cars: manual (stick) or auto

SSJBlastoise

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AD-Stu said:
When you first get your licence over here you need to specifically get a manual licence to drive a manual car, but once your probationary period ends (after 3 years or whatever it is) you can drive whatever... which I find kind of a scary thought.
I think that's only the eastern state, I know you don't need a manual licence in SA but I'm not sure about the other states.

With your point about them declining, they are but it seems to be happening faster in the city. Most people I know can drive a manual but I'm from a country town so it was more common for us to learn in old paddock bashers which were just about always manuals.
 

Boris Goodenough

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I always felt that automatics feel numb when driving, so I drive manual and will get a manual if I ever need a car.
Besides there are very few autos that are as good as manuals; BMW (their S-drive cars), Ferrari, and a few VW group cars come to mind.
 

Frybird

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In Germany, i'm pretty sure that automatic transmission is the exception rather than the rule. As such, i've never even driven an automatic in my life and i'm kinda surprised with many of the thoughts here regarding manual transmission.

It's really not that hard once you get the hang of it, wich should be pretty quick.
And while it takes some time getting used to an individual car (regarding things like acceleration, fuel type and whatnot), i can drive a car with manual transmission without having to pay much attention to shifting as you can do it mostly by ear and feel.

Without wanting to insult anybody, people who feel like they would be overwhelmed with a manual transmission (in traffic, racing or something would be a wholly different thing) either should stop texting while driving or think about whether or not they are qualified to control such a dangerous thing as a car.
 

Atrocious Joystick

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I have to say I am really surprised at what I'm seeing here. I always thought the US being more rural would mostly prefer stick. There seems to be a correlation that if you are rural you like cars and if you like cars you drive stick. Just goes to show that you shouldn't rely too hard on stereotypes.

In Sweden I always got the impression that not being able to drive stick was considered being only half able to drive. And kind of gay. You can drive automatic if you like, but you better know how to drive stick too. I kind of figured seeing as a lot of people here have a fascination with old american cars ("yanks", or "americans") our car culture would be borrowed a lot from yours.
 

Boris Goodenough

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Atrocious Joystick said:
I have to say I am really surprised at what I'm seeing here. I always thought the US being more rural would mostly prefer stick. There seems to be a correlation that if you are rural you like cars and if you like cars you drive stick. Just goes to show that you shouldn't rely too hard on stereotypes.

In Sweden I always got the impression that not being able to drive stick was considered being only half able to drive. And kind of gay. You can drive automatic if you like, but you better know how to drive stick too. I kind of figured seeing as a lot of people here have a fascination with old american cars ("yanks", or "americans") our car culture would be borrowed a lot from yours.
Here in Denmark I guess one of the main reasons is that autos are often have a high cost added to them (damn you 180% car tax!), so people don't get them.
 

Girl With One Eye

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Jun 2, 2010
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I can drive both but prefer automatic. I only drive on the weekends as I walk to work so driving is not really a big deal for me. I have a bit of a nervous disposition when it comes to driving so having an automatic makes things a lot easier for me.
 

SinisterGehe

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Only stick here. Automatic cars are luxury and expensive here in Finland.
Also automatics sucks at harsh winter environments, in which you need to shift between low and high gear fast on ice and heavy snow.

Like here you might need to switch between 4 and 1 quite few times on one stretch of road. Also engine breaking is exteremely important in these shitty road environments we have. Like very few americans really know the environments you can have when you live near northpole, between scandinavian mountain range and Siberia. It is insane the weather randomity we have between late fall and late spring. It is insane!

So stick is kinda mandatory here.
 

Pebblig

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I've never really thought about how in America automatics are a lot more popular.

I do find the stigma about driving automatics being sucky in Britain odd, I've only driven a manual and haven't driven since I passed my test, I'll persevere with it when I get a car, but I can definitely see the appeal of an automatic (easiness). I suppose it's all just practice, probably after driving manual for a few years I won't even be thinking about the changing of the gears and the clutch.
 

