AT or MT?

[zerocool84]

Automatic.

If you ever plan on eating, or answering the phone, or looking at a map, or anything in your car.... you can't do it with one hand on the wheel and one hand on the shifter.

lol do you even know how to drive a car at all??



Anywho just get an auto tranny. People think it makes them cooler to drive manual. Just get auto cus that's how 90% of cars are now-a-days. Who cares what others think and just because it's a manual car, it doesn't mean you'll get better mpg or more control over the car. It just sounds like you care too much what others think.

 

[jlee]

If you have to ask, you're probably better off with an automatic.

 

[Jumpem]

These days many autos are more fuel efficient than their manual counterparts.

 

[Arkaign]

If you have to ask, you're probably better off with an automatic.

^^ What he said.

 

[Bignate603]

You're still a new driver, I'd recommend getting an automatic. Drive it around for a while and get really use to it so everything becomes second nature. After that go ahead and try a manual transmission. You'll have an easier time learning and enjoy it more.

 

[Tristicus]

Well my first car being a stick is a nice experience, but depends on where you live I suppose.

 

[IronWing]

Learning to drive stick is a good skill to have, not as important as learning to use turn signals, which lane is the slow lane, or which lane to be in when making a right turn but still a worthy skill. Back during the last econobox craze in the 80s it was more important as lots of crappy little cars had manuals but in the latest econobox craze most are autos. To be honest, whether or not a car has a manual or stick is less important to me than whether or not it provides easy access to the cupholders.

 

[obamanation]

Just get the stick and if you don't like it after like 3 months, get something else.. Automatics are boring and are big fuel wasters. Learning to drive a stick isn't really all that big of a deal and neither is driving one. I live in a mountainous area and I drive a stick with no problem at all. I became mostly proficient in driving stick after the first day of driving. Knowing how a car works and a M/T works really helps with driving a stick because it can help understanding why you can't just dump the clutch and drive off but instead have to slowly engage it.

The only people who really need automatics are distracted drivers and old people. Driving a stick in rush hour traffic isn't so bad unless you have the innate skill of sleeping during rush hour traffic while simultaneously inching forward.

 

[Bignate603]

Just get the stick and if you don't like it after like 3 months, get something else.. Automatics are boring and are big fuel wasters. Learning to drive a stick isn't really all that big of a deal and neither is driving one. I live in a mountainous area and I drive a stick with no problem at all. I became mostly proficient in driving stick after the first day of driving. Knowing how a car works and a M/T works really helps with driving a stick because it can help understanding why you can't just dump the clutch and drive off but instead have to slowly engage it.

The only people who really need automatics are distracted drivers and old people. Driving a stick in rush hour traffic isn't so bad unless you have the innate skill of sleeping during rush hour traffic while simultaneously inching forward.

Yes, because everyone can buy a car and just decide to get rid of it if they don't like it a few months later. Also, manual transmissions really don't have the fuel economy advantage that they used to.

 

[exdeath]

I plan on buying my getting my first car sometime this year(17 years old) , and I was wondering, is it worth to learn how to drive a Stick Shift car? I know the differences between the two though. MT also has more fuel effiencieny and control, and of course not a lot of people can just borrow your car whenever, since not a lot of people know how to drive a Stick =)

Thanks!

MT having better fuel economy than a AT is a myth. It can in theory, but most people don't drive as conservatively as an automatic is programmed for and end up with worse fuel economy. You are more likely to drive more aggressively in a manual, negating any possible negligible fuel economy advantage. Revving higher and longer, staying in third or forth long after an auto would have been in OD, etc.

 

[obamanation]

Yes, because everyone can buy a car and just decide to get rid of it if they don't like it a few months later. Also, manual transmissions really don't have the fuel economy advantage that they used to.

