Can You Drive a Manual?

maxyzee on 25/06/2023 - 20:02
Last edited 25/06/2023 - 21:34 by 1 other user

With my daughter almost up for her Ls I’ve been debating with my wife about whether she goes for a manual licence or auto licence.

I’ve been pushing for both kids to know how to drive a manual, and I know realistically most of the time they’ll be driving an auto but I still think it’s a useful skill to have in those instances. Before our current cars my car was a manual and man was it a pain in the arse cos my wife couldn’t drive it so if ever went out with that car I couldn’t drink haha.

Anyway I was wondering how common is it nowadays for people to not know how to drive manual and also how common or not common it is for parents to be teaching their kids a manual.

Poll Options expired

  • 614
    Yes I can drive manual and own a manual car.
  • 1058
    Yes I can drive a manual but don't currently own a manual car.
  • 95
    No I can’t drive a manual but would like to.
  • 262
    No I can’t drive a manual and have no desire to.
Automotive

Comments

    • ssfps on 25/06/2023 - 22:08
      +1

      How have you avoided any of those instances in 20 years of driving? Never borrowed somebody elses car, or rented a manual, or driven a work ute, or bought a second cheaper car?

      I've been glad I had a manual license dozens of times in the last 15 years, even though i've only ever owned autos.

      • jjjaar on 26/06/2023 - 07:14
        +3

        Yep, borrowed other peoples cars - all autos. Nope, never rented a manual - if I’ve needed to rent a car, I’ve just rented an auto. Yep, driven the work cars - autos always available (no utes in my workplaces). Nope, never bought a second cheaper car.

      • ruinawish on 26/06/2023 - 14:11

        Never borrowed somebody elses car,

        Isn't the opposite relevant too? If you drive a manual, and your auto-only driving friend needs to borrow your car… well, they can't. You could have avoided that instance with an auto.

        • barcer on 26/06/2023 - 18:54
          +1

          If you drive a manual, and your auto-only driving friend needs to borrow your car… well, they can't

          Seems like another good reason to own a manual to me!

          • skidexa on 26/06/2023 - 22:50

            @barcer: Until you had a few too many and need to leave your car and take the uber

        • ssfps on 27/06/2023 - 00:08

          The point is that 20 years ago half the cars on aussie roads were manuals. Even if you own an auto (i've always owned autos), i've found it useful to have a manual license many times. Now it's becoming less useful, i don't disagree there - merely it seems strange that in 20 years of driving somebody wouldn't have found it useful to have a manual license.
          20 years ago almost everybody went for a full manual license.

          • seannami on 27/06/2023 - 08:20
            +1

            @ssfps: Got my license 20 years ago. Driven a manual once pre-license- dad insisted I try to learn and he spent the whole time acting like we were going to crash (white knuckle on seat "watch out for that rock!" which was several meters off the road etc)- I'd been learning on an auto for nearly 2 years, so I could drive. Put me off for life. Never touched or needed to touch a manual since, even renting utes for moving.

      • johnno07 on 27/06/2023 - 07:30
        +1

        I too have an auto licence. No one in my family, nor extended family, had a manual car. Drove one once in a driving lesson, but then CBF paying whatever the hourly rate was to learn if I didn't need it. Cut to nearly 20 years later and I've never needed to drive a manual. Cost me a few hundred extra Euro in Europe, but other than that completely unaffected.

    • the wiz on 01/07/2023 - 18:33
      -2

      If you've had a licence for 20 years and have not once, not once (I've had a drink can you drive my car?) been in a situation where being able to operate a manual vehicle might be a useful skill then you have had a life I cannot even imagine.

      Other than your parents, do you personally know anyone who has ever owned a car?

  • Euphemistic on 25/06/2023 - 20:38
    +2

    It’s getting less and less necessary to learn how to drive a manual, especially as we move to single speed EVs. I believe it’s a good way to teach some mechanical sympathy. You learn to listen to the vehicle a bit more.

    My kids will be driving a manual and I’d be more likely to purchase a manual for them too. For small, older cars I just feel as though a manual is less likely to cost big $ if it goes wrong.

