automatic OR manual?

For driving IN Los Angeles, a slushbox is the way to go. BUT... for driving the deserted canyon roads AROUND Los Angeles, the stick gets the nod. Have got two slushboxes right now, & DEARLY miss being able to jam some gears on the weekends. May sell one vehicle or pick up a third just to re-connect with the driving experience.
 
I'd say automatic, but for me too it's largely because I live in a city, and shifting constantly sitting in our horrible traffic would make me crazy. Also, since I just have a normal sort of everyday not-cool car, the stick is kind of pointless, anyway - it doesn't add a lot to my owning it, and then, well again, the nightmare traffic. Oh, well, maybe when I move to a place where you can actually move futher than five feet without stopping at rush hour, I'll switch. Or if I ever have a really cool sportscar.
 
My wife and I both enjoy driving Manual. A few years ago, she broke her left wrist that left her in a cast on her left hand. Back then, both cars were manual. It was very hard for her to drive her car with the cast on (couldn't hold on to the steering wheel!) Ever since, we've owned one manual and one auto just in case.
 
My next car will be a manual, dunno what my next car will be though lol. I was hoping for Lexus/Toyota to offer a 6spd in the IS350, but knowing those scumbags, they probably won't. The new 335ci is interesting, wouldn't mind a turboed car, but then again I simpily cannot afford one.



It should also be noted, in theory, antyhing with a clutch is slower than anything without a clutch. You'll probably notice that most that many cars are going away from a "true" manual and going with SMG instead.
 
victory said:
Automatic for tactical concerns.



I think differently then you all.
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Heh heh, not differently from *all* of us ;) I think I even posted something about this earlier in this thread...there are, uhm, situations ;) where you can't work a stick all that well. E.g., maybe you're doing things with one hand (or only have one arm/leg working) or you're driving while not sitting in the driver's seat. Even just doing a reverse 180 with a stick is a bit harder than with an automatic and even *a little bit* harder isn't good if/when things hit the fan and there's no time to waste- stalling the car is not an option.
 
knew i couldn't be the only one that scares the guys in my car club asking questions like "where's the best place in the trunk to stow an assault rifle."
 
I used to drive manual in my 300ZX, but after i sold her i got an auto. accord. I loved having a manual on the highway, but I was driving 98% in the city. I build really strong calf muscles after 4 months of driving stick, :( get a 30-45 min work out every morning.
 
I forgot how much fun a manual can be until I recently got my Z06 (previous C5 was auto). Love the shifting but my daily drivers are still automatics. :D
 
Chan said:
It should also be noted, in theory, antyhing with a clutch is slower than anything without a clutch. You'll probably notice that most that many cars are going away from a "true" manual and going with SMG instead.
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Technically you're wrong...sure a built-up auto tranny will perform wonders, but your "out of the factory" AT is always slower, as it doesn't have an actual mechanical connection between engine and transmission, as your typical auto uses a torque converter to get the power to the wheels. (yes yes I know about lockout torque converters...but most production cars only have that feature when they are cruising at freeway speeds). This is why you can dyno a MT and AT car (both same besides the tranny) and the MT always puts more power down to the wheels as less is lost in the drivetrain.



Now, SMGs, DSGs, etc, all still have clutches. Difference is, in computer controlled manuals like that the ECU/PCM controls the clutch for you...but they still have one. If I ever wanted a car that didn't have a stick it would have to be a real SMG...not a manually controlled AT like most cars are these days on the market. DSG is an interesting tech, but imo its horrible for road cars...because it has to cook one clutch while engaging the other, it ends up burning at every change. I forget where I read it, but apparently on DSG street cars clutch replacement is part of the standard maintenance of the car :rolleyes: . Now on F1 cars, who cares, because DSG shifts faster and engines and trannys only have to live 1-2 races anyhow as far as I know.
 
Manual only for me - I hate automatics with a passion!! Even on a daily commute I cant stand auto boxes, changing up when they should be changing down and so yawn inducingly boring... I can see the advantage to an auto perhapd, when stuck in a traffic queue and you dont want to be pumping the clutch in stop start traffic, but I dont mind that personally and driving a manual I find enjoyable and fun... Not to mention the fact that manuals are quicker, and more fuel efficient generally speaking.
 
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