AIBU to think DD might as well learn to drive on an automatic car?

[whiteroseredrose]

DD is 21 and has not yet learned to drive. The plan is to learn next summer when she finishes university.

Problem is that DH and I both have hybrid cars that are automatic. I couldn't find a hybrid manual car as they probably don't exist.

Rather than have DD take lessons in.a manual car with either no practice in between or practice in our automatics, take that test and then maybe do a 'conversion' at a later date.

Would that make sense?

Yeah I can’t see the point of learning to drive a manual now.

Yanbu automatics are the way forward and so much nicer to drive
i say that as someone who drove manual for years and years and would never go back now

Better to put the effort in now and have the freedom of both.

Thing is, if you learn with manual, you don't have to take the whole test a second time.

I would just do automatic. I can't see any need for a manual license any more

Important to learn manual… excellent skill

All ale truck cars are automatic so unless she's going to be getting an older model car it's pretty pointless these days. DS only learnt in a manual because he needs to be able to drive a van and he said a lot are still manual.

It is a basic life skill. Electric cars are never going to replace combustion engines no matter how much governments say otherwise. She needs to learn to drive manual. Automatic cars are more expensive. Unless you are going to buy her a newer car, her choice of second hand first car will be very limited.

We are a few months away from
DS being 17 - the plan is he learns to drive in a manual and practices in our automatics . I guess he will take longer to pass but think the flexibility is useful in

Ale truck 😂

Electric.

At 21 I would expect her to be making this decision independently tbh.

I would still do a manual test. Why limit yourself?

There are going to be a significant number of manual cars available for a very long time still.

Also what happens if you need to drive someones car in an emergency? "Oh sorry, I cant rush you too the hospital, I cant drive a manual"

Also almost all vans are manual.

It will be much harder to convert to a manual after passing in an automatic.

I think it's far better to learn to drive in a manual. Why limit the cars she can buy?

It's sensible. DC1 learned in a manual, DC's 2 and 3 in an automatic. We will never buy a manual again and in a few years all cars will be automatic. Ok they might not be able to hire a van for a while, but that's about the only disadvantage, and it's much safer and easier.

Although you can't convert, you'd have to retake the test

My dd did as we both had automatic cars.

If you did have to rush someone to hospital in their manual car, you wouldn't be able to. I don't think you can live your life thinking in that way though.

I would lean in a manual.

My hybrid is a manual.

If you learn to drive manual you can drive anything, if you learn to drive auto you can only ever drive auto.

Seems daft to limit her!

Seems sensible to me. I never get the fuss people make about limiting yourself to only automatic cars as if they are a rarity.

Automatic cars are hardly uncommon and I have several friends and family members who passed in automatics and have never once faced any problem buying, hiring or having automatic cars after accidents etc. Nor have they gone on to sit a manual tests, I'm not sure why they would need to to be honest.

Definitely go for it. That's what we've done. It's gears, clutch etc that are the hardest part of learning. DD has had 6 lessons with her instructor and today drove with us for the first time and was amazing. It's just so much simpler and faster. We have an automatic and we bought her an automatic car so I can't imagine she'll ever drive a manual. I'd never drive one again.

I've mulled with this. She's been out in my automatic and finds it less stressful. Argument from everyone is, if she needs a hire car what if there's only manual available. And if she needs to move a manual in an emergency what will she do.

More expensive to hire a car overseas if it's automatic but cost is definitely coming down.
Literally the only reason I can think of

Learn in a manual.
What car is she likely to buy herself?
A manual at first due to cost.

Only if 'overseas' is somewhere that automatics are not the norm. There are plenty of places where manuals are more expensive because there aren't very many.