    I know of a family who’s son got his licence in their auto cars, then got an apprenticeship and had to get his manual licence within 6months. That required purchasing a manual vehicle for him and then taking the test again. his employer helped out with the licence test fee I believe but the rest was a big cost to the family.

    I bought a manual 4wd 12 months ago, went against the flow knowing an auto is inherently ‘better’ in both traffic and off road. But I don’t drive in much heavy traffic and like the direct connection between engine and gearbox. Family wagon is an auto.

  • Malik Nasser on 25/06/2023 - 20:41
    +3

    Grind them till you find them.

  • Lunarboogie on 25/06/2023 - 20:47
    +1

    I recently brought a manual vehicle after a decade of driving an auto as I wanted a change. I enjoy it a lot, though I live in Canberra which has little traffic. I couldn't handle it if I lived in the big smoke where those poor bastards spend half their lives in snarls.

  • TEER3X on 25/06/2023 - 20:53

    Enjoyed driving manual, but had no idea there was a specific license for it.

    Only thing I regretted was that no one else in my family drove manual so the car didn't get much use.

    The reason I purchased a budget manual car in the first place was, because, at the time the real sports cars were all manual, so I thought I'd be rich enough at some point to buy one (didn't happen though)

    • Euphemistic on 25/06/2023 - 21:15

      It’s only auto specific for the first bit of your licence, (maybe 12 months?) then you can drive manual whenever you like.

      • md333 on 26/06/2023 - 13:05
        +1

        It varies by state. Several states require you to sit a new test to drive manual regardless of how long you've been driving (WA is one).

  • p1 ama on 25/06/2023 - 20:53

    I’ve been debating with my wife about whether she goes for a manual licence or auto licence.

    Hate to intrude on this seemingly important spousal discussion, but have either of you bothered to ask your daughter whether she wishes to learn to drive a manual or not?

    Before our current cars my car was a manual and man was it a pain in the arse cos my wife couldn’t drive it so if ever went out with that car I couldn’t drink haha.

    Good, so she can drink and you can be the designated driver.

    Anyway I was wondering how common is it nowadays for people to not know how to drive manual and also how common or not common it is for parents to be teaching their kids a manual.

    Ultimately, it's not a terribly important skill, and it's not that hard to learn should she ever want to drive a manual. The key is wanting to actually learn it. The fact that you don't even own a manual car just means that it's not something she would want to learn at this point realistically.

    My family car was an automatic when I learned to drive. I didn't learn to drive a manual until years later because I wanted to buy an MX-5 and getting the auto variant seemed like a crime. It literally took me a day or two to figure out how to drive a manual and within two weeks I had developed the muscle memory to be able to daily drive a manual like I could an automatic. Obviously not advanced techniques like heel-toe, but I could shift up/down and knew which gear I had to be in at a particular speed.

    I know a lot of people who've only ever driven automatics, wanted to buy a manual car, and similarly learned within weeks. Should note that I'm in VIC, where a full license allows you to drive a manual even if you took your test in an automatic (so no "retesting").

  • Low Battery on 25/06/2023 - 21:08
    +1

    It's getting harder to buy a manual car these days, currently on Carsales there are 30,259 manual cars and 182,063 Automatic cars for sale across Australia.

    For new cars, there are only 1,389 manual cars and 32,693 Automatic cars for sale across Australia.

    • R4 on 27/06/2023 - 17:28

      Sure but you can get better bargains on some manual cars.

  • Mechz on 25/06/2023 - 21:12
    +5

    Lean to drive a manual with no power steering. Then take the easy road.

    • Nugs on 25/06/2023 - 21:20

      Or vacuum assisted brakes
      .

      • TightAl on 26/06/2023 - 15:21
        +1

        Better ride a horse and cart first

        • Mechz on 26/06/2023 - 15:54

          I can do that too. Riding a horse on its own is harder.

    • JIMB0 on 26/06/2023 - 00:05
      +2

      Plus hand cranked windows, manual choke and no air con to defrost the windscreen. Very tricky on a frosty morning.

