Driving manual or automatic

[Kingsley Davis]

Take a shit car brand (Nissan since teaming up with Renault) and the manual models are vastly superior than the automatics. Even a quality brand like Honda is not immune from this because they make shit automatic transmissions and that's why the venerable SIs and S2000s only come in stick.

 

[John Silva]

I'm in Europe so I drive stick. I actually only drove automatic twice. They were rentals, but I have to say for long trips, automatic it's a breeze.

 

[bucky]

Subaru still sells a few new manual Imprezas in the US, or at least they still did in 2019, but yes, new manual transmissions are very rare here.

According to the car freaks I work with there's no reason to buy manual anymore because modern automatics have overtaken all the advantages in control, reliability, and gas mileage that you used to get with manual.

I drove manual most of my life but got tired of getting stuck in rush hour traffic with them. Also, you can operate an automatic if you break your left foot (that happened to one of my friends once and since she had a stick shift, she couldn't drive her car until it healed).

Incidentally, I bought a new 2019 Subaru with adaptive cruise control a few months ago. It's heaven in rush hour traffic because it does all the braking for you. Highly recommended.

 

[jordypip23]

Most Americans don't know how to drive a manual. And those that do - boomers, mostly - don't drive them. I worked as a parking valet for years, and 99% of the cars were automatics.

Also, most of the younger valets didn't know how to drive a manual, even though it was the only job requirement, so don't valet your car if you have one.

I just bought a SHO earlier this year, thankfully it has a valet mode security feature on it. Only lets people get up to 25 mph

Had a former colleague that used to swear by the old SHO's as a fun collector's item / toy for the garage. Man those must be a blast to drive eh? Heheh.

 

[CDRhodes]

I learned to drive on a manual and currently have one in my old commuter car. I prefer a manual for a performance car (I was an idiot street racer when I was younger). It’s challenging and fun to launch and shift. For a daily driver I’m ambivalent. A manual is what I got the deal on so it’s what I drive. From a maintenance standpoint, I’d give the nod to manuals. Clutches/flywheels are pretty easy to replace yourself and a manual rebuild is doable at home with time and patience. There’s no way I’m touching an automatic as a home mechanic. That’s a black art as far as I’m concerned. With that said, I prefer an auto in a 4x4. Maybe I’m lazy but I like putting the transmission in 1 and the T case in 4L and letting the vehicle do the work.

 

[buja]

Took my driver license test in a stick.
Only owned sticks ever since.

I don't like the "mushy" feeling of automatics.

I can't imagine driving a Porsche 911 with an automatic.

It used to be standard transmission cars were much cheaper than automatics...now it seems like it will be harder and more expensive in the future to get a new car with a standard transmission.

 

[Design Engineer]

There are some cars like the Subaru with a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), which allow you to drive both automatic and manual! Though typically in those you're not using a gear stick to shift gears but paddle shifters that are located behind the steering wheel.

In essence, it's simulating a manual car, and giving you the option of both automatic drive and the benefits of a manual transmission.

 

[Laner]

Most Americans don't know how to drive a manual. And those that do - boomers, mostly - don't drive them. I worked as a parking valet for years, and 99% of the cars were automatics.

Also, most of the younger valets didn't know how to drive a manual, even though it was the only job requirement, so don't valet your car if you have one.

I just bought a SHO earlier this year, thankfully it has a valet mode security feature on it. Only lets people get up to 25 mph

Had a former colleague that used to swear by the old SHO's as a fun collector's item / toy for the garage. Man those must be a blast to drive eh? Heheh.

A Ford SHO?

I buddy here runs a high end car dealer and called me up for a spin in a mint Taurus SHO. That thing was pretty insane. It was an automatic if I remember right.

And yes, driving a petrol manual car is great for brake life. Always rev up on the downshift and your clutch should last decades.

 

[Silveryback]

Aside from my entire extended family, I only know a handful of people who can drive a manual transmission. Addumed knowledge of operating even a basic 5-speed manual sedan was tested when I tried to use a valet the other day. I returned to my car still there but pushed onto their sidewalk, and was told my car "wouldn't start." I got in, a little worried, but it started right up. I don't think they knew to push in the clutch in (it was left in 1st on a flat surface). Valet unable to drive a manual? Huh? Isn't that their job, being good at driving/parking cars? Between three young men, my poor car probably got very mistreated while they struggled to figure it out. It was so odd.

