Manual or Automatic?

[yg17]

Exactly. In an automatic, the car drives you. I hate them.

In Soviet Russia....ahhhh....screw it

I'll be getting my first manual car (2008 GTI) in about 6 weeks (Custom order. Wait sucks, but it has what I want, and no punkass kid test drove it and beat the crap out of it before I bought it ). I think it'll be rough at first getting the hang of it, but I'm f**king excited. My current car is an auto with the useless tiptronic (although it does come in handy when I'm on the highway and feel like dropping a gear) which I guess is the next best thing, but I hate it.

I never really got the point of the control issue. Sure you get to pick when exactly you will shift... But unless you're:

1- Towing something (Truck)
2- A driving enthusiast (Fancy sports car)
3- Really into squeezing out every last bit of power/mpg from you're car

I just don't get it. I'd rather just let the car do it. I'd rather have a free hand to sip on my coffeee or silence my phone .
I do understand that automatics have lower mpg and power output, so I see why some people drive them, but I don't see that being too much of a concern for the average sedan driver going to work every morning.

I can drive both, but I'd take an automatic any day unless I fell into one of the above.

Don't forget that manual transmissions are, 9 times out of 10, cheaper, both to purchase (same model car, the auto will be more than the manual) and since they're less complex, they can be cheaper to repair and maintain in the longrun. I don't feel like going to VW's website right now to get exact numbers, but on my GTI, the manual was about $1000 cheaper, which was $1000 I was able to spend on the other fancy crap, like leather, Sirius, sunroof and heated seats.

 

[twoodcc]

That's no longer true. Almost all automatics shift better than the average human does and are a lot more fuel efficient than they used to be.

and what makes you think this? do you have a source to backup this claim? i have to disagree with you.

for one, most manuals have more gears than automatics....most, not all. that, in itself, will help with mpg.

i've done several projects in college on this subject. being able to change gears in a manual at a lower RPM will improve your gas mileage drastically.

believe me, except in bumper-to-bumper traffic, a manual will always win the gas mileage war

 

[Cloudane]

I look at it in the same way as I do the Mac.

Yes I'm comfortable with driving a Manual (or operating a PC, which I know inside out), but I can't be bothered nowadays. I have better things to do than frig around with clutches (or motherboards). Even though you have more control inside a Manual (or inside a PC - don't kill me!), I have nothing to prove and thus gravitate towards the convenience of an Automatic (or a Mac).

 

[twoodcc]

I look at it in the same way as I do the Mac.

Yes I'm comfortable with driving a Manual (or operating a PC, which I know inside out), but I can't be bothered nowadays. I have better things to do than frig around with clutches (or motherboards). Even though you have more control inside a Manual (or inside a PC - don't kill me!), I have nothing to prove and thus gravitate towards the convenience of an Automatic (or a Mac).

i should have known someone would make this argument, but really, they are totally unrelated.

you can keep telling yourself otherwise if you want

 

[Cloudane]

Ah, there's always one who thinks he's better than everyone else

Umm, I'm not "telling myself" anything. That's simply how I see it, it's practically the same reasoning... you may not go by the same reasoning, but to each his own eh.

 

[twoodcc]

Ah, there's always one who thinks he's better than everyone else

Umm, I'm not "telling myself" anything. That's simply how I see it, it's practically the same reasoning... you may not go by the same reasoning, but to each his own eh.

believe me, i'm not that type.

but comparing pc vs mac and manual vs auto is just silly. driving a car and using a computer are different things. to simply use a mac, vs simply using a pc, the differences aren't near that of driving a manual vs an auto.

the differences in a mac vs pc are what, the close 'x' is on the left vs the right, where the menu bar is placed, etc.

it's just not a good comparision (or analogy)

 

[xUKHCx]

Manual all the way, Automatics are for the lazy or those who can't drive

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I think you'll find most people want to drive from A to B as comfortably and stress-free as possible. Something tells me I don't want to be on the same stretch of road as you in case I hold you up.

