choosing automatic over manual

ohaye87

I'm finding gear changing very difficult and it's making me extremely nervous, thinking of going with a automatic.
I'm aware that if I pass my test in one I'm restricted but doesn't bother me to much.

Has any of you lernt to drive in a automatic? Is it much easier? Would appreciate any feedback

ProudDUB

Yes, it is much easier, as the element of clutch control isn't there. You can concentrate on other things (road position, observations, speed etc etc) without having to worry about the clutch. I first learned in an automatic (in the US) & I found it much easier. I learned to drive a manual later on, as I didn't want to be restricted in the kind of cars I could drive.

There is a massive anti automatic bias here in in Ireland, so there will probably be loads of posts after this one, telling you you are mad & to persevere with the manual car. But they will be from people who have never driven or owned an automatic car for long periods of time, or learned to drive in one, so make of their posts what you will.

However, if you are just starting out and you find gear changing hard, stick with it a while longer. It does take some time to master. But if you have been at this a while and you just can't hack it & you are aware of the restrictions of having an automatic license only, then go with whatever car suits you best.

uli84

Yepp, go for automatic, i honestly cant believe in this day & age not all cars are automatic :P

Bigus

The future is electric and all electric cars are automatic so buying choice will widen ,soon .

Jimbob1977

In my personal opinion, everyone should learn on manual and then graduate to automatic if they wish.

Anyone who is able to drive manual can grasp automatic in an hour (strangest sensation is the redundant foot and that the car rolls forward in Drive).

Conversely an automatic driver will struggle terribly on manual without training

Manual gear changing gives better acceleration and control.

My brother's Canadian girlfriend is now learning manual to cover all bases abroad.

Op - everyone struggles with gears and hill starts in the early days. I had many nerve wracking evenings in Sandyford Industrial Estate. It's practice practice practice

Stick with it

cantdecide

I think there is a very strong anti-automatic bias here too and that is because it's absolutely justified in countries like Ireland. If you want to join the approximately 1% of drivers with the 78 restriction then that's your prerogative but it will constrain your motoring experience and inhibit your future decision making and it will cost you more money. More often than not, automatics are heavier on fuel for a start.

Learning to shift smoothly is more of an evolution than a milestone. You don't have to have perfect shifting before you can move on. If you can get to a point where you can shift gears effectively but not gracefully, you can continue learning to drive around your unsteady gear changing. Smoothness will come in time and won't even take very long. It's just a question of practice and persistence before muscle memory kicks in. It's just like learning an instrument.

When I say practice, I mean create specific exercises that help you focus on the elements of shifting that you're weak on and then not wait for ages before going out and practicing again. Specifically practice moving off and don't try to find that one ideal gear that allows you to avoid shifting- shift as much as you can.

Pugzilla

Keep trying with the manual.
Eventually your gear changing will become 'automatic' and you won't have to consciously think about it.

Lia_lia

How long have you been learning for, OP? To be honest I found the changing gears is one of the easiest parts of learning to drive. You just get it after a while. Clutch control has taken me a while to learn how to do properly though..

I would stick with learning to drive in a manual for another while. And if you still find it difficult learning in an automatic is no harm. Automatic cars do seem to be on the increase.

Atlantis50

Lia_lia wrote: »

How long have you been learning for, OP? To be honest I found the changing gears is one of the easiest parts of learning to drive. You just get it after a while. Clutch control has taken me a while to learn how to do properly though..

I would stick with learning to drive in a manual for another while. And if you still find it difficult learning in an automatic is no harm. Automatic cars do seem to be on the increase.

They make up about 15 to 20% of the used car market and this figure is only going to increase with the increased preference for hybrid and electric cars (which have automatic transmissions as standard) from both car manufacturers and western governments. As was commented above, automatic is the future.

VW's diesel emissions scandal and the increased attention on NOx emissions will further accelerate the move away from the now not so "clean" diesel to the more environmentally friendly hybrid and electric vehicles.

Regarding anti automatic bias in Ireland, the OP shouldn't care what other people think and do what s/he believes is in his or her own best interests.

That being said, we are still far from having automatics come close to being widespread use in Ireland (I predict about 50% of cars here will be automatic by 2025) so the OP has to carefully consider all possible areas where this "78" restriction might be inhibiting.

For example, let's say the OP wants to join the guards. There's no requirement to have a driving license without restriction 78 as far as I'm aware, but practically speaking you would be severely restricted in your duties as nearly the entire Garda fleet is manual transmission vehicles.

