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Who invented the automatic anyway?!

10K views 170 replies 39 participants last post by  testify 
#1 · (Edited)
Automatic...Dumbest invention ever? Maybe...

I cant think of a reason why anyone would want to own an automatic. Which also leads me to think, why do so many people drive automatics, and what is wrong with people if thier is a manual alternative. Which then makes me wonder why people mod thier automatics, Which then leads me to wonder why the automatic was ever invented, when it has absolutely no advantages over manuals, except maybe allowing women the ability to drive I guess (j/k!):wigglesmiley:

Manuals are lighter, less complicated (less moving parts and such therefore easier to fix and maintain), get better gas mileage, give more power than automatic counterpart, put you in control of the car much better, are WAY more fun, can start a dead battery by popping the clutch... the only advantage I see in an automatic is...none? except allowing the driver to be lazy and text/talk on the phone more while driving..
[/rant]

Yeah..so does anyone agree with me that manuals are much better to have, and there is not point to owning an automatic? Please express your opinons!

p.s. this is no offense to anyone in this forum that drives an automatic, I'm not racist against automatic drivers (well maybe a little, jk again..). This is just my view on automatic as opposed to manuals.
 
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#3 ·
^^ Why though?

my first car was a truck and it was manual, and I wouldn't have it any other way. High end luxury cars I would def want as a manual, because having a manual is sort of anti theft all in its own, cuz chances are the thief cant drive stick haha, in case they try to steal your mercedes :)
 
#6 · (Edited)
not To troll but im pretty sure if all the cars in the world were manual the guy stealing your car will pretty much Know how to drive it. and Im also pretty sure if your gonna steal a car you would know how to drive one. but in other words. Im with you, manual is my first car i cant see driving myself buying/driving auto. when i drive my dads truck with him. he laughs at me cause I wanna shift
 
#4 ·
I cant think of a reason why anyone would want to own an automatic. Which also leads me to think, why do so many people drive automatics, and what is wrong with people if thier is a manual alternative.
I've always driven a manual, and my LX Sedan is a manual.

I don't think that the manual vs. automatic choice has a right or a wrong. I think manuals are more fun, and the automatic Civic was too slow for me. That's why I chose the 5-spd MT. But I can see why people would want the convenience of an automatic. Driving a lot during the day in heavy traffic would make having to clutch in and out a pain.

The auto Civic's gearing is also taller, making highway driving a calmer experience and raising the HW fuel economy #'s. I can see why people might want that.
 
#7 · (Edited)
1)I used to drive about 10 miles on the higway to and from work in stop and go bumper to bumper traffic for about 30-45 minutes 5 days a week. Manual sucks in that situation.

2)When I'm wheeling my jeep, the automatic is 100x better than manual. I don't have to worry about installing a line lock/hill hold/etc for those sticky situation.

3) From a performance standpoint, yeah, a torque converter sucks. But many manufacturers are building dual clutch sequential gearboxs that shift faster than any human ever can. Did you know that every time you shift a manual transmission when accelerating, it costs you a minimum of .6 seconds? Think about how much faster your car would be if you could eliminate some of that loss.



edit: and to answer your question, the automatic transmission was invented by the Sturtevant's in 1904.
 
#8 ·
^^ valid points. However, when it comes to your jeep, I wasn't referring to off roading type vehicles, such as that. I can understand automatics in that situation. Also, yes I've driven a dual clutch, and I dont care if the shifts are so fast from it that it creats a time vortex and launches the car at the speed of light to its destination. It still an automatic. No clutch. No TRUE driver involvement.

@ Theflatulentfox, Obviously not every car in the world is a manual, so idk why u would say that lol. the world as it is, there are plenty of people out there who will try to steal a car and dont know how to drive stick. If my gf ever decided to steal a stick car, she would **** out of luck.
 
#10 ·
^^ valid points. However, when it comes to your jeep, I wasn't referring to off roading type vehicles, such as that. I can understand automatics in that situation. Also, yes I've driven a dual clutch, and I dont care if the shifts are so fast from it that it creats a time vortex and launches the car at the speed of light to its destination. It still an automatic. No clutch. No TRUE driver involvement.



