Are automatics fun?

ScarySquirrel

ScarySquirrel

ScarySquirrel

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Please exucse my naivity on this subject. I have driven a crappy Corsa for the past 7 years which to be honest I have ragged the **** out of.

I am now (finally) looking to buy a new car (new in the sense it is new to me, I am actually eyeing up MR2's which are older than my Corsa) and there is one in particular which is a an automatic.

I have only driven company car automatics (a Golf and a Prius). So, my question is, can you have 'fun' in an automatic, or does the fact you have no control over the gears limit what you can do?

I just feel like I would be bored driving an automatic. Am I just being a retard?
 
Sure you can have fun, but not as much as you can have in the same car with a proper manual in my opinion. Although this really depends on how good the respective manual and automatic boxes are and weather the auto has a steptronic mode or not. I really have no idea at all what the gearboxes in MR2's are like, most of my experience with autos has been in German cars with 6 cylinder+ engines, where they work fantastically well.

I far prefer an auto for mundane day to day driving, but you can't really beat a manual when you are out on your own, on some b roads just having fun.
 
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Dad's 156 Selespeed is fun, it's a robot controlling a manual gearbox. You get it double-de-clutching and stuff. It's a bit clunky round town though, generally better driven in manual mode.
 
Are autos fun?

Yep, sure are, esp when coupled to a powerful 6 cylinder engine and paddleshifters on the wheel.

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For most driving auto's are ace. If you want to push on or track your car i'll stick with manual please, or SMG/DSG if pushed.
 
Housey said:
For most driving auto's are ace. If you want to push on or track your car i'll stick with manual please, or SMG/DSG if pushed.
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Housey - what did you get your M3s in, manual or SMG? I'm getting one soon (e46) and 99.99999% set on SMG, what's your opinion on this?

I'm rarely going to track it, but want the best driving experience possible. Never been overly amazed with BMW manual gearboxes (long throw, bit clunky), and for the days when i decide I do need a third pedal - I've got my 318.
 
NickXX said:
Housey - what did you get your M3s in, manual or SMG? I'm getting one soon (e46) and 99.99999% set on SMG, what's your opinion on this?

I'm rarely going to track it, but want the best driving experience possible. Never been overly amazed with BMW manual gearboxes (long throw, bit clunky), and for the days when i decide I do need a third pedal - I've got my 318.
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Both of mine were manual Nick as I was never a fan of SMG though I know Tax Evader thinks that makes me a gayer as he is a fan! I used my M3's as day to day mileage munchers so part of my decision came down to what I felt would give me the least amount of pain. I always found the box in the M3 fine, like any car you become use to its foibles and I always found the pedal layout was great for heal toe changes.

Drive both and go with what you prefer as always. SMG to me has always been a Marmite thing.
 
chaparral said:
Also don't forget there can be a big drop in MPG with an auto vs manual box...
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this is moreso in older autos, my A3 with DSG is more economical than the quattro (manual) by a couple of MPG according to the stats.

and to answer the OP, i would say newer autos are fun (where you can override), but older ones where you get PRND12, i'd imagine to be a bit boring, though i can't say i've experienced an older one so i may be wrong.
 
my 300zx is auto and its nowhere near as fun as the manual 200sx i had before, but its a bigger heavier car and less of a country lane fiend, having said that its still fairly fun just not as controllable ie with keeping it in the power band unless i keep it in 2nd, but it is very responsive and will change down in an instance and i like the lazyness of it too.

It all depends what you want from a car really, if I could choose again I would probably go manual as most of the 300zx guys that have converted to manual say they've welcomed the change and its transformed the car.
 
I've had manual and auto and without a shadow of a doubt a manual feels more sporty and enjoyable. Automatics are fantastic for being lazy and just cruising about, or when stuck in traffic etc.

You really really want to drive both variants as everyones different.
 
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