Experiences with automatic cars?

Fo Real

I'm learning to drive for scratch. Do you think it would be quicker to learn to drive an automatic car? I wouldn't have to worry about the clutch or changing gears so the car wouldn't cut out halfway up a hill!

Also, how common are automatic cars in Ireland? I understand that they are more expensive to buy and consume slightly more fuel than manual cars. Any other drawbacks? Are they more expensive to insure? All comments welcome.

Zon

........

Jagle

driving an automatic isnt learning how to drive, learn how to drive properly with a manuak that way you can drive both if need be, learning to drive in an automatic means your stuck with em unless you go back and relearn how to drive dont do it, this isnt america

Zon

I agree. Don't worry, it's easy once you get the hang of it. It will help you understand the car more. I've driven both, and driving automatic, in general is pretty boring. Just go for it

Alanstrainor

Zon wrote: »

Are you Fo Real ?

Leave out the rubbish please.

Fo Real wrote: »

I'm learning to drive for scratch. Do you think it would be quicker to learn to drive an automatic car? I wouldn't have to worry about the clutch or changing gears so the car wouldn't cut out halfway up a hill!

Also, how common are automatic cars in Ireland? I understand that they are more expensive to buy and consume slightly more fuel than manual cars. Any other drawbacks? Are they more expensive to insure? All comments welcome.

Learn to drive in a manual, once you get over the learning curve with a manual gearbox you'll be flying. It's not as difficult as people make out, it just takes practise.

If you take your test in an automatic car, you will receive a restricted license, meaning you will not be allowed to drive a automatic car. And if at some stage you wanted to learn you would have to go back to having L plates etc on a manual car.

Not all automatics are created equal. On a small engined 4 speed automatic car, like my 2003 Polo, it does consume a good bit more petrol than a manual. But on more modern automatics, such as a DSG box, they will be faster and have better MPG. As for draw backs, there aren't many big ones, again it depends on the car in question.
Insurance isn't an issue, and it's not generally more expensive.

Faith+1

Alanstrainor wrote: »

As for draw backs, there aren't many big ones, again it depends on the car in question.
.

Automatic cars are also more expensive to repair, if the gearbox breaks it will cost alot more to repair than a manual.

If the engine battery goes dead in an Automatic you'll also find it very difficult to get it started when compared to a manual.

Also with Automatics there is something known as kickdown, which is similar to changing down in a manual in order to accellerate quickly to overtake. The thing you must remember is there is also something known as kickdown lag, and it varies from car to car. This means there is a short time between you putting the pedal to the floor (kickdown) and the transmission down-shifting. It's something you'll get used to easily enough, and on the plus side, it does force you to think a little more before attempting any risky overtaking manouvre.

I'd personally recommend learning in a Manual.

galwaytt

Lot of nonsense in this thread.

So, to the OP's actual question.

First, an automatic car IS easier to learn in. And especially in low speed and parking scenario's.

Automatic cars are becoming common, and will continue to be so. All hybrid's and electric car's are all automatic, so automatic will eventually become the 'standard', and manual will be the 'alternative'. Manual's are more common purely based on price.

As for pricing for used cars, it varies enormously. If you buy a mid-size or larger car, it is traditionally easier to find, as most (say, Merc's) are automatic. Smaller stuff it's never been as popular until, say, inside the last 10 years, when modern automatic boxes made huge leaps in performance.

Nowadays a modern automatic is standard on most sports cars - not manual - and in the cases of the humbler cars - Golf and Skoda diesels, for example, the automatics use LESS fuel, not more.

And, modern automatics can be driven in both manual and automatic mode, btw.....

As for repairs: well, look at my signature. I have a near 18-yr old automatic, with 165,000 miles on it, running perfectly on it's original box - and there's nothing to fix: no clutch to wear or burn out, either.......however, there will come a time when it will, I'm sure. For which occasion I've already bought and replacement gearbox, which is in a crate, under the bench in the garage. Cost my €800. A garage will charge you that to change the clutch in your manual car.......and it'll only get half that mileage........

However, you may actually LIKE a manual, which is a different subject. I, personally, see merit in learning/doing lessons in an automatic, and learing Roadcraft and the perception of traffic, speed, parking, etc. When you've that down pat, try your hand at a manual, before you do your test. Then decide.

