Dd to learn in an automatic from the start?

[makemineadecaf]

Dd will be 17 next year and is already nagging me about lessons for her birthday. My husband and I both drive autos (but both drive manuals for donkeys before). Now I’m in an automatic, I’ll literally never go back. And isn’t it the sign of the times for manuals to become redundant?

Not an abarth but yes very nippy. I absolutely love it.

Really, DD is at uni in a house of 5, all under 21. 3 of them have their own cars, most likely bought by parents but still theirs and not just borrowing a parents car.

That's just one house. She had friends at college as well with cars just after they turned 17. Most of them older cars yes.

While I would say going forward automatic will be fine, it totally depends on if you or they are going to be buying a cheap first car for them when they have passed their test. As older cars are mostly manual, doesn't mean you can't get older automatic's they are just harder to find.

I’m same as you, got a manual licence but been driving automatic since 2020 and unlikely to go back. But my 2 boys both sat and passed manual. I know manuals are likely to become defunct over their driving lives but they both got manuals as their first car, more options in manual for a cheap first car

This was 7 months ago and she managed to get a test in the next town (only 8 miles away) within 3 weeks. Was a lot of logging on to try and grab a cancellation, but it is getting easier.

IKR? It's like saying 'best teach your child IT on a typewriter, just in case there aren't any desktop computers around at her work. Also make sure she knows how to embroider a sampler. It's an essential skill.'

Thanks. Is it reliable? What's its MPG? (Mine's 63) How does it compare with dull Toyota's?

Personally I own an automatic, but as a teacher I quite regularly drive the school minibuses- manual.

My only thought would be if their career may need them to drive a manual for one reason or another

My dd is learning in a manual and it means she can practise in my car. A friend's dd has dyspraxia and didn't get on with manual lessons at all. She's found it really hard to get an automatic instructor, they seem to be a lot rarer in our area and so have huge waiting lists. Maybe it's different in urban areas.

Anyone with an automatic restriction on their licence has their CV binned immediately at my job, lots of difficult and expensive to replace manual pieces of equipment that they need to use.

Yes I think they are harder to find round our way too. But my children's manual instructor is happy to teach in our own car once they are confident. OP if you can't find an auto instructor you could consider finding a manual one who is prepared to do some lessons to your DC's car.

Automatics are the future. Manuals will slowly die out.

Thanks a quick search on AA, RAC etc all have plenty of auto instructors and only a difference of approx £5 a lesson.

A manual give you full choice and doesn't restrict any jobs, I would try manual lessons first, you soon find out if you get on with the gears.

I have an automatic, DD is dyspraxic and autistic so will also learn in an auto.

Every time you read about somebody driving through a shop front or ending up in the living room of someone’s house it’s always an automatic.

Oh fgs some of these posts on this thread are ridiculous, but this has to be the silliest.

I also wouldnt be learning manual in case I need to hire a car for 2 weeks aboard once and a year and want to save a few euros on the cost of an auto. Or in case I need a courtesy car and they happen to only have manual cars available. People drive automatics and get by perfectly fine.. usually without driving through shop fronts as well.

People aren't allowed to drive minibuses anyway nowadays with an ordinary license if they received it after a certain date (I think 1997).

Perhaps it depends on the university. Car parking was very restricted for students when mine were at university. Very few had cars.

Exactly. If abroad i hire an automatic anyway, especially in the US. Stupid to struggle with gears on the right side.

Would also definitely say pass test in a manual. I do agree automatica will become increasingly more common, but I would always want the flexibility of being able to drive both

Why though?

The main reasons being: availability and cost of hire cars, especially abroad (other than in countries like the US); cost of 2nd hand automatics at the moment; ability to drive someone else’s car in an emergency (assuming your insurance allows you to)

Unless you are driving on the left abroad I think sensible to hire an automatic anyway so don't have to deal with gears on right hand side. I don't think the price of second hand automatics is much different from manual now. I wouldn't drive someone else's car anyway if only third party insured and I certainly wouldn't want my children doing that. I can't imagine what emergency would suddenly require being able to drive someone car but I would prefer them to get an uber!

I only drive automatic due to circumstances at the time and moving around I did one of those lessons for 4 days, test on the Friday courses so thought by doing auto there was less margin for error. It was true. However automatic cars are still fewer and further between and more expensive. We are currently looking for a small run around as a second car but it needs to be auto for this reason. Look on auto trader in your area for small cars under 10 years old then filter for under £8k manual and then auto, there is still a big difference. If money is no object go for auto. If she can learn manual I'd suggest she does.

True during the learning stage, but surely the majority of people will come to perform these actions without even thinking about them.

They won’t be ‘children’ for ever!