Manual or automatic?

Aldom Tue 03-Nov-20 09:43:53
Spangler I know a photo of the Riley car existed, but have not seen it in years. The car after it was sold was used in a film. Sorry, I don't know what film!!

There is a picture in my mind's eye of The Riley RME. It is much sought after, a classic to behold.

There is two disadvantages to a small automatic car, if you use it for short journeys fuel consumption will be high and road tax high.
Manual is better

I've told this story before but here goes.

I learned in a manual in my mid fifties and thought I'd never get the hang of gears and as for getting 'the bite' - I found that very difficult due to my hearing not being A1. I eventually got the hang of it and passed my test at the sixth attempt.

I now drive a semi-automatic which is the best of both worlds. When I see a hill or a bridge coming up I swap to fully auto by pressing a button on the gear lever, go down a gear and Bob's your Uncle. Back on the level I swap back into fully auto. It makes life easier as you have less to think about. I would dread going back to a manual.

I definitely prefer manual and feel more in control. That said, it's whatever you prefer. But you are limited if you only pass automatics.

Spangler I know a photo of the Riley car existed, but have not seen it in years. The car after it was sold was used in a film. Sorry, I don't know what film!!

Thanks all - very helpful. I also learnt to drive in a manual car and have never actually driven an automatic, so it was interesting to hear other's experiences.

I have driven both but prefer a manual car. However I can see their days are numbered and automatics are less stressful to drive and readily available now. I would advise your daughter to go for the automatic option Trisha57 especially if she is going to be driving a lot in town.

I wouldn't be seen dead in an automatic! My dad always referred to them, in a derogatory way, as 'women's cars'. He wasn't a misogynist; he taught me to change wheels, clean and set points, clean and set spark plugs, check the oil etc., saying that if you drive you have to know how to look after the car, too.

But what really put me off automatic cars was the time that my friend's mother took us out for the day in her automatic. We drove best part of the way to the coast in first gear because it was stuck in that and there was nothing she could do about it. I definitely prefer to be in control of the gears!

Have had both through the years. Manual for sports cars, but when DD1 produced DGS, I had to get a sensible car - the Grannymobile. It’s automatic, but I’ve got flappy paddles (ooo er Mrs!) if I want to give the engine a work out.

Automatic every time.

I drive both. Started off with a manual car. I think they are both easy. You just ha e to remember that you have gears in a manual one, automatics make you lazy with your left foot! I believe that if you pass your test in a manual car you can drive automatics but not the other way round, not 100% certain on this though.

My new (well, nearly 2 yrs old) car is a manual. There are still plenty of them, @Esspee, and there were more to choose from among the not-very-old 2nd hand.

Dh prefers an automatic - his is - but having had both TBH I wasn’t bothered either way. I don’t see that an automatic is necessarily safer because you can concentrate on the road. An experienced manual driver doesn’t even have to think about gear changing - it becomes ‘automatic’. However I can see that for a new or nervous driver, it may well be preferable.

I passed my driving test and Advanced Driving test in a manual car but now I have an Automatic car I love it and wonder why Manual cars still exist.

I just could not manage a manual car...failed a few times ?so I moved to an automatic - and passed.

Aldom, those old Riley's do indeed fetch a good price whenever one comes up for sale. They were built solidly, a lovely car, I wonder if you kept a photo of it?

Surely most cars these days are automatic? The last time I drove a gearshift car was during my test half a century ago.
Driving is easier and safer in an automatic because the car does all the gear changing for you so you can concentrate on the road.

i am wary of automatics. because they do not stall like a manual, there are frequent incidents of injury where a person has confused the pedals.
this nearly happened to me years ago, when an auto volvo mounted the kerb at speed, described an arc and luckily embedded itself into a sturdy lamp-post.
a few seconds earlier i had been standing on that spot.

Spangler Great story.
I used to use double declutch on hill starts. You may be interested to know before our marriage my then boy friend was the proud owner of a Vintage Riley, and he was a member of the Riley Register. The car was sold to buy my engagement ring. I believe Riley cars are valuable now.

