When people have learnt to drive an automatic car how long has it taken them?

Glentoran_FC

learn on automatic and your options are limited, you can drive manual cars, other way round though and you can

chuckles951

As an engineer I consider manual transmissions to be obsolete and too much of a distraction. People who sing the virtues of manual over automatic are still thinking of the automatics of 40 years ago.

Learn to drive with an automatic and then if the need ever arises then transition to a manual. For 95% of people the need never arises.

My daughter took 2 months from starting to learn to passing her drivers test.

GOD

I can never understand why people do not opt for autos anyway, with a manual car in heavy slow moving traffic, you are continually pushing down the clutch to change up and down the gears, always have to get hill starts on slight gradients and take it out of gear at traffic lights or hold down the clutch, with an auto, you put it into drive, when you have to stop in traffic, you just apply the brake, when you pull away again, you just push down the accelerator, at traffic lights, you apply the hand brake when you stop and take it off when you go, to change down to accelerate past another car, you just push down faster on the accelerator and the auto gearbox will go down a gear to accelerate faster, this is called a kick down, why we still have manual cars is a mystery to me, autos are so relaxing to drive, boy racers might think that it is great to thrash up and down the gears because they think that it is faster but most of them just thrash the guts out of the engine by being in the wrong gear for the revs, I am 61 years old and I have had dozens of cars manual and auto since the age of 17 and modern automatic cars are far better to drive and with a good choice of car they are much smoother also, it is handy to have a license for a manual car but you can always get that later, an auto license will get you on the road sooner because it is easier to learn.

Britbloke

Chuckles is correct. People who insist manual is vital are living in the past - heck, even Formula 1 cars are automatic these days!

If you regularly borrow a friend's manual car or you regularly need to drive a van, manual might be handy - otherwise, automatic is fine.

However, don't be deceived into thinking it's going to be that much easier to pass the test. Sure the gears are easier, but everything else about the test is identical to the manual.

cosmo

I had to get a car after a serious m/cycle accident. Could only drive auto`s. Took 4 "lessons" ( that means a driving instructor sitting in the passenger seat and not doing much !) and passed my car test 5 weeks later ! Mind you, I had been riding m/cycles for 15 years, so at least I wasn't`t a "newby" on the road !

r doug w

Pros..easier to master (but your stuck with automatics for ever)

Cons..learn to drive a manual, and,( you can drive automatics in the Future) and be a 'real' driver.

ANDY

Hello

Automatics are a lot easier to drive.
But remember if you pass your test in an automatic it only gives you a full licence for automatic cars. Any time you drive a manual you would be back to L Plates and being accompanied.
However if you pass in an manual car you will get a full licence for both.
I drove Manuals for 27 years but have now switched to automatics 8 years ago. If you honestly are happy driving Automatics then you will find the test easier. Personally I would recommend contacting a driving school and enquire about trying both.

Andy C

automatic: put the gear in D and drive
manual: have to know when to shift, how to properly release the clutch, etc

rambo76098

There's not any learning involved with driving an automatic. If you've never driven before, it will be easier to learn to drive while using an automatic because there's less to do.

I highly recommend learning how to drive a manual at some point or another, because you never know when you might need to be able to.

Eleanor Of Aquitaine

Automatic?
What is this world coming to?
Tsk Tsk.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: