Drove an auto today....

mike65

Nope. As there is no such thing as letting in the clutch.

Mike.

ninty9er

mike65 wrote:

Nope. As there is no such thing as letting in the clutch.

Mike.

That would have seen my mam stuck a few times with our 127 so:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

WhiteWashMan

i am buying an auto on saturday. i have to say im a complete convert, and adding in cruise control, i will never be buying a car that doesnt have noth of these again!

i used to believe that you get more performance out of a manual car, and you know what, now i dont care. i love the auto drive. its nice and easy
when you get older, nice and easy is a good thing. besides, i just got my insurance quote for a 4litre 6cylinder, and it comes out at just under 400 australian dollars. about 270 of your funny irish euros

oh, and its dual fuel as well, so pretty economical. tis a 96 though.

_Kaiser_

WhiteWashMan wrote:

i am buying an auto on saturday. i have to say im a complete convert, and adding in cruise control, i will never be buying a car that doesnt have noth of these again!

i used to believe that you get more performance out of a manual car, and you know what, now i dont care. i love the auto drive. its nice and easy
when you get older, nice and easy is a good thing. besides, i just got my insurance quote for a 4litre 6cylinder, and it comes out at just under 400 australian dollars. about 270 of your funny irish euros

oh, and its dual fuel as well, so pretty economical. tis a 96 though.

What are ya buying?

Mahatma coat

sounds like an EL Falcon

I was antiAuto for a long time, but havin driven a falcon regularly for the last few months I am beginning to change my mind, its a lot easier to drive - except cornering sharply that still scares the bejaysus out of me.

wont be givin up me manuals just yet as they still have their purposes but for city drivin its auto all the way.

wouldnt buy a small engined auto tho, could envision it bein fairly gutless

franksm

I'm getting 28mpg from my Merc '92 auto with the 2.3 engine - and that's urban ! No motorway driving at all during the last fill of the tank.

Not bad. I tend to put the car in "N" while stopped, I hate it when people light up the brake lights and blind the person behind - but I guess this is also good for fuel economy.

I still prefer to have a manual car "for fun" but nothing beats the auto for commuting

Dr. Seuss

I always used to drive manuals - and I passed my test in a manual. Then last year I bought an XK8 - never looked back! The automatic transmission is a beautiful piece of engineering - and if you want to drop a gear to overtake, all you have to do is "floor it" and it does it for you - forget all that "kickback" lark people are crapping on about - never even heard of it! There's not even any lag - it's very responsive, and is even handier for 'inching' in bad traffic, coupled with the fact that you can't roll back on a hill (not that I ever did in a manual, 'cos I rule, lol!).
F*ck gears is all I can say now - I used to be of the same opinion that I'd "prefer to have more control" and all the other cliches that hold no water in reality, because I do have FULL control with my automatic and much prefer driving it compared ot the wife's X-type - which is manual. I guess the fact that it's also a 4L V8 helps, lol!

whippet

well my first auto car is arriving this weekend and after sitting on the M50 this morning I can't wait for the comfort of an auto during the daily commute.

as for the power, control and fuel consumption debate its a GTi DSG auto, so it is quicker, more economical than the manual and with the option of the manual shift there is a degree of control.

Anan1

mike65 wrote:

All 1.8 A6 after 1997 (the C5 platform) are turboed. About 150 bhp.

Mike

There were non-turbo 125bhp ones available at least through 1998, I know, I sold a few new.;) The non-turbo 1.8 was replaced some time after that by the 2.0 115bhp unit, as the 1.8 wouldn't pass emissions regs.

ninty9er

Dr. Seuss wrote:

and if you want to drop a gear to overtake, all you have to do is "floor it" and it does it for you - forget all that "kickback" lark people are crapping on about - never even heard of it!

That's exactly what kickdown is....you floor it and the car drops a gear...it's just the correct term

unkel

mike65 wrote:

All 1.8 A6 after 1997 (the C5 platform) are turboed. About 150 bhp.

BIL has a '99 1.8 A6. It's a non-turbo 125BHP

Mahatma coat wrote:

sounds like an EL Falcon

Or an EFII?

Dr. Seuss

DubTony wrote:

Welcome to boards. Nice of you to start off by slagging people who drive particular types of cars. Obviously the auld tractor is a great way to prove you have something hanging between your legs, but it's ok, seemingly the size isn't important.