Stick shift is the only way to fly; cheaper, more vehicular control, better focus, less gas use, no tranny going out costing an arm and a leg... Learning to drive with a stick shift was hard, but worth it.

Crazy side-story. It was month 3 of trying to master the intricacies of stick shift, and I had to drive two towns over to my community college and figure it out... At 16. Then I went to my first rave, had some (untested, stupid, I know) E, experienced the best (and worst) night of my life, but the next day, while driving to class.... I had it down perfectly. I didn't stall once, I operated with ease, shifting was seamless and smooth, and to this day I wonder what that E did. The day prior, I dreaded stop-signs. After having experienced my first "real" drug, I was a fluent master with the cluth and with driving. Still aged 16, lol. Very amusing that many "awakenings" come in the form of experimentation with drugs for the first time. No one has ever understood that story, but it still blows my mind. Like it flipped a switch that made my skill set from novice to soar to instant mastery of a clutch/gearshift/RPM feel (no RPM meter lol; cheap Kias).

This may be off-topic, but what is the best way to acquire a Class B driver's license in California? Are there programs that teach you, kinda in an internship fashion? Do you find a driving school? Any info would help.

 

[bucky]

Stick shift is the only way to fly; cheaper, more vehicular control, better focus, less gas use, no tranny going out costing an arm and a leg... Learning to drive with a stick shift was hard, but worth it.

Counterpoint: the main reason to drive stick in current year is to brag about being able to drive stick.

According to a few guys I work with who are car freaks, including one who drives a 2015 Subaru with a manual transmission and says his next car will be an automatic, there's no advantage to stick vs. a modern automatic transmission anymore. Reliability, control, and gas mileage are about the same or better on the modern automatic. Also, with many if not most new cars nowadays, you get adaptive cruise control, which is heaven in traffic and (I would imagine) also negates the advantage in less brake pad wear that you used to potentially get with a manual by downshifting. Seriously, adaptive cruise control is awesome. Now that I've got a 2019 Subaru, I've nicknamed my 2009 Toyota "the horse-drawn cart" because that's almost how primitive it feels compared to the new car when I have to drive it.

Another rarely-mentioned advantage of an automatic transmission over manual is that you can operate the vehicle if you left foot is disabled. As I mentioned above, a friend of mine once broke her left foot and couldn't drive her car for months because it was a stick.

Can someone who is an expert on auto mechanics comment on this? Maybe I'm wrong about modern automatics negating the advantages you used to get with a manual, but I don't think so.

 

[Laner]

Stick shift is the only way to fly; cheaper, more vehicular control, better focus, less gas use, no tranny going out costing an arm and a leg... Learning to drive with a stick shift was hard, but worth it.

Counterpoint: the main reason to drive stick in current year is to brag about being able to drive stick.

According to a few guys I work with who are car freaks, including one who drives a 2015 Subaru with a manual transmission and says his next car will be an automatic, there's no advantage to stick vs. a modern automatic transmission anymore. Reliability, control, and gas mileage are about the same or better on the modern automatic. Also, with many if not most new cars nowadays, you get adaptive cruise control, which is heaven in traffic and (I would imagine) also negates the advantage in less brake pad wear that you used to potentially get with a manual by downshifting. Seriously, adaptive cruise control is awesome. Now that I've got a 2019 Subaru, I've nicknamed my 2009 Toyota "the horse-drawn cart" because that's almost how primitive it feels compared to the new car when I have to drive it.

Another rarely-mentioned advantage of an automatic transmission over manual is that you can operate the vehicle if you left foot is disabled. As I mentioned above, a friend of mine once broke her left foot and couldn't drive her car for months because it was a stick.

Can someone who is an expert on auto mechanics comment on this? Maybe I'm wrong about modern automatics negating the advantages you used to get with a manual, but I don't think so.

I am no expert but it sounds like 2017 was the year that car nuts gave autos the thumbs up.

