Which is better: Manual or Automatic?

Discussion in 'Cars' started by Big B, Sep 15, 2004.

?

What type of Transmission

  1. Automatic

    8 vote(s)
    21.6%
  2. Manual

    29 vote(s)
    78.4%
  1. WWR

    WWR Ultra Geek

    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Yeah, manual drives are great cars.

    Oh snap, I want a Smart Roadster now. :( Yeah Smart cars are normally rubbish but the Roadster is amazing, small engine (0.6 or 7 I think) but huge acceleration, very little weight and it has great manuverability.
     
  2. jmengels

    jmengels Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Stick Shifts (Manuals) rock they song awesome going down the road, and they gain speed a lot better than a automatic.
     
  3. pelvis_3

    pelvis_3 HWF Member For Life

    Likes Received:
    123
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Manuals for sure!
    they keep you awake and make for some good racing!
     
  4. jmengels

    jmengels Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    0
    True they give you something to do instead of falling asleep and nailing a semi. And when your in a big city you have to shift so much and its so sweet leaving other in the dust
     
  5. Kez

    Kez Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I duno.. I've zoned out driving maual many a time.. After driving manual for a while its second nature. no thinking required
     
  6. WWR

    WWR Ultra Geek

    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Something that causes you to really think is driving on the other side of the road in a Manual though, that can give your brain a little prod.
     
  7. Someone28624

    Someone28624 Big Geek

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Manuals are hard to learn how to drive, but once you have it you're good to go. They are cheaper both initially and on gas and they are fun!
     
  8. Nic

    Nic Sleepy Head

    Likes Received:
    17
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Over here You can learn using automatic but afterwards you can't drive a manual whereas if you learn with manual you can drive and automatic. I prefer manual
     
  9. WWR

    WWR Ultra Geek

    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Same here, the only use I've found for an Automatic is in a foreign country, then you don't need to concentrate on shifting gears while remembering about driving on the other side of the road, as manual shifting becomes second nature after a while.
     
  10. kool_azn

    kool_azn Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    yea manual u can have much better control over ur car
     
  11. stinkfing3r

    stinkfing3r Big Geek

    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    0
    depends on situation.. i love manual, ill never have an auto. my rsx-s was six speed and my acura tl is 6 speed... but i lived 20 miles north of where i worked... to and from work took forever, roughly 1 hour to get to work and 1.5 to 2 hours to get home(once again 2hrs for a 20mile drive). so needless to say my feet would go numb ;) bumper to bumper traffic makes manual seem really terrible sometimes.

    wwr - we dont have that law over here.. i didnt take a test for a certain style transmission, i didnt have a choice. our driver teacher made us learn in an auto. first time i drove stick was when i drove my rsx-s off the car dealer lot. no tests, nothing. just figured it out as i went :)
     
  12. Someone28624

    Someone28624 Big Geek

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    For those of you who think you can go from manual to auto no problem, my car is a manual. One day I had to drive my sister's car. I felt for the clutch when we came up to a stop sign. Since there was no clutch I ended up slamming on the break. Gave us all a good jolt. Luckily, we were only going about 20mph before that.
     
  13. sciroccosven

    sciroccosven Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Manual is the way to go. The drivetrain on a manual transmission car weighs less, has less moving parts, and therefore puts more power to the ground. Another thing to consider is a huge % of vehicles that have both have an extra gear with the manual. Your fuel consumption is better because you dont have the parasitic loss with the auto tranny and a manual transmission can handle much more power.
     
  14. XaviarCraig

    XaviarCraig Guest

    I am knowned to be overly zealous about this... but what ever!

    Automatics cost more than manuals,
    they break much easier than manuals,
    they wear out much faster than manuals,
    they was waste gas because they need a torque converter,
    they cost more to fix/make than manuals,
    they take longer to fix/make than manuals,
    they need more parts and reasources than manuals,
    they encourage lazyness,
    they severely cut down your control of the vechicle

    The only advantage they have, is that you dont have to pay as much attention to what you are doing behind the wheel! Which in return, increases the chances of you getting in an accident.

    *sigh* ok I am done ranting

    In short, to me there is NEVER a valid reason to even CONSIDER using an automatic unless you get the car for free, in which case you should sell it and get a car that is has a manual!
     
  15. randomman113

    randomman113 Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    manual is so much more fun
     
  16. Rik1938

    Rik1938 Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I thought manual was fun too. I drive 1 hour every morning in bumper to bumper traffic, now it sucks. I'm kinda lazy and like to drink coffee and talk on the phone. My next car will be an auto. :(



    P.S. I'm not one of those crazy people who shave while driving. Just coffee in one hand, phone in the other, Knee on the wheel all while clutching and shifting. :spin2:
     
  17. randomman113

    randomman113 Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    haha, yeah i hate the traffic in a sitck... and i do shave while driving haha! i HATE slow people though, espically on and one lane road... because i shave, talk on the phone and like to speed haha... and its hard with a slow poke who goes 15 under speed limit!
     
  18. matthewrpenny

    matthewrpenny Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    i hate auto's

    picture the scene, driving a car full of important visitors from work to their hotel, come of moterway at 70(ish) go to change down gear, depress clutch (which is actually brake).

    you can guess rest, good job there was nothing behind me!


    ttfn.


    (actually that was not the auto's fault, more me not being used to driving them)
     
  19. RHochstenbach

    RHochstenbach Administrator

    Likes Received:
    26
    Trophy Points:
    48
    I prefer manual. You can choose when to shift yourself and it is also better on a slippery road if it rains (it rains about 80% a year in my area)
     
  20. edijs

    edijs Programmer

    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    38
    manual. uses less gas, gives you more control over the car and is much more fun. :cool:
     

Share This Page