Transmissions: Automatic vs. Manual

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Do you prefer the stickage....or not?

Manual!! Yeah, baby, nothing quite feels the same as a stick in your hand.
28
49%
Nah, too much work. I'd rather drive automatic and keep at least one hand free for...many reasons.
19
33%
I don't drive yet, but I want to learn manual.
1
2%
I don't drive yet, but I can't be bothered learning manual.
4
7%
Errr, my scooter doesn't have a transmission. ...Does it?
5
9%
 
Total votes: 57
Next of Kin
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Post by Next of Kin »

I learned how to drive a stick but since I drive in the city with lots of bumper to bumper traffic I chose automatic (plus its easier to talk on the cell phone too!).
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Post by Sea Skimmer »

Next of Kin wrote:(plus its easier to talk on the cell phone too!).
DIE, and hopefully before you kill someone else.
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Post by Beowulf »

Sea Skimmer wrote:
Next of Kin wrote:(plus its easier to talk on the cell phone too!).
DIE, and hopefully before you kill someone else.
Seconded.
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Post by Dahak »

Next of Kin wrote:(plus its easier to talk on the cell phone too!).
Luckily that's illegal here... :D

But for the question at hand: manual all the way. automatic is just soooo boring.
And growing up in Stuttgart, Germany, I have no problems with jams on slopes or hills :mrgreen:
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Post by EmperorMing »

Manuall all the way!! 8)

I like to drive with all my appendages in use... :P :wink:
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Post by Next of Kin »

Sea Skimmer wrote:
Next of Kin wrote:(plus its easier to talk on the cell phone too!).
DIE, and hopefully before you kill someone else.
Why thank you. Of course you missed the part where I'm in bumper to bumper traffic didn't you. Let me clarify this point when I use my phone.
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Post by Howedar »

Mark S wrote:Automatic all the way. It's called progression people. I don't watch a black and white tv or listen to an 8-track either.
Which implies that an automatic is better than a manual. Please, explain this thinking. Its more expensive, less reliable, and has worse performance.
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Post by LadyTevar »

Dahak wrote:
Next of Kin wrote:(plus its easier to talk on the cell phone too!).
Luckily that's illegal here... :D

But for the question at hand: manual all the way. automatic is just soooo boring.
And growing up in Stuttgart, Germany, I have no problems with jams on slopes or hills :mrgreen:
Come to the beautiful Appalachian Mountains, with our nice 6-10% grade uphill climbs.

(And for those that don't know: x% grade= x feet rise for every 100ft distance)

So, I'll drive my nice little Automatic 2002 Dodge Neon, and I'll go up those hills at 40-60 mph, waving at all the Manual Stick drivers who've had to downshift to the point they're going 20mph.

And I'll be the one that isn't taking Devil's Elbow at 5mph....
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Post by Howedar »

I guess you dumbass Easterners just don't know how to drive, cause any manual I've ever driven takes a 10% grade and laughs at it at 60.
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Post by AdmiralKanos »

I learned to drive on a stick-shift, completely forgot how to use it after 10 years of driving an automatic, and then re-learned in about half an hour when I went to a one-day racing school (one of those things you pay a small chunk of money to do just for the hell of it; you drive a Formula 3000 car around for a few hours and get to wear a snappy racing suit). Manual gives better control and is superior if you really care about the driving experience.

However, when I'm driving my car, I'm not particularly interested in the driving experience. I just want to get where I'm going with minimum fuss, and the automatic gets the job done. I drive a sedan, not a sports car. I have child seats in the back. I honestly have more important things to worry about than getting the perfect shift point or squeezing a few extra horsepower out of my engine.
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Post by Howedar »

God, so thats what happens when you're old...
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Post by Cyborg Stan »

Manual is more interesting to drive, and usually more fun unless if I get stuck in rush-hourish traffic. Otherwise, I don't consider driving stickshift all that hard - I more or less learn how to do it within a couple of minutes.
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Post by CRUCIBLE »

Manual. More efficient, more control and has become second nature to me.
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Post by JodoForce »

Manumatic or CVT :D

The manumatic is available on the Ford Fiesta and CVT is available on the Mitsubishi lancer and all kinds of Honda Civics, so I don't know what's the problem about having to drive 'real cars' :D

Of course, I'd prefer a Ferrari 360 if I had one 8)
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Re: Transmissions: Automatic vs. Manual

Post by jegs2 »

Zaia wrote:So......which transmission do you prefer?
My views on that have changed over the years. My first car was a 63 VW bug, and it was of course a manual transmission. I was good at dealing with manual transmissions after driving that car. Over the years, I had a VW bus and two Isuzu Trooper II's, all of which were manual transmissions. Then I bought a Dodge Ram longbed, quad-cab, and it was an automatic. It took a while to get used to, as I would jab my foot at the floorboard where I expected a clutch pedal and instintively reach for a shift lever. Got over that soon enough, and all four-wheelers in our household are now automatics. As an aside, I've not a clue how folks who like to talk on cell phones while driving deal with a manual transmission.

If I want the feel of a manual, I'll hop on my Harley, but then all shifting is done with the left hand and foot.
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Post by Coyote »

Heheh, Lady Tevar, come to the West and drive the lovely ROCKIES where things tend to average a mile above sea level-- and all the ups & downs that go with it. My automatic Nissan Pathfinder never gave me any trouble and with the overdrive option I never had the problem of unwanted or unexpected gear shifting.

I prefer an automatic on hills, although I know what folks mean about idiots that use the clutch to hover hills, even I'm not that foolish with a clutch...

I just like having a hand free for changing tapes/CDs, sipping coffee, flipping off other drivers, feeling up my girlfriend, or in extreme cases when I have to become a driver and door gunner at the same time... uhh... I didn't really mean that last part....
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Post by Zaia »

Howedar wrote:I guess you dumbass Easterners just don't know how to drive, cause any manual I've ever driven takes a 10% grade and laughs at it at 60.
I'm an Easterner and I fly past people with automatics on steep inclines. I don't know what they're smokin'.... :?
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Post by Beowulf »

Howedar wrote:I guess you dumbass Easterners just don't know how to drive, cause any manual I've ever driven takes a 10% grade and laughs at it at 60.
Argh, my 2 hp car can't go any faster on this incline...
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