Automatics

[stony]

This sums it up. Automatics from the 70s, 80s and 90s tended to be bloody awful and thirsty alternatives to manuals.
However modern automatics are significantly improved and generally offer improved or equivalent fuel consumption.

You'll still need to change the brake pads more frequently than a teenage boy changes his socks.

Just changed my front pads on 70k miles in mine, it's a lot about how you drive.

I've been driving for over 30 years, professionally for a large part of it, so I hardly need a lesson in how to drive. If you're driving a manual you can change down and use engine braking. You can't do that using an auto box. Unless of course it has the option to change manually.
If you're using your brakes all the time then it's bound to be more heavy on the pads. You can of course drive very carefully and get a long time out of your pads, but you'll get even longer doing the same in a car with a manual box.
I'm not against autos, I'm just aware of their drawbacks.

 

[andyhinch]

You'll still need to change the brake pads more frequently than a teenage boy changes his socks.

Just changed my front pads on 70k miles in mine, it's a lot about how you drive.

I've been driving for over 30 years, professionally for a large part of it, so I hardly need a lesson in how to drive. If you're driving a manual you can change down and use engine braking. You can't do that using an auto box. Unless of course it has the option to change manually.
If you're using your brakes all the time then it's bound to be more heavy on the pads. You can of course drive very carefully and get a long time out of your pads, but you'll get even longer doing the same in a car with a manual box.
I'm not against autos, I'm just aware of their drawbacks.

Err yes you can on the changing down but I've probably averaged well over 40k a year for 30 years, I know a lot less than a lot of people do more. I can change down from 6th to 1st in under two seconds so not sure where your coming from.

 

[stony]

Just changed my front pads on 70k miles in mine, it's a lot about how you drive.

I've been driving for over 30 years, professionally for a large part of it, so I hardly need a lesson in how to drive. If you're driving a manual you can change down and use engine braking. You can't do that using an auto box. Unless of course it has the option to change manually.
If you're using your brakes all the time then it's bound to be more heavy on the pads. You can of course drive very carefully and get a long time out of your pads, but you'll get even longer doing the same in a car with a manual box.
I'm not against autos, I'm just aware of their drawbacks.

Err yes you can on the changing down but I've probably averaged well over 40k a year for 30 years, I know a lot less than a lot of people do more. I can change down from 6th to 1st in under two seconds so not sure where your coming from.

Not all auto boxes have the option to manually change, and if you're using the paddles to change manually, then what's the point of having an auto box in the first place.

 

[andyhinch]

I've been driving for over 30 years, professionally for a large part of it, so I hardly need a lesson in how to drive. If you're driving a manual you can change down and use engine braking. You can't do that using an auto box. Unless of course it has the option to change manually.
If you're using your brakes all the time then it's bound to be more heavy on the pads. You can of course drive very carefully and get a long time out of your pads, but you'll get even longer doing the same in a car with a manual box.
I'm not against autos, I'm just aware of their drawbacks.

Err yes you can on the changing down but I've probably averaged well over 40k a year for 30 years, I know a lot less than a lot of people do more. I can change down from 6th to 1st in under two seconds so not sure where your coming from.

Not all auto boxes have the option to manually change, and if you're using the paddles to change manually, then what's the point of having an auto box in the first place.

I only really use the in snow tbh, it's the only time I really feel like I need to be in the right gear, it's a funny argument for me, I'd have fought tooth and nail a few years ago defending a manual box over an auto, honestly believe it's what's car it's in.

 

[Bill Walker]

Automatic all the way. I used to drive manual cars and motorbikes when I enjoyed driving. Now that I realise it's just an extremely expensive necessity I like to do it as easily and as comfortably as I can. I just bought a new truck yesterday. 2013 Ford F150 supercrew 4x4 with a 5.0L V8 and a six speed transmission. The last one was 4.6L with a four speed tranny. Hopefully this one will be a little better on fuel. Looks like this except mines grey.

yeah buying a 5L V8 seems a sensible purchase for someone who is concerned about savings on fuel

LOL

 

[andyhinch]

Automatic all the way. I used to drive manual cars and motorbikes when I enjoyed driving. Now that I realise it's just an extremely expensive necessity I like to do it as easily and as comfortably as I can. I just bought a new truck yesterday. 2013 Ford F150 supercrew 4x4 with a 5.0L V8 and a six speed transmission. The last one was 4.6L with a four speed tranny. Hopefully this one will be a little better on fuel. Looks like this except mines grey.

yeah buying a 5L V8 seems a sensible purchase for someone who is concerned about savings on fuel

LOL

Who really gives a shit, if I'd gone for the 3L diesel it would be a good car, drive what you like and live a bit.

