automatic OR manual? - Page 2

ShaggonWaggon · 02-02-06, 05:56

the manuals are like second nature to me, only problem is when you step up and beef up the tranny with race clutches and lightend flywheels and diffs, you will learn to hate bumper to bumper traffic.

G35stilez · 02-02-06, 06:16

Manual, no question.

I drive a lot of city miles and I'd rather "suffer" a little bit in heavy traffic than have a slush box. Automatic poses zero fun for me. I get so bored, I want to scream.

RangerMan · 02-02-06, 06:24

Manual - always a manual. I hate it sometimes but the other 95% of the time wouldn't want to drive anything else.

jchetty · 02-02-06, 06:52

def manual....even in traffic i just leave it in 2nd and keep some distance with car ahead of me...kind of like trucks do...plus changing tranny oil is alot easier on a tranny

ryotto · 02-02-06, 07:26

my first car was an auto. i sold that car just because it was auto. now my car is an integra manual. i can saftly say.........I HATE AUTO. I love driving manual. i hate driving auto. i'll never go back to auto. I get to my moms 02 accord v6 auto sometimes, and i like the car but i hate the auto tranny. i dont like driving that car just because of that. feels like you have no control.auto is just so boring. and i hate how they accelerate when going down a hill with your foot off of the gas, no engine braking. now, with my integra i just take my foot off of the gas and keep the same speed, without riding the brakes. anyway for me, manual is the only way to go. i'll never go auto again.

rjstaaf · 02-02-06, 07:35

I believe it is machismo more than anything else regardless of whether we chose to admit it or not. I have owned both and while it is definitely fun shifting your own gears it can also get old if you do a lot of commuting like I do. I think a lot of people generalize as well. Some have had an experience with an auto in a certain make and assume all autos in all makes perform the same way which is certainly not true. Even with an auto my Mustang is a blast to drive. Fluid changes are almost as easy as changing the engine oil...

White95Max · 02-02-06, 07:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomicidalSloth

Manual. I own two cars, both are 6 speeds, and I'll never buy an automatic unless I'm like 80 and buying a Lincoln or something. Autos are just boring.

I agree. I enjoy driving a stick everyday, regardless of season or conditions. Plus, the 1.6L in the Protege wouldn't be too peppy with an automatic.

WSUcommuter · 02-02-06, 08:06

As long as I have two arms and two legs, I will own manual vehicles only.

Way2SSlow · 02-02-06, 08:18

My Daily driver is a 5 speed manual and my SS has a BUILT auto in it. When I say built, I mean it has a 3000 stall converter and shifts HARD. Granted it is nice not to have to bother with the clutch in traffic, but with the gearing in the SS it tends to like to shift itself a bit more than I would like it to while in traffic. The hard shifts dont bother me, but they can get kind of annoying (in traffic) when it shifts itself into second right before I have to get on the brakes again. As far as straight line acceleration, I enjoy slamming the gears as much as the next guy, but I cant shift as fast as that tranny in my SS does. When my pala shifts itself, you cant even hear the revs drop....IT SHIFTS THAT FAST. So for competitive drag racing (like if you really want to beat the guy in the next lane, I'll take my auto. For road racing/auto crossing I'll take my manual. People who think that all manual cars accelerate faster than an auto need to take a ride in a car with a performance built automatic.

I cany really compare *my* two vehicles, seeing as how my 5 speed is a 143 hp 4 cylinder and my Auto is a 300+ hp modded V8.

JohnnyDaJackal · 02-02-06, 08:38

I'm so happy my car is manual, and that I got the chance to learn how to drive one. This may sound lame but i've seriously been fascinated with manual cars for the past couple years, and really wanted to learn how to drive one before I died..lol

Considering I don't know my future I might not have the chance to own one again, I know thats what happened to my father. Once he got married to my mother and got situated where we live today, both cars we're auto due to my mother not knowing or wanting to know how drive a manual.

I also feel a little more attentive when I drive my car compared to my parent's cars(autos). The constant shifting keeps you more aware of your surroundings IMO.

Daragh · 02-02-06, 10:13

A high tech Tiptronic is the pick of the bunch. The best of both world's. Only the Prestige European and Japanese manufactured vehicles seem to know how to engineer them to a level which is compatible with enthusiastic driving. The U.S manufactured (automatic) cars are built for Driving Miss Daisy style cruising and comfort, not performance driving. In Europe we could not understand why the Toyota Camry was so popular stateside with a very poor automatic, when compared with the Honda Accord or Mitsubishi Galant. The VR4 Galant from Japan had one of the best and most rugged autos of its time. An awesome car. The Honda Prelude was also really good. Mercedes probably have the best automatic at the moment, even though they have dumbed down in other areas of engineering & build quality, all in the name of profit. Volkswagen & Audi's DSG is also an interesting proposition.

The one thing about an automatic is that if you buy one, you seldom go back to a manual. They tend to refine people's driving behaviour while instilling a strong preference for quality civilised motoring. May be its laziness, but autos are much more practical on our increasingly crowded roads. Just buy a good one. No slushmatics !

Denzil · 02-02-06, 10:19

Automatics can't get you out of jams or certain situations in traffic where a manual transmission can. Downshift and you're ok! Oh and did I mention that manual transmission cars are more gas-conservative?