Did you just say that a dual clutch doesn't have a clutch? :facepalm:
 
#9 ·
I think of it like this:

automatics: for people that are lazy, or looking for a simple easy driving experience. NOT FUN. NO INVOLVEMENT.

dual clutch or tiptronic: people that are performance oriented and are looking for better track times over involvement and fun of driving the car. still lack that driving enthusiast passion.

manual: true driving enthusiasts who want to experience thier vehicle the way it should, and likes to have fun and connect with thier car better.
 
#12 ·
I really don't understand why there is this 'belief' that you cannot have fun driving a car unless you are pushing a clutch peddle up and down. You aren't the only one. Its a common belief.

FWIW, I hated the dual clutch for the first 1000 miles. I was kicking myself for buying it, but after about 1000 miles, I fell in love. Automatic when you want it. Shift when you want it. Clutch drops when you want it. Its a win/win/win.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Look, you could call me a convert.

When I first started to learn how to drive. My dad taught me in this old 150k mileage toyota tercel. Pretty much a gleaming turd in the sun. It was manual, and I was just 14 on the verge of 15 year's old.

At first I hated it so much. I dreaded him teaching me to drive it. Quite honestly, I wasn't car crazy at all in those years. I mean I had toy cars and thought exotics were cool but wasn't deep into cars at all. So learning manual to me was just torture. I saw no point. I eventually got decent after about 2 weeks of practice. My dad was a hardcore instructor. He had me drive in reverse in parking lots for 5 laps or more till he was satisfied.

Being an European immigrant, I guess it was in his blood that he teach me to drive manual. In Europe, if you're a man and you can't drive a stick. You might as well wear a dress and go by the name Lucy.


Time comes to buy a car, and I was set on an SUV. I figured it would be convenient for my life style. I wanted to take friends with me go places, transport my guitar and amp etc. So an SUV it was. Well it was about a 3k difference between SUV A), and SUV B). The only real difference? One was manual and 3k cheaper. So I got stuck with the manual even though I didn't not want it at all. But I didn't complain, it was a nice vehicle for a 16 year old and so I was happy. I was still quite timid about driving stick. Well after about 2 months, I fell more and more in love with the art of driving. Actually as odd as it sounds. Driving a manual SUV, is what got me into cars and my love for them.

Sorry for the novel/blog.

TLDR version:

I can't speak for everyone but I think what motivates people to drive automatics is. The Ease of learning it, fear of manuals themselves, and ultimately laziness.
 
#14 ·
how old are you now? or how long have you been driving a manual?

For me, it got old after a while. Driving isn't a 'fun' thing for me anyomore, its just something I have to do. I get bored with a car, any car within 12 months of buying it, I'm indecisive, I get pissed of at the manual, I get pissed off at the auto, etc...

For me, as I got older, there was no enjoyment in driving a car on the street. So manual doesn't incite the harmony in me that you find in driving a vehicle for a manual transmission.
 
#16 · (Edited)
It has absolutely no advantages over manuals, except maybe allowing women the ability to drive I guess (j/k!):wigglesmiley:
Heeeeyyyy! :readtherules: I can drive a manual better than a lot of men I know, just sayin!



I think a few reasons why so many people drive automatics nowadays are:

* Traffic is more dense nowadays, it's safer and easier to drive an automatic when you are stop and go, bumper to bumper. I also find that you can keep your distance from the car in front of you better with an automatic because it "auto-drives" when you lift your foot off the brake, forcing you to not stay so close, vs. a manual which will let you get on someone's ass without your car moving.

* People with kids DEFINITELY don't want a manual because a manual involves more feet and hands and when someone has kids with low attention spans throwing crap around their car and screaming, having to worry about shifting is an additional distraction from the road on top of their annoying ass kids.

* People are lazy and think its too difficult to learn a manual transmission. I learned how to drive on a manual when I was 15, so I think this excuse is bunk...but I've heard it PLENTY of times so I know it's true.

* Automatics are on dealer lots more often than manuals. People nowadays are impatient and want to take home the first car they drive, not wait a few months for their special ordered manual transmission vehicle to come in. (I know this is also true because my dad failed and let my mom convince him to buy an automatic 2005 Mustang GT because it was immediately available and the manual would have taken 3 months to get in. :facepalm:)
 
#23 ·
Heeeeyyyy! :readtherules: I can drive a manual better than a lot of men I know, just sayin!



