Poll: do you drive automatic or manual?

[The Hero Killer]

I know how to drive stick shift but my car is a automatic.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

Parents have a manual, only driven automatic 3 times in my life, they feel numb, so I stick to manuals.

 

[LostintheWick]

I'm an engineer, i find any device that needs constant attention such as gear changing to be a lazy design

the reason you change gear is due to the combustion engine having a limited power band
that's fine, but forcing the driver to fix the problem just feels like a workaround to me

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variomatic

that will explain the issue, it's simply a matter of engineering it is possible to have an infinitely adjustable gear system that is in the best ratio all the time

I will use automatics when those systems become commonplace in every car because they are better than you, no-matter how hard you try

I think this is the best reply on the entire thread. Especially the part on the lazy design.
Although, doesn't an automatic just mean more working parts? I'm of the mindset that the more complicated a design gets, the more parts that need attention and maintenance.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

I'm an engineer, i find any device that needs constant attention such as gear changing to be a lazy design

the reason you change gear is due to the combustion engine having a limited power band
that's fine, but forcing the driver to fix the problem just feels like a workaround to me

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variomatic

that will explain the issue, it's simply a matter of engineering it is possible to have an infinitely adjustable gear system that is in the best ratio all the time

I will use automatics when those systems become commonplace in every car because they are better than you, no-matter how hard you try

Will you also use ceramic disc brakes when they become common place?

 

[Grimbold]

my car is an Auto. it also has an automatic transmission.
it is really convenient but i would not pay extra money for that.

 

[lissn]

Automatic right now, although I prefer stick drive as it gives me a certain feeling of control.

 

[Nuke_em_05]

Learned manual, first car manual, current car manual, but the minivan my wife drives is an automatic.

I prefer manual. All other things equal, I would take a manual. However, if the car otherwise suits my needs, auto isn't a deal breaker.

The one problem I have in the difference is the misconception of the parking brake that has arisen from the popularity of the automatic transmission. It is not an "emergency brake", your hydraulic breaks are far better than the simple mechanical lever. It is a parking brake, meant to be used whenever you park. Just putting an automatic in "park" is like leaving the car in gear (via a parking prowl). It stresses your prowl and transmission. Manufacturers recommend using the parking brake no matter what type of transmission you have. I have found that automatic drivers tend to get into the habit of putting the car in park and leaving it at that. Then again, some manual drivers tend to just leave it in gear...

Maybe it is less an "automatic vs manual" thing, and a people who don't know or care enough about their cars problem.

Also, I don't know if it is just me, but when I do drive the auto, I sometimes tap the brake with my left foot trying to hit the clutch...

<.<

Just me? Alright then.

 

[Caligulove]

I have an automatic. Mostly because I bought a used car and am definitely looking to sell it at one point. Know and have driven a manual gearbox before, but Automatics are definitely more prevalent, would be annoying to try and sell that manual around here.

I would use a Manual more if I was driving more for recreation rather than transportation- but I dont.

 

[RachaelIsaacHill]

I drive a manual, learned to drive on it and everything. The car is so old it's definitely on it's last legs, half the engine has been replaced at this point. But I'm keeping it alive out of desperation for manual driving. Automatics bore me.

 

[XaVierDK]

I've driven both, automatic at work (it's great fun having a 2.6ton 2.7 litre turbocharged 160bhp off-road vehicle in a desert let me tell you), and manual for my personal use (a slightly less powered, 1100kg 1.6 litre 110bhp Peugeot 206), and I personally prefer the manual.. True, it's fun to just step on it and not having to worry about a clutch and shifting and all that, but it just gives a sense of control that you can shift gears whenever you want...
Also, it's just more fun to accelerate in a manual car, but that might just be me who's a sucker for flooring it all the way to the red before shifting

Best Regards

 

[Hugga_Bear]

Manual and I genuinely prefer it to automatic. The only time I want to drive an automatic is when it's a long journey and it has cruise control (though I'm told manuals can have cruise control too so eh).

I just prefer the control with a manual, I know it's a little harder but it's not bad and I like being able to shift gears around.
I hear it's relatively rare to drive a manual in the states, poll results surprise.

 

[Tiger Sora]

Automatic. Simply because at the time the one car we had that was manuel was off limits. No driving zeh expensive car for me. So I never learned.

 

[superbatranger]

I can drive both automatic and manual, but the car I drive is an automatic.

 

[Rewdalf]

Still on my first car, which is an automatic.
Always shifts late...
My second car will be a manual. I drive my friend's manual Subaru all the time, and it's much better than sitting in an automatic car waiting for the damn gearbox to realize it has to do something!

 

[Tib088]

I'm learning to drive in a manual, and the car I will be driving is a manual.

 

[Numachuka]

Automatic. Simply because at the time the one car we had that was manuel was off limits. No driving zeh expensive car for me. So I never learned.

You didn't learn to drive a manual car during driving lessons?

 

[Killclaw Kilrathi]

I learned to drive and passed my test with a manual, then promptly picked up an automatic car and never looked back.

 

[Mr_Universal]

Manual Volvo 740, Car of cars. you can have way more fun when driving with stickshift

 

[loc978]

I'm an engineer, i find any device that needs constant attention such as gear changing to be a lazy design

the reason you change gear is due to the combustion engine having a limited power band
that's fine, but forcing the driver to fix the problem just feels like a workaround to me

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variomatic

that will explain the issue, it's simply a matter of engineering it is possible to have an infinitely adjustable gear system that is in the best ratio all the time

I will use automatics when those systems become commonplace in every car because they are better than you, no-matter how hard you try

...until it breaks. CVTs are horrendously fragile, and normal automatic transmissions are easier to break than they should be. There's a damn good reason big trucks still use manual shifters for both gearboxes and differentials. They need them to last more than a couple hundred thousand miles.
As a technician, I prefer manual.

 

[TheLoneBeet]

My car is an automatic but I drive a motorcycle in the summer and as far as I know they only come in manual so I guess both?