Manual or automatic - what do you drive/prefer?

[nugget378]

Manual for me but its starting to get expensive, I cant keep one together for too long

[Jason[98.EL]]

auto for me

thats because my last 3 have been auto but i do enjoy getting in a manual once in a while

[Tiapan]

for my new cleveland there is not cheap way of having a manual strong enough to handle the punishment of 500hp

i opted for a billet interiour c4 with a manual vaulve body, the car will never change gears unless i select them with my quick shifter, so in a way it is a strong manual without a clutch! all my quoters say it will be damn near invinsibal

i have had 4 manuals and 2 autos, not many x series falcons dedicated to performance really chose toploaders just because c4 change quicker and take punishment

[Rapid260]

I love Manuals for my car, but just changed out the wifes car from auto to manual & wish i didnt, for her it is better & its always good to just get in & drive sometimes without worring about gear changes, but i will stand by my vote & that is manuals are the way to go for all proformance cars.

Kev.

[tickford2001]

for me: manual, manual, manual...always!

[TS50]

Manual for me, Wifes car is an Auto, so i drive both, having driven mine in Melb, heavy clutch aint a lot of fun in heavy traffic, but manual would still get my vote

[tex]

I've had lots of cars auto and manual over the years, and there is an application for both.
Autos are great for towing heavy trailers and for hugely powerful engines that would otherwise destroy the clutch / gearbox in a manual drivetrain.

But regardless of wether the new hypo Fords have six speed autos.... that may be smart and learn the enthusiasm / driving style of the pilot, they will never be as REWARDING as driving a manual box like it should !
Cars should be driven, and in MHO that involves changing gears, just as importantly as it also involves steering. If we had 'smart' cruise control which negated the need to point the car , would we stop steering ..... I wouldn't !
Enthusiasts generally prefer a manual, and if they do drive an auto it's more often than not because they kept killing their manual.....
Autos are good for cabs, fleet cars and my Nan.

[snypereb]

I drive an auto would prefer a manual!!!!!!!

[nugget378]

Originally Posted by Tiapan

for my new cleveland there is not cheap way of having a manual strong enough to handle the punishment of 500hp

i opted for a billet interiour c4 with a manual vaulve body, the car will never change gears unless i select them with my quick shifter, so in a way it is a strong manual without a clutch! all my quoters say it will be damn near invinsibal

i have had 4 manuals and 2 autos, not many x series falcons dedicated to performance really chose toploaders just because c4 change quicker and take punishment

Finding a gearbox to handle power is easy, It's setting the clutch up thats the hard part, My 2 meltdowns were both due to clutch probs

[SpoolMan]

if its got 6 gears it has to be a ZF Auto....fantastic box.. its that or the kranksy

[BO55]

I own a AU XR8 and it's a manual.. I've always prefered a manual cos ya have much better control over ya car. Easy to launch and much easier to stop.. But on the other foot, i've test driven a BA XR8 4speed auto and i found it's a bit slow off the mark,(More than likely due to my inexperance with them) but once the rev's get up, the new 5.4L really kicks in and the gearbox is GREAT..

If i decide to upgrade, i'll be getting the 6 speed auto.. I think there great...

I LOVE YA QUOTE
Holden means a great deal to Korea
BLOODY OATH MATE
FORD IS AUS

[Deadman]

Auto. Personal preference.

[XR_Strider_GuY]

A manual does it for me thanks. For those of you who live in NSW picture attacking the old pacific hwy, your in the zone clipping the apex and you want the right gear and the right time exiting hard around the corner and approaching the next corner with the right throttle balance to steer the rear, the only way to go is a manual. A great auto will never better a good manual i say for these conditions.

[red_hotxr6]

With kids its just easier for me to drive and keep an eye on them and the road.

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by CarBroker

I started on manuals, and still prefer them, but I drive an auto just because they are more convenient in congested traffic.

Hey CarBroker ... your avitar cracks me up ... it's the best.

