Manual vs. Automatic car - domestic dispute

[Jonno]

Looking to get hold of a cheapish 2nd hand car soon and my better half wants me to get one she can drive too and is pressuring me to get an automatic but I am resisting telling her she has to learn to drive manual. Always thought there was something faintly unmanly about automatics, especially shit cars that are automatic. What do you reckon?
Am I being an unreasonable twadge?

 

[Acker79]

Am I right in thinking if she only has an automatic licence she isn't allowed to drive a manual car?

I don't believe having an automatic car is less manly, but then I have no shame in my manly love of musicals and disney cartoons, so it's probably best not to trust my judgement on what is manly and what isn't.

 

[Icy Gull]

Automatics suit driving in the South imo. I drive both and prefer a manual on open roads, but traffic is so f***ed up down here that I actually quite enjoy driving an automatic. Go for an Alfa 156 Selespeed if you want a cheap auto, go for a Porsche or Audi tiptronic if you want a decent semi automatic. All three will give you a manual type option too.

Acker is right, you cannot drive a manual on an auto licence anyway.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Automatic, I'm a lazy bastard. Women need them to have a spare hand for the mascara appliance in the mornings.

 

[southwickseagull]

Dont get an auto. I made that mistake, i bought a C5 2.2 diesel. Juicey as hell. Round the town i'm lucky if i get 26 mpg. I've resorted to using the manual option to try and get a few more miles! I did here something about a chip you can fit to the car to increase milage, but am awaiting further info.

 

[Jonno]

No, the thing is she has a manual licence but just doesn't like driving them as she says she gets flustered!

 

[Badger]

No, the thing is she has a manual licence but just doesn't like driving them as she says she gets flustered!

Manual then, definitely. That's a sorry excuse

 

[beorhthelm]

tell her not to get flustered then! generally autos have lower MPG (might be different on modern ones).

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Automatics can be a pig in the snow !

 

[Jonno]

not much snow in Cape Town fortunately!

 

[Fef]

I've been driving an automatic for the past few years, and wish I'd done so sooner. It makes it so much easier to answer my mobile, send texts, browse the Internet, light a fag, play with my GPS etc., and I can now use one hand on the steering wheel rather than use my knee. Handbrake? Never use it, just leave it in park.

Seriously though, don't knock automatics until you've tried one for a while.

 

[The Fifth Column]

Automatic deffo, I got one because my wife treats the clutch in a manual like an optional extra! No smooth release and gear change just a big foot off the clutch and crunching gear change, don't even get me started on her peripheral vision!

 

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

If you get an auto you need to get one with a bit of poke. Auto with a small engine is gutless. You may as well ride a bike. Have just been looking at new cars and tried a Golf v5. They are 2.3 and shift a bit. They are also quite understated and not to boyracery. You can prob get a reasonable one for 3-4k.

 

[The Offspring]

Best of both world with either a Audi with Tiptronic or a VW with a DSG gearbox, my Golf has DSG, love it, super quick gear changes to, my misses passed her auto test, but can still drive the Golf as it is classified as an Automatic.

 

[Gritt23]

Depends on the car you choose, as I've driven a pig of an automatic (Toyota Avensis) and an automatic I really enjoy (Merc C-class). The Toyota seemed to be in too high a gear on sudden inclines and take ages to cotton on and change down. There was a hill off a little roundabout near me, that was on my drive home everyday from work, and it was so useless coming off that hill, that it was an embarrassment.

The drawback of the Merc though, is, as Westdene says, despite being a great car for 50 weeks of the year, when it snows, it's hopeless. Yes, you can over-ride the automatic, but ONLY WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING, you cannot put it in 2nd gear to pull away on snow, or ice.

 

[bhaexpress]

Most cars built in the last 10 years have an engine management system so automatics are rarely that much slower or less ecconomical than manuals (depending on how you drive they can actually be cheaper to run as it's hard the thrash an auto). It's true to say that on performance cars autos are actually marginally faster as they can change gear electronically rather than heaving a stick around (ask a Formula 1 driver). Autos will obviously work better on a bigger engined and more torquey cars but they don't do badly on small cars these days. I drive a manual but I think I would prefer an auto as my boy racer days are a long way behind me. There is one exception which is based on my limited experience. My father had an Escort with a CVT gearbox and I've also driven a Daf with one, both were truely appalling as they were slow, thirsty as you had to rev them hard to get them moving and awful on any sort of a slope. I know that some maufacturers still use them (Nissan use them in some models) and maybe they technology is better now but frankly that is one type of car I wouold avoid like the plague.

 

[Icy Gull]

I've just noticed that you are in Cape Town, you have some great driving roads around there without much traffic, stuff the auto go for a manual

 

[c0lz]

Automatics can be a pig in the snow !

really where i live all i heard was many cars skidding and revving like mad in first gear, as for automatics they come on a long way now, no whip lash when changing though the gears lol, but agree with early post autos for town and traffic is a plus , ps got both

 

[Superphil]

CVT

 

[Westdene Wonder]

Switched to Auto over 10 years ago, would never go back, particularly with the hills in this area,can recommend Renault 1.8 Clio also Citreon 1.6 C3.
Switched to enable wife to drive getting me off the Supermarket trip.