To think most folk still drive manual cars

[Bambambini]

Curious to know how many here drive manual or auto. Also how many have never even tried an auto. Sort of mini poll as having words with a yank on another site. Your participation will be appreciated if not rewarded!

Always had manuals until the last car I got, which is a big 4X4 diesel which only comes with an auto 'box....

I drove an automatic Mercedes for a couple of years and I loved it. So easy to drive and the cruise control was brilliant. I only had it because it was a company car and I had no choice.

It only took a few minutes to get used to driving a manual again when the automatic was replaced but I've never liked using the cruise control on a manual car so don't ever bother.

The new generation Automatics (paddle shift Change in many cases) are 'quicker and more fuel efficient' than the Manual equivalent of the same model. Check this out. The downside is they can cost up £2000 OR more to buy. However, the vast majority of people I know (including friends and family only drive Automatics.

I drove manuals exclusively until I met DH. He's a lazy git and drives autos. He bought me an auto much to my disgust, but I have to say I've never looked back and will probably never buy a manual again.

We have one of each bit I drive the auto. Is a big 4WD and very powerful so doesn't make much difference when pulling away or exellerating (sp?) .

I don't drive DH's car as I forget to chsnge gear now. I'd never go back to manual transmission as got used to being lazy I think.

The only other people I know with automatic transmission also have big 4Wd.

I drive a semiautomatic, I've always had a manual before but when I needed to buy a car very quickly in January I could only find a semi in the price bracket and spec I needed

RedRugNoniMouldiesEtc autos are fine for towing... We tow our bass boat with my auto lwb Shogun no problem. I would suggest if there is a problem, it's driver error.....

I had never driven an auto before I moved to Canada. Now there's pretty much no choice

I suspect few people here know how to drive a manual tbh. If you test in an auto you can drive a manual (in theory)

No Smokepole that isn't true. The manufacturers test figures are conducted under ridiculous conditions that can't be replicated in the real world. An auto box will always have a greater mechanical loss than a manual. A well driven manual will always be more efficient than a corresponding auto.
The only exceptions to this are badly driven manuals or > 8 or 9 speed auto boxes where the extended use of the most economical revs gives higher efficiency.

... and we tow huge trailers all over the place in this country. All in autos.

Auto. Simply better.

I only have an auto licence, as I needed to learn to drive very quickly in my 40s after we moved to the country, and it was easier. My husband has a manual licence but drives an auto at the moment.

I learned on a manual, and I drove manuals for nearly 30 years with no problems.

I once needed a hire car for about a month though, and it was an automatic. I soon got used to it after a nervous start, then I loved it and was sad when it had to go back.

I returned to driving a manual for another two or three years until that car (which was ageing) became terminally sick. Last summer I replaced it with my own automatic, and I love it.

My sister usually drives automatics, my parents switched to an automatic about 10 years ago and it has enabled them to keep driving for much longer than I think they otherwise would have done.

My husband has a manual. He considered whether to switch to an automatic when he replaced his car recently, but that wasn't where the best deals were. His mum drove an automatic for about the last 10 years of her life and found it much easier because of her arthritis.

Manual. I've never driven an automatic. DD has one, and it seems really sluggish (and she's a demon driver usually....)

Automatic.

cant imagine driving a manual!

Manual. I don't know anyone with an automatic (including friends and extended family).

Always manual. Driving 18 years.

Tried an auto. It's tolerable but wouldn't choose one.

Manual. I've driven an auto, when given one as a works car once. I hated it - acceleration was s**t!

Both, but the automatic has been SWORN for a year, it's gear box is tiptronic so could pop in Manual for racing mode

It makes no difference to me automatic or gear stick manual.

I wouldn't normally buy a second hand automatic car, as I have been Iead to believe if the haven't been looked after properly they can easily cause problems that are very expensive to repair or replace.

3 cars, 3 drivers. All drivers have full UK driving licences.

Me - Auto
DH - Auto
DS2 - Manual

Both our cars have been automatics for about 5 years now. Autos are so much better when you're having to drive in stop-start traffic during rush hour. New automatics are not 'clunky' like they used to be.

Manual here.

I only know one person with an auto licence

I had always driven manuals and wouldn't have thought to buy an auto, but I inherited my dad's car when he died, which is an auto. I really like it. Especially on days like today, when I spend an hour stop-starting on the M25.

Me: automatic
DH: automatic
Parents: automatic

To me, driving a car with a manual transmission seems a bit like driving a car where you have to operate the windscreen wipers manually, or doing hand signals to indicate. Sort of stubbornly retro.

The overwhelming majority of people in the US drive auto, and the percentage is, if anything, increasing. 91% of model year 2009 cars sold here had automatic transmissions. If you rent a car here, the default is an automatic transmission. I can't drive a manual, and I've really never felt the need to learn. I don't even know if you can rent a car with a manual transmission in the US.