James, I for one am not calling you a wimp! I refer you to my previous post.

For disabled or semi-disabled people an automatic is an absolute necessity and a life changer, for the rest of us it's horses for courses. If I lived in San Fran of course an automatic would make more sense, I wouldn't like it but I would put up with it. It simply has to be said however that you don't need a university degree to be able drive a manual car with a clutch. To be quite honest I just get bemused hearing about those those that can't, or can't do it properly.

It's also a culture thing, Americans have been brought up on Automatics and prefer them, The UK has been brought up on manual change and prefer those. Iona is also quite right in saying that automatics take away a certain amount of control from the driver, and as she can heel & toe I respect her judgement and agree with it.

A female relative of mine had a crash in her vehicle and was given a courtesy car while it was repaired. When it turned up it was a manual, so she said I can't drive it. The bloke said what do you mean, whats wrong with it? She said, I passed my test on an automatic. Ok he said, I'll see if we've got a Ladies car for you. Her language is not repeatable! But it has to be said that no self respecting Englishman would drive an automatic unless they really had to. But having said that, I'd quite like to have a go at a performance car with paddle change gears just to see what it is like.

When I was a young lad getting my learners permit. That was 1968, There were still a lot of manual shifters on the road. And I should have put a smile icon on my post:)
By the time my daughters got to drive it was mostly automatics. I think only my youngest can drive a standard and thats beacuase she was in the Air Force.

Now if I had extra money for a 1966 Pontiac GTO. You could bet your keyster it would be a manual shifter. I would just hope I dont get stuck in stop and go traffic.

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Old James

I sit behind a 15L engine rowing an 18 speed all day long, last thing I want to do is row a 5 speed in my pickup truck too and from work.

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Well, J. Mileski has given yet another example of my previous view "horses for courses". In his case i can quite easily see that when not at work, the ease of an automatic would be much preferred.

It's interesting to note that every post mentioning military service comments that when serving they learnt to drive manuals. The USA Abrams M1 main battle tank has an X-1100-3B auto transmission with 4 forward and 2 reverse gears, the British Challenger 2 main battle tank has a TN54 auto transmission with 6 forward and 2 reverse gears. Is there a reason why the armed forces appear to use manuals for day to day vehicles?

Have you ever worked on a transmission?
A manual transmission's problems can be diagnosed very easily, open the case and look at the gears. If the teeth of one are missing that's the problem. An automatic transmission on the other hand. Well that's what prompted Isaac Asimov to write "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Have you ever worked on a transmission?
A manual transmission's problems can be diagnosed very easily, open the case and look at the gears. If the teeth of one are missing that's the problem. An automatic transmission on the other hand. Well that's what prompted Isaac Asimov to write "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Another factor is weight and cost.
The manual tranny in my RX7 a healthy man can pick up by himself. A good sized automatic takes 2 men and a dog to remove and reinstall.

I have worked on a transmission or two.
I have taken apart and replaced synchros in the manual gearbox in my RX7.
Automatics take a rocket scientist to work on them.
The most I ever did was years ago take apart the valve body of a Turbo Hydramatic 400 to install a trick shift kit, which involved replacing some springs and moving some little ball bearing check valves around. You have to pay very close attention to things, because one little BB in the wrong hole and you have a large, heavy brick.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

Have you ever worked on a transmission?
A manual transmission's problems can be diagnosed very easily, open the case and look at the gears. If the teeth of one are missing that's the problem. An automatic transmission on the other hand. Well that's what prompted Isaac Asimov to write "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

I remember that as Clarke's Law (Sir Arthur C. Clarke), but whomever said it, it is increasingly true today. Even shade-tree mechanics need advanced training certs.......

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired

Have you ever worked on a transmission?
A manual transmission's problems can be diagnosed very easily, open the case and look at the gears. If the teeth of one are missing that's the problem. An automatic transmission on the other hand. Well that's what prompted Isaac Asimov to write "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

I remember that as Clarke's Law (Sir Arthur C. Clarke), but whomever said it, it is increasingly true today. Even shade-tree mechanics need advanced training certs.......

Now ya know why I like my cars 'old school'...LOL.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

Have you ever worked on a transmission?
A manual transmission's problems can be diagnosed very easily, open the case and look at the gears. If the teeth of one are missing that's the problem. An automatic transmission on the other hand. Well that's what prompted Isaac Asimov to write "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

I remember that as Clarke's Law (Sir Arthur C. Clarke), but whomever said it, it is increasingly true today. Even shade-tree mechanics need advanced training certs.......

The quote is from Asimov, but you are right the foundation is from Clark and known as his third law. Clark was a little more wordy. I don't recall his exact words.

Well, J. Mileski has given yet another example of my previous view "horses for courses". In his case i can quite easily see that when not at work, the ease of an automatic would be much preferred.

It's interesting to note that every post mentioning military service comments that when serving they learnt to drive manuals. The USA Abrams M1 main battle tank has an X-1100-3B auto transmission with 4 forward and 2 reverse gears, the British Challenger 2 main battle tank has a TN54 auto transmission with 6 forward and 2 reverse gears. Is there a reason why the armed forces appear to use manuals for day to day vehicles?