Edit: It turns out Gardaí and certain other emergency workers are legally exempt from having any driving license at all, never mind one with a 78 restriction, but still you'd NEED to know how to drive a manual for those type of jobs, whatever about the legalities:

However, Dublin City Coroner's Court yesterday heard that under current legislation gardai do not need to hold a licence when they are driving a vehicle in the course of their duties.

Other emergency workers, such as ambulance and fire brigade drivers, have similar exemptions.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/garda-in-fatal-crash-didnt-have-a-driving-licence-inquest-told-26582819.html

JamboMac

That's messed up guards don't have to have a full licence to drive on the roads. That needs to be changed.

Alanstrainor

How long have you been learning OP? I would be of the opinion that an unrestricted license is still the better option, and a lot of the time it comes down to practice. Things like availability of automatics in the cheaper end of cars can be limited, if renting a car for holidays etc you could be limited to what you can drive, with a restricted auto license.

My advice for now, would be to mention that you are having trouble with gears to your instructor and have a lesson or two focusing on this element. I'm still of the opinion that getting a restricted license is not a good way to go, perhaps in 5 years or more it will start to be an easier choice to make, but now we're just not there yet.

Squidgy Black

JamboMac wrote: »

That's messed up guards don't have to have a full licence to drive on the roads. That needs to be changed.

They have to go through driving training if they want to drive a patrol car, you won't find a single garda driving a patrol car without a licence, it's more of a case that they don't need a licence to be part of the force ie foot patrol or even push bikes.

JamboMac

_Tyrrell_ wrote: »

They have to go through driving training if they want to drive a patrol car, you won't find a single garda driving a patrol car without a licence, it's more of a case that they don't need a licence to be part of the force ie foot patrol or even push bikes.

That bit of legislation actually says they are exempt from requiring a licence to drive a patrol car, they aren't aloud drive their own car without a full licence, but they can drive one with flashing blue lights and the same with ambulance drivers, it's pretty stupid.

JK82

Automatics are incredibly easy to drive in comparison to a manual, however do stick with manual a little longer until you are sure you cannot get the hang of it. You could always do your test in an auto, build up your confidence and then get the manual licence later on. Modern automatics are much more economical that the ones of old and most are now tiptronic which allows you to control the gear you are in manually. The biggest downside to an auto that I can see is you will always have less choice on the secondhand market. I drove manuals all of my driving life up until a couple of years ago when I bought a BMW. I've just bought a manual again and I have to say I miss the auto in city traffic!

mijack

I'm in the same situtation. Tried a few times in spain to get the licence but it was very frustrating for me the manual transmission. I'll try to get the license during this year and i took the decision of doing it with an automatic car.

anybody knows a driving school with automatic cars in Dublin?

Del2005

I learnt in a manual but over the last few years have swapped to auto. It's much easier to drive but you're severely limited in car choice with a restricted licence. Yes auto's are becoming more popular but not in the small car market yet, where most learners start off.


OP try and find somewhere without much traffic, industrial estates after 7pm are ideal, and just spend a lesson or 2 just changing gears even better if you can do it with a supervising driver. After a while the muscle memory will kick in and you'll get it.

paraletic

JamboMac wrote: »

That bit of legislation actually says they are exempt from requiring a licence to drive a patrol car, they aren't aloud drive their own car without a full licence, but they can drive one with flashing blue lights and the same with ambulance drivers, it's pretty stupid.

I doubt any of this is true.

"Ambulance drivers" definitely do need a full licence for the vehicle they drive (for the HSE, an emergency ambulance is class C1)

Delira

Del2005 wrote: »

OP try and find somewhere without much traffic, industrial estates after 7pm are ideal, and just spend a lesson or 2 just changing gears even better if you can do it with a supervising driver. After a while the muscle memory will kick in and you'll get it.

This.

If you can, try not to waste expensive lessons on it though. You literally just need to practice moving up and down the gears over and over and over again.

If you have a car to practice in, head out (with an accompanying driver of course) to your nearest industrial estate and spend an hour a few times a week doing this. Even though I hated it, it's what I did and I noticed I got much more comfortable changing gears during lessons really soon afterwards...

Nights when I'd no one to take me out I'd just sit in the drivers seat outside my house and go through the motions!

Loads of learners (me included:o) find gears hard at the start but it's all about muscle memory as the poster above said. The ONLY way this will come is just practice!