older and moving out of being obsessed with turbo subarus, I am starting to see the appeal of an auto. I drove from Wollongong to Eastern Creek for 6 months for work and for a week I drove the corolla and not doing the 1st, move 3 feet, neutral, 1st, move 3 feet, neutral, shuffle was awesome!

So i'll have to dig this thread up in a few years and maybe see about changing my vote :D

As for those semi-autos like falcons, mazdas and whatnot: They are poo. You end up just leaving it in full auto anyway.

If you want to do it properly, you have to get something with a dual clutch transmission, like an evo, gtr, or golf gti (but even they have their issues)

[Tabias Prime]

my first car was a manual...ohhh how I miss my MK1 Escort... as there was no weight in the ass end, it fish-tailed and spun the wheels like no tomorrow :D:D:D:D:D, now I drive a automatic Barina as my back and hip can no longer handle the constant demands of a clutch:mad::mad::mad::mad:

[Demonac]

I had a (manual) MK2 Escort, and my favourite car to drive.
Nothing like changing gears without needing to use the clutch!

[Robzy]

I've had 2 manuals and 3 autos. I honestly change my preference all the time. I used to swear by manuals... but these days I love autos! I'm lazy and fickle :p

Best tool for the right job!

[GoktimusPrime]

Unfortunately I can only drive automatic :(
At the time I was learning to drive, I could only get access to Auto transmission cars.

At the moment I'm driving semi-auto, better than standard auto but not quite the control of full manual.

I want to hopefully learn manual sometime, when I get the chance. Likely on a cheapo bomb to practice on :p
I learnt on auto too, cos that's all I had access too. After I got off my Ls I later learnt how to drive manual - then the first car I bought was a manual. :) I highly recommend taking the time to learn manual if you get the chance. ;)


Manuals have a special gear called Neutral. no point being in gear if you're just sitting there.
Heh... even though I drive auto now, I still stick it in neutral when I'm not moving. ;) I don't see the point of leaving it in Drive if I'm not going forward. And I only shift it to Park when my car is actually parked. :p

But I must admit, driving manual in slow-moving mobile car park peak traffic was never fun. To me, manuals always feel like they were built to go... for sustained acceleration... and it was just frustrating to constantly shift into first, move forward a few metres, then shift back to neutral and apply the brakes. :( I like the idea of driving autos for travelling to/from work, and manuals on the weekends. :)

[kup]

Yeah, I must say that's one thing I absolutely do NOT miss about driving manual, and that's driving in rush hour! <shudder> But under normal traffic conditions I do miss manual. Also, manual driving gives you gooderer driving skills IMO - so even if you drive auto, if you have previous manual driving experience it helps. :) My wife's never driven manual and erm... yeah... :rolleyes: *cough*

In Sydney 'normal driving conditions' is a traffic jam. The only time where you can drive normally is the middle of the night. Even on a Sunday morning I have been caught in traffic jams.

I chose to drive an auto for that reason, when I first bought a car, I was constantly driving in peak hour to work.

[5FDP]

It always amazes me that so many people are unaware of how to properly drive an auto. It seems that most are unaware that there are more gears than just drive, reverse, and park. Here's a tip - drop it down a gear when going down a hill instead of riding the breaks. Don't worry, your car can take it and your breaks will thank you for it ;)

[gamblor916]

What so you don't put it in neutral and coast down? :P

[Bartrim]

It always amazes me that so many people are unaware of how to properly drive an auto. It seems that most are unaware that there are more gears than just drive, reverse, and park. Here's a tip - drop it down a gear when going down a hill instead of riding the breaks. Don't worry, your car can take it and your breaks will thank you for it ;)

QFT. Reminds me of when I went to the state launch/drive day for the Mazda6 in Bowral. Basically we had a convoy of cars that we would take turns driving for a bit then swap over. I was in the third lot of people to drive and as we had our final exchange before we went down Kangaroo Valley Mountain I ended up in the last car of the convoy which was an automatic Mazda Tribute with one of the big bosses as my passenger. As we start to head down the mountain I drop it back into one of the lower gears. This big boss guy goes from being all prim and proper to saying "Well thank f*** someone can drive a car properly. The last two clowns that drove this down the mountain had the brake discs glowing when we reached the bottom." Yay for me impressing a head honcho:D:p

[canofwhoopass_87]

I drive auto, but wish I could drive manual as well. Some of the redneck construction workers I was working with a year ago took me for a few lessons in between lulls but I forgot it all.

My gf is always hassling me to learn manual (she's a manual driver). Her reasons

1. "What if there's a medical emergency and you need to drive someone to the hospital and the only car available is a manual?"

2. "In the event of a zombie apocalypse (and we're being chased by the living dead), you need to be able to drive any car to avoid being eaten"

Dunno about reason number 2, but she's quite right when it comes to being prepared for a medical emergency.

[GoktimusPrime]

Haha, well, regardless of circumstances, manual drivers can also drive auto, but people who can only drive auto can't drive manual. So learning on manual makes you a more versatile driver in that regard. :)


It always amazes me that so many people are unaware of how to properly drive an auto. It seems that most are unaware that there are more gears than just drive, reverse, and park. Here's a tip - drop it down a gear when going down a hill instead of riding the breaks. Don't worry, your car can take it and your breaks will thank you for it ;)
I learnt on an auto with two driving school teachers, and neither of them ever taught me that. In fact, there's a lot of things that even professional driving instructors don't teach you when you learn on an automatic. They only coach you to pass the P plate test, and not how to actually drive.

Most of what I learnt about driving as a learner I learnt from just general practice driving between lessons (i.e. whenever the family was going out anywhere, I'd offer to drive). Then I refined my driving skills later on when I learnt to drive a manual. It was remarkable... when I'd only ever driven an automatic I didn't realise how incomplete my knowledge of driving was until I learnt manual. After that it was like someone opened my eyes on driving! :D