Author Topic: So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?  (Read 18853 times)

Phyphor

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #25 on: March 06, 2005, 01:12:22 PM »
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I prefer a manual, but I must say that some of the arguments agianst automatics have been fixed in the last few years. I've seen many new cars where there's no longer a mileage advantage to a manual transmission, and they seem to be getting better about longeviety as well.


Generally, the mileage assistance is due to the usage of overdrive (4th + gear ratios, IIRC, OD is 0.625:1, isn't it?   I'm a C4 junkie, so I'm not positive on 4+ speed ratios,  cheesy ) and lockup torque convertors (which, when lockup is initiated, causes a direct mechanical linkage between the impeller and turbine in the convertor, rather than the fluid coupling that's normally used.  (Note: The fluidic coupling is why you can sit in gear at a stoplight and not stall your engine, ) )

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My main reason for the preference is that I understand how to drive a car properly and I know exactly what gear to choose when, instead letting a computer guess for me and then react when it guesses wrong.

Also, I can do a clutch job in any car, for a fraction of the cost of a slushbox rebuild.


If it ain't a computerized tranny, slushboxes aren't that hard to rebuild, EXCEPT when you're messing with the valve body... (And if you can do any gunsmithing (I.E. take apart stuff with small springs and lots of small parts and put it back together again, ) then a valve body shouldn't be too  much more of a challenge, )


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If I were going to be driving in heavy traffic alot, I might consider an automatic, but for right now I'm a stick shift guy.


I pondered a stick for a while, but seeing all the stuff I'd have to track down to convert my current ride to stick (not to mention cutting the transmission tunnel, etc, ) I figured I'd back-burner it until I got another car (And just turn the Comet into a hotrod/strip car) ....my next car/truck will probably be a stick, but mainly due to the fact that I absolutely DESPISE computer controlled automatics....
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Silver Bullet

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #26 on: March 06, 2005, 01:22:43 PM »
I like both for different reasons, I've bought both, but my preference is for manual.  Better control on ice, more reliable in my experience, cheaper to fix in my experience, more fun.  

Auto is good for stop-and-go traffic.  With Auto, I'm insulated from the outside world.  With Manual, I'm involved:  two hands and two feet to drive.  Depends on my mood, somewhat.  I kinda like driving auto during the week, and then a manual on the weekend when I feel like sport driving.

Does anybody have a Continuously Variable Transmission ?

jmtgsx

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #27 on: March 06, 2005, 03:25:29 PM »
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Ten years ago, I was single, owned a truck and two cars, all of which were manuals.  I liked them.  A lot.

Nine years ago I got married (again).  My wife preferred automatics.  She didn't care much for my Porsche, either.  No big deal, I thought.  She can drive her Probe, and I'll drive my stuff.

Today, we have a truck, a car, and an SUV.  All are autos. My old Porsche is long gone.

Occassionally, I wonder just what exactly happened.

I have to admit though as traffic gets worse and worse, the autos are less hassle.


I feel ya Aces.  I had a GMC Jimmy, a Lincoln Town Car, a 19' Cobalt boat and the motorcycle of my dreams before I met and married the woman of my dreams.  Now...I've still got the woman ...and a Toyota Camry with a manual.  The rest is History and I dont remeber how it happenned either. :?
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Paddy

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #28 on: March 06, 2005, 03:30:25 PM »
My last two cars have been manual transmission, with a total of 240,000.  I just bought a car with a manual tran, for the mileage (42+mpg  Cheesy ), and my 4x4 truck has a manual.  Most of my previous cars/trucks have been manual.  I prefer manual, I guess. But then I don't live in a place with a lot of stop and go traffic.

Myself

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #29 on: March 06, 2005, 04:02:47 PM »
I have bofe.

Manual in my zippy little sports, midlife crisis, impractical, fun mobile.

Automatic in the truck. I tried for manual in the truck but like nobody around here sells them like that and I did not feel like doing a special order.

Arc-Lite

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #30 on: March 06, 2005, 04:43:47 PM »
manual...5 speed, NV-4500...best 4x4 gearbox made, first so low...you can move a house....5 so high, you shift at 70mph and the rpms fall to 2000 !!!
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jefnvk

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #31 on: March 06, 2005, 04:47:49 PM »
I have a manual.  Last night tried driving a floor mounted auto, took  me a minut to figure the thing out.

Anytime I do drive an auto, my left foot gets tired.
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crt360

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #32 on: March 06, 2005, 05:44:08 PM »
My daily driver is manual.  I prefer a manual for driving enjoyment.  If the vehicle is not inherently fun to drive, it might as well have auto.  For example, large SUV, Town Car, pickup with a full load or trailering a bass boat, RV - in pretty much anything that handles like a box car go ahead and give me an automatic.
For entertainment purposes only.

Ron

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #33 on: March 06, 2005, 06:45:58 PM »
My service van has an automatic,  driving around the Chicago area running service as I do with a stick would not be fun.

 My car (BMW 325is) has a stick as it should Smiley

 I used to have a Ford pickup with a three on the tree shifter.

Happy Bob

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #34 on: March 06, 2005, 07:33:38 PM »
Manual. More fun. steep hills, stop and go traffic; I don't care. I'd rather drive a vehicle than sit behind the wheel of one that tries to think for itself.
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BillBlank

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #35 on: March 06, 2005, 11:27:12 PM »
Being european and having corners to deal with, a maual is the only option. Cars are so very dull in  most cases that an automatic is a near catatonic experience. My other halfs vehicle is an auoto peugeot. Eugh.

