Changing from auto to manual

[AzureHawker]

Hi, I recently separated from my partner and i’m trying to buy a new car, I passed my test 10 years ago in a manual and drove a manual for a couple of years but really hated driving, was a nervous wreck every time I got behind the wheel. By chance we ended up with an auto car and it’s really helped to improve my confidence I think just having less thing to worry about in stressful situations!
I now need to buy a new car but finding it hard to find an affordable auto so guess I’m going to have to go back to manual. Has anyone swapped back after a few years and found it hard to get used to again or ended up regretting going back to a manual?
I’m really worried about it especially because I will have to go and pick it up by myself and I haven’t driven an manual at all for 6 years.

I'm like you OP, learned to drive in a manual but mostly drove an automatic after that. I've always hated driving but the automatic really helped so much.
Then I lived in a city and didn't drive at all for about 10 years. I tried having refresher lessons a couple of years ago so I could drive my partner's (manual) car and it completely knocked my confidence, I felt so unsafe on the road spending too much time worrying about the clutch. Then had refresher lessons in an automatic and it was like night and day.
It's now got to the point where we're looking to sell the manual and buy an automatic. I'm sorry, I know that's probably not what you want to hear! But I've found that although there's less choice there are used automatics out there if that's what you're looking for.

If you decide to get a manual and you're worried about collecting it, are refresher lessons an option for you?

OP, I also had to swap from automatic cars to manual cars due to how expensive it was. I was worried about getting use to the clutch again but after practicing you do get use to it. So when you do buy it go on quiet roads and practice the basics again. Also watch YouTube videos, this helped me a lot it also boosted my confidence and ability to drive on the road using a manual car again.

Thank you both for your replies, I have managed to find an automatic, it’s going to cost more than I had planned but I was just so stressed about the thought of a manual again without practice. If I had someone to come with me to collect the car I might have decided to go with a manual because there would have been a lot more choice and I know I would have got the hang of it eventually.

Really pleased to hear you’ve found something that suits you, good luck OP.