getting fast cars in automatic....

[z28dreams]

OP,

What it really gets down to is what YOU want to drive. Who cares what other people think of you - it's not their car.

Basically, there's a huge stigma attached to owning a sports car in automatic. In the past, it was because these transmissions were slower. This is hardly the case anymore.

The sad truth too is that 90% of manual drivers suck bad enough that people in an auto would keep up with or outrun them.

I can drive stick, but have never owned a manual, so I'm not particularly good at it. Having always lived in or near a large city, the thought of driving in rush hour traffic with a manual makes me want to vomit.

You can still get the manual control of a car without dealing with all that crap - paddle shifters and other semi-automatic systems out there make this possible.

My suggestion is to go take a day or two to learn manual, and then decide if you are willing to sacrifice some convenience for the "fun" factor. It's useful to know, and you may prefer it.

For me, living in DC and driving on the beltway, that "fun" factor is quickly canceled out by 90 minutes of stop-and-go rush hour traffic every day.

[Syko_Skotty]

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Do they not know the joy of downshifting to pass some slow wanker, getting thrown back in your seat and hearing the tires chirp as you shift up and leave them in your rearview mirror?


[/ QUOTE ]Do you not know that all automatics will automatically downshift for you if you floor the gas pedal? Do you not know that most automatics have a little stick that lets you select another gear, if you so desire?

The situation you describe is not a situation where an automatic is quicker than a manual. A manual is quicker only in corners, because you can downshift before the curve, instead of after the curve like you would in an automatic.

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I'm sure he knows that autos downshift. But it doesn't feel the same as shifting yourself. There's nothing wrong with driving automatics, but for most people a stick is more fun.
And it has nothing to do with racing on public roads or whatever that other guy was trying to say. 99% of the time whether you drive a performance car or a grocery getter, you won't be driving it hard or using its high performance potential. But ordinary daily driving is more enjoyable with a stick, at least to me.

I personally am not at all bothered about driving a stick in traffic or on hilly streets, but I can see how other people might find it cumbersome.

Obviously, most people do not enjoy a stick enough to have one over the convenience of an automatic. About 2/3 of new Corvettes, the pre-eminent American sports car, come with an automatic.

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<font color="blue"> Thank you. This is exactly what I was trying to say. Yes, I'm well aware that autos will downshift for you, but it's much more exciting and fun to control that yourself. And I never said it was FASTER than an Automatic, I was simply expressing the enjoyment of that particular situation.

This isn't about who's cool, or envy, or any of that other jazz some of you are trying to spew. This is all about what you prefer to drive, and I expressed that with an example of why manual is more fun for me.

It's a personal preference, that's all.</font>

[CORed]

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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.

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Hand brake is not necessary if you know what you are doing, unless you're on a 45 degree slope with somebody 6 inches behind you. You just have to be able to catch it with the clutch before it rolls back more than a few inches. You can also heel and toe.

[CORed]

I'm a confirmed stick shift driver, but I have to say that automatic transmissions are a lot better than they used to be. A lot of them now even work reasonably well in mountain driving. Twenty years ago, if you drove an auto in the mountains, you expected to have to manually downshift a lot. On uphills, they would constantly shift up and down if you didn't and you would have to manually downshift on downhills to keep from over-using the brakes. A lot of autos now will pick the correct gear and stay in it on uphills, and, with cruise control, some will even downshift autmatically on downhills.

OTOH, I honestly can' see getting a sporty type car and handicapping it with an automatic, unless you have wife or girlfriend who insists on the auto. Once you learn to operate a stick, it becomes well, automatic, and it gives you a little more control over the car.

[BrunoThePug]

I drive a VW Golf TDI that has 100HP... it's not especially fast, although its got a lot of torque, but the fact that I can heel-toe downshift into a turn and then power through the turn and shift on my way out makes the car fun to drive.

I personally don't see the point in getting a regular automatic with a "sporty" car, learning to drive stick isn't very hard and it makes driving an all around better experience.

[rowdyclassmate]

Manual = more control over the car. With a car like a WRX, it will be more fun to drive with a manual. However, in traffic, a manual is just disgusting. Obviously a trade-off, but having owned fast cars in both automatic and manual - after a certain amount of horsepower (375+), I would prefer an automatic.

[InTheDark]

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fwiw, its not that i dont want to learn driving a stick its just that I dont want to.


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Do they have traffic jams where you live? Do you drive in them?

I've had stick and auto, half a dozen of each, and if there's any chance I'm gonna be in stop-and-go traffic I want the automatic. Nothing puts me on tilt faster than shifting endlessly at 5 mph.

[InTheDark]

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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.


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You forgot carjacking.

[InTheDark]

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This is surprisingly true. It took me months of searching to find my 06 Mustang with a manual trans.

It blows me away that in a performance car such as this, people actually prefer an automatic.

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The Mustang is sold to old farts my age and up (49) and they will not push a clutch.

[DLizzle]

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But given how little time it takes to learn, it's a really cheap skill to pick up.

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I actually disagree

also, when you keep saying that everyone is 'missing the point', it makes you seem like a pretentious douche. I guess that's pretty standard for an internet message board. Though it is certainly a valid one, I understand 'the point' completely, and disagree with it, thanks.