I think a few reasons why so many people drive automatics nowadays are:

* Traffic is more dense nowadays, it's safer and easier to drive an automatic when you are stop and go, bumper to bumper. I also find that you can keep your distance from the car in front of you better with an automatic because it "auto-drives" when you lift your foot off the brake, forcing you to not stay so close, vs. a manual which will let you get on someone's ass without your car moving.

* People with kids DEFINITELY don't want a manual because a manual involves more feet and hands and when someone has kids with low attention spans throwing crap around their car and screaming, having to worry about shifting is an additional distraction from the road on top of their annoying ass kids.

* People are lazy and think its too difficult to learn a manual transmission. I learned how to drive on a manual when I was 15, so I think this excuse is bunk...but I've heard it PLENTY of times so I know it's true.

* Automatics are on dealer lots more often than manuals. People nowadays are impatient and want to take home the first car they drive, not wait a few months for their special ordered manual transmission vehicle to come in. (I know this is also true because my dad failed and let my mom convince him to buy an automatic 2005 Mustang GT because it was immediately available and the manual would have taken 3 months to get in. :facepalm:)
I think thats the reason like 80% of the time. As for traffic, I honestly dont mind it anymore. And I can creep up in traffic by just letting the clutch out slightly till it catches and the car starts rolling. I can drive my manual car better than an automatic lol
 
#30 ·
p.s. this is no offense to anyone in this forum that drives an automatic, I'm not racist against automatic drivers (well maybe a little, jk again..). This is just my view on automatic as opposed to manuals.

Racist? I think the word your looking for jr is prejudice...

BTW I drive a auto and prefer it over shifting all the time, been there,done that.

I really dont understand whats the big deal here, just drive you f'n car and leave you stupid opinions to yourself....

Thank you
 
#31 · (Edited)
Racist? I think the word your looking for jr is prejudice...
BTW I drive a auto and prefer it over shifting all the time, been there,done that.

I really dont understand whats the big deal here, just drive you f'n car and leave you stupid opinions to yourself....

Thank you

Realistically, if you think you can control someone from posting their opinions, ESPECIALLY considering they created the thread, then maybe you shouldn't be on a forum. Don't get all butthurt because someone is disagreeing with your choice of transmission. He's just as entitled to his opinion as you are to yours. You don't like what he or anyone else is saying and have no constructive opinions to contribute yourself, then GTFO. :shrug:
 
#36 ·
i got tired of reading, so here are my thoughts (sorry if i repeated anything)

- manuals are for those that want to bring out the potential that the engine has
- manuals enable the driver to be in full control
- manuals enable the driver to fully understand how a car functions

- automatics are for people that like having a laid back life
- automatics are convenient if you're tired (you really shouldn't be driving even if you're fatigued anyway, so it may be an invalid point)

don't get me wrong, i drive an automatic now (i don't have my own car yet, i use the parentals). i plan to get a manual transmission on my first car. i'm determined to learn stick before i die. not much of a "bucket list" but it's something i WANT to do.
 
#44 ·
i hate auto trannys. its for the lazy people or the ones that cant drive stick or the ignorant ones that just dont wanna learn. you have no control with an auto. the car is driving you instead of you driving the car. why the hell are so many nice cars getting paddle shifters for. they have a delay in the shifts so you have to shift 1500 rpms sooner just so you dont bounce the limiter. they are garbage. its still an auto in my book. sports cars should never be automatic.

nissan gt-r ruined
lambos-ruined
ferrari-ruined
etc-ruined

all these rich pricks that buy these exotics dont wanna learn stick but wanna be part of the big boys with these big boys toys. they just look stupid imo. a man is not a man if he cant drive stick. i wouldnt buy a high end car just because it has paddles.

plus there would be less wrecks on the road because you have to be more alert when driving stick. you cant text, talk on the phone without bluetooth, eat, put on makeup etc. if everyone drove a car that just wasnt a to b transportation then people would be more cautious about their surroundings. im sure all of us are so cautious with our SI's that we always look around and avoid bumps, trucks, debris, puddles, tailgating, parking near other cars, etc. you get my drift.

problem is people just dont care about their cars so they dont care about anyone elses cars. if they did they would have a stick.
 
#46 ·
lambos still offer manuals so they're ok in my books. Ferrari is ruined for me. I used to be obsessed with their cars. Now I'm just like meh, all autos. Where is the fun? Same with the gt-r, it doesn't interest me. It's a computer nerds wet dream, or the balding mid life crisis guys penis erecter. But not a drivers car anymore.
 
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