But keep in mind not everyone likes to drive new vehicles, or can't afford them. And buying a low quality new vehicle or a high quality older vehicle will still mean that many opt to have more manual control. The new Lincolns might be among my favorite vehicles on the road, but the sheer level of tech in them makes me wonder if there will be any chance of someone buying a 15 year old Continental.

Are new vehicles only meant to be leased? Something I am starting to feel is the most likely desired outcome by manufacturers.

But yeah, the tech in new cars makes driving almost thoughtless. Which warrants a whole other discussion.

 

[Greyman]

Just bought my dream truck...
2002 Ford Ranger TWIN stick (manual transfer case) FX4.

 

[bucky]

Stick shift is the only way to fly; cheaper, more vehicular control, better focus, less gas use, no tranny going out costing an arm and a leg... Learning to drive with a stick shift was hard, but worth it.

Counterpoint: the main reason to drive stick in current year is to brag about being able to drive stick.

According to a few guys I work with who are car freaks, including one who drives a 2015 Subaru with a manual transmission and says his next car will be an automatic, there's no advantage to stick vs. a modern automatic transmission anymore. Reliability, control, and gas mileage are about the same or better on the modern automatic. Also, with many if not most new cars nowadays, you get adaptive cruise control, which is heaven in traffic and (I would imagine) also negates the advantage in less brake pad wear that you used to potentially get with a manual by downshifting. Seriously, adaptive cruise control is awesome. Now that I've got a 2019 Subaru, I've nicknamed my 2009 Toyota "the horse-drawn cart" because that's almost how primitive it feels compared to the new car when I have to drive it.

Another rarely-mentioned advantage of an automatic transmission over manual is that you can operate the vehicle if you left foot is disabled. As I mentioned above, a friend of mine once broke her left foot and couldn't drive her car for months because it was a stick.

Can someone who is an expert on auto mechanics comment on this? Maybe I'm wrong about modern automatics negating the advantages you used to get with a manual, but I don't think so.

I am no expert but it sounds like 2017 was the year that car nuts gave autos the thumbs up.

But keep in mind not everyone likes to drive new vehicles, or can't afford them. And buying a low quality new vehicle or a high quality older vehicle will still mean that many opt to have more manual control. The new Lincolns might be among my favorite vehicles on the road, but the sheer level of tech in them makes me wonder if there will be any chance of someone buying a 15 year old Continental.

Are new vehicles only meant to be leased? Something I am starting to feel is the most likely desired outcome by manufacturers.

But yeah, the tech in new cars makes driving almost thoughtless. Which warrants a whole other discussion.

I'd wouldn't call it thoughtless (you still very much have to pay attention to the road). It's just far more relaxing, especially in traffic jams. There's an extra layer of safety with adaptive cruise control too.

Valid point about all the tech in new cars and whether it will still work decades later. I'm hoping to keep both my 2009 Toyota and my 2019 Subaru for at least 20 years, and it's something I worry about on the Subaru.

 

[Mizuki1130]

Nobody I know knows how to drive manual, but I've always wanted to learn.

 

[buja]

In what ways are manual cars different from trucks in terms of a driving experience? Are you not supposed to downshift in order to slow down?

My dad taught me to downshift through the gears when slowing down but I stop doing it after a while.

As mentioned, it is good for heavy trucks to downshift in order to maintain control.

But in a car, it is not necessary because cars are much lighter and brakes are reliable. It's a lot easier to replace brake pads than it to replace a clutch and transmission gears.

 

[the Thing]

Speaking for passenger cars: Automatic unless I'm driving a performance/enthusiast car.

I used to be a hardcore fan of standard shift until BMW (and then other manufacturers) came up with the 8+ speed double-clutch automated manuals.

Today's automatic gearboxes (a) shift faster and more precisely than any one of us can (b) get higher MPG than manuals (c) faster in 0-60 and 1/4 mile times and (d) way more engaging to drive with the electronic-shift-point-control thingies that learn your driving style and adapt to it -- not to mention the paddle shifters.

If I were to buy let's say a Datsun 240Z, or an air-cooled Porsche or something exotic like that, sure manual yeah, but to hell with driving stick in city traffic.