It really not that bad and as I put on there where the extremes when I drop gears. Most of the time with the manual I gotten very used to not having to deal with transmission lag. It helps when I have to complete a pass like on a 2 lane road where some time you just need the power.

Those dropping part I learned to grow to like from having to drive long distances.

 

[twoodcc]

Manual all the way, Automatics are for the lazy or those who can't drive

i agree with you even though manuals are tough in lots of traffic.

 

[Cloudane]

the differences in a mac vs pc are what, the close 'x' is on the left vs the right, where the menu bar is placed, etc.

There's much more difference between Macs and PCs than the position of UI elements

It's not a perfect analogy by any stretch of the imagination, but in terms of "ease of use vs. flexibility", that's what I'm getting at.

I.e. PC - more pratting around to do (especially if you run Linux) to achieve something... BUT have much more control.

Mac - less control (especially hardware), you can't really tweak things as much, BUT things "just work" so if you're lazy or don't like to spend too much time messing with option screens or different drivers, this is their true strength.

True you can't compare them. One's a computer, one's a car, that would be silly. But you can compare the mindset. The type who wants absolute full control even if it means significantly more effort, not to mention all the enjoyment of playing with the innards (how I loved PC tinkering and Linux once... when I didn't have a job or a life*) or those who are past caring and just want to go from A to B. Whether 'A' and 'B' are physical locations or computer based tasks.



* No offense intended to those who do run Linux / tinker with PCs / drive manual cars etc.

 

[twoodcc]

There's much more difference between Macs and PCs than the position of UI elements

It's not a perfect analogy by any stretch of the imagination, but in terms of "ease of use vs. flexibility", that's what I'm getting at.

I.e. PC - more pratting around to do (especially if you run Linux) to achieve something... BUT have much more control.

Mac - less control (especially hardware), you can't really tweak things as much, BUT things "just work" so if you're lazy or don't like to spend too much time messing with option screens or different drivers, this is their true strength.

True you can't compare them. One's a computer, one's a car, that would be silly. But you can compare the mindset. The type who wants absolute full control even if it means significantly more effort, not to mention all the enjoyment of playing with the innards (how I loved PC tinkering and Linux once... when I didn't have a job or a life*) or those who are past caring and just want to go from A to B. Whether 'A' and 'B' are physical locations or computer based tasks.



* No offense intended to those who do run Linux / tinker with PCs / drive manual cars etc.

i drive a manual, and i don't take apart my transmission, or any part of my car really. which has nothing to do with driving a manual vs auto anyways.

you can be a windows user and never take it apart, never customize anything....

so, like i said, you're really pulling this argument here. maybe in linux your argument becomes a little stronger, but not much.

 

[Cloudane]

The difference is I'm not making an "argument" I'm just sharing my own personal reasoning on both of my choices and where the similarities lie *in my own case*. You're the one arguing. I shall agree to disagree and leave you to it, or we'll be back and forth like this all year...

 

[Deefuzz]

Manual. I absolutely love it!

However, in stop an go traffic it really kills the hell out of my left knee (since it's a bad knee anyway). Unfortunately I think that means my next car will have to be an automatic

 

[DukeSnyd]

Standard

Never going back to an auto, what a horrible invention!

 

[Rodimus Prime]

There's much more difference between Macs and PCs than the position of UI elements

It's not a perfect analogy by any stretch of the imagination, but in terms of "ease of use vs. flexibility", that's what I'm getting at.

I.e. PC - more pratting around to do (especially if you run Linux) to achieve something... BUT have much more control.

Mac - less control (especially hardware), you can't really tweak things as much, BUT things "just work" so if you're lazy or don't like to spend too much time messing with option screens or different drivers, this is their true strength.

True you can't compare them. One's a computer, one's a car, that would be silly. But you can compare the mindset. The type who wants absolute full control even if it means significantly more effort, not to mention all the enjoyment of playing with the innards (how I loved PC tinkering and Linux once... when I didn't have a job or a life*) or those who are past caring and just want to go from A to B. Whether 'A' and 'B' are physical locations or computer based tasks.