There is nothing preventing the OP from getting an older car. A 10 year old M/T car is going to be 2X as reliable as a 10 year old automatic of the same type. Even though M/T cars nowadays are getting similar EPA ratings or slightly worse than their A/T counterparts, fact is a M/T will use less gas than an A/T in bumper to bumper traffic.

Another thing is that a 100HP car with a M/T is pretty fast while a 100HP car with an A/T is pretty damn slow. The only reason M/T cars nowadays are getting slightly worse mileage than A/T is because they've been geared for performance over economy.

 

[obamanation]

MT having better fuel economy than a AT is a myth. It can in theory, but most people don't drive as conservatively as an automatic is programmed for and end up with worse fuel economy. You are more likely to drive more aggressively in a manual, negating any possible negligible fuel economy advantage. Revving higher and longer, staying in third or forth long after an auto would have been in OD, etc.

Yeah but that's just "bad driving" then and not so much anything inherently wrong with the design. In "theory" socialism is great but in practice it is not because people are inherently selfish. There is nothing "inherent" in people's driving habits as habits are something that is learned and can be changed. I used to love slamming the gas pedal to the floor but I've learned now to drive conservatively and only occasionally mash the gas pedal. M/T can and do give better mileage and performance numbers than their A/T counterparts, are much more reliable and have the awesome feature of "push start".

Hey op, that reminds me, one awesome feature about a M/T that you won't get in an automatic is that if the battery is dead you can just push start the car by rolling it forwards or backwards and releasing the clutch. To do that in an automatic (I don't even think you can do that at all in a modern automatic) you'd have to go at least 30mph in order to push start it.

Manual Transmissions are a true friend. An Automatic Transmission is a lazy person's best friend.

Performance of an automatic vs a manual?

See this thread:http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2063955

 

[BassBomb]

Fuel efficiency isn't really true anymore as many Automatics get better fuel economy than their manual counterparts

If you are a heavy commuter in rush hour I would go auto, if you are someone with not as long drives and likes to feel connected to the car get a manual.

 

[rdp6]

It all boils down to whether you enjoy driving or not. If you have a lengthy stop & go commute which bothers you tremendously and can't avoid it, then you don't enjoy driving. Don't get a MT car for your daily driver.

I deal with heavy traffic for about 12 miles in the course of my 46 mile commute, but at the time I drive it just means that cars tailgate at 65 or so rather than come to a crawl. But when I get past the snarl it is fun time again. Manual transmission is perfect for me.e

 

[theeedude]

I like stick shift, then again, my commute is pretty good with some nice turns and ramps where I get to do perfect rev match downshifts. And on weekends I take this car into the hills on some awesome roads. If I was stuck in traffic all the time, I guess I may be convinced to get an auto, but if that was the case, I'd probably get on my bicycle or take public transit or move. If you are burning precious time in traffic everyday, your transmission is the least of your problems. Anyways, I drove an auto till I was 26, and when I got my stick shift car I wished I did it sooner. Although I can't say for sure I won't get tired of it, but probably will keep at least one MT car in my stable.

 

[BW86]

My first car was a stick and I haven't looked back. Its a plus that none of my friends can borrow my car. Once you get used to shifting, you wont even know that your doing it.

 

[Lotheron]

My first car was a stick and I haven't looked back. Its a plus that none of my friends can borrow my car. Once you get used to shifting, you wont even know that your doing it.

This to all those crying out about traffic and shifting. Honestly, I don't even think about it anymore. In traffic, I tend to pick a gear such as second and pace myself. I keep a good bit of distance between me and the car of front and then I and those that are behind me crawl along at a steady pace instead of the usual hard acceleration followed by hard braking that seems to be par for the course.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Personally, I prefer a stick, even in my everyday car. My current everyday car is an automatic and the transmission is the only thing that I dislike about it. Even in stop and go traffic I don't notice that much difference since an automatic means I have to keep my foot on the brake instead of the clutch, so all it really does is change which pedal gets held down. Even learning how to drive a stick shift isn't that hard; it only takes an hour or so to achieve reasonable smoothness. (It did probably help that I'd been riding motorcycles before I drove a manual transmission car, so I was already familiar with how to operate a manual transmission and I just needed to get accustomed to different controls.)

