Automatic Vs. Manual

How many of us have even encountered a car on the street with a CVT... I know I haven't.

Nissan Murano. :)

When you first learn to drive learn with an auto then learn with a manual. But when it comes to racing it depends. With me if it's a drag strip the manual is the best for it. But when it comes to a track of any kind you need to worry more about driving and passing the other guy than to shift while you doing it. There is the ups and downs of both. auto has lower speeds while manual require's a annoying clutch pedal. I like some of the new transmissions coming out where if you want and auto you hit switch. If you wanna manual hit a switch(visa versa). But if you can't afford that then get a clutchless manual

Nissan Murano. :)

audis have them too. it's a different driving experience. the revs dont' climb but you're accelerating as if they were in a normal car. if they were able to withstand high hp then maybe i would have gotten one. but they're just not as strong or durable as a manual, or even an auto.

i prefer the manual myself. the CVT on the audi loaner was too 'weird' for me. plus from dead stop it felt really weak. took a while for it to get going.

I did the opposite, I learned with a manual, then drove an auto. :smile:

i been talking to my friends recently, the majority of them just told me to get manual, one because i never owned a manual car, and two because im only 18, and this car will last me atleast 7-9 years (before i give it to my brother) i'll be 24 when i get my next car, which really makes me think if i will continue to race/fuck around with cars, but then again now that i think of it, when im 24 i'll have the most $ to work on cars, anyways im still deciding heh sorry guys, its a hard decision, when you only have a part time job and your parents are only going to help you with the down payment, yea anyways im going to completely stop spending on my audio, because i just keep buying stuff, next step in audio will be with the next car, so i can cool it with this car i've also narrowed the cars down on my list to 5 cars

Honda Civic EX Coupe $16,860
Nissan SE-R Spec V $17,400
Toyota Corolla Xrs $17,900
Scion tC $16,465


ive been having the same problem as you best one for your money is the sentra se-r spec v its the fastest out of them its standard and nissan trust me ive researched almost everycar in the 20000k range only thingk that compares in speed is dodge neon srt-4 but its ugly as hell so id definalty go with that ,y friends drove one he said things amazing

ive been having the same problem as you best one for your money is the sentra se-r spec v its the fastest out of them its standard and nissan trust me ive researched almost everycar in the 20000k range only thingk that compares in speed is dodge neon srt-4 but its ugly as hell so id definalty go with that ,y friends drove one he said things amazing

heh good sh*t man, well i've never really looked into the SRT4, being that it will be well over $20k once the dealers get it, the scion can actually be bought under $17k, because the scion way is that there are no options, the car is stock, and its yours, add what you want they'll charge you per part, but the scion is heavier, and slower than the SE-R, im sure if honda made a car with a more torky engine i would put one up there, and the corolla is a nice car, not the most "MANLY" car but its extrememly refined, and the extra horsepower comes in handy, i really wish they developed mroe torque for that engine, it does rev to liek 7600 tho, which will sound nice once in awhile, the civic coupe is up there because its just like the corolla, but i have a honda, i would think that the car would be extremely friendly towards me, and yea they are really refined as well

I know they are your friends, but they fall for the same thing people on these forums fall for. They are not really thinking of what is better for you, but what they think is "cooler" for themselves. The owning your car for more than 5 years thing isn't really an issue here. My car still has it's original transmission, and it's 12 years old and no problems.

I'm not saying get an automatic, I wouldn't mind doing a swap on mine for a 5-speed manual, but just giving you the heads up so you don't accept those BS reasons as a definitive reason to get a manual and nothing else. Like I said, think about your driving habits and what you're expecting out of your car.

well the problem isn't the reliability, i just think that it'll be cheaper/easier to fix if something happens if i pick a japanese car, the problem is that im completely happy with the car that i buy myself ya know? so if i fuck up, and make a wrong decision i gotta pay off something that i dont really want, well right now, i mean at the moment i really have no intention of racing, because i've been concentrating on car audio for the past few weeks, but everytime i drive someones stick shift car, i feel a rush, its not even speed, its just knowing that im driving stick shift, lol i don't know how to explain it, maybe its just because i don't drive it regularly, i was also thinking i will only be transporting myself mostly, because by the time i get the car, i'll almost be out of JC, then its on to a real college, and i'll mostly be driving myself.. so yea heh, still i bet when im about to get my car, lets say the week/month before i get my car i'll be all hyped about stick shift so it'll be hard then

For urban use, automatic...but for highways, definitely manual!

