Driving - Manual Vs Automatic

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Cook said:
Whenever I see someone driving an automatic, I immediately think they're a bad driver (blame my dad for that!).
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Bad Dad! Some people drive automatics because they have to. One of my old friends lost a leg in an accident so obviously now needs an automatic. He's an excellent driver.

I'm currently changing from a semi automatic back to a manual. Our old car can be either fully automatic or you can change the gears yourself (the car does the clutch bit so no pedal). Personally I prefer to have control over the gears so rarely drive it in automatic mode. Unfortunately, I could do without the clutch as holding the pedal down can sometimes give me a lot of pain thanks to my knackered knees.
 
I prefer to drive a manual but in Los Angeles, traffic makes that a pain in the ass. So I drive an automatic. Do they even make hybrids manual?
 
well in my experience it not what you drive what make bad drivers, it the lack for knowledge of the rule of the road. and just bad drivers. I think everyone should have to retake there drivers test every 10 years and every car on the road should have an inspection every 5 years.

5 year ago I upgraded my licence so I can drive buss and there was a lot of things I didn't know that change in the rules. I had a few bad driving habits. I had to change my driving to get my licence.
 
DBBaby said:
I think everyone should have to retake there drivers test every 10 years and every car on the road should have an inspection every 5 years.
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I agree with people having to re-take their driving test periodically. But... surely every car gets inspected at least every 5 years?! Over here, I think new cars are exempt for 3 years, but then they have to be inspected and pass a test every single year. I assumed all countries would require something similar! That's a scary thought if your out on the road with cars that are falling apart randomly!
 
tiny said:
I agree with people having to re-take their driving test periodically. But... surely every car gets inspected at least every 5 years?! Over here, I think new cars are exempt for 3 years, but then they have to be inspected and pass a test every single year. I assumed all countries would require something similar! That's a scary thought if your out on the road with cars that are falling apart randomly!
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No, most states don't have a vehicle fitness check in the US and many other countries around the world too.

Here in NZ, we have yearly vehicle checks, six-monthly if the vehicle was built before 2000.

Oh and I drive manual. Hate autos, learned to drive in my mum's auto, but bought myself a manual ASAP.
Unfortunately in NZ we are heading the same way as the US in that most vehicles sold new here and most secondhand Jap imports are all autos. :(
 
tiny said:
I agree with people having to re-take their driving test periodically. But... surely every car gets inspected at least every 5 years?! Over here, I think new cars are exempt for 3 years, but then they have to be inspected and pass a test every single year. I assumed all countries would require something similar! That's a scary thought if your out on the road with cars that are falling apart randomly!
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In the United States, vehicle inspections are something that's left up to individual States to decide upon. I think, that in States like California & New York, they have vehicle inspections as well as engine emissions tests. But the rules & requirements will vary from State to State. A car / truck that passes the testing in one state, could fail in a State that has stricter requirements.

Im in Oklahoma. We no longer have any vehicle inspections, & have never had emissions testing. When I was younger, I can remember going to go get the testing done. It was done at basically any mechanics shop. The test was extremely simple:

1. Honk horn
2. Turn on headlights
3. Left blinker
4. Right blinker

If your car / truck could do these things, it'd pass inspection. It'd be giving an inspection sticker that allowed you to operate on public roads, for 1 year. If it failed because of a light, the mechanic would replace the light, & then you'd pass inspection.

The test didn't look at anything mechanically, or structurally.

Failing the inspection wasn't the death of a vehicle either. it'd just make it illegal for public roads. Most of the State is rural. My family had several trucks that we never drove to the nearest town, cause they didn't have an inspection sticker. They were farm trucks, in very bad shape. We kept them off public roads as much as we could. But it wasn't always possible. But since we were out in the country, there aren't cops or any sort of police force, so we'd never be stopped.

I think my State voted to get rid of the inspection process about 15 years ago or so.

I own a few trucks that'd be illegal to operate in a few states.
 
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I actually had to teach myself how to drive a stick. I was working as a delivery driver for a car dealer and just started doing it on customers cars... Not sure how many saw unusual wear on their clutches at first. Many years later and I have no problem and enjoy driving a stick shift car/truck.
 
I never used some automatic shifting car. I dislike. Sometimes (I know about from my friends city bus drivers) it can give you some surprise, when frozen or wet road. The same with ESP. I'm from club "Learn with old manual shifting car, better if without servodrive."
 
When I was a fairly new driver I had my dad's old car, a 1969 Mustang (this was 1976) which was an automatic. He had bought a new Fiat Spider (obviously a 5 speed). I never got to drive it because it was HIS new car. Then it was time for it's six month service and he scheduled it for a week he'd be on business. The plan was he was going to teach me to drive the car and then I'd drive him to the airport. He was late getting home so he says "This is learn by doing." I got into the driver's seat and learned to drive the manual over the two miles of local roads it took to get to the freeway. I drove a half hour on the freeway (no biggy) to the airport and then navigated to the drop off lanes. After that I was on my own. Didn't do too badly.
 