[MoreHPformyXR6]

My current car is an Auto BAXR6 MkII Shockwave
I have mainly manuals & my last two cars where manuals & they are very enjoyable but i mainly do city driving so i must say im very happy with my auto. If i had the money i like one of each manual for a sunday morning romp in the Adelaide Hills is great fun.

[telstar1]

started in a manual then when i hurt my back i change to autos which is a lot better and my back doesent hurt as much when driven a manual

[Ghostdriver]

ZF auto is so good in "faux manual-mode" it makes the manual car redundant, I reckon. And unlike ZFs in BMWs it will always do what the driver tells it to.

Used to be an "I'll never buy an auto" type - but autos have improved so much I doubt I'll buy another manual for the rest of my life.

[Steffo]

Originally Posted by Ghostdriver

ZF auto is so good in "faux manual-mode" it makes the manual car redundant, I reckon. And unlike ZFs in BMWs it will always do what the driver tells it to.

BMW's don't upshift until you tell them to in manual mode either.

[apolloxbgt]

Been said before,but,auto for daily driver and manual for a weekender.

[EF GHIA]

I didn't vote in the pol because I own both.The ford 5.0L ghia is a nice cruising family car, (first auto I have owned) but to have fun I do like the 88 skyline, the 3.0L is no slouch and I put it in the gear I want when I want.

[djjase]

When i was out test driving to buy a BA, I test drove the BA, XR6, XR8 and XR6T in manual and auto the XR6T 6 speed won hands down. For the past 18 years all my cars have been highly modified 351's with C4 Tricked auto's. The 6 speed manual in the XR6T is totally awesome

[Dauphin]

Is there such a feature on an auto (maybe new ZF in Ford or European) where you can press a button to put the trans into neutral? Reason being that you enter a corner in first, hit the neutral trigger, coast around it at the speed you've attained (instead of holding the revs so it doesn't slow drastically if engine braked in first), then exit putting it back into first and storming off. Such a feature around?

I know it all sounds silly - just get a manual if you want to do that, but the new ZF sounds like a huge leap.

[Dauphin]

Regarding my last post, I guess there'd be issues there with driveline shock of going back into gear at revs in an auto (if the driver revs before or while putting it back into gear).

[superpursuit83]

With my job, sometimes an auto would be nice, but I cant bring myself to have one behind a nice V8, maybe still have old school mentality.

Manual for my choice
(Family BA XT is auto)

[coyote]

At the end of the day the advances in electronics and generall engineering have gone so fat that the only logical choice is based upon what you feel comfortable.
I go to sleep driveing a Auto, get lazy and do not feel that I have the same control of the car, I know you can drive them just as hard, can hold them in gear for that apex but I personally find that because you are not required to do so that you get lazy.

Even my work car is a manual (BA1 XL ute), drive it every day in all traffic conditions, always in the right gear to come out of the corner, or accelerate away when the lights change. All comes down to preference. Only regular problem i have is looking for 6th in the ute and xr and trying to remember where reverse is when i swap cars.

If you love driving then you will probably love the manual. Does not matter on the milage you do, particularly in my case, do about 60 k a year in the ute plus lots more in the XR GT and the little Capri. Have to drive a lot of other peoples cars for my job and so i do get to drive auto's as well just do not enjoy them as much.

[Dazza XLT]

I started driving in a manual, and own a manual now

[AMT]

Also started driving in a manual but got new six speed auto it's awesome.. :

[Poetic Justice]

Im with auto, but sequential auto is fun for a bit of manual action without having the headache of the clutch.

Given that I drive on the Gold Coast highway most of the time (to work and back) Im forever stopping and starting at traffic lights, and there's no way I could put up with having a manual transmission all the time. I have taken a few cars off the lot home that were manuals, and just couldnt wait to get them back to the dealership.

I just like to relax and cruise...

[Ultimate]

I own a auto but want a manual