* No offense intended to those who do run Linux / tinker with PCs / drive manual cars etc.

I am going to go with even the medifor you are trying to explain it is beyond poor. Really computer OS and trannys in a car have no relationship with each other.

Manuals once some one learns them and drives them. To me and a lot of other manual drivers do not even think about shifting any more. We just do it.

 

[Cloudane]

Yeah, I guess other people are just more finicky with metaphors/analogies than I am. Human nature I guess.... people love to nitpick I'm not trying to compare them, more some thought processes that coincidentally got used in both decisions, but others aren't seeing that *shrug* like I say people prefer to see the faults in the "argument" and focus on those. Human nature.

I agree that manual is pretty much "automatic" on the brain (hey hey hey, you can't compare a brain with a gearbox! hehe). When it's really noticeable is when you're in a lot of queues (then your left leg aches) or have a lot of hill-start junctions in your area (start to notice and it gets tedious)

 

[twoodcc]

The difference is I'm not making an "argument" I'm just sharing my own personal reasoning on both of my choices and where the similarities lie *in my own case*. You're the one arguing. I shall agree to disagree and leave you to it, or we'll be back and forth like this all year...

sorry, it's just my nature.

really though, a better argument would have been comparing mac vs pc and american vs japanese cars.....the american cars always have problems, crashing, etc, while you don't have that with the japanese cars....

anyways, forget that. we all think different. and we are all free to our own opinions, sorry if it seemed i was trying to take that away from you, that wasn't my intention.

 

[Cloudane]

No offense taken or intended!

Yeah I'm a little liberal / open-minded when it comes to analogies. I'll apply a car analogy to anything

 

[MrSmith]

We all have our preferences and reasons, but some on here seem to have a hatred of automatics. Is that a reflection of the state of American engineering or something they put in your water?

 

[FrankBlack]

We all have our preferences and reasons, but some on here seem to have a hatred of automatics. Is that a reflection of the state of American engineering or something they put in your water?

It may come from the teenaged "more hormones then grey cells" years. When I was first licensed, you had to take your road test on a manual shift car. If you took the test on an automatic, your license would be restricted to "automatic transmission only". To any male at the time, this was a mark of shame. No logic involved, it's simply the way it was.

So tell me, is it the same way today?

 

[twoodcc]

It may come from the teenaged "more hormones then grey cells" years. When I was first licensed, you had to take your road test on a manual shift car. If you took the test on an automatic, your license would be restricted to "automatic transmission only". To any male at the time, this was a mark of shame. No logic involved, it's simply the way it was.

So tell me, is it the same way today?

i wish it was like that. but it's not here where i live

 

[MrSmith]

It may come from the teenaged "more hormones then grey cells" years. When I was first licensed, you had to take your road test on a manual shift car. If you took the test on an automatic, your license would be restricted to "automatic transmission only". To any male at the time, this was a mark of shame. No logic involved, it's simply the way it was.

So tell me, is it the same way today?

Same when I was learning in England. Automatics were for old gits. I now drive a nice automatic Japanese car with a silky-smooth gear change I don't even notice. That's why I wouldn't go back to manual.

 

[xUKHCx]

Same when I was learning in England. Automatics were for old gits. I now drive a nice automatic Japanese car with a silky-smooth gear change I don't even notice. That's why I wouldn't go back to manual.

see my previos post

They cost more not only in original purpose price, but also repairs and even to the environment.

Also no fun to drive whatsoever.

 

[ErikCLDR]

I've decided that "Tiptronic", "manumatic", "shiftronic", or what ever name you have for the manual mode on an auto is really stupid.

On my moms touareg there is like a 2 seconds lag between when you tell it to shift and when it actually shifts. It's kind of awkward.

 

[0098386]

Manual only for me, Automatics just feel like I'm driving a toy. It helps me keep concentrating on driving.