Manuals > Automatic

[Croyles]

Manuals simplify driving in some ways, if you ask me. It really does depend on why and where you drive though.

[Madame Adequate]

Manuals simplify driving in some ways, if you ask me. It really does depend on why and where you drive though.

I fail to see how adding another factor which you must pay attention to and respond to is any form of simplification.

[Croyles]

Manuals simplify driving in some ways, if you ask me. It really does depend on why and where you drive though.

I fail to see how adding another factor which you must pay attention to and respond to is any form of simplification.

Then you fail at life!
Or read my other long post..

[escobert]

Manuals simplify driving in some ways, if you ask me. It really does depend on why and where you drive though.

I fail to see how adding another factor which you must pay attention to and respond to is any form of simplification.

it's not like it requires much concentration. push a pedal in a move a lever. Not that hard.

[oddler]

A little neat extra in this department is that you can brake using the engine, so your brakes dont wear out quite so fast (if your bothered about that sort of thing).

Brakes are cheaper than engines.

[Croyles]

A little neat extra in this department is that you can brake using the engine, so your brakes dont wear out quite so fast (if your bothered about that sort of thing).

Brakes are cheaper than engines.

What?

[rubah]

I like not having to shift. I would be good at it if I had to though.

My car windows adn locks are manual. It's nice for not always having to put the key in.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

You are aware that you can downshift manually with automatics and the parking brake's other name is the emergency brake, correct?

[escobert]

You are aware that you can downshift manually with automatics and the parking brake's other name is the emergency brake, correct?

Yes, and it's not really good for the tranny. they aren't made to shift like that.

[bipper]

From what I understand, a lot (not all) 'parking brakes' in manuals are actually handbrakes and work differently. Manual brakes deploy a pin to safehold the car in park.

[Kirobaito]

I really don’t see much point in driving a manual. My friend tried to teach me for a while, but I just got fed up with all the bull it took to drive one. I don’t need to anyway, since I have no desire to prove that I’m macho, or whatever the smurfing reason for a manual is. My only need for a car would be to get to places, and an automatic does that just fine.

Along with foa's, QFT.

[bipper]

I might spill my beer shifting, so automatic here plz.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

You are aware that you can downshift manually with automatics and the parking brake's other name is the emergency brake, correct?

Yes, and it's not really good for the tranny. they aren't made to shift like that.

Overall though, is the amount of time that you'll need to use either functions REALLY enough to make that big of a difference?

Personally, I drive an automatic, I would be willing to learn to drive a manual but I wouldn't unless I had to. I don't see any appreciable reason to not drive an automatic. My car still works just fine and we've had it since 1994. As far as I can tell, any performance increase I might theoretically get from having a manual isn't going to affect me all that much.

[Slothy]

The only real thing manuals are better than automatics for is racing or hauling, period the end. If you know how to treat a car and a you have a tachometer, you can get just as much mileage out of an automatic as you can a manual. Manuals are more fun for some people, automatics are more fun for some people. It isn't like manuals transmissions make your car an awesome rollercoaster ride or anything.

I'm glad someone said it. The fact is that regardless of what Croyles thinks, your average manual driver gets little to no advantage in gas mileage over a modern automatic transmission. Hell, some automatics even adapt to the drivers driving style.

A little neat extra in this department is that you can brake using the engine, so your brakes dont wear out quite so fast (if your bothered about that sort of thing).

I have to agree with odd eye on this. Good way to send your car to a mechanic.

Also, faulty brakes are a problem, and a very bad one if your in the middle of driving. So your driving, and your brakes dont work. In a manual you just switch to the lowest possible gear and the engine brakes for you. Of course, its got nothing on your normal brakes, but it definitely does still give you a chance at not rolling off a cliff if you have a reasonable amount of space.
Maybe theres something like this in automatics? I dont actually know..

And like Bert stated, winter is a bummer, and manuals (tend to) handle it better.

If your brakes fail in an automatic, you can and should start pumping the parking brake. It's a much better way of stopping the car than letting the engine do it. As for the winter thing; don't drive like an idiot and you're not apt to run into much trouble. Any you do can usually be handled by shifting the car into a lower gear yourself. I don't care if an automatic isn't meant to be shifted in motion, odds are you won't be moving by the time it becaomes necessary to use a lower gear.

Manuals aren't inherently better. They really do only have outright advantages in terms of racing and towing if you ask me. Most of the reasons you use to claim they're better don't really apply if you ask me, particularly the idea of safety. Believe it or not, some people just can't handle doing one extra thing when they're on the road. Not everyone is a good driver, so I say make it as idiot proof as possible. I don't need someone who has trouble figuring out an automatic getting me killed thank you.

[oddler]

A little neat extra in this department is that you can brake using the engine, so your brakes dont wear out quite so fast (if your bothered about that sort of thing).

Brakes are cheaper than engines.

What?

I'm just saying that brakes are meant to brake and engines are not. Even in a manual automobile, the gears are meant to handle a certain amount of RPM, implying that you have to conciously think about how much of a strain you're going to put on the engine when you downshift. What I'm asking is, "Why worry about it and why make your engine do a job that it is not meant to do?"