05-12-2001 13:41									#31
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I've driven both, and I like manuals for non-rush hour driving and manuals for peak periods....for obvious reasons, of course.

	05-12-2001 14:08									#32
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Saras... car is to get me places. I'd rather have an automatic gear change for that. Keeps both my hands on the wheel.

	05-12-2001 14:15									#33
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I prefer an automatic when doing city driving.
Manual when doing 'fun' driving (racing, which I never do ) or a drive up into the mountains.

I learned on a manual, but both cars I drive are automatics right now.

	05-12-2001 14:16									#34
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quote: Originally posted by drake So, to the people that drive, do you drive a vehicle with an automatic transmission or a manual? Which is better? Why?

The options were:
1 Automatic
2 Manual
3 I don't drive
4 I don't have a license yet
5 Other

What bothers me is the third option. Are you trying to look for possible trolls?

And fourth option. Are you looking for criminals also?

My choise was obvious: MANUAL. I just can't get the sensation of driving with automatic - it's boooring (unless it is a PASI; armored transport)

	05-12-2001 15:14									#35
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I learned to drive with a manual and have always had manual veichles. It just feels right. I recently had to help teach my SO to drive a stick. Not a very pretty sight.

	05-12-2001 18:49									#36
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quote: Originally posted by The Mad Monk *Looks at auto tranny on truck* *Notes the '2' and the '1' next to the 'D'*

Changing from 1 to 2 to D, kind of defeats the purpose of an automatic.

	05-12-2001 18:53									#37
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In the manual gearstick:
1,2,3,4,5 and R for Rally

	05-12-2001 19:22									#38
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Aaglo - I don't drive means, I don't drive. Some people don't own cars because they take public transportation to work (get it?)

And the "I don't have a license yet" is for the younger kids on the board

25 manual to 10 auto...good choice poly

	06-12-2001 00:28									#39
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I think the real world percentages for manual transmission usage is some 89% of cars in Europe, and only 16% in the US. I think those are early 90's numbers, too. It's so f*cked up here, that Lexus introduced the IS300 (225bhp) with no stick option, and Acura doesn't even have plans for a stick-shift for it's 3.2CL type-S (260-bhp), both of which are supposed to be BMW 3-series fighters. I don't know if that means much to anybody else, but it's bleeding ridiculus to me.

I want to know, do Europeans get top-tier Mercedes-Benz's with stick shift options? I am almost certain that if you ask, Mercedes will find a manual tranny to put in any model, but do Europeans see this on any window stickers?

	06-12-2001 00:30									#40
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A supposed "sports car" without a stick shift is an abomination!

	06-12-2001 00:46									#41
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The power band in my car is 6000-8000 revs and if I had an auto this would take out about 30% of my acceleration.

Can you tell I race cars

	06-12-2001 00:53									#42
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quote: Originally posted by Big Crunch Changing from 1 to 2 to D, kind of defeats the purpose of an automatic.

I like to think of it as 'enhancing the versitility without sacrificing the convenience'

	06-12-2001 00:53									#43
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I don't race, but it doesnt take much driving to figure out you can't take off in an auto like you can in a manual

	06-12-2001 00:57									#44
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quote: Originally posted by The Mad Monk I like to think of it as 'enhancing the versitility without sacrificing the convenience'

Are you a used car salesman by any chance?

	06-12-2001 00:59									#45
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Accelerating fast is useless anyway. It just means you have to stop quickly for the next light

	06-12-2001 01:12									#46
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quote: Originally posted by Big Crunch Are you a used car salesman by any chance?

No...why do you ask?

	06-12-2001 01:16									#47
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There aint lights everywhere garth

I know some nice stretches of highway and back roads where a little acceleration could be utilized......that being said, it doesn't matter for me, because I drive one of the slowest accelerating machines on the road. 4 cylinder ford ranger ain't much on acceleration, but she sure tries!

	06-12-2001 03:02									#48
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Yeah I know, best acceleration to have is from 100-130 kph cause that's what you need passing on 2 lane highways. Around here that's important.