Also another factor, if you're living in a hilly area, automatic is a lot better so you don't risk rolling backward when you're releasing your clutch in a manual. But if not, then don't even care about this reason.

Anyway, about the Japanese car being cheaper to maintain thing. I don't know, I would think it's logical since they are cheaper to buy new for the most part, but I used to own an Acura Integra and now a Ford Mustang, and parts for the Acura were more expensive from what I remember than for the Mustang, and I find it extremely easy to work on the Mustang engine myself, probably a lot more so than the Integra.

But that's only two specific cars, and I still could be wrong, I'm only speaking from memory here.

Also another factor, if you're living in a hilly area, automatic is a lot better so you don't risk rolling backward when you're releasing your clutch in a manual. But if not, then don't even care about this reason.

Anyway, about the Japanese car being cheaper to maintain thing. I don't know, I would think it's logical since they are cheaper to buy new for the most part, but I used to own an Acura Integra and now a Ford Mustang, and parts for the Acura were more expensive from what I remember than for the Mustang, and I find it extremely easy to work on the Mustang engine myself, probably a lot more so than the Integra.

But that's only two specific cars, and I still could be wrong, I'm only speaking from memory here.

well maybe its just that i've never had/worked with american cars, but for my accord everything is cheap, a new radiator for $70 hood for $150 window motor for like $60 i get everything for wholesale or lower its a really cheap car to maintain, also all the audio stuff i do myself
i've learned alot about this car, i've taken lots of stuff apart, n its really easy to put back together, so just to save me the need to relearn about a new kind of car, i'll just stick with something easier in my eyes, although i will be looking into the SRT-4, just because its a turbo, and has lots n lots of torque, also its basically a sporty neon, so it shouldn't be that hard to work with

So just to recap the only good thing that comes out of a manual is speed right?? Nothing more, like better gas mileage or anything like that.

actually, you DO get better milage with a manual

So just to recap the only good thing that comes out of a manual is speed right?? Nothing more, like better gas mileage or anything like that.

actually u get better gas mileage unless u drive like a madman all the time, you get direct control over your gears, usually you get one more gear than the automatic, and yes its faster, and it usually cost less than the automatic model

Actually, the better gas mileage thing is a thing of the past when automatic transmissions weren't as good as they are now. I'm so used to the manual having better gas mileage, now when I look at the reviews, I see a lot of the automatics getting better gas mileage and in some cases, automatics accelerate faster. Believe the Toyota Supra suffers from this.

Actually, the better gas mileage thing is a thing of the past when automatic transmissions weren't as good as they are now. I'm so used to the manual having better gas mileage, now when I look at the reviews, I see a lot of the automatics getting better gas mileage and in some cases, automatics accelerate faster. Believe the Toyota Supra suffers from this.
well like sometimes, when im driving manual im going 35 and im on 4th gear, last time i was on 5th gear going 40 something its pretty cool, but i feel something is going to go wrong, is it bad to be going to slow on the wrong gear? because going 35 on 4th seemed to be ok, 45 on 5th was ok, i wasn't to sure so i gassed it a lil

So just to recap the only good thing that comes out of a manual is speed right?? Nothing more, like better gas mileage or anything like that.

I agree but after a while using a manual you arm get's tired no matter how strong you are.

Ok, manual is better for reasons...
You have direct control, which is a plus for me... you have an extra gear, the range from first to last is the same whether you have a 4spd auto or a 5spd manual, so with manual you have an extra gear that gives a decent pull, in the auto 1st and 2nd might be strong, while in manual 1st, 2nd, & 3rd are strong.
You get less of a drop in RPMs when you shift if you have a 5spd... yes, this is a BIG PLUS
I can save gas... I can skip gears and shove in into 5th @ 40 if I want to.
Manual is better IMO.

I do got to say manual is fun. And you can shitf when you want to