Manual vs. Automatic

That was exactly our son's plan and he had quite a few lessons in the area of the test routes in and around the centre of Middlesbrough. However, when he took his test a few weeks back the examiner immediately had him drive several miles away from the normal routes to a different town altogether, Thornaby. To my son's relief that is the town where he works and so he was somewhat familiar with the roads even though his instructor had never taken him to that area before. He passed first time, but he did fail his theory test the first attempt because there were questions in it that required knowledge of how to drive a manual, which he has never done in his life. He said that all the online practice tests he had done had never asked about changing gears or hill starts in a manual etc.

I failed my theory test twice before passing. First time I think it had to do with the manual questions throwing me off. Second time it was being under-prepared still and also being nervous because of the fact I had failed before. Passed third time in a totally different location with nicer staff after having taken manual lessons so I understood the gear questions a lot better!

Bizarre they took him away from the normal test routes!

I failed my theory test twice before passing. First time I think it had to do with the manual questions throwing me off. Second time it was being under-prepared still and also being nervous because of the fact I had failed before. Passed third time in a totally different location with nicer staff after having taken manual lessons so I understood the gear questions a lot better!

Bizarre they took him away from the normal test routes!

Our son is a nervous nellie at the best of times so I can just imagine how freaked out he must have been when the examiner had him drive way out of town.  On the positive side there is a limited time to do the test so he didn't have to do many or any of the optional stuff with the long drive out and back, so no driving on a satnav, no emergency stop, no parallel park etc. He was dreading reversing into a parking spot but the examiner had him do that right close to the test centre at the very beginning of the test and he said the examiner was very nice, plus it was late afternoon, the last test of the day.

Our son is a nervous nellie at the best of times so I can just imagine how freaked out he must have been when the examiner had him drive way out of town.  On the positive side there is a limited time to do the test so he didn't have to do many or any of the optional stuff with the long drive out and back, so no driving on a satnav, no emergency stop, no parallel park etc. He was dreading reversing into a parking spot but the examiner had him do that right close to the test centre at the very beginning of the test and he said the examiner was very nice, plus it was late afternoon, the last test of the day.

I think the only actual manuever they really had me do on the road was the 3-point turn. We didn't have the satnav introduced at that point so I just had to follow the directions given to me by the examiner. At the end of the test, I had to reverse into the space at the test centre.

Wow, thanks for all of the replies! I didn’t think about road tax or maintenance costing more. You guys have convinced me to look into manual more and at least try it out before writing it off. I think I’ll feel calmer about it once I’m actually over there and settled and my to do list is less overwhelming. Although no guarantees I won’t still end up with an automatic, I like having a free hand for the radio

Dunno about the rest of you guys... But I can eat a hamburger and drive my manual Ibiza. Yes, I did have less free hands when I first started driving but now that it's been 3 months I'm driving like I did in the States with my 73 Volkswagen Bug. 😊 My last car was an automatic in the States.

I do still want an automatic as it's easier to drive, but would settle for a Hyundai i20 as I like the gear box better.

Dunno about the rest of you guys... But I can eat a hamburger and drive my manual Ibiza.

Same here... although mine's usually a venti black iced tea (the cup holders are too small!) in my Duster.

For some reason I always forget that people are frightened to bits of learning how to drive a manual transmission. My Dad took me out on a manual when I was learning to drive and then I used to drive tractors and trucks around the plant nursery I worked at as a teenager.  I bought my first manual transmission car at the age of 19 and since then have never owned an automatic car. I taught a few ex boyfriends how to drive manual cars (on my cars) over the years. My British husband obviously didn't need me to teach him.  (Although he feels he needs to teach me how to drive, just in general terms, every single time we're in the car  )
Take some lessons in a manual car, you'll laugh once you get the hang of it at how easy it really is.   

Ok, I have been studying the driving test guide all afternoon.

Zebra = striped crossing, like on Abby Road Album Cover. You only stop if someone steps into it.
Pelican = you push a button to change the light to let you go. If someone pushes the button, you follow the lights' directions.
Toucan = the same as Pelican except that bikes can ride across?

Car lights. Jeezus, I've only had a car with high and low beams, and parking lights. Now we're talking driving lights and fog lights and running lights? Do most cars here have all those kinds of lights?

Studying the road signs. I see a stop sign in the book. A nice familiar stop sign. And I haven't seen a single one of them in Glasgow. Do they not exist here?