The change over to automatics in the Fire trucks of the US Airforce started in the early 70's. To many new Fireman never learned to drive standards at home and were destroying the transmissions.
After I left the AF and came back to my local volunteer fire dept. They had swithed to automatics as well.

Yes when a auto tranny goes it costs. But they are very much reliable nowdays. But then again my 1995 saturn had 125,000 miles on its manual tranny. It was the bad arthritus in my knees that made me get rid of it.

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Old James

Back when I had my 1990 Nissan Sentra, I went through 3 cables on the clutch. I never really understood why the cables kept snapping, but a mechanic told me he thought it was bad design in the way the cable made a rather sharp 90 degree angle curve. It was rather annoying, to say the least. My Saturn is a hydraulic clutch, and I haven't any trouble with it.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I've never driven an automatic before, wouldn't know how to...

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

I've never driven an automatic before, wouldn't know how to...

I don't like the fussy new Automatic style on BMW's, nowadays. Instead of a sturdy straightforward shifter, they have a flimsy feeling turn-signal style stalk that is very touchy and silly.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I've never driven an automatic before, wouldn't know how to...

Auto driving

That is so simple that even a 5 year old could do it! No intention to insult your intelligence Julie, you are much cleverer than that, but it was the best I could find with a quick look. Basically stick the thing in Park when you stop and stick it in Drive when you move. For more experienced drivers there are times when it might be clearly desirable to optimise flexibility and control of the vehicle. In many cases this is putting it in 2 or 1 when going downhill, or putting it in 1 or 2 when accelerating uphill if the down shift lags.

Always remember to keep the foot on the brake pedal of have the handbrake on when in Drive at traffic lights, else the car will creep forward. I used to flick mine into Neutral then hit Drive when the lights changed.

*Taking notes for my trip to California in the future* Thanx my friend:)

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

although mum was not too pleased with gearbox bits and oil splashes all over the patio slabs!

Oooh, what a good boy, dismantling and cleaning mechanical bits outside. All teenagers I knew dismantled on the kitchen table and used the sink for cleaning.

although mum was not too pleased with gearbox bits and oil splashes all over the patio slabs!

Oooh, what a good boy, dismantling and cleaning mechanical bits outside. All teenagers I knew dismantled on the kitchen table and used the sink for cleaning.

...followed by the obligatory slap around the head when dinner time approached...

...then another after sticking hands full of oil & grease into the soap powder...

...who needs fairy liquid for soft hands :-)

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I've never driven an automatic before, wouldn't know how to...

You'd be fine Julie... you'd just find yourself waving at your knee every now and again... :)

I've never driven an automatic before, wouldn't know how to...

All you need to know when driving an automatic is put on some toe tapping music to keep the left foot busy and get a fine non alcoholic beverage for the right hand. That way you won't reach for the clutch or the shifter, something most of us do when we haven't driven an automatic in a while.

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I've never driven an automatic before, wouldn't know how to...

All you need to know when driving an automatic is put on some toe tapping music to keep the left foot busy and get a fine non alcoholic beverage for the right hand. That way you won't reach for the clutch or the shifter, something most of us do when we haven't driven an automatic in a while.

*takes further notes* Thanx for the tip Dena:)

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

It does appear from information received via PM that residents in the USA drive automatics differently to us in the UK and Europe. Apparently I wouldn't pass a USA driving test, and neither would they pass a UK one!

vive la différence as they say :-)))

I think My Dad could have passed, but then He could drive either an automatic or a stick and at one time, He was in the UK waiting for the D-Day invasion of Europe to happen, since He was a Medic w/a rank of Corporal w/the 368th Medical which was attached to the US 3rd Army, He sometimes had to act as a gofer as it were(to go get this or go get that).

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Savoir-Faire is everywhere!
The T1 Trust, T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, America's First HST

It does appear from information received via PM that residents in the USA drive automatics differently to us in the UK and Europe. Apparently I wouldn't pass a USA driving test, and neither would they pass a UK one!

vive la différence as they say :-)))

What's the difference??? You take it out of Park and into Reverse to back out of your parking space, you move it to Drive to go forward, you put it back in Park when you get there. If you don't want to hold the brake while stopped for a long red light or at a fast food drive-thru, you put it in neutral (but make sure you don't roll).

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Every once in a while, some genius gets the idea that a hydraulic transmission can be used on a train. It may work in other parts of the world, but it has always been a dismal failure in the US.

Last week, the Nippon Sharyo plant in Rochelle, Ill. finished the first two cars of an order of diesel multiple units (DMUs) for a new airport shuttle service in Toronto. They had the cars towed to Chicago for weekend testing on a Metra line with a stretch of several miles with no road crossings. The engineer running them found that the transmission wouldn't always engage and he would have to go back to neutral, wait a few seconds, and try again. Later, he found that they would even slip out of gear while running and he would have to stop and do the neutral bit. At one point, one of the cars failed entirely, but the other one was able to get them to the shop. And these are brand new cars, still with protective tape and wrapping on a lot of the interior surfaces! When they worked, though, he was impressed with the acceleration, ride, and quietness inside.

I hope the factory techs on board were suitably embarrassed.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.