Downsides / Upsides of Having An Automatic

sprucemoose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120697914#Comment_120697914

floppy discs? my apologies your highness....

........cassette loading or nothing!

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120707647#Comment_120707647

Pfft.. unless it was on a green screen monitor (Amstrad CPC 464) then you were privileged 😂 20 minutes waiting for the game to load and then having to run the tape back and adjust the player heads because it crashed halfway!

Good times!

FishOnABike

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120709338#Comment_120709338

Programming an 8085 development kit by hand on a hex keypad FWIW (showing my age here).😉

NickNickleby

We have two cars, a Fiesta and a Corolla Hybrid. I can't say with any certainty that I prefer one over the other. However, some times I enjoy the 'sweet spot' moment you aim for when going up or down the gears. Ironically, I'm aiming for the same experience that an auto aims to give you - seamless gear change. However, the Corolla is CVT, so no gear changes. Previous car was the Merc auto I had to dump before it bankrupted me. Even that one wasn't completely seamless through the gears, well not on acceleration anyway.

I was recently driving round Kerry in the Corolla, and I definitely missed the ability to downshift in a downhill bend. For some reason I didn't trust the car to grip the road, you know - the way you get that sensation when using the gears manually in that situation. It felt like it was coasting.

I must experiment with the options next time eg, Sport or the B option on the gear stick to see what happens. But the new me has adopted a new philosophy. As I told eldest son recently, it's remarkably easy to adjust from a "get there quickly" to a "get there economically" mindset.

So, that's my fence-sitting contribution.

I'm finished now, so I'll Branch to Register 14

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120709338#Comment_120709338

Good times indeed, I had to make do with watching my cousin play the game, green with envy I was. A psychologist would probably link all my subsequent life problems to that trauma

Flinty997

We had a computer in college that had no means of saving anything anyone did on anything else. We had to take a photo (on film) of the screen.

griffin100

I’ve driven an auto for years and would never go back to manual. I have the flappy paddles and sport mode if I really want to get some degree of independence back. My wife got her first auto hybrid a year ago and would never go back to manual.

My 17 year old son got his first car last week. Like all his mates it’s a manual. His group would never consider an auto - changing gear with the open palm of your hand looks cool when you’re 17. My 18 year old daughter has no interest in cars and for ages couldn’t be arsed getting lessons. Now she’s getting lessons in an auto and will take the test in one. I don’t think she’ll ever drive a manual. Different stokes for different folks!

Sam Russell

I have driven both autos and manuals, currently have one of each. I also regularly drive other manuals. All behave differently, and I have no problem getting out of one and into another.

Driving the auto is relaxing in traffic, but the manual is fun.

Just always put the left foot onto the foot rest. I never understood why autos came with an oversized brake pedal, just waiting for the left foot hitting the non-existing clutch.

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120724375#Comment_120724375

I drive both, when in the automatic I put my left foot back to the seat, basically bend my left knee, the compulsion to use the left foot to clutch will soon dissappear.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120724624#Comment_120724624

It would disappear much quicker if the brake pedal was the same size as in a manual.

I never have a problem driving a manual or an automatic - except when I drove a 5 speed instead of a six speed - and the reverse was at the same location as gear six. Ooops.

zilog_jones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120710012#Comment_120710012

B will hold the revs when going downhill in Toyota hybrids, it's just like engine braking. Regen only does so much so it's recommended to use B on long descents as you can still cook the (friction) brakes like any normal car.

Beatty69

I'm jumping in on this thread because I'm looking at upgrading at the moment and considering an Automatic because my hips/knees aren't the best but to me there seems three downsides:

1. The choice is limited to certain vehicles and most seem to be hybrid, I admit, I'm ignorant as to how a hybrid works. Some reviews say hybrid is slow to kick off
2. The price is definitely much higher
3. The spec seems much lower for my price range than the manual version

Would appreciate any help. I would like a car that has a higher sitting position for getting in and out of and definitely need bluetooth/sat nav (have no sense of direction!)

I live in a rural area in Tipperary but travel to Dublin very regularly, like every second week. So driving on country roads and motorway.

yellowmellow2241

I bought a automatic back in 2021. Whole family converted to automatic now. We all love it. No hassle of clutch or gear changing. Specially my mother in law with bad left leg finds it much relaxing to drive.

mikeecho

I used to drive for work, 10hrs of stop start clutch brake clutch clutch brake etc etc.

I actually developed a sore left knee .

Getting an auto as my own car was a blessing, thankfully I no longer drive for work .

Would never buy a manual again (unless it's a really cool classic)

As for rentals, i don't care if it's auto or manual.

Spook_ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120705111#Comment_120705111

If you're driving an automatic you can still anticipate corners, inclines and overtaking opportunities, that's a null argument.

Spook_ie

As a generilisation about autos, I do believe they are far less likely to have been totally abused by over reving them in a low gear or by laboring the engine in too high a gear. Means that the engine itself is likely to last longer

Current Auto DSG7 speed with 291000 Km

yagan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120736513#Comment_120736513

I started to develop a sore hip and was thinking exactly the same way as you are about higher driving position. I was seriously considering changing the car even though its years of value in it yet but was chatting with someone about it and they suggested just get a more comfortable seat. I had one of those half leather, half material seats and I found a full leather set to swap out. The hip discomfort was gone with the first long drive.

I could easily get another ten years out of the car so was glad not to have to fork out for another car.

It is our long distance manual diesel, but I do prefer my wife's auto for journeys in traffic.

mikeecho

Autos have come a long way since 3speed with an overdrive.