OT: Manual vs Automatic

[MBHockey13]

I haven't owned a car with an automatic in about 25 years. I actually feel safer driving a stick. When I get a rental with an auto (and they are always autos) I'm frustrated until I get my car back.

 

Every male and every female under the age of 55 should be driving a stick - period. When I see a sports car or sports sedan with an auto the person driving it automatically loses points with me.

[josie]

Since when is this a thing? Why is this a braggable skill? Have I been in LA (land of almost entirely automatics) too long? Why I would think that's interesting enough to bring up in conversation?

 

Anyways, I drive a manual and wouldn't have it any other way. When I drive compact automatics, I feel like I'm driving a go kart. Gas. Steering wheel. Brake.

I think it depends on the company you're with. Most people I'm friends with don't give two poops what I drive. But I am also friends with a lot of younger males who talk cars, and it invariably comes up. And when it does, it earns me some kind of cred apparently amongst them that I drive stick. It generally devolves into "josie can handle a stick heh heh" jokes pretty quickly.

 

Maturity and all that.

 

I gotta say, I almost gave up when I was on an exit ramp for the first time in my first car and I rolled backwards and stalled trying to go from stop to go. Almost got rear ended, got honked at, generally got flustered and freaked out, managed to restart and jackrabbit jump my way up and out of there. yeeghh. I still feel like a total tool when I occasionally stall. It happens.

[...]

That's what the clutch and brake are for.

[Iron Crotch]

Those who profess to love manual transmissions are those who don't have to sit in rush hour commutes in places like DC, NYC, LA, Philly, etc. Automatic is practically required for crowded big cities these days.

[inkman]

Drove stick for many years, usually by choice. It's really vehicle dependent. Two door solstice convertible, stick. Four day ats Caddy, auto. I think it also depends on how often you have more than just yourself in the vehicle. Not everybody enjoys the herky jerky drive of a stick.

 

Those who profess to love manual transmissions are those who don't have to sit in rush hour commutes in places like DC, NYC, LA, Philly, etc. Automatic is practically required for crowded big cities these days.

Indeed your left foot may need to be amputated after 2 hours of 1st gear clutching.

[MattPie]

I think it depends on the company you're with. Most people I'm friends with don't give two poops what I drive. But I am also friends with a lot of younger males who talk cars, and it invariably comes up. And when it does, it earns me some kind of cred apparently amongst them that I drive stick. It generally devolves into "josie can handle a stick heh heh" jokes pretty quickly.

 

Maturity and all that.

 

I gotta say, I almost gave up when I was on an exit ramp for the first time in my first car and I rolled backwards and stalled trying to go from stop to go. Almost got rear ended, got honked at, generally got flustered and freaked out, managed to restart and jackrabbit jump my way up and out of there. yeeghh. I still feel like a total tool when I occasionally stall. It happens.

 

I've been driving standard for 20 years and I still stall every once in awhile; you're correct it does happen. What's weird is my 2011 WRX has a hill-holder programmed in. If the car is on a hill, it'll hold the brakes for a second after you release them so the car doesn't roll back. I stalled the car a number of times when I first got it because I was trying to start-off normally but the car wouldn't move until the brakes released.

 

As for bragging, maybe at one point I was pretty adamant about stick, although I'd like to think that kept it to car-people and not the general population. I will say that I was pretty impressed with how my wife handled stick when I first met her (heh, heh... heh heh heh), but she was rear-ended (at the ramp from Delaware Ave to the 198, mind the stop-sign) that car and has autos since.

 

Those who profess to love manual transmissions are those who don't have to sit in rush hour commutes in places like DC, NYC, LA, Philly, etc. Automatic is practically required for crowded big cities these days.

 

I drive in traffic all the time with a stick (and a manual bike, the clutch hand can get tired). It's not that bad if you're MAN (or WOMAN) enough. (I kid, it's not the most enjoyable thing but the benefits outweigh the one scenario where it's annoying).

 

I generally use two methods to deal with stick in traffic: workaround, as in take side roads (the side roads may be just as traffic-y, but at least I don't have to worry about someone cutting me off if I leave 3 extra feet); and pulsed-thrust propulsion (give the car a burst of speed and then back to neutral to you don't have to hold the clutch in all the time). It also helps to practice starting the car off without touching the gas pedal, since you can just add a little speed when traffic is rolling slower than first-gear idle.

Edited October 8, 2014 by MattPie

[Wyldnwoody44]

I agree, if you get a sports car with an automatic, then you should've bought something else.... I love subaru, hence the wrx purchase.... I've got a sebring convertible beater that is auto and I always get in and try to shift the few days a month I drive it.

 

The other thing with turbo cars unfortunately is that, although manual is better, automatic Cars can keep the boost up due to being against a load, with manual, when shifting it takes a sec from turbo lag.... I'm not much of a tuner per say, but I didn't buy a WRX to drive like miss daisy either. That's the only regret I have about stick

 

Plus new cars have Hill start assist, so you get a grace period on a hill so you don't need to dump the clutch and mash it to avoid smashing the guy on your ass on a hill

[MBHockey13]

Those who profess to love manual transmissions are those who don't have to sit in rush hour commutes in places like DC, NYC, LA, Philly, etc. Automatic is practically required for crowded big cities these days.

 

I lived in Philly for three years and sat on I-76 for 45 minutes each way every day and still wouldn't even think of switching.

[MattPie]

Plus new cars have Hill start assist, so you get a grace period on a hill so you don't need to dump the clutch and mash it to avoid smashing the guy on your ass on a hill

 

That being said, you should have to mash it anyways. the cars I've had you could always get the clutch to the friction point and hold it there while you switch from brake to gas.