      • freddofrog42 on 26/06/2023 - 15:17

        Hmm - summed up my 1980 Lancia Montecarlo although it did have power windows, albeit with a manual lever you could insert in seconds via a plastic plug in the door trim.

        Still miss that car

        • Mechz on 27/06/2023 - 19:02

          Sounds like the designers knew the quality of workmanship to come.

    • R4 on 27/06/2023 - 17:24

      This.

      Do this and you'll be able to drive anything.

    • ninjadefuse on 27/06/2023 - 17:31

      I have a 2016 built car that has no power steering. Also manual.

  • Nugs on 25/06/2023 - 21:26

    SA does not distinguish auto or manual. My three children who have all recently passed in auto have manual cars
    .

  • Benoffie on 25/06/2023 - 21:46
    -4

    Mine's on his Ls. Been driving since he was around 12. Learnt to drive manual.

    He says the importance of understanding the balance of gears, braking, torque etc that you gain by driving a manual is the most important thing.

    He also says that the progression from manual to auto is easier. Oh and that SUV and auto 4x4 drivers should learn manual because they're one down from a truck.

    Or, in more basic terms, if you want to use a pen you've got to get your pen licence.

    There, straight from the teen. 🤷😂👍

    • Scrooge McDuck on 26/06/2023 - 14:38

      WTH is a pen grandpa?

      • Nugs on 26/06/2023 - 15:53

        that $160 accessory for crapple pads
        .

  • bobbified on 25/06/2023 - 21:48
    +1

    I learned how to drive manual because they were common back then (auto was usually about a $2000+ option) and I thought it'd be helpful when I got out with friends and they drink etc, I could still drive their cars home. I've only ever had one manual car (a WRX - that was wrong to have in auto!) and then a motorbike after. Knowing manual helped a lot when learning to ride.

    I personally find driving manual in the city traffic to be quite annoying and kind of pointless, but that's me.

  • original15 on 25/06/2023 - 21:49

    Own a manual car but selling it
    1 car family, new car a few months back and only came in auto

  • Hardlyworkin on 25/06/2023 - 22:19
    +7

    If you don't want your car stolen and taken joyriding get a manual. The 14 yr olds stealing it won't be able to drive it far

  • seannami on 25/06/2023 - 22:26

    I didn't have access to a manual to learn on until a few weeks before my driving test. I can change gears, but haven't done it in 22ish years and there's really no point in modern cars

  • jakka on 25/06/2023 - 22:42
    +1

    My daughter is also going to getting her Ls in approximately 1 yr. She is going to learn manual. That’s partially because my car is a manual, and also because she is interested and wants to learn manual.

    Personally I think it is a good skill to have, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find new cars with a manual transmission.

  • mskeggs on 25/06/2023 - 23:06
    +2

    Probably also worth considering electric cars don’t offer manual gear boxes at all.
    Very likely when your kids are your age the only manuals left will be collectors items.
    Even now almost no new cars are manuals, something under 5%. If it wasn’t for the cheapest Hiluxes being manual there would probably be even fewer, though I admit the ute market does still have its share of stick. If a WHS study comes out showing manual work vehicles get in more accidents even that will finish.

    • AustriaBargain on 25/06/2023 - 23:25

      electric cars don’t offer manual gear boxes at all

      Electric cars don't even have gears. They have a single "gear" and you have all the power available to you right away.

      • barcer on 26/06/2023 - 18:59

        Electric cars don't even have gears.

        This is not true of all EVs. The Porsche Taycan, for example, has two gears.

    • Euphemistic on 26/06/2023 - 05:42
      +3

      Modern safety systems don’t work as well with manuals. Workplace vehicles will slowly mandate autonomous braking and radar cruise. Both of these don’t work well with a manual. My manual ute doesn’t have radar cruise while it’s auto siblings do have that feature.

      • randysal on 26/06/2023 - 14:56

        My son's manual polo does have radar cruise and it works surprisingly well. You do make a good point though.

  • Ghost47 on 25/06/2023 - 23:18
    +10

    I drive and own a manual car.