I have a suggestion. Why don't you sign up again under a different name and then come back and start again. Actually, scratch that ... why don't you just f*ck right off.

I guess blatantly obvious sarcasm goes straight over your head. I pity you.

Dr. Seuss

ninty9er wrote:

That's exactly what kickdown is....you floor it and the car drops a gear...it's just the correct term

Ah, okay - because "ninty9er" said it was a button.

hi5

ninty9er wrote:

Hey everyone, drove an auto box today for the 1st time...and I'm a happy camper...it's a bit high mileage for my liking so I won't be biting on that particular hook...but when I do change it'll be an auto if I can at all help it.

Why is there a stigma attached to these and why aren't there more out there!!!
I'd hope never to buy a manual again:D

btw: it was a 97 316.

Because most people have never driven one and the unknown must always be bad.

Anan1

Dr. Seuss wrote:

Ah, okay - because "ninty9er" said it was a button.

It's a button under the accelerator pedal.;)

Victor Meldrew

Dr. Seuss wrote:

I guess the fact that it's also a 4L V8 helps, lol!

That's the whole feelgood factor there. drive a cheaper car and the Control issue does surface a bit, that said in traffic they rule.

As the yanks say, "There's no substitute for cubes"

unkel

Victor Meldrew wrote:

As the yanks say, "There's no substitute for cubes"

I prefer "There's no replacement for displacement"*

* Mr Bentley, 1926

Victor Meldrew

unkel wrote:

I prefer "There's no replacement for displacement"*

* Mr Bentley, 1926

I'll give you that one..

blastman

Why are people even arguing about this? It all boils down to taste in the end, so there's no logic or "right" answer.

For the record, I've always had manuals, but I've driven a few different automatics in my time. None of them did anything for me, although they are a lot easier to drive in city traffic. Nothing against automatics, but at the moment, I'll be sticking to manual for the foreseeable.

mike65

Anan1/unkel were those A6s C5 or late registered C4s? I know Mercedes Benz Ireland were selling estate w124s up too late 1998!

Mike.

unkel

mike65 wrote:

Anan1/unkel were those A6s C5 or late registered C4s?

BIL has a C5 ('97-'04) A6. The one that looks almost the same as the current A6

Isn't yours a C4, Mike? Iirc it's a '98? So must be a late registration too?

mike65

Mines a 96, feck 11 years old. Its a heap - official!

Mike.

MichaelR

How are the autos on country roads?

I'm an inexperienced driver and sometimes get a problem that I downshift to 3rd when I need to go slower on a bend etc., then forget about it and drive at 30-40mph in 3rd for some minutes. Probabloy not too good for the engine. (Car has no rev counter). Would an auto work better for me?

Anan1

mike65 wrote:

Anan1/unkel were those A6s C5 or late registered C4s? I know Mercedes Benz Ireland were selling estate w124s up too late 1998!

Mike.

These were C5s, a few of the ones I sold new in 98 were special order cars so definitely brand new.;)

Victor Meldrew

MichaelR wrote:

How are the autos on country roads?

I'm an inexperienced driver and sometimes get a problem that I downshift to 3rd when I need to go slower on a bend etc., then forget about it and drive at 30-40mph in 3rd for some minutes. Probabloy not too good for the engine. (Car has no rev counter). Would an auto work better for me?

Nope,

a car with a rev counter would help, and 30 -40 mph in third is not bad for the car, just a bit heavier on petrol, and on winding roads 3rd is a good idea. Cheaper Autos on tight winding "B" roads can upshift mid corner (as you lift off the gas) and the car can lurch, which is where the "auto box = no control" coments come from. Still i love the ease in city traffic of an auto but I leave it in the driveway when there are bends to take.

WhiteWashMan

unkel wrote:

BIL has a '99 1.8 A6. It's a non-turbo 125BHP



Or an EFII?

falcon futura EFII, am all excited.

Mahatma coat

nice, I've an EB wagon meself, used to ave an XD Ute

stifz

ninty9er wrote:

Hey everyone, drove an auto box today for the 1st time...and I'm a happy camper...it's a bit high mileage for my liking so I won't be biting on that particular hook...but when I do change it'll be an auto if I can at all help it.

Why is there a stigma attached to these and why aren't there more out there!!!
I'd hope never to buy a manual again:D

btw: it was a 97 316.

Ive a 97 318 auto.. Steer clear of the 1.6 - Not enough juice.. Id never go back to manual.