[darksabre]

This should be a poll. I wonder if this forum is disproportionate in representation of manual vs automatic drivers.

[josie]

I've been driving standard for 20 years and I still stall every once in awhile; you're correct it does happen. What's weird is my 2011 WRX has a hill-holder programmed in. If the car is on a hill, it'll hold the brakes for a second after you release them so the car doesn't roll back. I stalled the car a number of times when I first got it because I was trying to start-off normally but the car wouldn't move until the brakes released.

 

 

So many little differences. In college, being one of a small number of people who drove stick, I always got the job of DD in someone's manual vehicle. Most the time it was no big deal, but man, one of my friends had some big old SUV with a manual and that thing was incredibly touchy. You barely started in 1st and were in 3rd in seconds, barely reaching 25 mph. And it would just gutter out and stall at lights. That thing had issues. And it was always full of way too many really drunk/stoned kids doing fun things like grabbing the shift knob and just wrenching at it because I guess that's funny to drunk kids. Or yelling at me for shifting too jerkily in that haphazard pile of crap.

 

When I moved off campus and brought my car up, I was glad it wasn't auto- it meant less people could ask to borrow it.

[dEnnis the Menace]

When I moved off campus and brought my car up, I was glad it wasn't auto- it meant less people could ask to borrow it.

 

This. When I finally got my manual, I was so happy that only a handful of people I knew could drive my car. On nights I go out with my fiance and don't feel like drinking: I'll drive because none of her friends (including her) can drive it, and only 1 of my friends can, so it forces me/gives me an excuse to be responsible :angel: :pirate:

[PASabreFan]

Will I be the first man to admit he has never driven stick? I have a recurring nightmare where I'm being chased by some in-bred chainsaw murderer and I jump into a car in the woods (by the old abandoned house) and it doesn't have automatic transmission.

 

[Taro T]

 

 

This is exactly where I'm at (minus the bad left knee). I love driving manuals, and if I'm ever in position financially to have multiple cars, I'm absolutely going to have a fun manual (WRX calls my name regularly). However, I do so much city driving that more often than not I find manual annoying rather than fun.

For my money, that is the proper way to go. Also makes it real convenient to drop a car off the night ahead if one needs a service appointment/inspection. No messing around w/ loaners unless you have a good reason either.

[MattPie]

This. When I finally got my manual, I was so happy that only a handful of people I knew could drive my car. On nights I go out with my fiance and don't feel like drinking: I'll drive because none of her friends (including her) can drive it, and only 1 of my friends can, so it forces me/gives me an excuse to be responsible :angel: :pirate:

 

In college someone I knew had an old Ford with a 3 on the tree. He'd offer to let people drive it if they could figure out how it worked.

[Campy]

I'm not talking about the makes/models I drive (I learned my lesson last time!) but I will say one is automatic with a turbo and the other is a supercharged manual that even allows me to control gear ratios on the fly which is an absolute freaking blast.

 

Whether I drive the auto or manual depends on my mood and/or whether one passenger seat will be enough.

[LastPommerFan]

I drive an automatic 4-cyl hatchback. My wife's minivan is really fun to drive because, although it's still an auto, and much larger, it's the very first 6-cyl I've ever driven.

 

I feel like Mario Andretti when I roll out onto 5 & 20.

[Campy]

I drive an automatic 4-cyl hatchback. My wife's minivan is really fun to drive because, although it's still an auto, and much larger, it's the very first 6-cyl I've ever driven.

 

I feel like Mario Andretti when I roll out onto 5 & 20.

 

I find that absolutely amazing.

[...]

 

 

I find that absolutely amazing.

 

Yah. Keep 'em away from 8 cylinders... 'e may want to rethink this 'ole "global warming" thing.

[Sabre Dance]

I've always been a proponent of manual trannys - but, driving many vehicles with manuals over the years took its toll on my lower back. Fortunately, my current vehicle has a dual-clutch automated manual. (In fact, it is the only transmission available in the car). Now this is not a torque-converter automatic with shift paddles; this is a genuine F1 type gearbox with seven cogs that you can shift yourself OR allow the car to do the shifting for you. Nice. (But if you can, learn to drive a manual transmission - they are fun!)

[inkman]

I've always been a proponent of manual trannys

Uh :unsure:

[MattPie]

I've always been a proponent of manual trannys - but, driving many vehicles with manuals over the years took its toll on my lower back. Fortunately, my current vehicle has a dual-clutch automated manual. (In fact, it is the only transmission available in the car). Now this is not a torque-converter automatic with shift paddles; this is a genuine F1 type gearbox with seven cogs that you can shift yourself OR allow the car to do the shifting for you. Nice. (But if you can, learn to drive a manual transmission - they are fun!)

 

I'm curious, does it still have a clutch for stop/start and then you shift using the paddles without a clutch? (I let my Car and Driver subscription lapse awhile back).

[Hoss]

 

Uh :unsure:

 

A lot of love for the stick around here

[Trettioåtta]

Most cars here are manual. So i'm going manual. Can be annoying in traffic though. In America I drove an automatic, which was nice as it was a lot easier, but also meant the drives weren't as fun as they could have been

[skaught]

I drove automatics until I bought my first car because I thought a manual would be fun to learn. It sucks in rush hour traffic, but I've driven some automatic rental cars recently and they're just annoying when you need to punch the gas. First it bogs down, then shifts down to first and redlines. It's nice to just be in the right gear when you know you need to hit the gas and you don't need to ride the brakes all the time you can just let off the gas or throw it in a lower gear.