I insisted that proper use of the gears was one of my few remaining skills, but ten minutes test driving an automatic changed my mind. Manual Fiat 500 now being used to teach GD1 to drive and I have no intention of ever driving a manual again. We live in a rural area with narrow, quite hilly lanes and life is just so much simpler now.

Spangler

Aldom Mon 02-Nov-20 22:41:04
Spangler I was taught by my husband to double declutch. Long time ago though. Used it too.

Well done you, it's not easy but it's most helpful to assist steep hill braking. You might like this anecdote.

Women can't drive of course, not that they drove trucks, buses, taxis and farm tractors during the wars of the 20th century. Nor can women double declutch, what is known as, a crash gearbox. Of course they can't, they are just females.

My wife often asked me what I was doing when I double declutched, so I explained how it slowed a vehicle without the gravitational pull that happens when you have to brake hard. It took a while to teach her but eventually she cracked it and often used the technique with great dexterity.

At her inaugural training when she became a paramedic, one of the driving skills that the ambulance service instructed was double declutching. It was used to help reduce forward movement whilst braking when carrying an injured patient.

My wife was out with her instructor and two younger male trainees. The instructor had gone through the concept a number of times, now it was the trainees turn. First fellow nigh on ripped the gear stick out and the second didn't fair much better either, he all but tied the gear stick into a reef knot.

Now it was the girl's turn, the female, women can't drive, remember, and women certainly can't double declutch. My wife gave them a master class. The two males went stony silent, the instructor looked across and said: "Done this before, have we?" "One or twice," my wife replied, with that smug look that said it all. I mean, ladies can't possibly double declutch, can they?

Wow just wow

We still have an old Morris minor (which I don’t think needs double declutching) but I prefer driving my little automatic ,

Aldom Mon 02-Nov-20 22:41:04
Spangler I was taught by my husband to double declutch. Long time ago though. Used it too.

Well done you, it's not easy but it's most helpful to assist steep hill braking. You might like this anecdote.

Women can't drive of course, not that they drove trucks, buses, taxis and farm tractors during the wars of the 20th century. Nor can women double declutch, what is known as, a crash gearbox. Of course they can't, they are just females.

My wife often asked me what I was doing when I double declutched, so I explained how it slowed a vehicle without the gravitational pull that happens when you have to brake hard. It took a while to teach her but eventually she cracked it and often used the technique with great dexterity.

At her inaugural training when she became a paramedic, one of the driving skills that the ambulance service instructed was double declutching. It was used to help reduce forward movement whilst braking when carrying an injured patient.

My wife was out with her instructor and two younger male trainees. The instructor had gone through the concept a number of times, now it was the trainees turn. First fellow nigh on ripped the gear stick out and the second didn't fair much better either, he all but tied the gear stick into a reef knot.

Now it was the girl's turn, the female, women can't drive, remember, and women certainly can't double declutch. My wife gave them a master class. The two males went stony silent, the instructor looked across and said: "Done this before, have we?" "One or twice," my wife replied, with that smug look that said it all. I mean, ladies can't possibly double declutch, can they?

Aldom

Vickysponge Thank you!! You've reminded me that we also had an old Morris Minor. It was the early 1960's. I remember the bonnet flew open whilst my husband was driving. Very scary when suddenly we could not see where we were going!!

Haha we had one like that. The clutch went on ours and we had to push home to the nearest garage! Happy days!

Vickysponge Thank you!! You've reminded me that we also had an old Morris Minor. It was the early 1960's. I remember the bonnet flew open whilst my husband was driving. Very scary when suddenly we could not see where we were going!!

Aldom

Spangler I was taught by my husband to double declutch. Long time ago though. Used it too.

Wow Aldom I am impressed. We did have a very old Morris minor years ago but I couldn’t drive then so sadly I never learnt how to double declutch?