    Definitely teach your kids how to drive manual. Driving manual is a much more engaging experience than driving auto. Compared to driving automatic when you drive manual it feels like you are actually "driving" whereas if you drive auto it just feels like you're steering the car and not doing much else besides pressing the pedals.

    IMO when you learn to drive manual you learn to juggle lots of tasks, e.g. clutch control and changing gears on top of checking your mirrors, ensuring you have enough space to the car in front, maintaining a steady speed, having an idea of how many cars are around you and where they are etc. The increased workload makes you think harder and forces you to become a good driver because you have to do so many things at once. The most important thing is that your daughter is engaged when they're driving and driving a manual car will force them to be engaged 100% of the time, whereas in an automatic car it's easier to get distracted because there's not as much thinking involved.

    On top of that, driving manual is just pure damn fun. I intend to drive my car into the ground and hopefully the next car I buy will be another manual. Not interested in EVs, especially Teslas with their stupid huge touchscreens which force you to take your eyes off the road, I'll take physical buttons any day of the week. Adding to that, it seems like most cars that have a CVT these days have more safety features compared to their manual equivalents like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring etc. (I know for Subarus this is the case anyway) and whilst all that kind of stuff is good to have, people who are learning to drive should not rely on them or should be forbidden to use them until after they clock up 120 hours of driving (which used to be the requirement). If someone has five hours of driving and then turns on lane keep assist or lane centering assist to help them stay in the lane I would say their instructor is doing a terrible job and should be fired. It's as if cars are becoming so simple to drive that you don't need to worry about anything anymore because the car will do everything for you, which is bad because IMO it can lead to complacency.

    I'd say the best way to teach someone how to drive is to use the most basic car you have, because if your car has blind spot monitoring (for example) then it means the person learning can basically forget about their blind spot at all times (i.e. one small part of maintaining their overall situational awareness) because they're relying on the car to do it for them.

    IMO you should also teach your wife to drive manual, isn't part of being in a relationship to learn and teach each other things?

    After a quick Google it actually appears that all these safety features new cars have could be making people worse drivers.

    https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/report-new-cars-safety-sys…
    https://slate.com/technology/2021/01/drive-assist-technology…
    https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2530234
    https://www.thezebra.com/resources/driving/driver-assist-tec…
    https://www.zdnet.com/article/uh-oh-advanced-driver-assistan…

    I think if the car you own has any fancy safety features you should limit the use of them until your kids have racked up a solid amount of hours behind the wheel. Give them the "raw" experience so to speak, because IMO that's the best way to learn to become a good and safe driver. Not enough people realise that you can actually die when you get behind the wheel, if more people realised that I think people would drive more safely.

    • thereyougo on 26/06/2023 - 09:27
      +3

      I totally agree with what you have written, with the addition, people should get their motorbike license alongside their car license. Too many people aren't doing head checks, this is something taught while getting your L's but quickly forgotten once on P's. I've been riding for 35+ years and drive manuals and the amount of people who drift into my lane and loose their mirrors is getting worse. I love my motorbikes and any manual vehicle, auto's I find are very boring, with no real feel for the vehicle, being engaged with the operation not just sitting there pressing the go pedal.

    • Brianqpr on 26/06/2023 - 10:35
      +1

      I agree that manual driving naturally increases concentration and in my view is more fun than driving an auto.

    • freefall101 on 26/06/2023 - 11:19
      +1

      My only flip point to this is it can depend on the car. I have an Atto3, driving it without the fancy safety features is near dangerous because the visibility is so poor. I'm basically relearning to drive with this thing in a lot of ways, it's very different.

      Still worth learning a manual car if only because it's good for the brain, you can feel how the car works and learn a lot about how a car works (and it's fun). I wouldn't just get a new car and turn the safety features off though, I'd get them in an older car where it's designed without those safety features in mind.

    • trapper on 26/06/2023 - 11:33

      When driving a manual, you have much more precise control of the exact movements of the vehicle. The response is instantaneous, and almost feels like a seamless extension of your own body.

