New Driver Advice?

[siurpeeman]

Does that mean better fuel economy / more MPG?

it really depends how you drive it. i drive a six-speed manual four cylinder, and my mpg ranges from 20 to 27. also, not all cars are rated more fuel-efficient just because it's manual. the acura tsx, for example, gets 23/31 mpg with a five speed automatic but 22/30 mpg with a six speed manual.

 

[FrankBlack]

Does that mean better fuel economy / more MPG?

It means that more of the power produced by the engine makes it to the wheels. It's not consumed by a torque converter and all the innards of an automatic. However, as siurpeeman points out, it depends on some other factors. The clutch will wear out sooner or later. If you are driving daily in heavy, stop and go gridlock, it will wear out sooner. Aside from that, manual transmissions are far less prone to problems than automatics. Ergo, the number of transmission speciality shops you see all over the country.

Automatics do have their place though. Certain types of vehicles belong with them, and some people do require them. For example, when I bought my Subaru WRX in 2003, I learned that subaru does indeed offer the car with an automatic. (a "slushbox", to some) I was somewhat surprised at this. The salesman explained that he had only sold one since they started selling the model, and that one was to a young woman who did not have the full use of her left leg due to an accident. So, operating a clutch was out in her case.

 

[Counterfit]

My father's advice: "Drive slow keep to the right". I ignore the first half somewhat, but I try to stick to the right lane when I'm not passing.
I'll add my bit: learn on an auto first if you can, so you have one less thing to worry about when trying to learn how a car reacts. After you have that down, you can add clutching and shifting, and then double clutching, heel-and-toe downshifts, and then forget it all because DSGs will have taken over by then.

it really depends how you drive it. i drive a six-speed manual four cylinder, and my mpg ranges from 20 to 27.

Hmmm.... 6 speed, 4 cylinder, 20-27MPG...

One question, boxer or inline?

For example, when I bought my Subaru WRX in 2003, I learned that subaru does indeed offer the car with an automatic. (a "slushbox", to some) I was somewhat surprised at this. The salesman explained that he had only sold one since they started selling the model, and that one was to a young woman who did not have the full use of her left leg due to an accident. So, operating a clutch was out in her case.

The auto is only available on the WRX Limited (and of course all the 2.5i trim levels) as of last model year.
Also, you can drive manual without any legs if you have the money to spend: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1186404

 

[siurpeeman]

Hmmm.... 6 speed, 4 cylinder, 20-27MPG...

One question, boxer or inline?

it's a 2.0 liter inline 4 cylinder.