Stick or Automatic?

[Slash]

Shiftable automatics are nice

 

[Rotary Junkie]

I learned to drive behind the wheel of a truck with a manual trans.

Does it matter any really? Did it make me better overall? Not so much. If you're going to be driving an automatic 99.9% of the time, there's no point learning to drive specifically in a stick. It'll just make it more difficult on you. Is it a good idea to learn how to drive a stick? Certainly. But it doesn't make sense to learn how to drive a stick at the same time as learning to drive unless you're going to be driving a stick straight off the bat anyway.

 

[Kent]

If you learn to drive in a manual, you can drive an auto later on in life. If you learn in an auto, you cannot drive a manual later on in life. At least, that's the rules here.

Rules set by who?

Go auto to learn.

 

[peter_vod69]

It's probably more important that, to begin with, you become familiar with GOOD driving practices. There will be plenty of time to learn to operate a manual transmission when you decide you actually want an interesting car (rather than the beige anon-o-box you will no doubt start your motoring in). When that time comes, it won't take you too long to learn the basics, and then, if you are still interesting in the art of driving, you can start to learn more technical stuff, like heel and toe downshifting and so on. It is far more important to practice good driving fundamentals like checking your blind-spots, using your indicators properly, maintaining speeds (not oscillating between say 55 and 65mph on a freeway, for example), not making the centre of your attention the bumper of the car in front, not tailgating and so on. If you are interested in being a good driver, you should learn skills like these and apply them.

If you aren't, you will probably turn out like most drivers and be an irritant; the kind who regards driving as easy because they don't care/aren't really interested and are rubbish at it. The kind who routinely annoy the hell out of other motorists by their lazy or rude driving habits. Concentrate first on not being that guy, and when you aren't that guy, then buy yourself something interesting and learn how to use a manual gearshift.

 

[daan]

Rules set by who?

The government.

We have already been over the fact that here in the UK we have an automatic license and and a "manual" license. If you pass your test in an automatic car, then you only have an automatic license, and can only drive automatic cars.

We're not talking about the ability of someone to drive manual or automatic, we are talking about the legality of what you can and cannot drive.

 

[peter_vod69]

Whereas in America, an "automatic license" probably sounds more like something which allows you to buy and operate an M16 for hunting and recreation.

 

[avens]

Since you are on GTP I assume you like cars. If you like cars you must know how to use a manual shifter, period.

With that said, for daily driving (stuck in traffic and all) autos are awesome.

 

[Blix]

I think I'm going to go with an automatic, because of all the hills and traffic we have here in my city everyday. But, I AM definitely learning a stick as soon as I get the chance.

 

[Kent]

The government.

We have already been over the fact that here in the UK we have an automatic license and and a "manual" license. If you pass your test in an automatic car, then you only have an automatic license, and can only drive automatic cars.

We're not talking about the ability of someone to drive manual or automatic, we are talking about the legality of what you can and cannot drive.

Wow, no such thinh here.

 

[Danoff]

The optimal way to do this (to learn as much as possible with as little risk as possible) would be to learn for about 6 months to a year on an automatic, then switch to a stick for a year or two. Then do whatever you want.

The problem with learning how to drive from the very beginning in a stick is that you're more likely to die. You can learn important things like gauging speed, maintaining speed, passing, checking blind spots, judging traffic, judging parking angles, parallel parking, smooth brake usage, traffic lights, stop signs, roundabouts, merging, proper following distance, etc. without having to also worry about which gear you're in, which gear you should be in, proper clutch usage, how to start on a hill, rev matching, etc.

That first left turn across traffic is going to freak you out enough as it is without worrying whether or not you're going to stall half way into the street.

If you like cars you must know how to use a manual shifter, period.

Absolute nonsense.

 

[Jet Badger]

Friggin' pussies. Everyone I know have passed their drivers license with a manual (girls nonetheless). Noone has problems maintaining speed or monitoring the road. Noone is dead. Everyone is able to park a car and change the gear from time to time.

Saying that you will die because of manual transmission is the most stupid thing I've ever heard. If you're afraid of traffic that's what the driving school will prepare you to. If you're afraid of it and after that, use public transport.

We must be some kind of more advanced life form, eh? Learning to drive with a manual transmission and NOT dying! Whoah!

 

[McLaren]

And here come the elitists who believe manual transmissions are the only proper transmission on earth.

 

[Kent]

The optimal way to do this (to learn as much as possible with as little risk as possible) would be to learn for about 6 months to a year on an automatic, then switch to a stick for a year or two. Then do whatever you want.

The problem with learning how to drive from the very beginning in a stick is that you're more likely to die. You can learn important things like gauging speed, maintaining speed, passing, checking blind spots, judging traffic, judging parking angles, parallel parking, smooth brake usage, traffic lights, stop signs, roundabouts, merging, proper following distance, etc. without having to also worry about which gear you're in, which gear you should be in, proper clutch usage, how to start on a hill, rev matching, etc.

That first left turn across traffic is going to freak you out enough as it is without worrying whether or not you're going to stall half way into the street.



Absolute nonsense.

