Well, after joining Darkside Racing team I'm considering going to the dark side with a new car. I might actually...gasp...buy an automatic. I'm as much of an enthusiast as the next guy (or gal), and I'd never seriously considered going for an automatic before. I went to test drive a car today that was advertised as being a manual, but when I got there it was actually an auto. So, I was a bit apprehensive about it but I thought I might as well test drive it to see what it was like. Well, it was a bit difficult at first to keep my left hand from going to the gearstick, but surprisingly my left foot never once wandered to hit the missing clutch. On the test drive (about 15-20 mins) I was never once annoyed at a slow gearchange or the car feeling like it was in the wrong gear. It kicked down when I wanted it to and changed up when I wanted it to. It's got a manual override/tiptronic/sequential changer, but I only used that a little. Overall I'm really impressed with the gearbox and I'm surprised I'm able to say that. Maybe us Europeans are too hard on them after all...

I was given an automatic Audi once as a company car.

Worse car I ever drove.

The bloody thing changed gear at all the wrong times, I swear it had been reading Steven King before I got it and wanted to be like Christine.

Kick down was "if I feel like it, or if it catches you off guard".

Aweful car.

On top of that the seats where designed for people who carry their padding with them.

I'll never buy an Audi as a personal car, and will never drive an automatic again.

Quote from Becky Rose :

I'll never buy an Audi as a personal car, and will never drive an automatic again.

I once drive a Ford Focus - worst car I ever drove. The wheel fell off and I almost crashed. I will never buy a car, or drive anywhere again.

Does that help quantify the stupidity of your statement?

Well quite frankly if you're going to the dark side you might just as well chop off your other hand so you'd have a proper reason for driving an automatic.

I like autos these days, and the amount of city driving I do it beats the shit out of manual boxes. Agreed at times an auto is just a pain in the arse (towing for example, uses insane amounts of fuel because the car is always shifting) and in a perfect world I'd have one of each, but for most of my driving needs (motorway miles or town traffic), an auto is the box for me.

There just isn't much use in a manual box these days as everywhere is connected by motorways and the like.

Does it really matter? as no doubt it will be stolen within a week

Seriously there is nothing wrong with automatics, with the traffic around these days it actually makes sense, no sitting in traffic burning the clutch at uphill junctions, you can use your left foot for holding a cigarette even. I've had two automatics recently, 4.0 V8 jag s-type (don't laugh I bought it cheap of e-bay), and well a sorta automatic e46 M3 smg, which around town the automatic smg was a godsend tbh.

Go for it mate, as long as your not planning to track the thing you will be glad you got it.

Oh but remember you won't be able to use it on CTRA servers

Quote from AlienT. :

Does it really matter? as no doubt it will be stolen within a week

Seriously there is nothing wrong with automatics, with the traffic around these days it actually makes sense, no sitting in traffic burning the clutch at uphill junctions, you can use your left foot for holding a cigarette even. I've had two automatics recently, 4.0 V8 jag s-type (don't laugh I bought it cheap of e-bay), and well a sorta automatic e46 M3 smg, which around town the automatic smg was a godsend tbh.

Go for it mate, as long as your not planning to track the thing you will be glad you got it.

Oh but remember you won't be able to use it on CTRA servers

Hehe

Don't think Volvos go down well at track days!

Hadn't thought about CTRA, might have to re-think that one...

An automatic volvo? I'll send you my pipe and slippers

Quote from AlienT. :

An automatic volvo? I'll send you my pipe and slippers

ONLY Automatic ROVERS are pipe and slippers cars.

Quote from AlienT. :

An automatic volvo? I'll send you my pipe and slippers

Pipe and slippers don't come standard on this one (plus it's not an estate!)

Quote from amp88 :

Pipe and slippers don't come standard on this one (plus it's not an estate!)

And if the EU get their way it'd be banned for not reaching 35MPG >.<

Yeah, I have to say, automatic transmissions have become very smart lately. Consider the one in the Porsche, which got a raving review from a Formula 1 driver, and is actually faster to 60 than a manual. Even for towing now, there are new smart modes that don't select the wrong gear, and there are a growing number of cars nowadays which have all but eliminated the "hunting for the right gear" issue.

Besides, I really truly think an automatic makes more sense in most cars except real true sports cars. As I see it, until the day that I really get a good sports car, or a car that I plan on using as my weekend speed demon, I'll stick with an automatic. It makes more sense for daily driving.