      In contrast, an automatic lacks this level of control. There is also often a noticeable delay in the car's response adding to this sense of disconnection.

      To me, driving an automatic feels more akin to some kind of a driving simulator or even playing a computer game.

    • Snowie on 30/06/2023 - 09:29

      Agree with Ghost47 Too many driver aids allows drivers to feel like they are just in an appliance. An A-B box where a large proportion of the driving is done by a "driver aid" and like a muscle, when not used it atrophies, leaving people overall less capable. Couple that with the Dunning-Kruger effect and they will over estimate their ability (and maybe even post on forums about why autos are better than manuals. ;) )

      I appreciate that we should not be making everyone do things the hard way, stop start traffic is never fun, but perhaps the solution is not to reduce overall driving ability rather than trying a different way to get people where they are going (dare I say a train/bus/tram/bicycle.) Wouldn't it be better to drive with all attention and senses when you're driving and not drive when you don't have to.

      We own manual cars and we're teaching my son to drive manual.

  • AustriaBargain on 25/06/2023 - 23:23
    +2

    I can, as long as i can change gears very slowly and hold up traffic, and can stall a lot.

    Apparently out of all the new cars sold each year only 10,000 of them are manuals, probably even less now if that data was from a few years ago. I don't really have a desire to learn and if I ever had to learn in a pinch I'm sure i could figure it out after a few hours.

  • shxhshzhz on 26/06/2023 - 00:03
    +1

    Kids of the future sitting in the back seats of EVs aren't even going to know what a transmission is.

    • bobs burgers on 27/06/2023 - 17:25

      Not even sure how to put in H?

  • apple2016 on 26/06/2023 - 00:08
    +1

    I drive a manual. Its fun for trackdays etc. i dont see the point of learning manual unless your daughter wants too.

  • JIMB0 on 26/06/2023 - 00:10
    +2

    Should be a poll option for people that can't but bought a manual anyway and stalled it on the test drive.

  • loropy9 on 26/06/2023 - 00:11
    +3

    Learning manual is ok if you have the time, because you'll have an extra skill. 15 years from now it will be an extra skill to know how to drive a car with a steering wheel. With all this self driving automation, AI stuff etc.

    • shxhshzhz on 26/06/2023 - 00:20

      Sad that knowing how to drive a car at all will become a rarity eventually.

      • Euphemistic on 26/06/2023 - 06:30
        +9

        Not many know how to saddle a horse nowadays. Is that sad too?

        • shxhshzhz on 26/06/2023 - 11:24

          yes very sad

      • myhotsti on 26/06/2023 - 09:14
        +1

        One day in the near future, the kids wont even drive themselves, and they will be totally shocked that people used to actually be in control of their cars. I can just imagine their discussion about how back in the old days if cars were going to crash into each other or run off the road that actually happened and there was nothing to prevent it. And if you got a flat tyre you’d have to stop and change it. And sometimes people ran out of petrol, so they'd have to go and get some and bring it back lol
        Driving is a rarity now…manual=driving, auto=steering

  • hasher22 on 26/06/2023 - 01:04

    I wanted to learn when I got my p plates but too lazy cause I live in the outer city so I knew it will be a massive headache for me. Automatic for the rest of my life for me and I don't mind it.

  • iridiumstem on 26/06/2023 - 02:34

    I used to drive a work van which was probably on its way out (especially its clutch). It wasn't fun to drive something that's older than you with few 100kgs of goods, but I am comfortable to say I can drive a manual.

    I would, unless I absolutely have to, drive an auto over a manual since I don't need any more anxiety around driving.

    • iridiumstem on 26/06/2023 - 11:35
      +1

      One thing I forgot to mention that I think is important, I think it's important to learn how to drive a manual properly if you want to drive a manual.
      That work van was buggered because someone rode the clutch like there was no tomorrow.

      I am not the best when it comes to driving but, I think bad habits die really hard when it comes to driving.

  • beesquared on 26/06/2023 - 07:37
    +1

    Our son was not going to be going to uni or having an office job. We taught him to drive a manual which has been useful in different jobs having to drive work cars etc. He has a manual Ute and enjoys it, although playing footy and being sore after a game, auto would be easier to drive.

