Stick or autopilot.

[Krelian]

I drive manual and I have no problem with it. The majority of cars in Germany are manual, that's why I've never even tried automatic here. I once tried automatic in Malaysia, though. But I didn't drive much, also because they drive on the left side of the road and I didn't want to risk getting confused and ending up in an accident

[NeoTifa]

are we talking cars or airplanes, either way, im lazy as hell. see, what most people dont know is, planes pretty much fly themselves lol. you just gotta turn, take-off, and land. the way the wind hits the wings allows the plane to pretty much stay the same altitude. i like to see how long i can get away with letting go of the yoke before the other guy realizes it and freaks out lulz. ....and cars....? lets just say im so talented i can eat with chopsticks and drive at the same time. (ive only been in 2 wrecks, neither of them were my fault.....still waiting for the money!!!!)

[Freya]

I had an automatic for a while. Now I have my VWBeattle. At first I didn't like driving manual but it grew on me. The plus side is you have to pay attention. I use to live really far out of town so if you didn't have to do much work you'd get drowsy easily.

I think that's also why there are bad drivers. They don't have to pay attention. They don't notice you have to shift down if you're going around a corner too slow. Nope they just go super slow and cause you to have to down shift, which is a pain when you were taking that corner at 30. :/ People are just lazy and don't pay attention.

My sister has a Ford Focus. It's a manual as well but it comes on with arrows when you need to shift up or down. So that whole, "it takes an expert", it really doesn't. The same thing applies. To get better gas mileage it'll tell you when to shift so instead of the car doing it it's self to get the best gas mileage it just tells you.

My moms 07 Pontiac G6 can switch between the two, manual and automatic. I think it has the same thing where it tells you when to shift.

[o_O]

I'd take a manual over automatic any day. They are more efficient on fuel (except for a few cases with the very latest transmission technology), they're more fun to drive and the driver has a ton more control over the car.

Modern automatics are extremely precise about when they change gears, as Ouch! said. They'll change to be efficient with gas as much as possible. certainly better than all but the most expert Human. Also yeah, less work to perform the same task = more efficient, that's pretty much the definition of efficiency.

Changing gears in a manual is mechanical, using energy from the driver via the clutch and gearstick. In an automatic, the only place that energy can come from is fuel or battery (which is charged by fuel anyway), not to mention the computing power required to stop the automatic transmission from intrusively shifting gears and also to maximise the fuel economy. That's why autos are inherently less efficient on gas. If a driver's driving a manual such that fuel economy is less than it would be in an auto, then they aren't doing a very good job at driving.

[Ramza Beoulve]

I can drive both, but I have an automatic car.

I would not drive a manual in this city because it would be hell itself, and I actually love to much my car to change it for a manual.

[Slothy]

Changing gears in a manual is mechanical, using energy from the driver via the clutch and gearstick. In an automatic, the only place that energy can come from is fuel or battery (which is charged by fuel anyway), not to mention the computing power required to stop the automatic transmission from intrusively shifting gears and also to maximise the fuel economy. That's why autos are inherently less efficient on gas. If a driver's driving a manual such that fuel economy is less than it would be in an auto, then they aren't doing a very good job at driving.

Given that fuel savings from using a manual transmission well are often fairly low (especially these days), I'd say your average user will burn through the fuel savings of a manual by simply not shifting as efficiently as a manual, considering most people aren't a computer, and a lot of people driving manuals aren't very good at it. Honestly, I've known as many people who are good with a stick shift as those who aren't, and the ones who weren't had been driving stick for years.

And besides that, it still depends on how well the person drives more than the transmission anyway. A lot of people just plain don't drive well for conserving gas, and reducing vehicle wear and tear.

[I Don't Need A Name]

gears ftw

[Tallulah]

I am learning in a manual (VW Beetle diesel). It's kind of fun now I've gone a little beyond the basics.

In the UK if you pass your test in an auto you cannot legally drive a manual. If you pass in a manual you can drive either.

[Cleric]

My sister has a Ford Focus. It's a manual as well but it comes on with arrows when you need to shift up or down. So that whole, "it takes an expert", it really doesn't. The same thing applies. To get better gas mileage it'll tell you when to shift so instead of the car doing it it's self to get the best gas mileage it just tells you.

My car has one of those lights, and it really irks me. I don't believe that it gives you the best gas mileage, esp. when it is trying to tell me to shift into a higher gear when going up a really steep hill...excellent idea. However, that's the computers fault.

I am generally a complete stick snob though. I just got my new car a month ago, and I had such a hard time finding something, mainly because I only wanted a 5 speed. I just hate driving auto, it bores me. Before my new car I was alternating between my crap wagon, and my step dads automatic toyota. Now, my crap wagon got about 45-50 miles per gallon, no lie, and his toyota gets about 35 which is good for an automatic, but ehh. Plus, I live in Maine, and the winters suck here. In the toyota I think I spun out 3-4 times almost getting seriously injured once from the lack of control and ABS. However in my crap wagon, which had virtually bald tires, also no ABS or anything, I was fine in, and I drove it through a major snow storm. Sooo I could really go on and on all day about the features and benefits of driving stick...if one can master it lol.

[The Unknown Guru]

I can only drive automatic. I'll learn stick once I actually get my license.