Well truth be told, last time I towed with an auto was in a car the same age as me, so I suppose I should reserve judgement until I try it with a newer auto.

Many (many) years ago, I had a Cavalier CDi auto, and I liked it alot, I would certainly consider another auto.

Amp Amp, if you've got that much to spend get a used M3, great value, e46 can be had for 15k these days

Quote from AlienT. :

Amp Amp, if you've got that much to spend get a used M3, great value, e46 can be had for 15k these days

Hehe, can't afford 15k. Getting it for quite a bit less than that. Not really a massive fan of BMWs either, to be honest.

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

And if the EU get their way it'd be banned for not reaching 35MPG >.<

It's not the EU that wants to ban them, it's that the former head of Shell wants the EU to ban cars that don't do 35 mpg. The EU wouldn't do anything that stupid because the Germans will say nein as they will actually support their manufacturers.

Quote from duke_toaster :

It's not the EU that wants to ban them, it's that the former head of Shell wants the EU to ban cars that don't do 35 mpg. The EU wouldn't do anything that stupid because the Germans will say nein as they will actually support their manufacturers.

That's the guy, he probably only wants it put in place because Shell sacked him xD

The law would shoot everyone in the foot though, I don't know many cars that can reach 35MPG, so we'd all be driving around in shopping trolleys.

Automatic certainly has some nice sides although with rwd and kickdown it might be too scary on winters. One of my friends has an old auto Sierra, 2 litres and rwd with auto box makes it a bit handful at times but the awful tires may have something to do with it . Automatic is very appeling choise but I wouldn't put autobox in anything that wants to be sporty car. Haven't driven any modern triptronics or paddleshifter cars but a gear shifter and clutch pedal makes a car imho a bit more fun with some added difficulty at times .

Quote from spankmeyer :

Well quite frankly if you're going to the dark side you might just as well chop off your other hand so you'd have a proper reason for driving an automatic.

Very well said. And I did infact gasp when I saw the automatic part of the first post.

When I'm driving around Plymouth sometimes I want to kick myself for not opting for an auto, they save so much leg work, and modern gearboxes are very good at what they do.

Did have a bad experience once last year though, was on my way home in a Citroen C4 by myself, tiny bit of spirited driving, the gearbox decided I wasn't going fast enough, so just as I was going for the brake pedal for a bend the gearbox stuck in 2nd when it wanted to go to 3rd, at full throttle in spite of my foot being rather firmly on the other pedal, rev counter starts flashing red at me, one of the scariest experiences I've had on the road. Stupid computer controlled stuff.

Quote from Stang70Fastback :

I once drive a Ford Focus - worst car I ever drove. The wheel fell off and I almost crashed. I will never buy a car, or drive anywhere again.

Does that help quantify the stupidity of your statement?

I stuck my head in the mouth of a lion once and lost an ear, I guess I should do it again...

Stupidity is repeating the same mistake, so I'll never have an Audi as a personal car after having already enjoyed the Audi experience.

Quote from Becky Rose :

Stupidity is repeating the same mistake, so I'll never have an Audi as a personal car after having already enjoyed the Audi experience.

Nope. Stupidity is having a bad experience and then assuming that all other vehicle types from all other years from the same company must be terrible cars. And considering how many people swear by Audi and how many raving reviews their cars have recieved, I'd be likely to think that you either cannot drive, or you happened to have a bad experience with a malfunctioning vehicle.

My Subaru had a head gasket defect, which caused the car to overheat in the middle of the mountains in sub-zero weather, leaving us stranded when trying to return home from vacation, and making us miss the beginning of school after break. However, my next car will be a Subaru because I know that my particular model engine was the one with the defect, and that Subaru has not only fixed this, but continues to get fantastic reviews as being some of the best cars on the road.

maybe its stupidity, maybe prudence, maybe preference (Audi are definately not femme) or maybe passion for cars.

You still won't sell me an Audi by telling me in stupid.

Old crappy autos suck all the pleasure out of driving, but I actually quite enjoy a good automatic, especially around town where you can rest your left foot for a change. It's nice when you aren't worried about 'being one' with a car and just want to get somewhere.

Quote from Hyperactive :

Automatic certainly has some nice sides although with rwd and kickdown it might be too scary on winters.

Once you get used to a car you should be able to avoid kickdown when you want to. Just get used to where it happens and avoid using too much throttle.