  • djandymarc on 26/06/2023 - 08:16

    The issue these days that even if you wanted a manual you cant get one.
    I remember when i bought my skoda RS back in 2010 as soon as i said i waned a manual. I had only one choice. A black one coming into the country in a month. If i wanted any other colour or option i would have to wait 6 months. Could have got any colour ot option in the auto… so i ended up getting a black skoda!
    Most car makers have stopped offering manuals which sucks entirely. If you wanted a manual family car these days especially something like a 4wd. Its either a ute or nothing else, and forget about any luxury options like leather etc.
    As for learners i think it should be mandatory that they pass their test in a manual.
    I know when my kids get their Ls in a few years they will be learning to drive a manual.
    As for the excuse of manual's are no good for traffic… what a load of $@#t! Never had a problem with it. When you drive manual cars all the time it's just second nature and don't even have to think about what to do etc.

    • Euphemistic on 26/06/2023 - 08:45

      As for the excuse of manual's are no good for traffic… what a load of $@#t! Never had a problem with it.

      I haven’t had any problem with manual in traffic either. But it would totally suck if my commute included a lot of bumper to bumper, stop-start traffic. Doing it occasionally is OK, doing it every day would not be enjoyable.

    • beyondtool on 29/06/2023 - 20:53

      Depends on the clutch. It’s a pain juggling a heavy clutch through more than half and hour of stop start. But that’s the biggest drawback of a manual IMHO.

    • Snowie on 30/06/2023 - 09:37

      Don't you just love the car manufacturers telling us that no one buys manual, but forgets that they reduced the availability of manual to the povo-pack or like djandymarc only bothered to import a few anyway.

      Economists in car firms gave us front wheel drive, told us that auto was a 'premium' feature that they could charge more for, and made all the top models auto only. They made the answer a foregone conclusion.

  • zanzir on 26/06/2023 - 08:28

    yes drive manual and will get auto when forced to get a big family car and have to sell the manual

  • 2esc on 26/06/2023 - 08:45

    "Automatic transmission

    This condition is displayed as an 'A' condition on the driver licence card. At the end of your probationary period, you can drive vehicles with a manual transmission without having to do another driving test provided the condition is not required due to a medical condition or impairment."

    Vicroads.

    Let your daughter get it in an Automatic she can drive a manual later.

    Your wife can drive a manual she just doesnt want to.

  • Caped Baldy on 26/06/2023 - 09:07
    +1

    Manual makes it more difficult to use your phone when driving

  • payless69 on 26/06/2023 - 09:12

    I have a stalkless Tesla and cant find the gears…

  • lilbudgie on 26/06/2023 - 09:14
    +1

    I drive a manual as does my husband and our kids were all taught manual. The upside is they can get in any car and just drive it, me included. I have driven an automatic but because driving a manual for so many years driving a manual has become automatic for me. I do admit though when I do get into an automatic my left foot feels slightly weird like it should be doing something. On the plus side they are slightly less likely to get stolen by kids as they can't drive them.

    • daanish on 26/06/2023 - 09:36

      I do admit though when I do get into an automatic my left foot feels slightly weird like it should be doing something.

      I daily drive a manual and have a motorbike so I'm used to all of my limbs doing something when I'm on the road.

      If I get into one of the work fleet cars or I'm in a rental there is always at least one instance approaching the lights where I'll slam my left foot down expecting to find a clutch and usually just smack my foot into the foot rest. It's even more funny if I have one of my younger colleagues in the car who has never seen a manual and just thinks I'm an idiot.

    • Euphemistic on 26/06/2023 - 10:07

      I do admit though when I do get into an automatic my left foot feels slightly weird

      We had two near identical vehicles. One manual one auto. A few times Ive jammed on the brake of the auto when going to push the clutch in, or near stalled the manual because I forgot I needed to use the clutch and gear stick.

  • fakefilo on 26/06/2023 - 09:23

    I just learned to drive a manual these past months, 7 years after getting my full licence. I wanted a Forester for more space and capability camping, but I needed it cheap because I was planning for it to be my second/weekend car while still fairly modern for safety features and reliability. So to get that combination, my options were manuals.

