Standard shift or automatic?

Im sure this has been brought up before, but i havent seen any recent threads with this particular topic. I was curious, how many of you guys prefer a stick shift? how many prefer an automatic? Personally, i prefer stick. Its just something about being more interactive with your car, and since every car is different, it presents a new challenge. Unlike the auto, where you pull the stick into drive and go, no work required. its just too easy...

Sticks are pretty fun to drive but gets annoying after a while. Now a days an automatic means it's computer controlled and programed into the ECM to run just that way, isn't always the best way either because of either EPA standards or gas mileage. The factories always did that but non computer cars you was able to change it's performance with tools, now a days you need to flash the ECM to change it.

I'd rather have an automatic, an old school automatic. You can do anything with it now a days, from a line lock, reverse shift pattern, manual valve body, to a shift kit. Love my 3 speed automatic. Again, to many gears and it gets annoying like an 8 speed automatic, PLEASE, that's just annoying there, LOL.. But wouldn't mind a 3 speed with an overdrive, just to bump up that 10 mpg to about 15 mpg on the highway for long trips.

I even got all the parts to switch my 3 speed 727 in my Jeep to an old school 4 speed stick but would get annoyed with it, maybe I'll change my mind in the future, just in case I'll keep it around, LOL.

Yeah, with today's auto's having practically as many speeds as a semi, it's funny to think that at one point they where putting two-speed automatics in cars! Hahaha! I think I'd prefer automatic as well. All the guys at my school seem to think that standards are just the bee's knees, but realistically, it would become tedious after awhile. Especially if you lived in a big city area with a lot of stop lights and what not. But I agree with Prancstaman, I like the older auto's were it was all linkages and stuff, as opposed to being computer controlled.

I like an automatic as a daily driver. Most people can't shift a manual as fast as a modern dual-clutch automatic can. For a fun, rear wheel drive car, I would want a stick. Either a 5 or 6 speed. I wanted a Toyota supra or Scion FR-S (Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT86) for a while, just as a toy, but mowers are cheaper

Its not a debate between stick, or auto transmissions... Its about freedom... Control...

Stick, fun to drive... maybe not in a big city, but we aint got none of them around here.



Id given thought to doing a 5 speed swap into my grand cherokee.

Personally I'd rather a stick, The first car I ever drove was a stick and in my opinion its definitely more fun.  My dad daily drove a 85 mustang gt for years and we lived in a pretty suburban area, he didnt mind it.  plus it makes your leg stronger lol  I like the fact of everything being manual in a car ie manual choke, brakes windows ect It just makes you feel more connected to it and more in control

Well I learned to drive on a Landrover Defender 90. 5 speed manual with high/neutral/low box. I think what you start out with is always your preference. Whenever I drive my dads auto it always takes a bit of getting used to. I think that for long distance travel/stop and start driving, auto is probably easier.

Yea I actually learned to drive in Ireland so everything was backwards for me, I have close to 40 first cousins over there (mom being an immigrant) and only one has an automatic; everyone learns to and stays with an manny tranny

Yeah I'd say the majority over here drive manual gearboxes.

I am apart of the 6.5% club. manual all the way. if it don't have 3 pedals it is not manual.

Yeah, I think it is better. Keeps your left leg strong lol

I think part of it is a lot of people are just too lazy over here to give the extra effort to learn this. i mean the modern pickups are ***** trucks, excuse the language. They have backup cameras, emergency braking, bed covers that roll and unroll themselves, tailgates that raise and lower themselves, and im sure somebody has done auto retracting cupholders. Thats not just pickup trucks either, that stuff is standard in most vehicles. Pure laziness, and it makes me mad!

I completely understand the use of an auto for city driving. all the starts and stops, i could see where that would get irritating. but seeing as i live in the open country and surrounded by backroads that i know better than the back of my hand, its way more fun to drive a stick. With a stick, you can rip between gears, not worry about the speed, not worry about the cops. just you, the road, and you do have to watch for the occasional car. What is the fun of doing all that in a car that just goes when you put it in drive?

looking at the specs, its true the modern automatic transmissions are better for pulling. Its also less distracting, so more focus is on the road. i see it as 1 hand on the stick + 1 hand on the wheel = 0 hands for texting. Accident rates would temporarily go up as drivers learned to multitask between the road and the shifter, but that would only be temporary. Thats the way i see it anyway

Yeah I totally agree. There's also that other thing that plays a tune when you stall the engine. Autonomous cars are the next thing on the horizon. I think then maybe driving will become a lost skill.

Eventually us humans are going to be so advanced we dont have to leave our houses or talk to anyone anymore to get the things we want, work a job, go to the grocery store, or other daily tasks. then, everything is gonna break down, and we are gonna be back at square one. Itll be a never ending cycle until humanity goes extinct and some other species takes our place.

