Would you learn to drive in an automatic?

[oliveoil]

I HAVE to learn to drive or I will lose the will to live.

Our car is automatic and any replacements will be.

It will be easier as I did lessons when pregnant with dd1 and found steering etc fine, just getting that 'biting point' or whatever really hard and kept stalling.

Any cons?

I learned to drive in a manual but it took me ages - learning to juggle the gear changes with everything else. I am very very bad at anything that involves coordinating different movements like that. It did click already but I could probably have bought the driving school with what I'd spent by the end. If I were doing it again I think yes, I'd learn in an automatic, and I've suggested that to my sister (who can't drive and shares my coordination issues). Obviously if you do that you can't drive a manual without resitting the test but if you're only going to drive automatics anyway (and most hire cars these days seem to be automatics, at least in the UK) then that's not a serious problem.

If you learn & pass your test in an automatic then I don't think you can drive a manual but if you pass in a manual you can drive either - My first car and now my main cars are both automatic but I prefer to drive a manual

The con is that your dirving licence will only cover you for driving automatics - so you have to be very sure that you will only ever own/hire/borrow automatics.

I did just the same oo- much easier to learn in an automatic, and that's what we have. I can't see any real disadvantages if you're always going to have automatic cars. Easy enough for car hire too

My last lessons were when preg with ds too. Spooky again!

'eventually', not 'already' - not sure where my brain went there

I learned in an automatic. Very easy. Only learned to drive a manual after marrying the ex, who was half-German and had learned to drive 'the proper way' in Germany. We always had a manual car - and an automatic . But it wasn't too bad b/c I was already a proficient driver before I took to learning how to drive a manual.

I passed the UK exam on a manual b/c we have a manual car. But I'd love to have an automatic again! GREAT for commuting, especially.

I passed in a manual and have since changed to driving auto and so has DH - I have no plans on going back to manual either.

I'd say if you find faffing around with clutch and gears a problem, then automatic is the way to go. Yes, you can only drive autos, but then that shouldn't be a problem.

I think I may go for the auto.

Northerner - I got too big to get behind the wheel in the end! And tired.

Dh says that if we hire cars he will drive anyway, and her prefers auto.

Hmmmmmmm.

I got my liscene in an automatic. I already had passed a test in Australia but only ever driven automatics there. I had a few lessons in a manual, and know the basic principles. But I was desperate to drive again, once we had DS and moved to surbubia so I took my test and passed in an automatic. I havent had any reason to regret it as yet. I am just so happy I able to drive again.

I passed in an automatic, because thats what we had at the time. I later took another test in a manual so I could drive any car. I think it is a good way to do it as the manual test is much easier when you have a lot of driving experience.

Manual, then you can drive either in future (hire car, someone elses in an emergency etc).

I also think driving a manual in a city like London would be a lot of hassle. ALl that constant changing of gear, stop and starting at traffic lights, constant traffic jams etc is too much hard work.