    It was hell for the first 2 weeks with the stalling, clutch riding and gear grinding. Even got pulled over by Police because of the constant stalling in traffic. But after a month, I decided to sell my automatic car.

    The satisfaction I get from a smooth take off and gear shifts makes driving more fun and engaging. It now also opens the possibilities of me being able to drive some weird old cars that I've been wanting to look into.

    I do recommend learning how to drive in an automatic before going to manual though. It was easy for me to focus on gear shifts and my foot on the clutch because I already knew all the road rules

  • jonkvh on 26/06/2023 - 09:38

    I can drive an 18 speed Road Ranger. Not B-double's though, yet.

  • GordonD on 26/06/2023 - 09:43

    When a manufacturer of enthusiast cars like BMW states an intention to abandon building manual cars, you know its the end of the line for manual gearboxes.

    Manufacturers have to do everything they can to get their emissions numbers down. And they can calibrate automatic gearboxes to consistently get lower emissions numbers than they can rely on getting from drivers changing gears manually.

    Plus EVs almost without exception don't have gearboxes, and the ones that do are automatic.

    • Brick Tamland on 27/06/2023 - 23:07

      The automatic gearboxes are so good now its making manuals redundant.

  • Kraise on 26/06/2023 - 09:45
    +1

    took manual licence and drove a manual for 15 years, I've switched to auto about a year ago.

    its still a useful skill, especially if you are travelling to Europe. Many countries still drive manual there.
    also i find manual drivers have better footwork even when they are in an auto car, braking and acceleration are just smoother in general

  • Pip Y on 26/06/2023 - 10:00

    we were asking ourselves that exact same question at the beginning of the year as our son gained his L's

    we have settled on automatic as it was even hard to find driving instructors that had manual cars to learn in - and we haven't had a manual car for years so we couldn't teach in either of our cars.

    the only use case we could think of for manual was if you were ever to go on The Amazing Race - they always have a challenge that involves driving a manual ;)

    we are happy with our decision. it did go against the grain a bit as we both learnt to drive in manuals and drove them growing up - but the times have changed now.

    • Euphemistic on 26/06/2023 - 10:10

      it was even hard to find driving instructors that had manual cars to learn in

      I found this too. Trying to book a lesson for my kid and the instructors pretty much said lesson in auto unless you want to use your own car.

    • Ghost47 on 26/06/2023 - 12:11

      we have settled on automatic as it was even hard to find driving instructors that had manual cars to learn in

      That’s a good point. It’s one thing learning in a manual car but another learning in a manual car that has a second set of pedals.

  • endolphin on 26/06/2023 - 10:03
    +2

    I have only ever owned manual cars (7 so far) and would like to keep that streak for as long as possible.

  • Wasabi Ninja on 26/06/2023 - 10:05
    +1

    I got a manual license when I turned 18 (Victoria). I’ve never owned a manual car, but driven heaps of manual work cars. It would have been a massive problem for me not to have a manual license throughout my adult life.

  • onetwothreefour on 26/06/2023 - 10:24
    +2

    I learned to drive in the UK in a manual because up until that point, I think I had only ever seen one or two automatic cars. I was surprised when I came to Oz and every car I got into was an auto. I have now been here for close to 20 years and have only driven a manual a couple of times when I have needed to hire a ute, other than that I don't think I'll ever drive a manual again and don't really see much point.

  • Brianqpr on 26/06/2023 - 10:32
    +1

    Learned in UK at at time when almost everyone drove manuals. Have saved quite large amounts on hire cars as manuals have been a lot cheaper than autos on several occasions.

    These days though there maybe isn't much point given autos are so prevalent and also driving an auto is far easier to learn.

    If you want access to cheap used cars though being able to drive a manual is very handy as the market for them is shrinking.

  • ForkSnorter on 26/06/2023 - 10:35
    -1

    Happy Auto driver here. I initially learned to drive in a manual car, but have never owned nor driven one since. I find the gear-shifting too distracting, and even too much effort. Prefer to focus all my attention on the road.

