Manual vs Automatic transmission

Auto's are OK, but I prefer to drive a manual. It's all I've had since '95 or so. City traffic or highway it doesn't matter, I shift without thinking about it 90% of the time anyway. I especially like it in winter snow and ice, I feel there is significantly better control.

A manual does tend to get a little better mileage, not so much because a human driver times their shifts better but because an automatic's torque converter always has a little slip to it and a manual does not.

Just remember if you've never had a manual before and it turns out you don't like it, you're going to be stuck with a brand new vehicle that you hate driving, and that's no fun. Be as sure as you can before you buy.
 
I might be the odd one out, but I don't mind stop and go traffic in a manual.
 
Your preference is what it is, total those points in your mind.

But know this: Modern autos are as durable, and nearly as fuel efficient, as manuals.

Plus to autos: If you seriously off-road, you'll thank the auto tranny when trying to get started on the side of any decent hill. Manual is a sphincter-clincher. Auto, just move your foot over to the acel and go.

Dave
 
depends on the car. drive the auto and see if its a good one or a **** pile like the ones in toyotas (dreaming of my college graduation and being able to get ANYTHING not made by toyota) that dictate how you drive.

I also do not eat in my car (and I dont allow pasengers to either). Or talk on the phone. Or drink anything hot. Although I will admit to dicking around with a folder if Im not driving to school.
 
The car I have in mind is a Toyota Prado or Land Crouser.

How is the auto gear box on them?
Or am I better off with a manual?
 
I bought an automatic in my Dodge 4x4 with the Cummins engine.
I drive truck, so I get to shift probably 2-300 times a day at work. When I get out of the truck, the last thing I want to do is shift gears.....
As far as durability, I think the newer vehicles are fairly even manual vs. auto.
Drive both and see what you like the best.
 
where are you from? if you are not in north america, then go ahead on the toyota, afaik, its a very different animal than the north american ones. again, go test drive them both, some clutches can be very awkward if you are the wrong height, and you may find that after 30 minutes of slow driving your leg locks up. unlike some, I can't imagine a auto 4x4 being any fun to drive, and love the extra control of a manual car. then again, I do everything the hard way.
 
and on an added note, being skilled at manual-shifting is very useful if you find yourself outside the US. may be once in a blue moon, but i visited italy, spain, and france, and they were all manual-only. i drove a 'civilian' contract car for many months in iraq, as well, manual only.

my first car was an automatic, pontiac grand am. second car is a manual nissan 350z. i love it, the car, and the operation, and i'll never go back to auto as long as i can help it.
 
Automatic ... no question ... hands down. Some repeats here, but here's the reasons:

1. Stop and go traffic
2. Trailer towing without a granny 1st gear in your trans
3. Driving through soft mud or other material where clutch induced wheelspin doesn't help
4. Doing anything else while driving (coffee, soda, etc)
5. Truck / SUV transmissions with long clutch and / or gearshift throws
6. Occasional issues with your back? ... forget a manual ..

I've had 10 manual trans cars / trucks over the years and some were a real pleasure to drive. The automatics have gotten so good from a performance perspective related to computer control that with some exceptions, that's all I'm gonna buy going forward.

Razz
 
I have driven manual for most of my 28 years of driving. I have had use of a few autos and in traffic they are much nicer. I have tendonitis in my clutch knee and doing the school run inflames it, long distance it is fine.

I am busy shopping around for a small auto. Love the Chevy Aveo, the corsa auto was on the market only for a few months so that was a fail and GM is in the mud so, it is going to be a watch and wait.
 
gadgetgeek said:
Stage, I wonder if it is a regional difference, because I read all the time of auto transmission heat, but in two years at a quick oil change shop I didn't see any that didn't have coolers, even ones that are considered "sealed" ie, no dipstick? could it be that canadian vehicles typically have a cooler, and US ones do not? or am I just totally out to lunch?
heat isn't just a problem for autos, but manuals typically have a heavier duty lubricant in them, and there is less to contaminate it.
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AFAIK all US trucks with auto trannys have a cooler (though most are pathetic). For 90% of people its not a big deal because 90% of people aren't ever going to see dirt. Those that do don't venture very far off.

However if this is a vehicle for off roading/expedition travel, then its something that needs to be given serious consideration. IMO an auto tranny isn't the best tranny for backroads driving/towing, there just isn't enough pump or airflow to keep them cool. This is bad for two reasons one the trans can be cooked and two it can cause the engine to overheat as the trans is putting 200*+ fluid into a radiator when the engine is only putting 190-200* so the trans fluid can actually cause the engine coolant not to cool (I have seen it happen more than once).