 

[Bill Walker]

Automatic all the way. I used to drive manual cars and motorbikes when I enjoyed driving. Now that I realise it's just an extremely expensive necessity I like to do it as easily and as comfortably as I can. I just bought a new truck yesterday. 2013 Ford F150 supercrew 4x4 with a 5.0L V8 and a six speed transmission. The last one was 4.6L with a four speed tranny. Hopefully this one will be a little better on fuel. Looks like this except mines grey.

yeah buying a 5L V8 seems a sensible purchase for someone who is concerned about savings on fuel

LOL

Who really gives a shit, if I'd gone for the 3L diesel it would be a good car, drive what you like and live a bit.

yeah but barcon showed a concern for fuel savings, then buys a v8 haha

 

[andyhinch]

yeah buying a 5L V8 seems a sensible purchase for someone who is concerned about savings on fuel

LOL

Who really gives a shit, if I'd gone for the 3L diesel it would be a good car,p drive what you like and live a bit.

yeah but barcon showed a concern for fuel savings, then buys a v8 haha

I have no concern, so have a free concision, like my
V8 tbh. I also like killing things to eat, it's holistic

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Manual cars are as rare as rocking horse shit round these parts..........

 

[foetus]

Took me a while to learn manual but I now drive one. Whenever I drive an auto now it feels weird. Less control when it comes to accelerating and braking.

Manual cars are cheaper to buy as well. For the car I have now, the manual model was 3 grand cheaper compared to the auto model.

Each to their own I guess. Although I think everyone should try a manual once in their life....makes you a smarter driver imo (in terms of reading the surrounding traffic and planning ahead)

 

[idahoblues]

I priced out chevy ,ford, dodge and Toyota, Dodge was the only dealer that would even give me a number on a manual, big deal, custom package. Ended up buying the Toyota, want that M/fu***r to last for twenty years. It has the auto with the manual option, which is pretty handy around here.
Putting new snow tyres on this weekend, $900.00 how ya doin?

 

[pominoz]

I've driven automatics over here now for 7 years. There are very few cars you can buy here that have manual transmissions, and I hate driving them now when I go back home to visit. Will always buy automatic from now on.

yeah mainly auto's here in Oz, my last 5 or 6 cars have been auto's...I drove my sons manual recently and hit some traffic, what a pain in the arse all that clutching in and out shit is when your crawling along and constantly stopping.
Id never go back to manual.

My first couple of cars here were column shift manuals, great way to drive apart from the linkages sticking.
Present car is auto, a lot easier just sit and steer.

 

[bigf42]

They hammer the fuel....

They used to but not anymore. The newer 6 speed boxes from the likes of BMW are as good as manuals whereas the latest 7 speed boxes are definitely superior for mpg.

The best imo is dual clutch eg vw's DSG, or Merc Gtronic, you can press on with these better than a manual unless you're into heel and toe.

 

[Blue Maverick]

I'd never go back to a manual by choice, recently bought a Passat CC diesel blue motion with a DSG box, fuel economy is fantastic, pleasure to drive especially in traffic, screw manuals in this stop start traffic.

 

[Barcon]

yeah buying a 5L V8 seems a sensible purchase for someone who is concerned about savings on fuel

LOL

Who really gives a shit, if I'd gone for the 3L diesel it would be a good car, drive what you like and live a bit.

yeah but barcon showed a concern for fuel savings, then buys a v8 haha

No mate, I am just hoping that it will be a little better than the last one. If I was that concerned about fuel I would change my job, move to a country that doesn't have two feet of snow on the roads and get a bus pass. It would cost me more money to buy a proper sized truck and put the V6 ecoboost engine in it than it would save in fuel costs. The V8 will work a lot more efficiently than a smaller engine.

 

[Armaan]

Autos hands down, don't understand why people still feel the need to play about with clutches and gears it's a ballache. Most manual drivers won't give autos a go, the ones that do you'll see most will never go back.

 

[mancitymick]

Once you have had an Automatic there is no going back.

 

[bluevengence]

Once you have had an Automatic there is no going back.

Until they fook up...and you see the repair bill

 

[BigJimLittleJim]

Once you have had an Automatic there is no going back.

Until they fook up...and you see the repair bill

But they rarely do fook up, unlike the modern clutch which can be abused by the heavy footed.

Because these autoboxes are so good, you tend to find plenty in the scrapyards at a decent price, as the engine or the bodywork etc.. lets go before the autobox.

I've got a transit auto, and out of interest i did an ebay search for a replacement autobox, and there's one for £200. recently refurbed, compared to the £400 it cost to replace my daughter's Peugeot 207 manual clutch recently, and that was cheap.

I can't remember the last time I needed to replace an autobox, and I've had loads of them over the last two decades.

 

[johnmc]

Once you have had an Automatic there is no going back.

Automatics still have reverse gear pal