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TiaDanger

What do you drive...manual or automatic?

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This is a highly scientific poll...now I know several people have both, but please vote on your main vehicle, i.e., the vehicle you chose, or the one you drive most of the time.


Any maybe state WHY you prefer one over the other:)
And for the record: the appropriate ranking of cool modes of transportation is jet pack, hover board, transporter, Batmobile, and THEN giant ant.
D.S. #8.8

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Manual. I've owned three cars in my life, plus the one family car that was mostly mine as a teenager. All of them have been manual.

Why? Because they're more fun to drive!

I hated learning to drive on a manual, but I'm so glad I did. It had immediate short-term benefits for me (if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to drive any of the family cars), as well as long-term benefits (I can rent a car in Europe without paying a ginormous amount extra! I get better gas mileage! I have more fun!).
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

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Nice! I bought a manual as well, and I love mine. When you get in an automatic, do you subconsciously do the 'phantom stick shift' by waving your right hand in the middle trying to find the stick?

The story that started this inquiry: An American-born friend of mine (who is female) moved to England and started dating an English guy. She (being a stick-shift girl) was excited to impress her new beau because she said not many females drive sticks. She later found out that in Europe, all or almost all cars are sticks, so she realized her stick shift driving ability wasn't that impressive after all:P

So my bf and I got to wondering what the demographics were for males and females and sticks and automatics.

And for the record: the appropriate ranking of cool modes of transportation is jet pack, hover board, transporter, Batmobile, and THEN giant ant.
D.S. #8.8

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I have more fun!



Not only that but chances are you are paying better attention while you are driving since you need both arms and both legs to drive (much harder to do something else when your hands/arms are already occupied doing something).


Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

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When you get in an automatic, do you subconsciously do the 'phantom stick shift' by waving your right hand in the middle trying to find the stick?



Not really, but I can never find the clutch pedal. My left foot is always stomping on some floor panel when I am in an automatic.


Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

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I currently drive an automatic but prior to getting my previous Jeep, I had always had a manual (5 previous vehicles). Learned to drive on a manual too.

My reason for having an automatic is that I needed a bigger vehicle to tow my trailer AND Edmonton drivers are the WORST and constantly shifting up and down in traffic made me CRAZY!!!!

Found my first Grand Cherokee (automatic) 10 years ago and loved it. Got a new (to me) Grand Cherokee (automatic) in March.
'Shell

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Manual. All of them.
Car, truck, motorcycle, work truck.

I haven't owned an auto in almost 20 years.

More fun, more control.
For the motorcycle and the work truck (semi tractor) it's not really a choice - Autos really aren't available.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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I just learned to ride a motorcycle and got my M Class this summer. I thought learning was tough! I remember thinking, "okay, first gear is down, second gear is up, don't forget, don't kill it, don't kill it, don't kill it!"
And for the record: the appropriate ranking of cool modes of transportation is jet pack, hover board, transporter, Batmobile, and THEN giant ant.
D.S. #8.8

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I've owned/driven several of each. Each has its pros and cons.

I like manuals for the better gas mileage and the ability to more precisely tailor the gear selection to the conditions exactly as/when I choose.

But manuals are a real bitch on the clutch leg in lengthy stop & go traffic, like in a city commute or in a traffic jam on the interstate. They're also more physically tiring by the end of the day if you spend all day driving around in city conditions, which I sometimes have to do. Automatics are far more humane in that respect. And I also like the freedom of having one hand free if need be, which I can't do with a manual.

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Manual. The decline in the number of stick shifts coincided with the start of the decline of our country, too. Well maybe not that bad, but learning on a manual surely makes one a better driver.

Now, of course, it is damn hard to text if you have to shift those darn gears.

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This is a highly scientific poll...now I know several people have both, but please vote on your main vehicle, i.e., the vehicle you chose, or the one you drive most of the time.


Any maybe state WHY you prefer one over the other:)



I have not owned an automatic vehicle in 40 years... and I even hate renting the damn things when I travel anywhere.

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I voted "boobies" because though I own both types, I use them about the same amount. It's all about what I am in the mood to put up with for the day. Looks like stop and go traffic or want comfort? I take the F150 (automatic King Ranch edition). Want to save fuel and "feel busy"? The Saab, which is stick. And yes, I suffer the "Phantom Shift" in the truck. Funny that I don't "Phantom automatic":P

_____________________________

"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

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I learned on a stick and have owned/driven about a 50/50 split.

I did not vote because mr.oldwoman and I have one of each (plus a truck to haul stuff). The automatic is a convertible, and the manual is a hardtop.

We don't have a his or hers, we take whichever one is fitting the weather and the type of driving we will be doing.

As for phantom shifting, I "manually shift" the automatic. The car is set up to shift to a higher gear (too early) in order to save gas, but it sacrifices power and performance, so I make the shift myself. Much more control.
lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

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My swagger wagon (Jetta Sportwagen) is a tiptronic automatic. So I can flip it and shift, sort of. When the computer lets me.

With my GL '73 Super, it is a standard. It lets me push the RPMs into the power band, right where those Webers want to live) and let that light weight car really freak'n LAUNCH around the corners.

Seriously, it is really hard to not have a HUGE smile while driving that car!
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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I've alternated generally; this car is an automatic, the last one was a manual, etc. going back to the 70's, during which I drove exclusively manuals.

This one is an automatic for all the reasons Andy says. I enjoy manual more, but automatic does have its advantages. And, I'm told, the difference in gas mileage isn't nearly as marked as it used to be.

Wendy P.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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Wow, I'm actually surprised that, of the people that voted, more manuals than automatics are used.

Manuals are fun, but I too agree with Andy, they are a PITA in stop and go traffic. I'm glad I don't live in a congested city, otherwise my tibialis anterior muscle (the clutch leg muscle) would always be sore:P

And for the record: the appropriate ranking of cool modes of transportation is jet pack, hover board, transporter, Batmobile, and THEN giant ant.
D.S. #8.8

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