getting fast cars in automatic....

[astroglide]

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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.

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with audi/vw, i think their automatics rock because of the direct shift gearbox. it can run in fully automatic mode (normal or sport), but it also has paddles on the steering wheel for clutch-free gear changes. the gti actually quotes slightly better gas mileage for dsg over manual and even identical or slightly faster 0-60 times, so those commonly-cited advantages are out the window. there's also a launch control feature built into newer models that will basically queue up an automated redline drag race shifting mode when you enter a command sequence.

my car is a manual jetta gli. it's very fun to drive, and i've been a stick driver all the way back to my very first car. if i were to buy a gti, i would go dsg. i drove an audi a3 with it, and i thought it was a ton of fun with plenty of control. even though you don't have experience with manuals, test driving a dsg automatic should be a very different experience from a standard automatic. i suggest giving that a twirl.

[n.s.]

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test driving a dsg automatic should be a very different experience from a standard automatic. i suggest giving that a twirl.

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Yeah, DSG in the GTI is totally different from a conventional automatic (the lack of a torque converter is really huge here). I think it's closer to a stick shift than a conventional automatic tranny.

[RunDownHouse]

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

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It's about control and enjoyment, not performance. When you can tell me there's a significant efficiency difference on my 12-mile, mostly highway, 3 days-a-week commute, then I'll listen.

Again, the auto v. manual debate is about a lot of marginal issues, or issues that aren't easily quantifiable. Your transmission is going to depend most on your daily traffic conditions. But that's saying that your transmission in any given car depends mostly on the driving conditions it experiences. If you're going to do a ton of off-road in a given car, it makes sense to get a 4WD. If you're doing a 50-mile commute into a city center for work 10 times a week, it makes sense to look for great gas mileage. If you're looking for something that can burn up the road in very short stretches, it makes sense to get a manual transmission.

Saying "Modern automatic transmissions will outrace most people in a manual" is beside the point. If OP wants a fast car to look good or whatever, then it doesn't matter what transmission he gets. If he wants a fast car to outrun people, then he should either learn to drive a manual such that he can beat an identical auto, he should buy a faster auto than anyone he's racing, or he should find a new hobby. No matter what, it's about specifics: what, specifically, he's looking to get out of the car.

[EscapePlan9]

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

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This is so wrong.

[BigPoppa]

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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.


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This is the correct answer.


Also, you will someday be asked to drive a stickshift. This could be anything from a drunk buddy's Beemer to a moving van. If you cannot do so, you will be mocked mercilessly until the end of time.

[chopsticks]

I have a car with manual gearbox and even my 9 year old cousin knows how to drive it. It's an easy skill to learn and takes about 10 minutes and the joy you get for driving a manual is 1000x compared to auto, trust me.

[Stinger88]

I got an Audi S4 with auto transmission just because I never really grew up with manual, noone in my family has one and most of my friends also don't. One of the main reasons I decided not to learn is because if I got a manual, friends/family wouldn't be able to help move my car, run a quick errand, etc. Also since I didn't grow up with it a stick just seems like unneccessary extra effort and a huge pain on hills especially. If this makes me queer so be it.

[SackUp]

Manual is more fun except in traffic.

[DLizzle]

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

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You're missing the forest for the trees. The important part is having that particular skill.
When it costs so little to learn to drive a manual, why would anyone live the rest of their life not knowing?



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with this logic, you could spend 100% of your time learning random new skills that are free/cheap to learn and don't take that much time. Why is learning to drive manual so important. I know how to drive manual but I never do.

[RunDownHouse]

I'd love to see a list of skills that are as ubiquitous and as easy to learn as driving a stick. What are your examples of things I'd spend 100% of my time learning for free? Calligraphy? Proper bowing? Downward-facing-dog? How to neg girls, lowering their self-esteem enough to sleep with me?