I drive both. As a teen my dad sold the mercury and purchased a VW Bug and I had to drive a stick. I found sticks had better control in snow. Now 70 I have to use an automatic...the constant down shifting and up shifting in the city wearing on the legs. I also have driven in the UK for 4 years. I had to go to London to pick up my tax free Fiat (USAF). It was a 5 speed stick. By the second stop light I felt I had been driving on the "wrong side of the road" all my life - and roundabouts I love them! (here in America we have a long way to go to learn how to build a proper roundabout)
 
dlbilli said:
.... and roundabouts I love them! (here in America we have a long way to go to learn how to build a proper roundabout)
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EEK! NOT ANYMORE!
i see that you're of an age to know that roundabouts are instead of traffic-lights; well, we now have roundabouts with traffic-lights, and not any small number of them nor any small number of lights at them (some of them are a bemusing forest of lights and, given the angles of approach and the angles of lights, a sudden 'red' can cause you to slam on when it's not for you).

and have you seen the mini-roundabouts? great on paper, i suppose, but you can find yourself in the situation where each driver, in anticipation, is giving way (yielding) to the driver to their right, with the effect of everybody sat there just looking at each other.

if you came over now, you'd be shocked at the state of things. it's like somebody let all the lunatics out and put them in charge of road design and traffic management.
 
Mattew said:
In the United States, vehicle inspections are something that's left up to individual States to decide upon. I think, that in States like California & New York, they have vehicle inspections as well as engine emissions tests. But the rules & requirements will vary from State to State. A car / truck that passes the testing in one state, could fail in a State that has stricter requirements.

Im in Oklahoma. We no longer have any vehicle inspections, & have never had emissions testing. When I was younger, I can remember going to go get the testing done. It was done at basically any mechanics shop. The test was extremely simple:

1. Honk horn
2. Turn on headlights
3. Left blinker
4. Right blinker

If your car / truck could do these things, it'd pass inspection. It'd be giving an inspection sticker that allowed you to operate on public roads, for 1 year. If it failed because of a light, the mechanic would replace the light, & then you'd pass inspection.

The test didn't look at anything mechanically, or structurally.

Failing the inspection wasn't the death of a vehicle either. it'd just make it illegal for public roads. Most of the State is rural. My family had several trucks that we never drove to the nearest town, cause they didn't have an inspection sticker. They were farm trucks, in very bad shape. We kept them off public roads as much as we could. But it wasn't always possible. But since we were out in the country, there aren't cops or any sort of police force, so we'd never be stopped.

I think my State voted to get rid of the inspection process about 15 years ago or so.

I own a few trucks that'd be illegal to operate in a few states.
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Yup here In Kentucky there Are No Inspections or Emmissions, Or Exaust, Or halfway Working Vehicles. 90% of Vehicles Here that are older than 2 years old are Death Traps Because no one Maintain them and never fixes them after they wreck them.
 
The most recent inspections here were for exhaust emissions only - nothing else, and this stopped decades ago. My biggest beef is that nobody can see their brake lights or turn signals, so there are vehicles running around with possibly no signals (who can tell today?) and only one brake light.
 
Crazy if you think about it. In Germany they check for tires, lights, rust (non structural as well if it's on the outside), breaks and their pressure system, emissions, first aid kit etcpp...
So at least all cars are theoretically able to steer, stop and have their lights on, which is nice.
 
kapi said:
Crazy if you think about it. In Germany they check for tires, lights, rust (non structural as well if it's on the outside), breaks and their pressure system, emissions, first aid kit etcpp...
So at least all cars are theoretically able to steer, stop and have their lights on, which is nice.
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Same here in UK car is tested for many things
Emissions on petrol and smoke test on diesel
Tyre's , Brakes lights
Major Body corrosion
seat belts
|Air bags
Front windscreen if cracked or stone chip on drivers side
£54 gbp cost
 
I'm from the US, and learned to drive on a manual. I much prefer it, I think it's more fun and helps keep you distracted from other things. However, my personal vehicle is an automatic, which I hate
 
I had 3 Car that had a stick. A Saab 9-3 turbo, Datsun 280zxt and a crappy 4x4 toyota pickup 4 banger.
 
I'm not American, but I learned to drive with a manual. The driving test over here states that if you take it using an automatic then you are only qualified to drive that type. Whereas if you take it using a manual, you are qualified to drive both. So it made sense to pick the latter.

I've only once drove an auto. I get its practicality, but I feel manual offers more precise control over the vehicle. And it's not such a difficult task to master in the first place.
 
Virginia state inspection really depends on where you are and who you go to. Of the 24 or so points on the list most mechanics do the lights, wipers, eyeball the brakes, horn, and check tire wear. Some places like the local Firestone Autocare will put your car on the lift each time (and split/bend the monobody seam underneath) to wiggle the front end to make sure its tight and safe. Typically holding your car for ransom when it's at a service advisement, not a service necessity. Then, you know, in for an inch, in for a mile. Start at $16 end at $450.

Northern Virginia requires emissions testing except on new vehicles for a year I think, or if it has been tested in another state within the last year. If the vehicle is over 25 it's exempt from testing. Motorcycles are exempt as well.

Side note, I would LOVE manual endorsed licenses. I know that kind of works itself out in practice but, y'know. I still need to get around to a CDL endorsement for air brakes which provide no pedal feedback.
 
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