Angelowl

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What the.... Swede here, all the driving schools have manuals and 90+% of the cars are manuals. It's kind of pointless to get a license for atuomatics when you can get a full license for the same amount of time and cost. The automatic license is generally seen as "half a driving license" and is almost unheard of. Sure, some people prefer automatics but refusing to learn to drive properly seems just childish in my eyes. o_O
 

Yuno Gasai

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Nov 6, 2010
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I vastly prefer manual.

Automatic cars always feel like a glorified go-kart to me, and while they do take most of the responsibility away from driving, I see that as being both a blessing and a curse.

I'd be scared of technical faults or failures, and that's not really something I need to be as concerned about when driving a manual because I have so much control over the car anyway.
 

NoeL

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May 14, 2011
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I drive a manual because I prefer it. Same as AD-Stu. Manuals are more fun.
 

SuccessAndBiscuts

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FreedomofInformation said:
shootthebandit said:
Im from britain and ive only ever driven a manual (stick shift) and automatics are most unliked. It got me wondering about america as you guys are the opposite not many drive a manual. Also we tend to prefer small hatchbacks where as you guys prefer a big saloon or 4x4
That's most likely due to economic reasons.
More likely due to the fact that our roads are a good deal narrower and more winding. There is a corner on one of the major roads near where I live that can only be passed one at a time by trucks due to its crazy gradient and angle. If you encounter a truck anywhere near that corner common behaviour is to stop until he is clear of the bend. Tourists failing to do so, or misjudging their speed are responsible for the vast majority of incidents in that area.

On topic: I currently drive manual and will (if I can help it) continue to do so, not because of ideology but because a couple years back the throttle cable on my motorbike jammed wide open. I managed to stop myself without an accident purely because I had a clutch. A similar thing happened to a friend on an automatic scooter he was lucky but the scooter was a write off.
 

Kazam24a

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Hey I am from Canada and would say that more people drive autos here (possibly due to the influence of the US). I personally can drive an manual and prefer to do so,however i find it quite difficult to find a vehicle with the options that i want with a manual tranny. I drive a Chevy Silverado (Crew Cab)pick up (just about everyone here where has a pickup) and it is a auto because i couldn't find a bloody manual...
 

SuccessAndBiscuts

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Saladfork said:
Well, I've never driven a Standard before, but I'm going to have to learn anyway because I intend to get a motorcycle at some point and the only automatic bikes are quite new and thus quite expensive.
Bikes and Cars really are not comparable, yes the vast majority of bikes are manual but they don't feel anything like a manual car to drive.

I've seen people who have driven manuals for years fail miserably at riding because the layout is so different. In a car you can jump between any two gears you like, on a bike you will almost never do that. In a car the clutch is controlled with your foot and the gear change with your hand, on a bike its the opposite.

That's all before you get into dealing with wet as opposed to dry clutches.
 

DanielBrown

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Dec 3, 2010
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I've always driven stick and never tried automatic. Wanted to go with automatic when I started because I felt I'd never learn how to control the sticks, but it isn't as hard as it may seem.

Fuck eco-driving though. My car can't handle it at all, so I can't practise it. Will make the drive exam a bit harder.
 

Zantos

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SuccessAndBiscuts said:
Saladfork said:
Well, I've never driven a Standard before, but I'm going to have to learn anyway because I intend to get a motorcycle at some point and the only automatic bikes are quite new and thus quite expensive.
Bikes and Cars really are not comparable, yes the vast majority of bikes are manual but they don't feel anything like a manual car to drive.

I've seen people who have driven manuals for years fail miserably at riding because the layout is so different. In a car you can jump between any two gears you like, on a bike you will almost never do that. In a car the clutch is controlled with your foot and the gear change with your hand, on a bike its the opposite.