So you have one of those vehicles that list acceleration as 0-60: yes

	06-12-2001 03:18									#49
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quote: Originally posted by SlowwHand No crap, Provost? Wow! Thanks for the pearls of wisdom.

Sheesh Sloww, you really are turning into the Apolyton grouch

Yeah, I have a little Peugeot 106, 1.1 litre. It is only a small car so it isn't as slow as it may at first seem. And it is good with the petrol, I get nearly 50mpg which is good at the price of petrol over here...

	06-12-2001 05:46									#50
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I still think that is ridiculus, PH. I have a 1.6 liter in my Civic, and the best I've gotten is 56. There are hybrid gas-electric vehicles that don't get 50mpg (although I can't explain it, the Toyota Prius is one). Do you know how much your car weighs?

Is it something where your mile is shorter, and your gallon is bigger? I thought UK gallon was smaller, but I just thought of measurement differences. What are your exact figures?

	06-12-2001 11:47									#51
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Eroberer - MB's mostly come with Steptronic transmission, meaning it's automatic, but you can switch to manual shifting.

Sporty 2-door SLK's, CLK's and SL's can be pure manual, i think.

	06-12-2001 12:07									#52
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Yea, I don't count manumatics as anything other than automatics. Even in the MB's they'll shift when you approach the redline and even shift down a gear before you tell it, all in "manual" mode. By all accounts I've read, the automatic actually gives better acceleration, my guess being swifter gear changes and sooner lock-ups.

Also, I am fairly sure you can only get manual transmissions in lower-class models, like the cheaper SL's, SLK's and C-class cars, here in the states. Is that the case in Europe, too?

	06-12-2001 12:32									#53
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Duno, two weeks ago I test drove a 290 bhp BMW 540 with a steptronoc transmission, and drove it to the godawful limits of its torque and power, and there was no automatic shifting at or BEYOND the red line in manual mode.

But it could be different for MB's - after all, beamers are drivers cars, MB's are glorified cabs for rich elderly passengers

	06-12-2001 12:39									#54
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As a driver who doesn't know much about cars I am utterly bewildered by this thread.

I drive an automatic. I notice there are P R N D 2 and L gears in my car but I only use 3, ever: P R and D. I use P when I park my car, R when I need to, and D for everything else. I never bothered to find out what N, 2 or L does......someone told me that 2 and L are for slopes but D works just fine, however steep the slopes are and I am quite familiar with steep slopes. N means no gear IIRC......why someone would want to use that is beyond me. When I am in a traffic jam I use the brake, why bother with handbrakes? That's for parking only, right?

	06-12-2001 13:26									#55
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Imran,

Take it from an experienced driver, you are better off with someone who knows how to drive a manual (and wants to) than someone who has your opinion about driving, regardless of the fact that the manual driver has to have one of his hands off of the steering wheel some of the time. Manual transmissions give superior control to accelleration and decelleration, (which you could look at as forward / reverse control much like the steering wheel is a left / right control). A good driver will drive better with a manual transmission in the vast majority of situations.

If someone finds the whole driving experience is almost overwhelming, then perhaps it is better for that person to drive an automatic, as it is one less thing to screw up or get flustered about. Of course for the rest of the world it is probably better if that person just takes the bus.

	06-12-2001 14:21									#56
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Amen brother Sikander!

	06-12-2001 14:48									#57
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Sikander... I dunno, I prefer driving an automatic. One less thing to worry about. I prefer to worry about less things .

	06-12-2001 16:26									#58
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quote: Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui Sikander... I dunno, I prefer driving an automatic. One less thing to worry about. I prefer to worry about less things .

Well, I guess we agree then. I worry less when I have more control over the car. The movements are all second nature to me by now, I can clutch and shift in my sleep!

	06-12-2001 16:38									#59
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*insert naughty comment here*

	06-12-2001 16:39									#60
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quote: Originally posted by The Mad Monk *insert naughty comment here*

Clutch my girlfriend and shift my package?