Reg'stoy

I've had occasion to drive automatics for work and if I could convince the wife I'd drive one all the time. I would imagine that learning to drive in one would, bar the changing of gears be the exact same. You will still have to position the car correctly road wise, reverse around a corner, mind you, the hill start will be easier . Rules of the road, indication, road positioning, left /right turns etc will all be the same.

I know the driving 'purist' will go on yawn about proper control of the car etc but if you're like me and view a car as a method of getting from A to B then don't worry about manual. I agree with a previous poster in reckoning that sooner rather than later (God willing) manual shift cars will be the exception. I would have given my eye teeth for an automatic when trying to get out of liffey valley over the xmas ffs half an hour trying to control a car by clutch alone is cramp inducing.

If as another poster said, you get the hang of actually driving a car (a car is still a car no matter what gearbox) well then you can try driving a manual car and see how you get on.

Just on a side note are paddle shift/techtronic? gearboxes considered automatic.

meathstevie

They are easier to drive as you don't need to learn to work a manual gear system but the massive downside is that you will not get a licence to drive all cars, only automatics. The other downside is that automatics combined with small engines are far from frugal and an engine size ( I'd dare say 1600cc and up ) where an automatic comes into it's own will be very punative insurance wise for an inexperienced driver.

DrivingTestTips: Brian

If you are worried about gears and you want driving to be easier in the beginning then the best advise in your situation is:

Learn driving in the auto (then you wont worry about gears YET) and then add manual driving after you can drive (add manual if you want).

There is a lot more to driving than gears and in the past I have seen learners give up driving due to the fact they were forced into driving manuals where they wanted to learn in automatics.

I would give them the same advice as I'm giving you and they all ended up happy.
Some stay in autos some went on to learn manuals BEFORE their driving test.

booksale

auto is really easier to learn.

manual is really more fun to drive.

but for city driving, it's better to use auto.

a point for driving a manual: it's safer...:D not my idea, i read it from the article and i found maybe he has a point...

the article i read was commenting an accident in an auto car. the driver of the car did not know that she was driving to the edge of the cliff, when she noticed that, she was so panic and mistakened the accelerator as the brake. and the car jumped quicker into the sea. the article then said if it's a manual car, at least if you wanna brake, even you pressed the accelerator, you would also press the clutch, that way, the car would not move with the clutch down.

maybe it's another point to consider?!:rolleyes:

Alanstrainor

booksale wrote: »

the article i read was commenting an accident in an auto car. the driver of the car did not know that she was driving to the edge of the cliff, when she noticed that, she was so panic and mistakened the accelerator as the brake. and the car jumped quicker into the sea. the article then said if it's a manual car, at least if you wanna brake, even you pressed the accelerator, you would also press the clutch, that way, the car would not move with the clutch down.

maybe it's another point to consider?!:rolleyes:

Hahaha

**Timbuk2**

Surely Automatic cars are worse to drive in ice? I'm sure many people who are used to snow and ice driving can manage, but when driving a manual, in icy conditions it's much easier and safer to use the gears to slow the car down, and also the gears to control the speed of a car on a descent.

OP I would advise just learning Manual to start off with. There's a larger learning curve, and you may easily get frustrated at the start, especially if cutting the car out and struggling to get moving, but you get used to it very quickly, and start to do all the gear changes automatically, without thinking about it. I've never felt distracted by the need to change gears, nor do I feel it in any way hindered my learning to drive.

An automatic-only restriction on your licence is something that you may one day regret. At least doing the test in an automatic allows you to drive both. You can still happily drive automatics for the rest of your driving days, without being stuck if you ever have to drive a friend's car, or a hire car, or a courtesy car that has a manual transmission.

Alanstrainor

I drove both through all the ice and snow and found my small auto to be the best believe it or not. It was perfect. Most automatic gearboxes will allow you to manually select lower gears, so i was able to slow down using just the gears just as you would in a manual. But the best bit about it, was being able to get started with the car idling at 600rpm. Meaning no, or very little wheel spin, I honestly couldn't fault it. I was able to go places even large 4X4s seemed to struggle.
My car is a 1.4 polo, so the fact that it weighs next to nothing, and had new skinny tyres helped a lot, although they were summer tyres:rolleyes:!