manual or auto
 

Hi All
When I get my licence changed when I finally move to Ontario will it allow me to drive a manual,and if so is it cheaper to buy and insure a manual .Thanks.

Re: manual or auto
 

Not to my knowledge.

Re: manual or auto
 

Not sure about insurance, but when I've looked at buying new cars online the manuals are always cheaper by about $1300.

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At least where we were in Calgary, manuals appeared to be a bit of a rarity. They are also a bit of a pig to sell as we found out when we came back home.

Re: manual or auto
 

Yes, yes, no. Slightly cheaper to buy a manual (of most makes and this may be offset by the need to specially order it at the factory price vs. taking a discounted vehicle off the lot). Insurance companies don't ask about the type of gearbox.

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Even F1 cars no longer have a clutch pedal.
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question...7070826AAekAUl

Re: manual or auto
 

Formula 1 cars cant get cheap ins.either.

Re: manual or auto
 

Neither can Canadians.

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Whatever the ins. issues , once you've had a decent ( European ) automatic , the chances are you'll never want another manual ;
life's too short , to worry about changing gears , some said .

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Ive got one manual, one auto. For long drives with traffic I prefer the auto, less work in a traffic jam. For driving arround here I much prefer the manual for the feel that Im in control, but new autos are pretty good.

Manuals are cheaper to buy, but thats cos they are harder to sell, very few north americans want one. Less spendy to fix too, once an Auto tranny starts to misbehave its going to cost big bucks to fix in all likelyhood. A clutch for a manual shouldnt be too bad.

If you plan to live in a city with gridlock, get an auto.

As far as insurance goes no one cares.

Re: manual or auto
 

I have an auto, would'nt have a manual now... if you get a vehicle with a tiptronic gearbox you can use it similar to a manual ( just easier ) you can also get " sports mode " which gives more throttle response than when in " normal drive auto "

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I'm not a N. American ,
I used to be a S. African and now I live in the Capital of the EU ;
can't remember having a manual since mid 1970s , except for a few shabby urgently-rented runabouts in places like Spain or France .
Even a a turbo Golf auto was the same rental price , as a manual one , from AVIS Vienna ( GREAT CAR ! ) , or was it Budget ?
Here , all around me , there are thousands of freaked-out irresponsible driving maniacs , men and women : one hand holds a burning cigarette , the other one a mobile phone ( on which you have to chatter all of the time and the passing traffic cops do Nothing about it ! ) ;
then the driving imbeciles arrogantly steer badly and how they change gears in their silly little manual cars , noone has yet explained .

Re: manual or auto
 

Easier to rock a manual out of a snow bank, should the need arise. Sometimes clutch control can be a blessing too when there is limited traction, but then again, the vast majority of cars in Canada have autos and they get by. The tiptronic type DSG is undoubtedly a great bit of engineering, but I would still miss the whole zen thing of heel and toe brakeing, blipping the throttle on downshifts into a sharp corner and all that, its part of the fun of driving for me. Less so getting an achy left leg sitting in traffic on the 401. Horses for courses I guess.

But as far as the original question go it makes no difference, get what you prefer based on your budget and driving preferences.

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I have a granny car with a semi-automatic DSHD(?) gearbox. It's not very good for the winter and not much fun in the summer. Very sensible though, easier for drinking coffee and phoning and such.

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I agree with the manuals being cheaper to buy, especially second hand, but there is less choice.

Thinking of selling my lovely Spitfire....

Re: manual or auto
 

Manuals are cheaper to buy, but bear in mind you will also get less for it when you sell it. I switched to auto 10 years ago when still in the UK, and will never go back to manual unless I go through my mid-life crisis and crave a sporty v8

Re: manual or auto
 

So much torque from a V8 you seldom have to change gears, just start it in 3rd and leave it there:) In a civic on the other hand if you want to get into the interesting part of the rev range where the Vtec does its thing you need a manual to push it to the red line.

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Never thought I would see those two words together ( as an ex MG nut )

Re: manual or auto
 

Thanks for the replies guys seem to be six of one and half dozen of the other,horse's for course's,take ya pick and enjoy the ride.By the way second question will I still be able to drive a manual on my new Ontario licence?

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Yes

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Real men drive manual, end off :p

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Exactly..i loathe automatics..no control as to when you change gear...no low end ummpff when tearing away from the lights or overtaking..you control the car with a manual..its the one thing i miss here is the lack of manual cars to choose from..so im stuck with an automatic:frown:

Re: manual or auto
 

Agree,but I am sure you could find one if you really tried.

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My car is both........albeit without the clutch pedal.