Still, even with that said, the majority of people find an automatic to be much more convenient and I can't fault them for that. Even with older cars, the difference in fuel mileage between an automatic and a manual is essentially academic. In the real world your driving style will play a much larger role than the transmission. As far as the push start ability of a manual goes, frankly it's so incredibly unlikely to ever be useful that one would have to be a fool to even consider it as important. Just carry a set of jumper cables in your trunk instead.

In short, if you want a manual, go ahead and get it. It's a nice skill to have and if you're the type who is (as I am) willing to trade convenience for a little more control then a manual can make sense. However, there's nothing at all wrong with automatics and they definitely make things more convenient. An automatic also leaves your shifting hand free, which is especially convenient when dating...

ZV

 

[Bignate603]

There is nothing preventing the OP from getting an older car. A 10 year old M/T car is going to be 2X as reliable as a 10 year old automatic of the same type. Even though M/T cars nowadays are getting similar EPA ratings or slightly worse than their A/T counterparts, fact is a M/T will use less gas than an A/T in bumper to bumper traffic.

You missed the point. Buying an older car will probably involve getting it inspected which costs money, getting a title, registration, and all the other things. It's very possible that a 10 year old car will need something like tires, belts, fluid changes or other odds and ends. For a 17 year old kid that adds up to quite a bit of money and there's no point in doing it all twice.

And no, a manual transmission won't be twice as reliable as an automatic. I have two 13 year old cars in my driveway. You want to know what has NEVER given me any problems? The automatic transmissions. A good automatic transmission is just fine and will go well over 200k without any problems at all.

 

[guy93]

Where is the Poll OP?

Hahaha, I don't really know how to make a poll correctly =(

 

[guy93]

Automatic. Only time I'd buy a manual these days is for a huge price difference, or a sports car. Unless it's a sports car, I don't want to be bothered with shifting.

Was looking at the Mazda RX8 04 Model. If I looked hard enough, I could probably find an AT.

 

[jlee]

You missed the point. Buying an older car will probably involve getting it inspected which costs money, getting a title, registration, and all the other things. It's very possible that a 10 year old car will need something like tires, belts, fluid changes or other odds and ends. For a 17 year old kid that adds up to quite a bit of money and there's no point in doing it all twice.

And no, a manual transmission won't be twice as reliable as an automatic. I have two 13 year old cars in my driveway. You want to know what has NEVER given me any problems? The automatic transmissions. A good automatic transmission is just fine and will go well over 200k without any problems at all.

A new car also requires an inspection, title transfer and registration.

 

[Bignate603]

A new car also requires an inspection, title transfer and registration.

I was responding to a comment that the other poster made. He suggested buying a manual transmission vehicle and then selling it and getting one with an automatic if he didn't like it. Buying a car that you're not sure about just to try it out gets expensive if you find out its not what you want and suggesting it is bad advice.

 

[Imp]

Been driving an auto regularly for one year (been two since I learned how to drive). I learned manual last fall, and holy crap, it is a lot of fun when you get going. However, it's a pain going through residential neighbourhoods with stop signs. You'd probably get used to it, but I live downtown, and it's either stop'n'go, or 5 minutes of idling, move a block, then another 5 waiting for a bus to move.

If you're just learning, go for an auto. I already knew the rules of the road fairly well when I learned manual, but I was concentrating so hard on the gears/clutch that I my brain went blank on what to check for before making a turn. Not saying everyone will have that problem, but it's a lot easier to focus on 2 pedals and one wheel when starting out.

 

[MovingTarget]

Depending on where you live, I would say get a MT. If you are first learning, you may as well go all the way. However, if you live in a hilly/high traffic area, I'd advise against it for now.