What does your car (if you have one) have for a transmission; automatic or manual? Which do you prefer? Can you even drive a stick-shift car?

I can, had to learn it if I wanted to work on our fishing site (both our beach vehicles are manual's). I prefer manuals, but my car is an automatic (I didn't have a choice, it was either automatic or nothing).

My Expedition Limited has an automatic tranny, which is of Ford’s new generation of smart/intelligent learning transmissions.

Regarding which transmission type I prefer? If I were younger I would have said a Manual (because its more fun and sporty), but over the years I have grown to like the Automatic more ... (less I have to do)

I loved having a manual. Until I got my Passat, all my cars were manual. Luckily the Passat has Tiptronic so while sitting in traffic I can drive it like an automatic. Then when I'm on a nice country road I can move it over to manual.

I can't say yet. I asked my parents to teach me, but the closest we have is a manual mode on the STS. If it was possible, we can rent a manual car and I can learn on that.

Argh i was going to do this poll!!! i wanted to ask american people if they know how to drive a manual car, anyway if European people count on this as well then i have to say that my car (as the BIG majority of European cars) is a manual, which for the moment i hate, perhaps because i got my license only 5 months ago and i have to get used to it, but for the moment i die for drivign an automatic car, and whenever ill have to buy my own car, if it is possible ill surely buy it automatic, as theres no comparision of comfortability.

I know i know, a lot of people say it is nice to shift up and down, ok not in a normal car for me, probably for a sport car but for a normal family car? nah, so that is my opinion, i have to drive a manual but would love to own an automatic.

Anyway, this question goes for american people, in the US, or also in Canada, when you go to get your license, do you lear in a manual or in an automatic? ive always wondered this so if you please sove this doubt i have

When learning to drive I quickly found "amusing" to use the manual gearbox rather than just having two pedals accelerate/break.
Maybe if I had to drive all the time in traffic jams I'd prefer an automatic, but for normal driving the manual is ok for me for the moment (and double clutch is fun for shifting down the speeds, I use that all the time - even if less useful on modern cars, it still works better when doing it)

I'd love to only have to accelerate and brake as you say, for the moment i find gears very boring and they make me feel tense and not relax so i cant enjoy the driving 100% because of them.

I have learned on an automatic. I'm getting my license possibly on November 13, and then I'm buying the Acura mentioned on one of the forum topics. Not a lot of American people drive manuals because now a days most don't know how to. One day I want to learn....

In school's driver education classes it's usually automatic. Then when you go to the department of motor vehicles to take your test it's usually in the one you and who ever you came with drove there in.

My mom had a 1987 Dodge Charger which was auto that we took for my test. Wow, that was back in 1990. My older brother did teach me manual on his 1986 Honda Civic. Then because of family issues, my mom took me around to local dealers and we found my 1983 Honda Civic S so I had a way to get to school. I really wanted a 1983 or an '86 VW GTI. My Civic was manual. Traded that in for a '86 BMW 325 which was manual and then my '97 Jetta GLX was manual...i miss that thing. I had an aftermarket air intake on it which made the VR6 engine sound awesome. I used to drive around with the radio off just to hear the sound of the engine. I miss that car. The Passat with auto and the 1.8t engine is so quiet..unless i forget to check the oil and then it sounds like a TDI.

In Europe (or at least Belgium) if you learn to drive on an automatic and pass your test on an automatic, your license if valid only for driving automatics. So most of the people learn to drive on manuals.

Thanks MBSL65fan and ahight for answering my question, so just one last question, when we learn to drive, what we really have to learn is how to use the clutch and change gears propertly, so, if you learn in an automatic what is there to learn ? yes yes ok, sings and all that but about the car itself? there is nothing to learn about i guess, or is it?

And Antoine, i didnt know you could choose between learning in an automatic or learning in a manual i dont think that is possible in Spain whatsoever

Anyway in Europe everybody should stil learn on manuals as we are more likely to get a manual than a automatic, since in here buying an automatic increases the price of the car, so that is why most of people buy manuals, also because we are not simply used to drive automatics so i think when someone goes to buy a car, if this car is a small hatch and not a expensive car such as Audi, BMW, or Mercedes, the fact of buying it automatic doesnt even pass through his mind, indeed, although being Mercedes, BMW etc there are tones of them being manuals.

My father prefers automatic transmission. Already in the 70's he had a Ford Zephyr and I think after that he wanted to use only automatic transmissions. Traditionally automatic transmissions have been rare in Finland (less than 10%) but now things are slowly changing. My father has seven old cars with automatic transmission. I used these cars and started to like the ease of driving. So my first car (Dodge Aspen) is automatic too.

How lucky you are of driving an automatic car as your first car and even an american car

Pretty much everyone I know drives automatics. Our work truck (and my winter truck), the Cheyenne, has a manual. I've been driving that a lot lately, and I really am enjoying the manual a lot more then my car's automatic. Its more engaging. In another forum I am a member of, I created a poll asking members if they could drive a manual or not. 30% said yes, %29 said no. However, the majority of members who said they could drive a manual were not American or Canadian. A lot of the Americans who said they could drive a manual, had automatic cars.

Isn't that because the majority of American cars are automatics? Who taught you how to drive a manual? Do they use manual cars in Driver's Ed?

Yes, the majority drive automatics (or so I hear). My mom taught me how to drive a manual when I was 11. It was a red 1976 Jeep CJ-7. It was hard, but I learned. I had to learn if I wanted to start working on the beach in the summer for our fishing spot. The Jeep was the best performer on the beach, so we used it to get to and from there (and to move around nets and equipment). I had to learn. The car I drive the most right now, the Cheyenne, is a manual. I honestly much prefer them. I haven't had to take the driving test yet (you do when you get a license, I have a permit). I do know that when I do take the driving test, you have a choice of using an automatic compact car (I believe it was a Chevy Cobalt) or bringing your own car. I have a permit at present (twenty multiple choice questions, very easy).

It is funny with all this talk of who can’t drive a Manual tranny, not one person has asked who can’t drive a Automatic tranny ... Three weeks ago I put the Expedition in "Drive" (I thought it was in "Reverse") and went to back out of the garage, but instead drove forward into my work/tool bench. It was early in the morning and my morning coffee hadn’t kicked in yet ...

No not really. There are some advance driving courses you can take like how to avoid accidents or to learn what to do in bad weather conditions. I am planning to maybe sign up for one sometime but I don't know when. If you learn to drive on an auto someone I guess can teach you how to drive a manual. I plan to do that too.

Uh oh, . Did it damage your vehicle much?

No, it didn’t hurt it, I wasn’t going fast enough, thankfully; no dents, no scratches or scuffs. It did however push the work bench back up against the wall, putting a crease in the sheetrock.