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#1 2003-11-26 6:15 pm
- Enigma
- Member
- From: Trapped in a David Lynch Movie
- Registered: 1999-02-24
- Posts: 2955
Stickshift, or Automatic?
So, do you prefer an automobile with a stickshift, or an automatic?
Let's look at the pros and cons:
Stickshift.
-More mechanically efficient.
-More fun to drive. A feeling of satisfaction one does not get with an automatic.
-More reliable.
But:
-Harder to drive in modern-age traffic. Clutches wear out fast in stop-and-go traffic, not matter what your personal skill level is at driving one.
Automatic
-Easier in modern-age traffic.
-They're building them much better now, than a few generations ago.
-Some vehicles go well with them.
But::
Repairs can be very expensive. Generally not as reliable. Can "act up" at inconvenient times.
Enigma.
"Wait....Worry..."
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#2 2003-11-26 6:17 pm
- Nutricious Me
- Member
- From: Cobra
- Registered: 2003-07-28
- Posts: 1719
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
stick. because thats what my dad swears by.
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#3 2003-11-26 6:18 pm
- scudincII
- Member
- From: The Clubhouse
- Registered: 2003-11-13
- Posts: 2710
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
stick. because thats what my dad swears by.
Same choice, same reason.
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#4 2003-11-26 6:19 pm
- milpool
- Member
- From: Minnesota
- Registered: 2000-10-31
- Posts: 150
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
gotta be a stick. Much more fun. More control. its like indy every day.
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#5 2003-11-26 6:22 pm
- Tria
- Minor Prophetess
- From: Madison, WI
- Registered: 2000-05-13
- Posts: 18087
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
Stick.
Soooo much more fun to drive.
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#6 2003-11-26 6:26 pm
- JohnWilliams713
- Member
- From: Atlanta, Ga
- Registered: 2001-02-12
- Posts: 4584
- Website
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
My 69 Firebird has a 3 speed automatic, but I have a Hurst ratchet shifter that let's me drop down and shift through the gears like a manual, but without having to deal with a manual clutch. Normally, I shift myself.
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#7 2003-11-26 6:31 pm
- Enigma
- Member
- From: Trapped in a David Lynch Movie
- Registered: 1999-02-24
- Posts: 2955
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
D'Oh! I forgot to add the poll. (smacks self)
Enigma.
"Wait....Worry..."
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#8 2003-11-26 6:39 pm
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
I like automatics, although, i wouldn't not buy a car just because it's a stick. I woulda still bought the car i have, even if it was a stick. I just figure why shift it myself if the car will do it for me. 
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#9 2003-11-26 6:45 pm
- Z
- Member
- From: Miami
- Registered: 2003-07-03
- Posts: 2257
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
Stick. It's more fun, and I feel it forces me to pay more attention to driving. Plus, for the same new car, stick vs. automatic is usually a $800-900 difference.
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#10 2003-11-26 7:09 pm
- Roc Kit
- Leave blank to use forum default.
- From: Untold Ages Past
- Registered: 2001-08-22
- Posts: 2935
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
All else being equal, I'll take a stick, but it's not an important consideration for me. As long as it has an eight-track, I'm happy...
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#12 2003-11-26 7:14 pm
- quadrajets
- Member
- From: --;
- Registered: 2003-11-11
- Posts: 378
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
Both. When I wanna drive an automatic, I drive my Lumina. When I wanna drive a stick, I drive my rice burner.
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#13 2003-11-26 7:30 pm
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
I can do a stick but I'm all about the automatic if I want the car to leap across an intersection.
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#15 2003-11-26 7:46 pm
- TheConfuzed1
- Faking Sanity
- Registered: 2000-04-19
- Posts: 20194
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
I prefer different transmissions for different scenarios, but in my ideal circumstance (take a look at my avatar), it has to be a manual. That Ferrari would be kinda pussified with an automatic in it. 
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#16 2003-11-26 7:51 pm
- benightedbastard
- Cheap and Juicy!
- From: Western Australia
- Registered: 1999-06-03
- Posts: 28733
- Website
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
I'm not sure you could even run a car like that with an auto transmission.
What's with you guys calling a manual a stick, anyway? Most autos have sticks in them, too.
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#17 2003-11-26 8:04 pm
- Og
- Member
- From: Ha!
- Registered: 2002-01-18
- Posts: 5133
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
It depends on what I'm doing with the vehicle.
If it's a truck, and there is a possibility that I'll be towing something, then I'll go automatic. Actually, I'll always go auto with a truck. Towing with a standard is a damn good way to burn up clutches fast.
Car, little if any towing, better for ripping up the roads, stick is much more fun. Sport(ish) car only, of course. Sedans don't usually have standards.
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#19 2003-11-26 9:03 pm
- shoeman
- when did this happen?
- From: somewhere new
- Registered: 2002-02-04
- Posts: 7372
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
What's with you guys calling a manual a stick, anyway? Most autos have sticks in them, too.
I don't know much about cars, but wouldn't an automatic having a stick defeat the purpose of having an automatic?
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#20 2003-11-26 9:12 pm
- JohnWilliams713
- Member
- From: Atlanta, Ga
- Registered: 2001-02-12
- Posts: 4584
- Website
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
The stick is the shifter and both automatics and manuals have a "stick" to shift gears. An automatic just takes care of gears 1-whatever your car has, but you still have to use your stick shift to put the car in reverse, park, etc. People call manuals sticks because you spend a lot of time with your hand on the stick as you're constantly in control of when the car will change gears.
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#21 2003-11-26 9:34 pm
- Temetka
- High Priest
- From: Behind the altar...
- Registered: 2002-07-02
- Posts: 2149
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
Stick.
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Jdude wrote: Anything in the name of Temetka, I suppose.
Metallica wrote: Obey your Master!
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#22 2003-11-26 9:40 pm
- Thunderstruck
- Goatee
- From: West Melbourne, Vic
- Registered: 2002-11-19
- Posts: 2662
- Website
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
automatic just cuz the traffic here is murder.
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#23 2003-11-26 9:44 pm
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
For driving on a twisty road in rural areas? A stick, of course. For my commute down 95 and around the DC beltway? Get real. I think I might've killed myself the other night if I'd been driving a stick.
Many modern automatics will easily last the life of the car. And for many models of cars, an automatic is standard equipment. You have less control, but it makes it easier to change songs on your iPod while driving in traffic. My next car might be a stick, it might not. If it is, I'll have to figure out a different commute.
That said, I'd never ride a bike with an automatic (there have been a few). Precise throttle/clutch control is essential to staying upright, IMO.
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#24 2003-11-26 9:47 pm
- Blaze
- Member
- From: CH54
- Registered: 2002-12-23
- Posts: 4503
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
I prefer different transmissions for different scenarios, but in my ideal circumstance (take a look at my avatar), it has to be a manual. That Ferrari would be kinda pussified with an automatic in it.
The Enzo has an electronically automated transmission that changes gears without a clutch pedal. 0-60 in 3.3 seconds is damn fast though.
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#25 2003-11-27 12:48 am
- benightedbastard
- Cheap and Juicy!
- From: Western Australia
- Registered: 1999-06-03
- Posts: 28733
- Website
Re: Stickshift, or Automatic?
I don't know much about cars, but wouldn't an automatic having a stick defeat the purpose of having an automatic?
Tell me, shoeman, how are you going to move your automatic out of park and into drive without a stick?
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