Automatic or manual?

[Veratyr Star]

Simple poll. Do you drive an automatic or manual?

I drive a manual and love it. I'm definitely sticking with manual with every car I get. It's just more fun to drive and you have a lot more control. Automatics are just too easy to drive. I catch myself looking for the clutch whenever I have to drive a friends car when they get too drunk to drive and I didn't take my car.


Another quick question. Do you all think driving a manual makes you a better driver?

[THClord]

I have automatic, but just cuz it was my mom's car.

I love manual and I will definately make sure my next car is manual.

A manual transmission brings you so much closer to the car, gives you more power and control.

[birdgirl73]

Automatic. Now. My first four cars I had were all manual transmission cars, and that's what I learned to drive on, too.

I like shifting. I agree that it gives you more power and control. So does a bigger motor, though, and I like the smoothness of the automatic in the car I drive now. I have gotten used to not shifting but wouldn't be bothered if I had to go back to a stick.

[Kn1vez]

It is possible to drive a manual just as smoothly as an automatic. I have driven with many people who say that when I drive my manual it at least feels better than than other people who drive stick, and sometimes people tell me it feels like an automatic.

A bigger motor may give you more power, but not necessarily more control ;-) Remember that the suspension and braking system are what give you the most control.

[KingOfMyWorld]

Automatic, but within the next two years I intend to embark on a project for a 1984-1989 E30 that will hopefully be manual, I've always wanted to learn.

[thecreator]

OK i lied and I'm sorry......I thought it was a preference ok to make the poll valid someone with a Manuel say they drive an Automatic and I think we should be ok. I'm oh so sorry and I think I'm going to be getting some negative ratting and I'm ok with that:thumbsup:

[notransfer]

id like to master manual...it seems like a BA way to go...last time i drove stick i stuttered and stalled a bunch of times but it was my first time ever trying in HS DE.

i have an automatic and i think my tranny is about to go.

[happiestmferoutthere]

I have both an automatic and a manual. I do prefer the stick shift, but I drive the automatic more.
I have a wicked "clutch foot" though and have to keep it tucked away when I'm driving my automatic, because any pedal my left foot touches gets shoved to the floor. Not so good when the only pedal is the brake.:( (I've been known to forget I'm driving an automatic)

[Mohksha]

I will never go back to an automatic. I love the extra control you get with a stick, although the incredibly smooth drive you get with an automatic is nice.

[slipknotpsycho]

automatic, but i can drive manual.... i learned in my dad's 99 camaro...

when i get my dream car (or if actually...) it WILL be manual.. there are just so many reasons to get manual over automatic, unless it's just some get to work and back car...

easier to work on, less expensive on transmission repairs/building, less to go wrong with it, can pull more torque and power out of it....

it also never hurts to know how to drive a manual..... i mean if shit happens and you only know automatic, you might be screwed... not everyone who can drive a manual can drive a stick..... but everyone who can drive a stick can drive a manual....

it's never a bad thing ot learn....

the only thing that throws me off is clutches... i really hate that part.... cuz like i said i learned in my dad's car, that was new and powerful.... then me and the wife go to a friends one day and soem more people show up and everyone decided to go to another person's house.. some guy htere that owned a manual truck wanted to ride in the car with everyone else (they were all catching up, not my friends lol) and i was the only one that even knew how to drive a stick... i get in the truck and kill it 3 times....

see, if i'd of 'popped' teh clutch in my dad's car, we'd of hit 40 in about 20 yards... but for this shitty truck, you HAD to pop the clutch, or it'd just die...

i felt stupid... REALLY stupid.... cuz i wasn't kidding, i did know how, he just never warned me his clutch was fucked up, til he was in the truck and we were driving there.... (hell lol... someone who didn't know how to drive it wouldn't of even gotten it started, much less got it to back outta the drive way... for those who may not know, it's not just turning a key :))

[Mississippi Steve]

I have been driving a manual for 35 years. I can drive a slush-o-matic, but I choose not to.

[happiestmferoutthere]

Another plus to a stick is you can "bump" start it if your battery dies. All you need is a slight hill. Very handy!

[Nightstar]

Automatic - And already on the second transmission...

I miss having a Manual transmission..

Automatics don't hold up like Manuals when it comes to a heavy foot..

[slipknotpsycho]

Another plus to a stick is you can "bump" start it if your battery dies. All you need is a slight hill. Very handy!

or a push from a cop with a push bar lmao.... that was on cops once....

[slipknotpsycho]

Automatic - And already on the second transmission...

I miss having a Manual transmission..