I too am surprised that so many here prefer manual gearboxes.
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jamz

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #36 on: March 07, 2005, 03:13:23 AM »
I think that my ideal is a big automatic pickup truck, towing amanual racecar.  Smiley


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Stetson

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #37 on: March 07, 2005, 07:01:13 AM »
I have an auto but would love a manual.  But just one lil problem, due to my back problems, if it ever got really bad and I lost feeling in my left leg....again...then i couldnt get home, or to the hospital.

SkyDaver

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #38 on: March 07, 2005, 07:33:47 AM »
Generally speaking, I prefer a manual, (2002 Maxima 6spd manual right now) but don't mind them in non-sporty cars.  The spouses minivan has an automatic, and it's 'right' for that car.  Automatics would be 'right' for a big cruiser (Lincoln towncar, big Caddy)

If I had my midlife crisis car (mid-late 60s midsize ragtop) I think I'd go for an automatic in that.  

The cool thing about my Max is that it's got a lot of torque, and can go as slow as 25 in 3rd gear and still accelerate acceptably
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Schuey2002

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #39 on: March 07, 2005, 08:06:15 AM »
Manumatic!

:twisted:

Dannyboy

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #40 on: March 07, 2005, 08:47:04 AM »
It all depends on what type of driving I'm doing.  If it's your normal everyday drive to work/school whatever then automatic.  If it's more recreational driving then it's definitely manual.  Of course, these days I don't do much recreational driving.
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Control Group

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #41 on: March 07, 2005, 12:28:17 PM »
Automatic. I've driven manual transmissions (learned to drive on a '65 LeMans with a stick) - not enough to be expert, but enough to get around easily - and for normal driving, I don't see any advantage to it. Admittedly, they're far more fun if I've got an open road with plenty of twists but only infrequent stops...aside from that, why bother? For most freeway/highway driving, it just sits in one gear while I cruise, anyway. Might as well be automatic. For traffic jam driving, I like not having to pump the clutch every four car lengths.

The common reasons given for manuals being "better" don't apply to me. Better gas mileage - yes, marginally, but I guarantee I burn more gas the one time I stall/jackrabbit start than I saved over the last two thousand miles of driving. If I got good enough that I never stalled/jackrabbited, this would, admittedly, go away. But then, I'm already getting 35-38 mpg, so this isn't a huge deal for me.

Better control on ice - given my car's "start in 2nd" option, I can start up on ice as well as anyone. And downshifting is always possible, even in an automatic. And I don't have to worry about the uber-steep driveway into my alley as much (again, if I actually drove one regularly, I'm sure I could learn to be good enough for that not to bother me, either).

Easier/cheaper maintenance - true enough. I've worked on both, and manual is easier to work with. Of course, I've only worked on trannies from late-sixties Pontiacs. None of the new cars I've driven have needed transaxle work (including my current workhorse, with 220k miles on it), so I this isn't real relevant to me, either.

What it amounts to is that only thing a manual can do that my automatic can't - skip gears shifting up - isn't something the lack of which bothers me.

Now, I don't do any racing, towing, performance driving, or anything like that. My car gets me to and from work, to and from the range, to and from my g.f.'s apartment (ninety miles away), and around town. It's just a tool for the job, and an automatic is a tool that lets me spend more time focused on the road, the traffic, and my surroundings instead of on my car.

This is much the same reasons I'd rather drive a car with an automatic choke, too (and I say this as someone who drove a car with a manual choke for three years).

White Horseradish

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #42 on: March 07, 2005, 01:40:31 PM »
I'd love to have a manual tranny. No particular reason why, I just want to. Trouble is, my finances dictate buying used, my family dictates buying vans. Last van I heard of with a stick was Astro in 1988, and those are next to impossible to find.  I could probably get by with a large sedan, but there haven't been large sedans with sticks since what, mid-70s?

Stupid car industry. I'm stuck with automatics.
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Hawk

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #43 on: March 08, 2005, 09:05:09 AM »
I'm in for a manual.

I am curious as to why the majority of individuals responding are choosing manual when the vast majority of autos sold (I believe) are automatic. Perhaps because enthusiasts would be more likely to choose manual and concurrently more likely to participate in a poll? Hmmmm.

2001 Firehawks, for which I just happen to have production numbers here, consisted of 356 M6 Trannys vs 184 A4's. For an unapologetic muscle car, I would have bet more than 66% would have been M6's.

At the risk of a minor thread hi-jack, I have a question: Given a 6 speed manual, driven almost entirely in DFW creep and start traffic, when should one expect to need some clutch work? At 50K miles, mine is still going strong and it shouldn't be that way based on my mid-50ish memory of things mechanical. Did these things get more bulletproof since my teen years?

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FPrice

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #44 on: March 08, 2005, 01:41:32 PM »
I bought a new truck off the lot.  It had an automatic, wife kept bugging me that she could not drive my last truck (a manual).

Newt

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #45 on: March 09, 2005, 09:32:29 AM »
I have a manual (or standard in these parts).  I learned to drive on one, but I'm pretty well out in the sticks here.  I'm glad I know how to drive a manual, but would trade my truck off for an automatic anyday.  I'm tired of shifting...   :?
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Modifiedbrowning

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So what do you prefer, Manual or Auto transmissions?
« Reply #46 on: March 09, 2005, 04:13:06 PM »
Manual all the way. Whenever I get into an automatic I immediately push my left foot to the floor.
For what's it's worth both times I broke my left wrist snowboarding I drove myself to the hospital in a manual using only my right hand. No big deal really, you just have to practice steering with the left knee. The first time it was about a 45min drive.
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