Agreed. Death is a bit much to mention but then again a broad side impact at 45mph because youre a noob who stalled is a bit much as well.

Learn to drive safe first, then worry about the more advanced side of driving.

 

[C_Raccoon23]

Is there anyone else here that started with an automatic, learned how to drive manual, and then never wanted to own another automatic ever again?

I just find automatics boring now.

 

[Joel]

I've only driven automatics because that's what I've had access to. Drivers ed was in an automatic, my parents cars are automatics, and the Corolla they sort of gave me is an automatic. I'm not going to go out and buy a stick so I can learn how to use one.

I guess I'm just a huge pussy

 

[OHM_fusion]

I just find it a bit funny that teenagers in America think of driving a manual as something so cool, badass and manly, while over here driving a car means driving a manual, and all the teen girls, grandpas and grandmas drive one every day.

I personally love driving stick but then again I love American cars so I'll just have to get used to an automatic when I get one.

 

[salikriaz]

I just find it a bit funny that teenagers in America think of driving a manual as something so cool, badass and manly, while over here driving a car means driving a manual, and all the teen girls, grandpas and grandmas drive one every day.

I personally love driving stick but then again I love American cars so I'll just have to get used to an automatic when I get one.

Huh? They make manual American cars...

And it's because not alot of people drive sticks here. The ones who do tend to be the ones who are into cars and driving, but mostly it's point A to B here.

 

[OHM_fusion]

Huh? They make manual American cars...

And it's because not alot of people drive sticks here. The ones who do tend to be the ones who are into cars and driving, but mostly it's point A to B here.

Heh, I know they make manual American cars, but the ones I like are usually only automatic. Have you ever seen a Caprice, Crown Vic, Park Avenue, Fleetwood or cars like that with a manual? But then again maybe there were options on the earlier models, I'm not sure.

And I know why Americans find stick cool, I just found it a bit funny and meant no disrespect.

 

[Maccer_42]

Well first you have to ask yourself what type of car you plan to own or already own, no point in wasting time learing auto if the car you plan to own is a manual.

And as others have said learn to drive safe first, I spent the first 3-5 months of learning in just a big open car park (parking lot) learning clutch control, throttle control, braking control, and spatial awareness of my car before I ever got onto the road. Learning how to control the car in just basics made learning to drive on the road much safer and simpler to learn, I didn't have to worrie about stalling or being in the wrong gear when pulling away from junctions, I could just focus on the cars around me and my lane position and where my instructor wanted me to go.

So many new drivers are put straight onto the road for their very first lesson and they just don't belong there. So often I see learner drivers with absolutly ZERO experiance trying to drive in just normal traffic and they can't handle it. They're too distracted focusing on clutch control etc that they often pay no attention to the traffic around them.

So my advice would be learn to drive manual or "Stick" as you like to call it, it realy isn't as scary or difficult to learn as some seem to belive. This way you have the best of both worlds, if you want to own an automatic car it will be a breeze to drive, and if you want to own a manual you have already learned how to drive it. Chances are that you will want to own a manual car at one point in your life so why learn to drive twice when you can learn it once the right way.

 

[salikriaz]

Heh, I know they make manual American cars, but the ones I like are usually only automatic. Have you ever seen a Caprice, Crown Vic, Park Avenue, Fleetwood or cars like that with a manual? But then again maybe there were options on the earlier models, I'm not sure.

And I know why Americans find stick cool, I just found it a bit funny and meant no disrespect.

I think the first gen Caprice had manuals, not sure though. The others I have no clue.

No I agree completely. Most of the guys I went to school with wouldn't drive a stick unless they absolutely had to. Manual's are getting to be a lost cause here 👎

 

[playnthru]

Is there anyone else here that started with an automatic, learned how to drive manual, and then never wanted to own another automatic ever again?

I just find automatics boring now.

I have not owned a automatic transmission equipped car since 1995 . I bought it because it was COP car (1991 Crown Vic, with a 351w,AOD). Even back then I mostly drove manual shift cars. I still HATE driving AUTO's.👍👍

They make me sad!

 

[Danoff]

Is there anyone else here that started with an automatic, learned how to drive manual, and then never wanted to own another automatic ever again?

I just find automatics boring now.

If you need a stick to keep you busy while you drive, you're not a safe driver. There is a LOT to pay attention to while driving an automatic - namely everything going on around you. You don't need any entertainment while you drive.

If you think it's boring, you're doing it wrong. Start paying attention to what you're doing.

Well first you have to ask yourself what type of car you plan to own or already own, no point in wasting time learing auto if the car you plan to own is a manual.

Wasted time? There's nothing wasted about learning to drive an auto correctly. You can leverage 100% of it for driving a stick.

Also, I think it's nonsense to think that you can get all of the stick-specific skills nailed by practicing in a parking lot. That sells short the amount of control you have in a manual. Honestly if you could master it by tooling around in a parking lot it's not worth doing.

