Re: getting fast cars in automatic....
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I can understand driving automatic if you live in a city with a lot of hills. Using the hand brake at every stop sign gets old really quick.

[/ QUOTE ]

you're doing it wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: getting fast cars in automatic....
 

[ QUOTE ]
wtf is up with all these "lol automatics are for the gays!" comments.

i know how to drive manual, but its a pain in the ass when you're in traffic, hills parallel parking, etc. When I'm driving, I like to put in as little effort as possible, I'm not out there drag racing Nick Hogan, so what do i care.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously. I drove a friend's manual Celica to San Francisco from Los Angeles once. The drive there was great because traffic was light, but as soon as I realized I needed to parallel park on Nob Hill (one of the biggest hills in SF, where my brother lived at the time) all the fun went away. I nearly [censored] my pants when a trolley came as I was parking. Somehow I pulled that one out, but I have no idea why anyone in a hilly city would own a manual.

Re: getting fast cars in automatic....
 

[ QUOTE ]
I am going to buy a car and a lot of the cars I like are the semi-trick ones like VW GTI and Subaru WRX. The problem is I don't know how to drive a stick shift. Am I a big tool if I get these cars in automatic and just use the paddle shifter occ.? fwiw, its not that i dont want to learn driving a stick its just that I dont want to.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why the F do you care what other people think about your transmission?

Re: getting fast cars in automatic....
 

Being militantly anti-automatic is a lot more queer than getting a fast car with an automatic tranny, fwiw.

Re: getting fast cars in automatic....
 

[ QUOTE ]
i know how to drive manual, but its a pain in the ass when you're in traffic, hills parallel parking, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]
You're missing the forest for the trees. The important part is having that particular skill. If you live in SF, or really any big city where most of your traffic is SNG, etc, then I completely sympathize with choosing an auto even though manual is more fun.

But that choice should come through experience and education, not ignorance. When it costs so little to learn to drive a manual, why would anyone live the rest of their life not knowing?

Edit: miajag,

I'm pretty pro-manual. I enjoy driving more with that transition. However, the few times I get stuck in traffic, I get really frustrated really quick. If I move to a city where that's my commute, I imagine I'll change over. Still: Why would that be the crux in a car buying decision? If you're going to buy a car, shouldn't the decision hinge on other things? I guess maybe OP values not learning to drive a manual at however much extra he pays, but he's making that decision not knowing how much driving a manual is worth over the course of his life, which is much longer than the life of the car.

Again, that's fine, but it seems odd to me to make that kind of call without at least spending half a day learning a lifelong skill.

Re: getting fast cars in automatic....
 

[ QUOTE ]
wtf is up with all these "lol automatics are for the gays!" comments.

i know how to drive manual, but its a pain in the ass when you're in traffic, hills parallel parking, etc. When I'm driving, I like to put in as little effort as possible, I'm not out there drag racing Nick Hogan, so what do i care.

[/ QUOTE ]

This sentiment is fine. You don't need to drive a manual, autos are fine...for your average car.
The OP was asking about getting a tricked out car, though. You get a tricked out car for one of two reasons:
1. You want to drive aggressively in which case you need to put in effort into your driving and you should get a manual.
2. You get it because you like the way it looks, in which case you care about the way your car looks...which makes you a nancy. Auto is fine, but you're a nancy.

Re: getting fast cars in automatic....
 

Unless you are Ricky Racer, a modern automatic will out perform anyone of you with a manual transmission.

Re: getting fast cars in automatic....
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I can understand driving automatic if you live in a city with a lot of hills. Using the hand brake at every stop sign gets old really quick.

[/ QUOTE ]

you're doing it wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

I think I know what's going on here. My uncle used to use the parking brake at hills instead of just holding the clutch in and moving his feet quickly to take off. I've seen other people literally sit with the clutch half engaged to hold it in place, which is of course absolutely horrible.

I still don't know what is hard about learning the timing to move your right foot from the brake to the gas quickly while letting up on the clutch, but I guess some people were never taught properly.

Re: getting fast cars in automatic....
 

[ QUOTE ]
Unless you are Ricky Racer, a modern automatic will out perform anyone of you with a manual transmission.

[/ QUOTE ]

... if you drive in straight lines.

Re: getting fast cars in automatic....
 

[ QUOTE ]
Unless you are Ricky Racer, a modern automatic will out perform anyone of you with a manual transmission.

[/ QUOTE ].

Modern automatics are much better than the old slushboxes but they still can't match a stick for fun, which is the point of a sports car. I'd have more fun driving a 4-cylinder corolla or something with a 5 speed than a BMW with an automatic, but that's just me.