    • Euphemistic on 26/06/2023 - 11:11
      +1

      I find needing to use gears increases my attention to road conditions. You need to anticipate what gear to be in next

      • Brianqpr on 26/06/2023 - 16:12

        Agreed, I think you are more "engaged" in the driving process with manual as it requires you to judge when to change gears rather than just leaving it to happen in an auto.

  • Rockets84 on 26/06/2023 - 10:36

    My eldest daughter is currently on her L's. She had wanted to learn to drive a manual but then decided against it because she was told that getting a manual car was a bit difficult or choice was limited. She just bought her car to finish off her log book hours in before she sits her test. She really wanted a Honda Jazz.We couldn't believe that the majority of the ones for sale were manuals and not auto's. SMH. I would have liked for her to learn a manual because it is a good life skill but at the same time we haven't owned a manual car in over ten years and the only manual I ever occasionally drive these days is my dad's work ute. And yep, there's a few bunny hops to begin with every time.

  • kaleidoscope on 26/06/2023 - 10:50

    nope and not intending to. Unless of-course one day I've decided I'm going to drive a concrete truck or something.

    • Euphemistic on 26/06/2023 - 11:12

      Lots of concrete trucks are auto now.

      • kaleidoscope on 26/06/2023 - 11:19

        Really? Don’t you need like manual overrides on tricky situations such as hill climbing/ descent, slippery terrain etc

        • Euphemistic on 28/06/2023 - 19:34

          You can lock an auto in a lower gear.

  • cookie2 on 26/06/2023 - 10:50
    +1

    Useful to know how to drive manual but doesn't mean you need to get a manual licence from the beginning necessarily. If you've got the manual for practice then start her off on manual and see how she progresses. If you think it'll be harder for her to pass her Ps if going for manual, you can make the manual vs auto decision then.

  • zazutata on 26/06/2023 - 10:59
    +1

    Our son learnt in a manual and is now on his second manual car. He prefers manual due to what he claims is a 'more engaging feeling'. One interesting benefit of this is when he volunteered to do some charity work in India and the school where he was based only had manual vehicles. It's something worth considering if your daughter may ever end up somewhere that only has access to older cars and she needs to drive one. My son also rides a motorbike and breezed through his training and assessment due to his innate ability to understand manual transmission and clutch control.

  • ceroau on 26/06/2023 - 11:00
    +2

    Despite some of the arguments from blokes who are probably Car Enthusiasts about you know the preference in Europe/UK(opposite site of the world) or how being a manual driver make you a better driver of some nonsense. The fact remains there is no Common scenario in Australia these days for someone your child age to learn manual. Do scenarios exist? Sure but so do scenarios where people get struck by lightening while driving and I've seen many a car on the road in a storm.

    When I learnt to drive the main vehicle I learnt in was an automatic but I also about 2 driving sessions in a manual car to understand the basic mechanics behind driving manual and to get use to it. You know how often I've "needed" to drive a manual in the past 17 years? Maybe twice and each time was like 20 minutes and there was realistically other options and while I only had several sessions, I successfully drove (albeit somewhat poorly) in manual. Two maybe hour sessions 17 years ago is all I needed to say I can drive and If I had to drive a manual in an emergency situation today, like I am out in the bush in butt (profanity) no where and someone is injured and the only functioning car within sight is a manual, I would be able to get that person to the hospital, I'd feel a bit sorry for the gearbox afterwards but I'd get the person there in one piece.

    Moral of the story? There is no (profanity) reason for you to buy a manual car for the family which is where I feel like you're trying to take the conversation with you want. If you really want your kid to learn manual, hire 2-3 session with a driver learner schools that offer lessons in manual. I'd highly recommend getting her comfortable driving in an auto first before doing those manual sessions. Being adjusted to the conditions and your surrounding on the road is just as important as the training to control the vehicle you're within.

  • Brick Tamland on 26/06/2023 - 11:00

    I’ve gone back to manual after 10 years of auto. I love it.

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