That's all before you get into dealing with wet as opposed to dry clutches.
That's all just practice though, at the end of the day someone who understands what a clutch is for and when to change gear is going to be better off than someone who needs to learn all that and the actions to do it. People fail miserably to start riding because it's difficult to get used to, in the same way that people fail miserably at driving because it's difficult to get used to. That's why we take lessons and practice.

OT: I've always driven a manual because it's the done thing in the UK. I learnt manual and since then we've always owned manuals because it's cheaper, easier to buy them and easier to repair them.

The thing about the manual is that I don't think it's so much difficult as intimidating. Everyone I know has thought about going for an automatic license, then gone for a manual so they can drive both with the intention to drive automatic, then got used to it in a few weeks and never looked back.
 

SuccessAndBiscuts

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Zantos said:
SuccessAndBiscuts said:
Saladfork said:
Well, I've never driven a Standard before, but I'm going to have to learn anyway because I intend to get a motorcycle at some point and the only automatic bikes are quite new and thus quite expensive.
Bikes and Cars really are not comparable, yes the vast majority of bikes are manual but they don't feel anything like a manual car to drive.

I've seen people who have driven manuals for years fail miserably at riding because the layout is so different. In a car you can jump between any two gears you like, on a bike you will almost never do that. In a car the clutch is controlled with your foot and the gear change with your hand, on a bike its the opposite.

That's all before you get into dealing with wet as opposed to dry clutches.

That's all just practice though, at the end of the day someone who understands what a clutch is for and when to change gear is going to be better off than someone who needs to learn all that and the actions to do it. People fail miserably to start riding because it's difficult to get used to, in the same way that people fail miserably at driving because it's difficult to get used to. That's why we take lessons and practice.

OT: I've always driven a manual because it's the done thing in the UK. I learnt manual and since then we've always owned manuals because it's cheaper, easier to buy them and easier to repair them.

The thing about the manual is that I don't think it's so much difficult as intimidating. Everyone I know has thought about going for an automatic license, then gone for a manual so they can drive both with the intention to drive automatic, then got used to it in a few weeks and never looked back.
I don't know, I'm of the opinion that the act of learning to change manually is something you have to load into muscle memory more than something you can do because you understand it. It is all just practice, no argument there, but the point I was trying to make is that practice for a car is not comparable to practice for a bike.

A large part of driving well no matter the vehicle comes from the development of good habits and thats something you can only really learn from doing, concepts can point you in the right direction but thats about it.
 

Mr Fixit

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American here & I love my manual, my truck is so low geared that I take off in second gear, if I take off in 1st I have to shift to second before I take my foot of the clutch. Went & bought the thing & learned how to drive it on the way home. Automatics are fine if you have to deal with a lot of traffic, but I find a manual transmission is so much more fun. I am quite interested in these cars that are semi-auto where you can manually shift gears if you want or just let the car do its thing.

I really enjoy my truck, but it's starting to show its age, it's almost 20 years old & has over 200,000 very hard & rough miles on it & the low MPG is really becoming a problem. I used to leave sports cars sitting at the light in a cloud of my dust, but now I have to be more careful with it. I'm wanting to get a Mitsubishi Lancer as soon as I can afford the car payment, but my old Dodge will do just fine til I can.
 

antidonkey

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Dec 10, 2009
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The US is highly varied when it comes to vehicles. The only thing you can really say with any kind of accuracy is the south loves its pickup trucks. I learned to drive with a manual transmission and I much prefer it over an automatic. I find them to be more fun and gives you a bit more control over the vehicle. However, my current car is an automatic.......and it's a muscle car....and it pains me that it isn't a 6 speed manual. The reason for this is I have gout. When it flares up in my left foot, there's no way in hell I'll be able to push in a clutch. The only nice thing about it is that it's a "Sportronic" (stupid name) automatic which means it's easy to shift it manually. My bike is manual since there's very few automatic motorcycles and I do so love riding it. Now if only the shop would hurry up repairing it. It's been 4 months and I'm ready to ride again.