Manual trannys don't have issues as they dont build heat like an auto does becuase there is no torque converter.
 
baliodude said:
The car I have in mind is a Toyota Prado or Land Crouser.How is the auto gear box on them?Or am I better off with a manual?
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The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
You need to drive both vehicles in both tranny choices.You will soon feel more comfortable with one over the other.
Tell the salesman that you want to drive roads that are typical of your daily driving in the typical times of your commute. If you want to go off road then you must ask for that demo as well. These are both excellent vehicles you have chosen (although I prefer the Land Cruiser) but they are also expensive.
Make sure you have driven them extensively before putting down your hard earned cash. A good choice is a pleasure to live with....a bad one....a nightmare.

Best of luck again and don't forget to post pics of your new ride.....:)
 
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Some time ago I bought a Dodge Power Wagon with an auto. First steep downhill in rough country pulling a trailer taught me I made a mistake. It's the only one of the 11 4X4s I've owned with an auto. I like to make the decision as to the RPMs - don't like the auto making it for me.
 
I like the 5 speed manual in my little 4 cylinder Tacoma.
But, I have a 5 speed auto in my FJ and you can easily shift it yourself if you need to.
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part of becoming a man is learning how to drive a stick, its more fun too but an auto is way more practical
 
Gollnick said:
First, if you are not already skilled at driving a manual -- and maybe you are and didn't say it -- don't start with a heavy, 4WD SUV and don't start with anything new or anything you like.




Today's autos will, overall, deliver better milage and better performance than even the most skillfully-operated manual because they're computerized and the computer never misses a shiftpoint. They even attempt to sense the driver's intention. With mine, if you are at a dead stop and you floor the peddle, the computer assumes you want to see how fast this thing can go zero-to-sixty and it rewards you with coordination of the throttle and transmission to give you that demonstration. If you just ease into the peddle, on the other hand, it assumes you want to accelerate economically and achieves that goal for you.
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the autos + the computer are hard to outguess in todays cars, i took my vette and raced it at a local track (its a '95 so its getting old) and made a couple of runs shifting it myself, didnt do too bad either, but i tried it in drive and let it shift itself and it was .2 faster vs shifting it myself lol.

oh the best time that day was in drive and it was IIRC 13.66 not too bad for a stock vette w/a auto, in fact i also raced a '96 6spd and his best time was 14.01 obviously he needed to work on his driving, he also had a horrid reaction time, .9 or something like that, but theoretically he shoulda been faster than my '95.
 
Thanks for the info Stage, I kinda figured, but wasn't sure. its not often here that we run in the temps that even the central, not to mention southern states get, and when cooling a vehicle without the fan isn't a problem for 8 months of the year, its hard to know. I've seen more and more heavy duty vehicles with multiple rads as opposed to the all in one solution, I'm sure that helps. oddly though the worst tranmition I ever worked on came from an old lady's car that had an average of 5000km per year put on it, never over 70kmH, and man, that was nastier than the heavy duty off-road trucks. as near as we could tell, the tranny never got enough pressure to shift properly and was slowly grinding itself up.

point of thought if it comes to it. manual=DIY maintnance, auto=needs a shop
 
Gollnick said:
First, if you are not already skilled at driving a manual -- and maybe you are and didn't say it -- don't start with a heavy, 4WD SUV and don't start with anything new or anything you like.
Click to expand...

This isn't a personal attack; but, I think these statements are silly. It is possible for people to actually drive a manual vehicle within about 5 minutes of instruction without tearing up the transmission. :rolleyes: I learned to drive manual on a 1957 Dodge Power Wagon in a few minutes, with 2 or 3 stalls; no grinding gears or tearing anything up. I taught my ex-wife to drive manual on a VW Jetta, with no grinding.

Also, there was a poll posed on the JK forums (Newest model Jeep Wrangler) asking those who seriously wheel if they prefer an auto or stick JK. The majority of people who wheel moderate-hard prefer the manual transmission.

I prefer to drive manual vehicles; but there are times when an automatic would be nice:

Stop/go traffic-Manual transmission is fine.
Stop/go traffic w/ headache-Auto would be nice.
 
I have auto in my Rubicon and there is no way I'd go back to manual. We do quite a bit of off road and some pretty gnarly trails and the auto is great!!

Win
 
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