why do americans drive automatics?

Adz said:
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Finally, there is the fact that, as the market is limited, european car manufacturers don't put the effort into their auto gearboxes that American manufacturers and/or cars made for the American market do. As such, European autos are often clunky, power sapping and hideously unreliable. Not only that but they don't do a great deal for resale value, especially once the car is out of warranty.
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The first 6 speed auto was European made and fitted to a Jaguar then BMW and the first 7 speed autos were made by Mercedes.
 
Alibaba99 said:
The first 6 speed auto was European made and fitted to a Jaguar then BMW and the first 7 speed autos were made by Mercedes.
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Question - what does the number of gears have to do with the quality of a gearbox? :)
 
Yea, a lot of the 'newer' boxes simply seem to spend their time hunting up and down the more narrowly spaced ratios which is terribly irritating....matching to narrow powerbands, possibly.
 
Lopéz said:
And what gives you such a hardon over not changing gear?

It's personal preference. Some people like autos and some don't. Get over your hatred of manuals.....
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where do i say i hate manuals? where do i say i love autos? :confused:

personal preference - get over posting the obvious :rolleyes:
 
silversurfer said:
DSG beats them both but will vw ever license it out
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Surely its a matter of time before everyone has a different way of doing the same thing :D Personally like auto's for long trips where i'm in a big car, and like manuals for my thrill seeking moments, can see arguments for both, and both exist as there is a market for both.
 
Don't like american auto boxes as they are far too slow to react when booting it, now as for german engineering, now were talking, floor it and you know about it instantly.
 
Chocki said:
Don't like american auto boxes as they are far too slow to react when booting it, now as for german engineering, now were talking, floor it and you know about it instantly.
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Strange. The TH 'box in my Olds reacts very quickly to hitting the throttle, much quicker than the one in my grandad's old E46 328i. What American gearboxes have you tried?
 
silversurfer said:
Which would generally last longer, manual or auto?
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generally an autobox will last longer, most manuals need a clutch between 80,000 and 120,000. despite the fact a clutch should be seen as a consumable, a new clutch can be a rather big job.

also when looking at a second hand car, I would expec t a auto to have been driven with more care and respect; no nutters holding the revs to the redline and no numptys driving everywhere in 4th.


how does everyone feel about the bmw m5 which has an electrically controlled manual box?
 
Tommy B said:
Gears make the driving experience a lot more interesting. Autos are for old people who've had enough.
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m25 rush hour in a manual. makes an interesting drive..... my ass.
 
Tommy B said:
Gears make the driving experience a lot more interesting. Autos are for old people who've had enough.
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I'm 23. Didn't realise that made me one of the 'old people' you deride for not being desperately bothered about rowing up and down a gearbox in town/in traffic/getting up to speed on the motorway.
 
Tommy B said:
Gears make the driving experience a lot more interesting. Autos are for old people who've had enough.
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I tend to agree, although there is nothing wrong with a good auto, I'd get bored. Changing gear may be laborious for some people, but it keeps me awake and engaged.

Plus my left leg get exercise :p

Just as well the market caters for both types of consumer.

Burnsy
 
burnsy2023 said:
Changing gear may be laborious for some people
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I wouldn't say it's 'laborious' - I just don't think that a) it's necessary in order to be able to enjoy driving and b) it's remotely fun when you just want to bumble along home. Yes, on a country road with no traffic in sight and a decent chassis and engine, I'd enjoy a manual gearbox. Driving in, say, London with a metric ****-tonne of traffic....I think I'd take an auto ;)
 
For me automatics and manuals both have their benefits. I drove home last night through a few Essex towns and I didn't stop at one traffic light or encounter more than one or two different vehicles at once. I basically drove at the speed I wanted to and enjoyed it thoroughly. I even at one point tought to myself "This is great" I was having so much fun. The manual transmission was an integral part of that enjoyment and involvement for me.

Then sometimes when I'm sitting on the A127, the A13 or the M25 in a queue of traffic, or bumbling along at 40mph in the pouring rain I think to myself "An automatic modee would be great about now" :p
 
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