Automatics don't hold up like Manuals when it comes to a heavy foot..

cause they're made for general driving... they'll never hold up like manuals will, although it's not the only reason is a good example of heavy city traveling... with auto it will always shift at a cerain point, whehter or not you'll be slowing down in 3 seconds or not... with manual you can make assumptions like that....

and more so... you can choose to let the car coast to avoid doing such a thing... with a manual you rarely think about the shifting and what's better on the engine/transmission...

the more you distance yourself from your car, the worse it is on the car.. it's also a good example of why older cars tend to last longer, no matter what shit you put them through.... because you have to be in-tune with it to keep it running.... there are no fancy lights or beeps to tell you when you're fucking up, you have to treat it like it was your baby....

[birdgirl73]

I've known of a lot more people who've had to replace manual clutches than automatics, though. People who knew how to drive, not habitual clutch-offenders. It hasn't been my experience that all things manual hold up better.

[slipknotpsycho]

I've known of a lot more people who've had to replace manual clutches than automatics, though. People who knew how to drive, not habitual clutch-offenders. It hasn't been my experience that all things manual hold up better.

yeah, but replacing a clutch (and even a manual transmission all togethter) are a HELL of alot cheaper then automatics.... lol

[papa roach]

love manual cars coz yu in control of every thing.but at times favours auto in times of highness:thumbsup:

[affasd]

:stoned:

[Distortion]

i like automatic, i can drive a manual i just rather have an automatic because the clutch can be a pain sumtimes

[stinkyattic]

I don't know how to drive an automatic. lol. My left foot gets antsy.
Nothin' but a stick for me.

[delusionsofNORMALity]

all i've got right now is my work truck and that's an automatic (i was feeling lazy when i bought it) and after years of driving a stick the auto seems a boring drive. i'm looking for a small car right now (the v8 is eating me out of house and home) and it will definitely be a manual.

[geonagual]

I am going to answer for LIP since he is banned....manual all the way..

[RedLocks]

gotta be manual, automatic just feels like I'm driving a golf cart or something.. and also cut down on my friends getting whiplash when i hit the clutch in a automatic (ohh that was the break huh?)

[not_the_kitty]

My Dad's old Toyota was a manual and I loved it to death....until me and that car met a light pole and a cement barrier at 80mph. He now has an automatic and I no longer have the same insurance as the rest of my family but one day me and a manual transmission will be reunited as soon as I get rid of my pos chevy s-10.

[Veratyr Star]

I am going to answer for LIP since he is banned....manual all the way..

Really?? :(:eek::jawdropper:

[ghosty]

Really?... LIP got banned?! I'm assuming just a temporary

[Abeona]

I've known of a lot more people who've had to replace manual clutches than automatics, though. People who knew how to drive, not habitual clutch-offenders. It hasn't been my experience that all things manual hold up better.

Both myself and hubby have diven automatics for years mostly Nissans and I have to agree we have never had the slightest problem with gearboxes, we have many friends however who have had countless problems with manual boxes it is quite difficult to abuse an automatic box but very easy to abuse a manual one but I suppose each to there own, we are just glad we are lucky enough to afford a car at all can't imagine life without one.

Abeona

[Old Stoner]

When I was younger, mauals were the shit, but as you get older, you get tired of shifting. Plus, evenly matched engine wise, an automatic can beat a manual 99 percent of the time.

[Mississippi Steve]

When I was younger, mauals were the shit, but as you get older, you get tired of shifting. Plus, evenly matched engine wise, an automatic can beat a manual 99 percent of the time.

Then why is it that virtualy *EVERY* form of motorsports use manual transmissions??

FWIW, I normally get 180,000 - 200,000 miles out of a clutch. (yes I keep vehicles that long). I normally keep a vehicle for about 300,000 miles before getting another one. I am on vehicle #5.

[Old Stoner]

Because those in REAL motorsports, I mean, PRO motorsports, can get the most out of the engine with a manual transmission, and hence, KNOW HOW to do so.

Unless you are REALLY GOOD with a shifter in hand, us "civilians" fare way better with an automaticl. It's the time between shifts that kills you, and there are tons of programmers out there to make your autie-matic a helluva lot more refined with a better shift pattern, and at the right RPM's as well. I know very few "civilians" that can truly handle a manual like the experts do.

I have a truck that I use to haul off garbage, and with the proper maintenance, has reached 325,000 miles WITHOUT ANYTHING being doen to it major, other than the usual stuff that goes quickly, such as tires and brakes. The clutch and pressure plate, not to mention the throw out bearing, are ALL original.

That used to be my daily driver, way back a few years ago. I am, quite simply, tired of shifting. Hence, my automatics.... ;)

[Gothen]

I have a 1999 Ford Contour...totally automatic. Totally suck car.

I mean, good for getting from one place to another, and definitely good on gas mileage. But...I mean...me? In a Ford CONTOUR?? It just looks weird.

