Automatic or Manual?

[Baffle]

learned to drive stick in a crappy truck with a flat tire

Why didn't you just pump it up? (Until you can feel it)

 

[Kolby Jack]

I don't know how to drive a manual. I don't really see the point. I never plan to buy a manual car, and I don't anticipate a situation where I HAVE to drive a manual. Hell, in 10-20 years I don't anticipate a situation where I have to DRIVE. I do anticipate begrudging the youths of the future for not knowing how to drive though. Darn future kids! Get off my robot lawn!

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

My first car was a manual, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. If I could afford to order a car, it would have a traditional stick and clutch, instead of those newfangled steering paddles.

 

[Spanglish Guy]

I've been learning on a manual being from the UK and all. Almost everybody drives manuals here. It's ok, not all that hard once you get used to it. To be honest though I do think I'd prefer the move to autos here. The less a driver has to do behind the wheel the safer the roads will be, supposedly.

 

[Saulkar]

My car is automatic and my motorcycle is manual, I prefer the later.

 

[Tentbol25]

wow that's great idea. Carry on!

 

[Elijin]

Manual is the most fun a regular joe will ever have behind the wheel.

Automatic is a significant QOL upgrade if you do all your driving in congestion/peak hour.

 

[Catnip1024]

On the other hand, there's really only one universal reason to prefer automatic: it's one less thing you have to focus on. Distracted driving is a serious problem, and as someone who's been a professional driver, I can tell you that the last thing you need when you're maneuvering 80,000 pounds down the road and some jackass who thinks your vehicle handles like a Schwinn cuts you off is for them to be paying even less attention.

As someone who does a fair bit of driving, I find gear changes help me stay focused. It makes you more conscious of your speed on approach to corners. It also stops you dozing off while driving.

But let's be honest, the real advantage is the ability to feel like a racing driver when shifting up gears on the way out of a corner. Everyone needs that, now and again.

 

[TechNoFear]

Bonus question, does driving manual get boring throughout time or just gets easier and mundane like riding a bike or changing a light. Does automatic get too easy to the point of just... meh?

Yes, after ~40 years of driving changing gears has become a reflex.

But now I am driving sedate old man cars, while I previously drove big V8s and turbo V6s.

 

[09philj]

Manual. It's what I learned to drive in. Somewhat scary on hills, but pretty practical all round.

The two cars I learned to drive in were pretty different. One was my dad's little Toyota Yaris, which would stall almost immediately on starting if you didn't put the exactly right amount of power in, and would have trouble maintaining speeds above 60 mph. The other was my driving instructor's diesel VW Polo. It's nigh on impossible to stall and, while it takes a little while to get up to speed, once you reach about 45(?) mph the turbocharger engages and it turns into a rocket.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Auto here.

Why make driving more complicated than it needs to be?