Question Of The Day - Saturday, April 24th

Good morning everyone! This is my first QOTD!!

Thanks again Rigel for letting me join the team

Anyways, on with the question.

Do you prefer an automatic transmission or a standard transmission and why?

I like driving a standard because they are cheaper to buy and get better gas mileage and with living with 3 cats, paying bills and paying for university I need to save money wherever I can

Originally Posted by TigerOnTheProwl

Do you prefer an automatic transmission or a standard transmission and why?

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It depends on what you need. A stick shift is definitely more economical, but with today's 4-speed automatics with overdrive and a lock-up torque converter, they come pretty close. And, unlike when I was young, an automatic is likely to last the life of the car with no significant maintenance. A stick shift transmission is likely to need a clutch, which is expensive on front-wheel-drive cars.

Since I use a 10-speed or 13-speed stick shift all the time, I don't have any trouble using a standard-shift car, so that is not an issue with me.

I prefer manual transmission,i really dont think i could drive an auto, or even one of them semi automatics

Our car is automatic, its a Japanese import 4 x 4 but since diesel has gone up it is costing us a fortune and I think we are going to have to sell it and get something more economical. x

neither, either - I just hate driving

Automatic. I think there is less reaction time with a manual.

Originally Posted by TigerOnTheProwl

Good morning everyone!

This is my first QOTD!!

Thanks again Rigel for letting me join the team

Click to expand...

WELCOME!

Nice question my friend!.... let me see...
My whole life have been involved by manual transmition,..In my family always get a VW bettle of the 77, 82 & now a mini pontiac(Mom´s car) & yes is manual...
The car for us is automatic so I love it....

Good point your´s about to save money for the cats!..

This old lady still loves her manual transmission. I have only had one automatic car and it was nice for rush-hour traffic, but I really enjoy driving and driving a manual is the ultimate driving pleasure. I also drive a diesel which usually comes in manual. Because I drive a fair amount, I prefer the manual diesel since I only have to fill my car up about once per month.

In Canada, with winter driving, I also find the manual easier to control on slippery roads and easier to get un-stuck in snow than an automatic but that could just be that I'm more accustomed to a manual transmission.

I think everyone should at least learn to drive a manual transmission in case they are ever in an emergency situation and the only car available is a manual transmission. I have actually heard on one situation like that where the owner of the car got sick and nobody could drive his car to the hospital.

I don't really care either way...As long as I get to where I need to go, what I'm driving doesn't matter. Though with a manual transmission, I can't have a snack, do my make up, talk on the phone...pretty much can't drive with one hand, which is what I always do..I know I shouldn't do these things but if I'm stuck in traffic and i don't do something else i'll have a nervous breakdown. I get so impatient in traffic.....

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

Automatic. I think there is less reaction time with a manual.

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Do you know that a lot of race cars are manual or semi-automatic? It depends a lot of the driver's conditioning.


I only know how to drive automatic. No one I know has had a standard in quite a while and you can't learn to drive one if you don't have anything to learn on.

Doesn't matter to me, can drive anything. Truck is manual, Jeep is automatic - took me WEEKS to learn not to mash the brake pedal looking for the clutch. I used to be able to drive a split shift at one time too, and a 13 speed and the 13 speed was definitely an improvement over manipulating two gear levers and steering with your elbow and I THINK the Mack is 10 speed, never drove it farther than across the yard

I like the automatic trans especially living in a big city, the stop and go traffic can be a pain and changing gears constantly would drive me crazy. I can drive a manual if needed but prefer not to. My X-husband taught me how to drive a stick shift while living in San Diego many years ago and I enjoyed it but rather drive the automatic.

Originally Posted by CoolCat

WELCOME!

Nice question my friend!....

let me see...
My whole life have been involved by manual transmition,..In my family always get a VW bettle of the 77, 82 & now a mini pontiac(Mom´s car) & yes is manual...

The car for us is automatic so I love it....

Good point your´s about to save money for the cats!..

Click to expand...

YAY lets hear it for VW Beetles! My favorite car. In fact I have a 2005 in bright Yellow.

I drive manual since that is all anyone drives in my family...I had a choice learn to drive manual or don't learn to drive. But over all I like them better I feel i get better control in the bad weather but like someone else stated that could be from me just being used to them. Plus having to shift makes driving more enjoyable.

It really comes down to the fact that I would rather drive the car than have it drive me -- manual, please. I've had one automatic. It was for many reasons the stupidest car purchase I ever made, the automatic transmission was simply the largest of those reasons.

I think everyone who drives should learn on a manual, regardless what they prefer to drive once they know how, so that they have the skill, should they need it.

Both my first and second vehicles had standard/manual transmission. I drive an automatic now, but I prefer standard.

As another poster noted, I always felt as if I had more control over the car with manual transmission. It also doesn't help that after driving a standard for so many years, driving an automatic seems a little boring to me!

I prefer manual, to me an automatic isn't really driving.

Defintiely Automatic!!

Since I have never driven a manual, I would say automatic.

My Honda Accord is a standard transmission. When I bought it 18 years ago, it was fun to drive, and fuel efficient. It still gets great gas mileage, but with my back issues, the clutch isn't as much fun to operate. I still love my car...and I'm sure I'll be driving it for a few more years. It only has 98,000 miles, and still has only required routine maintenance. I really can't justify a car payment and full coverage insurance, when there's nothing wrong with my car, except age (oh, and a clutch pedal...)

I'm 30 years old and I've never learned how to use a manual . The only one I knew of was my grandpa's old pickup truck and my dad said it was a piece of junk and if I learned on it it would have ruined me for driving a decent manual transmission car. I'd like to learn but still don't know anyone with a car I could learn on.