Automatic car advice please , not drove for years

[Thedreammuststayalive]

Hi hoping this is the right place to post as couldn’t find a car area.
I’m looking for advice please , back story is I passed my test first time around 8 years ago then I pretty much bought a car straight away everything was ok for a few months even drove on motorway to a holiday , then one day I stupidly made a mistake and reversed into a bollard in a car park, causing the back bumper damage. After that incident I panicked a lot and felt sick having to drive so probably driving anxiety.
I spent just over 3k on this car , I didn’t get it fixed as the damage was a scrape of paint off and it bent inwards a little.m so still ok to drive etc . Anyway my long term partner then had an issue with helping pay for the next insurance etc he works I don’t so decided as I wasn’t enjoying driving would sell the car so after approx 8 months of having this car we sold it pretty much got the 3k back so no issues.
Since then I’ve not drove however now our children are older I’d like to drive to go places and make life easier it’s quite a long walk to do shopping etc they get tired and no buses etc where we live.
My partner suggested getting a automatic as he said you can’t stall it etc so I wouldn’t panic as much , is this correct and do you think I’d be ok driving a automatic when I’ve never before ? I did used to panic and stalled a couple of times in the manual.
id be looking at hopefully a Ford fiesta 5 door 13 plate onwards and our budget is around 8k . ( this is alot and most of our savings ) but I struggle to find one under this price because auto is more expensive then manual .
i guess I’m asking if you think I’d be ok driving a automatic after not driving for around 7 years with no auto experience. I spoke to a friend irl who said I’d soon get used to it after a hour or so it’s dead easy.

thanks for any advice

After not driving for 7 years I really think you should have some refresher lessons. After 7 years being off the road, when you are a nervous driver already, it would be quite irresponsible to just get behind the wheel and hope for the best.

I drive an automatic Fiesta. It's a doddle. You put the car into drive and off you go. Only accelerator and brake to worry about. The car changes gear for you and there is no clutch so you won't stall it.

If your budget allows it get one with rear cameras or sensors so you can better judge distance when you're reversing.

Despite driving for a long time, I was still a nervous driver. Switching to an automatic has really helped increase my confidence, and I wish I had done it years ago. I hated having to stop on any hills but now they hold no fear for me - and no chance of rolling backwards or stalling 😁

Could you find a driving instructor with an automatic who will give you a few refresher lessons and get your confidence up before you commit to buying the car? DD and all her friends have learnt in an automatic, seems really common now..and she can't nick my car!

Yes thank you I will definitely book a couple of automatic lessons locally soon to see how I get on , I will explain there refresher lesson as I’ve been off the road for a few years and looking to get a automatic. I do think my nerves are worry of stalling though so hopefully I after a couple of lessons in a auto I’ll decide if I want to go ahead with it as it would make a huge difference to myself and my children’s lives if I’m able to drive many thanks everyone

I have had automatics over the years and they are so easy to drive. You cannot stall an automatic. Only 2 pedals, one for go & one for stop. You have a gear stick that just goes back and fore which a basic model will have P - Park, D-Drive (forwards) & R - Reverse. If I remember correctly you could only put it in reverse if you pressed a button on the gear stick so that was another safety feature. The last auto I had was like a little dodgem car it was brilliant. If you have anxiety around driving go for one that has camera’s and parking sensors. Have as many extras as you can afford to help with the driving. Go for it.

Ive just gone full electric, so for the first time in my life I'm not driving manual. I honestly could kick myself for not doing it 30 years ago. I actually enjoy driving now and sitting in traffic is so much nicer than it was.

@CardinalCopia was just going to say we'll all be driving autos in a few years when everything is electric.

Automatics are brilliant. I got one almost by mistake - I had my heart set on a particular second hand car at the local dealer and only found out it was automatic when I went to have a proper look at it. Tried it anyway, and fell in love. It’s like driving a dodgem car - go, stop, reverse. It’s much more sensible and intuitive than gears. I can still drive a manual when I have to but a manual is so much better.

All cars have clutches otherwise it would stall, it's just in an auto the gearbox does it for you. The same if it's a torque converter or dual clutch (the clues in the name)

I paid £7,800 for a 14 plate auto Ford fiesta 5 door. 32k on the clock. Def go auto. Less to worry about. Doesn't stall and most have hill start assist so you don't roll back.