I'm feeling really panicky about this test. 

Ok, I have been studying the driving test guide all afternoon.

Zebra = striped crossing, like on Abby Road Album Cover. You only stop if someone steps into it.
Pelican = you push a button to change the light to let you go. If someone pushes the button, you follow the lights' directions.
Toucan = the same as Pelican except that bikes can ride across?

Car lights. Jeezus, I've only had a car with high and low beams, and parking lights. Now we're talking driving lights and fog lights and running lights? Do most cars here have all those kinds of lights?

Studying the road signs. I see a stop sign in the book. A nice familiar stop sign. And I haven't seen a single one of them in Glasgow. Do they not exist here?

I'm feeling really panicky about this test. 

I’ve seen one actual stop sign, and not another since. Nan, don’t panic! If you study the book and take some practice tests you’ll be golden. I got my UK driving license not so long back, do the practice for theory and hazard perception and you’ve got this.


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Ok, I have been studying the driving test guide all afternoon.

Zebra = striped crossing, like on Abby Road Album Cover. You only stop if someone steps into it.
Pelican = you push a button to change the light to let you go. If someone pushes the button, you follow the lights' directions.
Toucan = the same as Pelican except that bikes can ride across?

Car lights. Jeezus, I've only had a car with high and low beams, and parking lights. Now we're talking driving lights and fog lights and running lights? Do most cars here have all those kinds of lights?

Studying the road signs. I see a stop sign in the book. A nice familiar stop sign. And I haven't seen a single one of them in Glasgow. Do they not exist here?

I'm feeling really panicky about this test. 

The key is to just study, study, study, and then study some more! I made the fatal mistake of not reallllyyyy giving it a proper study the first time (or two  ) around! Don't be like me! Just study your buns off and you'll be fine.

So even though I'm going "automatic only" I need to know the manual stuff too?

So even though I'm going "automatic only" I need to know the manual stuff too?

You all take the same theory test. 😁

Okie dokie. (Thank goodness I drove a manual for years, then!).

I am doing the online practice hazard tests now, and not doing terribly well. It seems I identify the hazard before the computer thinks it's a hazard. I guess that I should just plan on clicking several times for each perceived hazard, then, to make sure that at least one of them gets in the scoring box?

Nan,

Here: https://toptests.co.uk/ 

They have 9 mock tests you can take over and over and over again to get familiar with the different things on the test. As you get things wrong, make yourself a note of what you got wrong and what the right answer was and keep taking them. It'll become muscle memory, just like it was learning it over here or learning how to use your computer or anything else. 

As far as auto vs. manual, I learned how to drive both when I was 15. I like the control a manual gives you (you feel more a part of the car) but I also like the ease of an automatic, especially if you are driving through stop and go traffic or have lots of hills like here in Seattle. When we move over, we'll probably get an automatic for my partner and a manual for me.  He wants to learn how to drive a manual as well and wanted me to teach him but, just because I know HOW to drive one doesn't mean I'm a good teacher. I agree with what the others have said, take a couple classes. I think you'll be surprised by the end of even the first one how you do.

Honestly, the hardest part is just starting from a stop. But even then, its just a matter of finding the right amount of gas to give and how fast to let off on the clutch. It's kind of like a dance. People over think it and when the car jerks forward and stalls, they become flustered and think they broke something. But you're just finding that sweat spot between how much gas to give and how much to let off on the clutch. You'll stall the car a number of times, you'll accidentally rev the engine because you're giving it MORE gas but not letting up on the clutch enough. It's expected and part of learning the "feel" of the car. Even after driving manuals for 30 years, I've done it when I've bought or rented a new car. But then after a few times you're like "Ah ok, its just a little bit of this and a little off of that and here we go."   And once you get going, its super simple, just a matter of push in the clutch, move the shifter to the next gear, let off of the clutch and give it gas again (simple version ).

I promise you'll be like "This really wasn't as hard as I was thinking it was."   

Okie dokie. (Thank goodness I drove a manual for years, then!).

I am doing the online practice hazard tests now, and not doing terribly well. It seems I identify the hazard before the computer thinks it's a hazard. I guess that I should just plan on clicking several times for each perceived hazard, then, to make sure that at least one of them gets in the scoring box?

The key is learning "the art of the click".  Click too soon and it doesn't count.  Click too late and it doesn't count.