For driving in Vancouver a manual would be a pain in the arse with the stop start nature of the road designs :thumbdown:

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Not hard to find, Nissan and Toyota offer standard transmission, so do VW.
We have two standards, one car and one truck.

Re: manual or auto
 

Oh, then so's mine!


It's not really, of course, it's not the same thing at all.

Re: manual or auto
 

I've had 2 of those...my 1st car and a great love, was sad to have to let the last 1 go. Don't do it! :p:cool:

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See I just think an MG is a bit stubby, they don't have the sexy lines a Spitfire has, plus they are SOOO COMMON!:rofl::p

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Nahhh...

All those intersections to see how fast you can get to the speed limit form a standing start, or see how many car lengths you can get between you and the car that was at your side before hitting the speed limit, and then watch him roar by and get nicked by the cop you saw up the road…

Not to forget the look on the guys face when your little four banger nips in front because you can make it drop two gears ..

Re: manual or auto
 

I can drop my "automatic" down as many gears as i like, manually.

Still, i'm too lazy to do that these days so just saunter along to each traffic light or 4-way stop every 50 yards or so.

Re: manual or auto
 

I much prefer a manual for "spirited" driving (I enjoy the heel-and-toe, double-declutching necessity of an old motor with dodgy synchromesh cones...). Even my little Hyundai Accent can offer a surprising amount of fun on back roads, and provoke some raised eyebrows amongst the cart-sprung live-axle truck owners.

But it's not been the case for many years that you can't control when an autobox changes gear - up or down. My Honday Odyssey (over two tons of minivan) kicks down entirely predictably when overtaking and I can anticipate upchanges with only the slightest of throttle lift. It also kicks down on overrun when approaching junctions so there's plenty of grunt when the light turns green before you get there.

Re: manual or auto
 

Yes they are better than they used to be..but still not as good as a manual..i drove an Audi A4 sport albiet for a few weeks in the UK with a tiptronic automatic gear box..still wasnt as slick through the gear changes as i wanted..manual cars can be driven anyway the individual wants and can tailored to your own driving style..auto just dont do that.

Also yes i could get a manual but they are much less readily available than Autos so choice is less.

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I have had both whilst i have been here, insurance did'nt change at all with either but be warned i was treated as a new driver when i moved here, no insurance company would except my no claims cert from the UK so very high either way, i have actually found my automatic easier in the winter, it does have traction control and with winter tires can usually get through most snow storms,i never thought i would prefer automatic but i even hire them when i go home!:):

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I agree with the previous comment: “found my automatic easier in the winter”. When it’s cold, say less than 15C, manuals become notchy/obstructive and a real pain to use. Furthermore, you don’t have your typical British country back-roads here in which to enjoy powering through bends.

I see no point in having an automatic in N. America.

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This doesn't occur if you start your car a few minutes before using it to warm things up and get the fluids flowing;)

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Letting the engine warm up does nothing for the transmission. The only way to warm that up is to drive the vehicle but not aggressively for the first few miles.

Re: manual or auto
 

I prefer manual, but I have an auto. The auto is a boring drive, but as it's on boring straight roads with frequent stop signs or traffic lights it doesn't really matter. In summary, driving here is boring and having a manual probably won't make it interesting.

Re: manual or auto
 

One thing to consider is that the money you save with a manual will be money you won't get if you sell it on. I'm sure you're right that they are cheaper. They are cheaper to buy new as a manual, i.e. auto is extra. Also there is a smaller market for manual transmission vehicles because yanks cannot drive them. In fact I'm surprised there's any on the road because most of the UK driving test focused on learning clutch control, hill starts etc. How the hell do they teach themselves that here? Well one way is to drive them badly, and they certainly do that here. My point though is that you'll be getting a lot less for your car if you resell it as a manual vs. auto. I would urge you to get an auto to save the potential hassle if you sell it on. Manuals are more fun but if you live in an urban environment, not so much. By the way, they call them 'stick shift', and won't have a clue what you mean by Manual LOL

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I disagree, by letting the engine and the vehicle get some warmth, it radiates to the transmission too. I certainly noticed a difference if I hadn't managed to run outside and start the car 5-10 mins before leaving to when I had. Mind you the gear change on the liberty I had was like something like I imagine a trabant would be, my little old spitty (even before repair) is a lot smoother and we're talking a couple of decades in between the technology:rofl:

Re: manual or auto
 

I know my auto tranny subaru kicks like a mule going from 1st to 2nd when its good and cold, presumably to do with transmission fluid viscosity.

Id never noticed any drop off in performance with the manual Honda or the old Jeep, but the knob gets cold:)

As I said earlier, there isnt one right choice, pick what you prefer for the kind of driving you are likely to do.