Manual or Automatic car?

I have a Mini Cooper automatic and it’s great. I always drove manual cars but since suffering from sciatica an automatic is much easier on the joints and much more comfortable.

As an afterthought - I think a lot of people ‘rest their foot’ on the clutch pedal in a manual. Known as riding the clutch, it can cause damage. In addition, others, especially my Sis-inL (!) often finds herself in the wrong gear, labouring the engine, or ends up clonking the gearbox. At least with an automatic, it’s impossible to mis-use the gear box like that.

I have a manual licence which allows me to drive both that and automatic - I would never return to manual. As Graham Norton once said it is like a TV that you need to get up and press the button on the telly to change the channels rather than use a handset.

I didn’t like the idea of an automatic but Hubby changed to an automatic Freelander about 24 years ago when he had sciatica… I ended up driving it more than him…he drove mine… When I had a VW Campervan, I insisted it was automatic… a few years ago I had a Swift Select 184… again automatic… hubby’s cars were manual…I now have Osteoarthritis in my left knee, so he’s just changed to a Peugeot 2008 GT Automatic so that I can drive… just need to get use to the electronic handbrake and the stop start 🤣😂🤣

I haven't driven a manual car since 1985 and I'm not going to start again now. Automatic only for me.

I have. VW polo it is manual. I love it . But if I could afford to change I’d definitely get an automatic now. But that won’t happen

Swore I'd never have an automatic, until I drove one. Certainly wouldn't go back to a manual.

I have recently bought a new car. I test drove an automatic and hated it. I bought a manual and am happy with my choice. I have driven automatics on occasion but I just prefer having a choice of gears for myself.

As Tanith and others have said, the automatics score in heavy traffic, or just tootling round town.

BUT -- if you transition to one, having driven a manual for many years, you might in a slightly distracted moment (and we can all have them) press on both 'clutch and brake pedals' together (as you've done so many time over many years), and find you've actually in THIS new car pressed heavily on the brake and accelerator (the only 2 pedals of course!), resulting in a surprise emergency stop!

[I'm referring to the UK pedals layout. So, keep what was your clutch foot out of the action - perhaps if that's the leg with what is now a dodgy knee the process is easier?!]

We have an automatic Skoda as we both have problems with knees. Otis a dream to drive and allows you to concentrate on the road, the junction etc with also changing gears etc.

I got another car 3 years ago and it is a manual and the next one will certainly be an automatic. I’ve had really bad Covid, then Sciatica and then the hysterectomy 5 weeks ago. Not looking forward to changing the gears when I get back to driving soon.

Love my automatic.

Automatic for me - would never go back to a manual again

I drive both, next purchase will def be automatic!

Automatic for the last 20 yrs or so and would not want to go back to manual. Mind you for a couple of years after the change I would find my hand going down to the gear lever when I pulled up at traffic lights or whatever.

My car can be driven as an automatic or manual and I’d never select the manual function don’t like the paddle gear changers

I'm in my 70s, started driving at 18, worked in car hire for a few years, drove all over the country for various jobs without a second thought. 18 years of helping run our family business from home and I now have terrible driving anxiety and only drive locally. We have just got (on lease) a plug in hybrid which is therefore an automatic and I've only driven it once, it seems so big, but the automatic bit is OK, just keep your left foot on the little shelf provided for it.

I remember many years ago whilst on busy motorway which weren’t as busy as they are nowadays and the clutch went

never been more frightening than driving with no gears so the same problems can be hand irrespective of whether car is manual or automatic.

Having driven both I would choose my automatic any day of the week.

My husband fought against getting an automatic for years, until he developed back problems. You don't realise that changing gears impacts your back until you get backache....He bought an automatic and has found it to be amazing. Of course, I'd been driving an automatic for a long time....😉

I had a left replacement shoulder operation after a crash on my bike. The surgeon recommended I bought an automatic car. I wouldn’t go back to a manual car now.

Septimia

I wouldn't touch an automatic if could help it. Years ago my father referred to an automatic as a "woman's car". Since he was, at the time, teaching me to change the wheel, clean the plugs and set the points, the thought put me right off automatics! (I'd like to point out that he wasn't really a misogynist, just an engineer!)

What set the seal on my opinion was the time my friend's mum took us out for the day - in her automatic car. Something had gone wrong and it wouldn't move out of second gear for miles, leaving us chugging along at about 20mph.

Like all the gadgets now being fitted to cars (including the computerised stuff in manual geared cars), it seems to me to be just another complication to go expensively wrong. Once upon a time you could lift the bonnet and stand a fair chance of sorting out the problem yourself...

A manual car can go into 'limp mode' when an engine fault is detected too. This quite likely wasn't about the gears as such.

Definitely an automatic. So much easier around town with all the traffic lights. When I broke my left ankle I could still drive as left leg is not needed!

I have driven Hybrids for years and they are automatic. No way would I go back to manual. Automatic saves on your back, knees and seems to better adapt to road traffic conditions, for me, anyway and gives me greater control of the vehicle. My hybrids have saved fuel costs too.

Auto ❤️

We chose an automatic because of DH’s shoulder problems. It took me ages to get used to it. I have driven manuals for nearly 50 years and my brain still wants to change gear!
However it is probably better to change to automatic and get used to it before any physical difficulty forces you to do so.