It's interesting taking driving lessons

I love driving my manual...I never understood the gears while I was taking lessons, but once I was out on the road on my own, it all fell into place. I don't know if I would ever buy another automatic.

I'm taking lessons too and am nearly at the end of them. I've never driven a manual before moving here and decided, because of the legalities, that it'd be better to learn on a manual so I can get a full licence. It's been interesting.

Now that I'm used to it, I do enjoy the manual but at the same time I feel that an automatic can make your life easier.  I'm not sure what kind I'll buy once I have my licence but I figure the price will make up my mind for me.

It's nice to know how to drive both, though. I too never had a chance to learn in the US. My parents knew how to drive one but before I left they hadn't had a manual in decades.

I never had the opportunity to learn manual in the states.  And, unfortunately, due to time and money constraints, I am taking my test on automatic here.  DH has been giving me a lesson here and there on the manual, but, I find it all too fussy.  I just want to get on with it already!

I'd love to confuse you all, all over again when showing you cars/vehicles with Dog leg gearboxes and Right foot clutch pedals ! 

Another downside with Auto's is they do sap the engines power and are heavier in terms of fuel consumption - and often to a substantial proportion. My current 03 Auto 5 Series 'Wagon' gets around 31MPG around town with occasional 'spirited' driving - a similar manual car would get around 35-37mpg.

Downside to manuals as already mentioned is the stop start driving in built up/city centres can soon really make your leg and foot ache - especially on a high performance variant car! - there are ways to 'lighten' the clutch pedal feel, but can be expensive to do.

I do prefer manual gearboxes as I'm a sportier type driver, however - to put back some 'feel' and the performance loss of the auto wagon I have, I recently had the electronics re-mapped for higher performance and it's made a a fantastic difference !

Overall, guess you look at the positives for each and weigh up against the negatives for each dependant on your own situation and make a decision accordingly.

Cheers! DtM! West London & Slough UK!

I never had the opportunity to learn manual in the states.  And, unfortunately, due to time and money constraints, I am taking my test on automatic here.  DH has been giving me a lesson here and there on the manual, but, I find it all too fussy.  I just want to get on with it already!

That is how I feel.  I figure if I actually have money in a few years I will go for the full license.  Until then stuff it.

I'd love to confuse you all, all over again when showing you cars/vehicles with Dog leg gearboxes and Right foot clutch pedals ! 

Or how about pre-selector transmissions as were common on some buses at one time?

Then there were the semi-automatic transmissions as used by Chrysler in the 1940s and very early 1950s, which were basically a manual clutch and a two-speed manual gearbox coupled with a two-speed automatic transmission with torque converter, so you effectively had four forward gears under a combination of manual and automatic control.

I just want to get on with it already!

That's what I thought about when I finally decided I wanted to get my license here.  I went the automatic route here but I have been toying the the idea with taking manual lessons and getting a manual license.

My first car in the US was a manual and most people I know in the US learned the same way I did... just get in and go. Crazy!