I prefer manual for most things. With an auto when your rolling and you step the throttle wide open, there's an annoying delay as it downshifts. You could be rolling through a turn and floor it on the way out and you get an annoying jerk as it downshifts. Or sometimes on a hill you want to add more throttle and it downshifts when you don't want it too. With a manual the SOB stays where you want it.

Yes it does. In my grandpas f350 (it has a 5 speed) he and i were going up a steep hill with about a 10 ton load behind us, put it in 1st and it just chugged right up the hill. no jolts from shifting, no rolling backwards while it downshifted, just going. also going down hills is nice

Yeah on my Landrover the only things that are electrical are the lights, wipers, horn and starter motor. Manual is best, less things to go wrong.

Man, i wish i could find something like that here in the US. everything here, even the oldies, have a lot of electrical in them. I have a 1969 thunderbird that has power windows, a/c, blowers, electric seats, lights all over the cabin, and little electric solenoids that trigger the vacuum system when you pull the light switch out, the choke on the carb, all that good stuff. Dissapointingly enough, sitting for 15+ years does absolutely no wonders for the electrical. nothing works...at all. I take that back, the lights work, but the vacuum system does not. the wipers are hydraulic, those dont work either. its a neat car and all, but it needs to go on down the road to the scrap yard. If it were simpler, it would be an amazing car to drive. unfortunately its automatic, but its not computerized. the engine and trans (460 big block and a c6 auto transmission) are from a 77 f250. base model. as far as i know, the trans is all linkages and not computerize. in fact, i know it is. The original engine and trans (429 thunderjet and a c6 with some preformance mods) were sold and put into a foxbody mustang)

Yeah well the drive went on the Landrover tonight. Big job to get it fixed now. I think it's the splines on the gearbox shaft going to the transfer box has gone. I was going up a hill and shifted from 2nd to 1st, let the clutch out and nothing.

Autos do have their place. Driving to Harbor Freight, theres about 600 lights, all of which turn red when I get to them. Driving the truck, no problem, but the car (which is stick) sucks. But, that being said, I love the feel of shifting myself, and being able to use the engine as a brake, or wind it out, or dump the clutch for sick takeoffs really makes it some of the things that autos will never be able to do so simply. Cant wait to swap my 3sp auto out of my truck and put in the 4sp manual next year.

TheGreenHornet wrote:

Man, i wish i could find something like that here in the US. everything here, even the oldies, have a lot of electrical in them. I have a 1969 thunderbird that has power windows, a/c, blowers, electric seats, lights all over the cabin, and little electric solenoids that trigger the vacuum system when you pull the light switch out, the choke on the carb, all that good stuff. Dissapointingly enough, sitting for 15+ years does absolutely no wonders for the electrical. nothing works...at all. I take that back, the lights work, but the vacuum system does not. the wipers are hydraulic, those dont work either. its a neat car and all, but it needs to go on down the road to the scrap yard. If it were simpler, it would be an amazing car to drive. unfortunately its automatic, but its not computerized. the engine and trans (460 big block and a c6 auto transmission) are from a 77 f250. base model. as far as i know, the trans is all linkages and not computerize. in fact, i know it is. The original engine and trans (429 thunderjet and a c6 with some preformance mods) were sold and put into a foxbody mustang)

I see your point, but if you think linkages will do much better after sitting out for 15 years, you might be in for a surprise. If I had an old car like that I wouldn't say it is unfortunate if it was an auto, I'd still appreciate it. Hahahaha, when it comes to the oldies, I've always thought that if you can't appreciate it the way it is, give to someone that will.

TheGreenHornet wrote:

The original engine and trans (429 thunderjet and a c6 with some preformance mods) were sold and put into a foxbody mustang)

It's Cobrajet not thunderjet, LOL. Aw dude, you're killin me here, LOL.

He might of just got it confused with the Thunderbird engines from the early sixties, like the 390's and the 352's and what not. Not a big deal, hahaha.

Naw, it was a thunderjet engine. look up the 69 thunderbird specs, it had the optional 429 thunderjet with the c6 special select shift automatic and a 3.00.1 limited slip rear end. When it runs...it hauls a$$. My uncle and i were driving it. no hood, no grille and no exhaust system hooked up, only the headers. We were tearing down the road at a good 70mph. didnt even count the shifts, i cant remember how many speeds the transmission in it is. but that 460 didnt even break a sweat. She does love gas. I think it has a 3 speed c6. nothing special. the only drive train part that is stock is the driveshaft and the rear end.

we oughta get it driving and go play before it goes to scrap. maybe thats what we can work on when go up there this weekend