I think it really depends on the vehicle.

Personally, I wouldn't want to drive a 7 series BMW, E or S class Merc, Lexus LS or the like without an auto. Further, I don't think there's too many SUV's or trucks that I would want to row either. Call me crazy, but hey....

That said, I am the first to cringe anytime I see an automatic C5, 3 series BMW, Miata, or even Honda Civic and Prelude. Driving a manual really adds to the experience in most cases. I feel that I have far better control of the vehicle and I actually enjoy it (most of the time.).

I can't say with a straight face that I'd feel the same way if I had to deal with the gridlock and hills of say San Francisco or the sheer lunacy of Manhattan but then again, I probably would have a completely different car if that's where I live.

I would have been disappointed if Honda decided to bow to the weenies and offer an automatic S as they did with the neutered NSX.

 

An automatic? I'm not that brain dead, yet!

 

My last two cars had automatic transmissions. I hated them. I had one car for about 1 year and got rid of it because it was not fun to drive at all. I wanted my wife to get a manuel in her car, but she wanted an automatic. I will only get an auto if I buy a truck or if I have the S2000 in the garage.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Da Hapa
[B]I think it really depends on the vehicle.

 

I like automatics when I'm tired and in stop-n-go traffic. Other than that you can keep 'em. Strangely enough there's some scuttlebutt that BMW is developing an automatic for some motorcycles for precisely the reason mentioned above, many drivers (in the USA) can't drive a stick and are therefore even more unlikely to try a motorcycle. Sounds silly to me.

 

I think it totally depends on the car. I went from the 6 speed tranny in the s2000 to an automatic in my IS300 and the change really doesn't bother me. I doubt I will every drive a stick again unless it feels as secure (without the 2nd gear grind though) as the s2000. I can still keep it in a low gear through corners with the e-shift stuff, but other than that it is pretty pointless to use e-shift. If I'm not in a sports car, I really don't need a manual because I don't really drive like a bat outa hell anymore.

Guess I should take my slogan outa my sig eh?

 

In my 32 years of driving and owning ten cars, I have had three cars that had automatics. I love driving with a stick... ALWAYS. If those three had stick, I'd be proud to have only driven stick. Automatics put you to sleep and you are just there for the ride. However, sticks give you a better feeling of control and you can imagine you're Michael Schumacher at Monza. You just can't do that with an auto.

 

In my lifetime I've seen one; as in singular, application for an automatic tranny. The gentleman was paralyzed from the waste down, and when he strapped himself into the car before going out onto the track at Watkins Glen he told me as much as he tried he, just could not get a good shift from gear to gear with the column actuated clutch/shifter combo he had previously tried. He went with the automatic so all he had to do with his hands after the car was put into Drive was brake, apply gas, and steer.
If you need an Automatic (exclude the Ferrari semi-auto which is more like a clutchless manual) maybe you should consider a taxi or chauffeur.

 

You really can't fully appreciate driving and all of its wonderful vectors without a manual transmission. With an auto, you feel like you are being led in directions that you don't inherently want to go, while a stick gives you the control to follow those tight lines around the turn or to let the engine rev up high and breathe the way it was supposed to.

Yay for S2K ... I'm a poet and I don't know it.

 

Australia is also following the American trend, that's for sure. Local car producers, Holden and Ford Australia emphasize on building automatic cars before manual versions. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Anywhere in Australia, if you see a local produced car ... 99% of a time it's definitely an automatic transmission. No $hit, and I hate the way Australians drive. At the lights, they like to use all the torque in their crappy pushrod technology V6 or V8 to push the car all the way to the speed limit and just CRUISE. Damn idiots I say!

The other thing I'm very aware of, Australians who drive automatics have a major problem in understanding and controlling the vehicle they drive. They usually look like some weird a$$ on dope driving and stepping an endless cycle of braking times before coming to a complete stop. Just taps, taps and more taps of the brakes and from the back it looks like some ambulance in operation and sometimes it confuses me with red lights. No wonder it's good business in Australia if you're a brake pads specialist or rear light bulbs change shop.