Judging when to drop from 5th to 3rd and doing so without jerking everything around? Doesn't happen in a parking lot. Shifting into 6th without falling into 4th? Doesn't happen in a parking lot. Downshifting from 60 mph for a 30mph turn? Doesn't happen in a parking lot. Starting on a hill with 5 cars behind you? Doesn't happen in a parking lot. The pressure of pulling out into traffic from a stop doesn't happen in a parking lot either.

No massive speed changes means not having very many gears to choose from, not having to match revs for wildly different speeds, etc. It's just not the same.

 

[MatskiMonk]

In the UK and many other countries, the license is transmissions dependent, meaning that if you take the test with an automatic, you are only licensed to drive an automatic. If you take the test with an manual, however, you are licensed to drive both manuals and automatics. That is what mattythedog is saying.

Yes and this is a totally idiotic idea we have.... you can learn in 1.2l Corsa, then Insurance permitting jump straight into a 580hp M5 - probably crash and kill yourself and passers-by.. BUT.. Heaven forbid you might want to drive a 1.2l Corsa Manual as opposed to a 1.2l Automatic... no, no, nooooo.. you need a different license for that!

Anyway, on topic.. learn stick, then later on, if you own a run of the mill car and end up sat in traffic a lot, you'll appreciate an Auto all the more. It's really not hard, once you've got a bit of experience it becomes second nature.

 

[sems4arsenal]

when I was 13-14 I learnt Manual driving on our old car,now though as Traffic is murder most people just can't Stand stick shifts,Automatics are everywhere and I do agree in a country with massive traffic Jams,Auto is the way to go .

 

[Beeblebrox237]

Manual.

 

[Maccer_42]

Wasted time? There's nothing wasted about learning to drive an auto correctly. You can leverage 100% of it for driving a stick.

Well thats why I said he needs to decide what car hes going to be in once he starts driving, if the first car he plans to own is a manual why spend time learning in auto? Seems like it would be wasted time to me. He learns in auto passes his test, but owns a manual, now he has to learn again before he can drive his own car.

Also, I think it's nonsense to think that you can get all of the stick-specific skills nailed by practicing in a parking lot. That sells short the amount of control you have in a manual. Honestly if you could master it by tooling around in a parking lot it's not worth doing.

Judging when to drop from 5th to 3rd and doing so without jerking everything around? Doesn't happen in a parking lot. Shifting into 6th without falling into 4th? Doesn't happen in a parking lot. Downshifting from 60 mph for a 30mph turn? Doesn't happen in a parking lot. Starting on a hill with 5 cars behind you? Doesn't happen in a parking lot. The pressure of pulling out into traffic from a stop doesn't happen in a parking lot either.

No massive speed changes means not having very many gears to choose from, not having to match revs for wildly different speeds, etc. It's just not the same.

I don't think I ever said you could learn every skill involved in driving manual while in a parking lot, just the basics to be safe once you do start driving on the road. I was just giving my experience of how I learnt to drive. I spent the first few months learning how to control the car so that I was comfortable in the car before I ever drove on the road then spent the next 6 months driving on the road with an instructor. It worked pretty well for me, I passed my test first time, been driving for 7 years so far no accidents, no points on my license.

Sure you wont get the esperience to deal with the pressure of traffic behind you while you wait to pull away when in a parking lot. And you wont have experience in handling a car at highway speeds, but driving a car at 60/70mph isn't something someone should be doing in the first few months of driving, especially with other traffic involved. That comes with road experience. And most modern cars can comfortably drive at 30mph in 5th gear, and in a large open parking lot you can get up to 30mph in 5th gear with plenty of space around you to learn how to shift up and down through all the gears, and about dealing with mis-shifting while at a safer slower speed, it's how I learnt.

I was just suggesting he learns to get the basics of car control while in an enviroment where he wont have to deal with all the other pressures and dangers of driving, so that once he is confident enough to start driving on the road controling the car it self has become almost sencond nature so he can focus on following the rules of the road ( of course you wont become a "master" in just a few months of driving in a parking lot, but you can learn enough to the point where driving a car feels natural ).

So if you think it's nonsence to learn the basics to driving in a parking lot thats fair enough, but I think it's a lot safer than just jumping straight in and being in a car on the road with zero experience being nothing more than a huge hazard to other drivers, which is the way I see a lot of people learn now. Luckily i've not whitnessed any serious accidents involving learner drivers, but i've seen so many close calls caused by in-experienced learners that clearly don't have enough basic car control to be safe on the road with other traffic around.

 

[edawg456]

Stick all the way. I learned how to drive with a stick. And my first car is a stick and I'm still driving it.

 

[Bopop4]

Manual is easy when you learn it at age 10.

Automatic is better for normal driving 'cause you don't have to worry about stalling as you learn how to drive on the road, and it's more convenient in the city.

But for fun, nothing beats clicking through the gears with your own body.

 

[michrulejj]

Solved. How about a his/her shutter. Want to drive manual put it to the other side. And automatic is vice versa. Then you stop people from arguing with each other back and forth.

 

[BobbyBRAKEaNek]

Manual is the way to go. If you start on a manual you can drive anything. I started on a manual and that's what I prefer now. I even got a driving job because I knew how to drive a manual.