I’ve driven a manual for 30 years, hired a car on holiday and they were all automatic, I’d never driven one! It took about 10 minutes to work out how to drive with a redundant leg and it was fine.

It might not be true for everyone but many people stuff up there first car. I ruined the gearbox in mine. I had a series I of manual cars after which were fine but I do prefer the automatic I drive now.

A person in my family drove into a HOUSE in their first car...that stuffed the car up pretty conclusively!

OP, automatics are very easy to drive. You can concentrate on the road around you, and not worry about what gear you're in, etc.

Love my automatic. It’s like a giant go cart and perfect for stop/start town and city driving. An auto makes driving totally stress free for me.

I passed my automatic test 30 years ago and never looked back. I don't regret not having a manual licence.

Nissan do some excellent and incredibly reliable automatics - I've not driven anything else for the past 15 years

maybe forget the automatic and get a car with a reversing camera and all round sensors? Automatics are lovely but expensive.

I think you know what I meant - no clutch pedal for the driver.

When I lived in the UK I always drove a car with a manual gearbox, but when I moved to the US the standard car here is an automatic, so that's what I drive now. Automatics are really really easy! When I visit the UK and rent a car it's always a manual, and I quickly slip back into those habits, but I do tend to beetle along in a lower gear than necessary for a while before I remember to change up! I think if you have anxiety there's a lot less to be anxious about with an automatic and you can focus on the driving more easily.

Electric cars don't have clutches. We say that they are automatics but they don't have gearboxes. It's just shorthand so that people know what controls to expect.

Automatics are SO much easier I switched when I couldn't pass in a manual 😅I found the difference massive, just have a lot less to think about. For 8k and the used car market being inflated right now, personally I'd go for a car that was cheap new but a reliable brand, like a honda or Toyota. I have a Toyota Yaris and love it, although depends what size you want/comfortable long journeys. Also get a reserve camera!! They are fab https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303215482978?advertising-location=at_cars&body-type=Hatchback&exclude-writeoff-categories=on&fuel-type=Petrol&include-delivery-option=on&make=Toyota&page=3&postcode=HP27%200HQ&price-to=8000&sort=mileage&transmission=Automatic&year-from=2013&fromsra

@AspiringMermaid - I'll second you on the reverse camera. I love having one.

Again if I’d realised how much fun full electric was I’d have done it years ago. Torque is instant so you’re off lights and out of junctions in a heartbeat leaving ICE cars wondering how the hell you did it 😂. It feels that bit safer as well, like if you needed to get out of the way of something quickly you could do it easily.
Great great fun.

I passed my test in a manual and then had 2 manual cars over 6 years, I then got an automatic that I've had for the past 3 and it's so simple.

Literally R for reverse and D for drive, a brake and an accelerator (and obviously you need to put it in P when parked).

Like a PP mentioned, I had to get used to the car still moving when not pressing the accelerator if in R or D.

I don't think I could ever go back to driving a manual, I feel like this is the ultimate way to lazy drive which is perfect for me 😂

Same here. Absolute love my automatic!

I drove a manual for about 10 years then moved to Canada and got an automatic as standard there like the US, found it sooo much easier! Continued with an automatic for about another 10 years after we came back to the UK then had to go back to a manual due to cost limitations. Anxiety was through the roof while driving for a long time and just hated it.

Just got a new automatic again in February and the relief is immense and I’m enjoying driving again. It is really like a go cart! Never stall and really smooth when moving off and stopping at lights, roundabouts etc.

I still drive our other manual occasionally and it’s such an effort in comparison.

Obviously if you haven’t driven for 8 years, you’ll probably need an experienced driver to go out with you for a few weeks just for safety but you’ll be fine.

So i have had issues , I live in a small town only two instructors do automatic one I contacted said no straight away unsure why , and the other well very unprofessional I booked a lesson £36 , explained I have manual license but want to buy a auto car so want to learn auto and I’ve not driven for a few years they seemed ok booked me in , then on the day of the lesson cancelled saying because of the light rain , and then suggested I can book a two hour lesson with them in a future date (£72) seems he isn’t really interested maybe it’s because I already have a license I’m not sure? Anyway leaves me with little choices really , but my partner knows someone he works with who has an auto so going to see if he’ll show me controls etc . Not really sure what to do now regarding whether to get an auto and practice somewhere quiet etc . I feel less nervous now I was all set to go on the lesson before he cancelled