[king of the world]

once you learn how to drive a manual
its going to feel like second nature
and once you can shift real good
you can save alot of gas
and you can handle the car
which to me makes manual safer and better and more fun then automatic
and once you get used to manual you dont even really want to touch a automatic

[tokin'smoker]

manual for life. i love em

[UTD Toker]

When I was younger, mauals were the shit, but as you get older, you get tired of shifting. Plus, evenly matched engine wise, an automatic can beat a manual 99 percent of the time.


I'm not a car expert but I would have to disagree....If i was racing an identical 99 eclipse gsx automatic, I would start my car near 7k rpm's while the automatic would start off at zero.....I don't see how automatics would have a chance after the huge startoff advantage manual transmissions give you:thumbsup:

[king of the world]

:rastasmoke:
I'm not a car expert but I would have to disagree....If i was racing an identical 99 eclipse gsx automatic, I would start my car near 7k rpm's while the automatic would start off at zero.....I don't see how automatics would have a chance after the huge startoff advantage manual transmissions give you:thumbsup:


true dat:stoned:

[Old Stoner]

Nope, UTDToker, ever heard of power braking, OR, if you wanna run the risk of ripping your auto out of your car, find the right rev limit without wheelspin for your automatic, and let 'er rip.

Been racing for years, my son... ;) Probabaly way too many years!

Oh, almost forgot. Try launching a 400 hp GTO with Nitrous at 7k.... LOL.... Sorry, but that WAS a very funny statement....:D

[crudemood]

getting my first car in a couple of weeks, bullocks its gonna be automatic thou

i went ahead and voted manual anyway :)

[chocochoco]

Question to all the manual preferring: why not? I haven't driven automatic but if I would have to choose I wouldn't' have to think much... when automatic you can concentrate on other things beside shifting, no clutching and it's smoother and just easier... I guess it's a subjective preference...

What happened to LIP???

[4twentE]

got an auto, but would much prefer a manual for the same reasons as everyone else. glad my bike's a manual although it is sequential. i am a clutch master. never had to replace a clutch. i believe i can drive a stick as smooth as a lot of automatics, though some of the newer Lexuses and stuff shift pretty damn smooth. so yeah, that's my :twocents:

[Cocoflava]

Automatics don't hold up like Manuals when it comes to a heavy foot..

This is Very True..


Manual Car til im 6 feet under.

-Wil

[Harry Pot Head]

I drive both I like autos if there is a lot of start and stops.:mad:
But on the other hand I prefer a Manual. I have never had to change out a clutch. :D

The car I drive is a Ford escort station wagon and yes its got a 5 speed it and it surprises people that its got a manual they always think automatics. till I drive off then they notice its a manual :stoned:

I just changed out the timing belt again I am on my 3rd on it

But after first gear I do not use the clutch can just shift up and down by hearing the rev of the engine and the stick just falls into place.

One thing is good about learning how to drive a manual you never know when you may have to rent a 20' foot truck for moving, most are manual.

On a side note some companies use autos in there truck fleet saves on clutch repairs.
and there are some good heavy duty autos out there.

The things that I see kill clutches is riding the clutch foot on pedal all the time.
Running at hi RPMS when releasing the clutch slowly
Not enough free play in the clutch padal (depends on the car and truck some are not auto adjusting )

But all in all manuals great never had one go. :cool:

[ceecee79]

Automatic--I have never learned how to drive a manual. When I was younger, a boy I dated tried to teach me how to shift the gears in his car, but I did not do it very well, and I didn't even have to worry about the clutch. Plus I am always doing something else besides just driving when I am in the car (smoking-cigarettes, texting, drinking-soda, talking on the phone) so it probably wouldn't be very good for me to try to shift gears too.

[Mississippi Steve]

Automatic--I have never learned how to drive a manual. When I was younger, a boy I dated tried to teach me how to shift the gears in his car, but I did not do it very well, and I didn't even have to worry about the clutch. Plus I am always doing something else besides just driving when I am in the car (smoking-cigarettes, texting, drinking-soda, talking on the phone) so it probably wouldn't be very good for me to try to shift gears too.


You are DANGEROUS!!!! we have had 3 people in my area killed in accidents because they were texting/talking on the phone while driving(2 were head-on, the 3rd hit a tree)....there is currently legislation in the works in Mississippi to make texting while driving illegal with a $500 fine for the first offense. There is an addendum on that same bill that cell phone use in a vehicle must be "hands free".

The whole idea is so that it minimizes the drivers distractions, and the driver can keep both both hands on the wheel.

The most ignorant thing I have seen is a woman leaving her home, gets into her car, picks up her phone, dials a number, then starts it up and drives off:wtf:


FWIW, 95% of people with cell phones, have absolutely no *NEED* for one.