NationStates Jolt Archive

Manuel/Standard or Automatic?

I'm young, yet i drive a manuel, while most of my friends drive automatics. Am I among peers here, or am I just wierd, old-school like that?

I'd prefer Manual for racing, but finely-tuned 6-speed Automatic for regular driving.

I drive an automattic, cause it's what I have, but I much prefer a manual transmission. I'm young BTW 18

I just want to ride my bicycle.

>.>

Honda Civic Auto with a kickass sound system, heh.. 17 year old, whadda expect?

I used to drive a manual Honda Civic, but now I just drive other people crazy...

automatic

Manual - more fun, better control. Besides the car I drive (Peugeot 306 GTi6) only comes with a 6 speed manual box.

I drive a manual, but it's called a bicycle. :D

I walk. It's healthy, it gives you time to think, and it's just more sociable.


(also I don't want a to drive because I get distracted really easily and would probably wind up ki.... ooh something shiny!)

Manual. I have a dodge neon...

Both. Auto is the best for daily commuting and non-fun driving. Manuals are a thing of beauty when on the track or a smooth mountain road.

Manual, always. I drive a... *shudders*... Honda Accord.

Right now, I'm driving a yellow 1972 Schwinn World Tour touring bike. In pristine condition, might I add.

Right now, I'm driving a yellow 1972 Schwinn World Tour touring bike. In pristine condition, might I add.
... and a manual, I'll bet as well! ;)

I got my license a few months ago and I drive an automatic.

I use public transport. It was a decision I have made for enviromental and lifestyle reasons, nor do I regret it. I don't have to worry about maintainence and I think it is cheaper in the long run, even if it takes longer for me to get there. I don't know anywhere that I can't get within a five minute walk of public transport.

manual
driving is just more fun that way
i drive a 2005 hyundai elantra gt with a kickass sound system and no i am not that young :) 27, almost an old man :)

Manual. My car (which my parents are using right now while I'm away) is a 1999 Acura Integra GS.

I use public transport. It was a decision I have made for enviromental and lifestyle reasons, nor do I regret it. I don't have to worry about maintainence and I think it is cheaper in the long run, even if it takes longer for me to get there. I don't know anywhere that I can't get within a five minute walk of public transport.

Time it takes for me to get from home to school via public transportation; ~50 minutes.
Time it takes for me to drive to school; <10 minutes.

Public transportation sucks. The bus-stop was less than a block from my house, the drop-off was less directly at the school. Waiting times + how slow the bus drives and how frequently it stops made for horrible transportation. It doesn’t matter how close the Bus can get you to the spot, but how long it takes.

Time it takes for me to get from home to school via public transportation; ~50 minutes.
Time it takes for me to drive to school; <10 minutes.

Public transportation sucks. The bus-stop was less than a block from my house, the drop-off was less directly at the school. Waiting times + how slow the bus drives and how frequently it stops made for horrible transportation. It doesn’t matter how close the Bus can get you to the spot, but how long it takes.

Time it takes to catch a bus from the CBD to Garden City: 15 minutes
Time it takes to drive from the CBD to Gerden City: 25 minutes
Speed the bus hurtles along the new busways: 110Km/h :eek:
Speed limit on the highway: 100km/h
Speed you can actually do on the highway with traffic: 60km/h

:)

Time it takes for me to get from home to school via public transportation; ~50 minutes.
Time it takes for me to drive to school; <10 minutes.

Public transportation sucks. The bus-stop was less than a block from my house, the drop-off was less directly at the school. Waiting times + how slow the bus drives and how frequently it stops made for horrible transportation. It doesn’t matter how close the Bus can get you to the spot, but how long it takes.
I think Patra acknowledged the time trade off as extant but worth it to him/her. If you're a suburbanite in parts of the states public transportation can SUCK...been there. Some places have it pretty well sorted so the trade off isn't as bad as the trade off hassle of owning a car.

Right now I split the difference. I drive (when she feels like it) a '67 VW Bus, but if I can get there on the public bus I do, but right now it's free for me so I'd be a sucker not to. (and the locals run on biodiesel, extra bonus). But when I got to go a distance, stay out late, be several places in a short period of time, or carry equipment I use the ol' VW. I'd like something a tad more efficient but I try to make up for that with the public transportation.

Manual, by the way. If for no other reason than dead battery does not mean stranded.

Automatic 04 civic..manual is fun, but a pain in the ass in the snow and traffic.

i have some weird mental block that prevents me from learning to drive :|

I think Patra acknowledged the time trade off as extant but worth it to him/her. If you're a suburbanite in parts of the states public transportation can SUCK...been there...

Yeah, but we have a new express busway that travels out underground in four directions from the city. It's great, if you travel on it. If you are somewhere else you have to wait half a friggin hour and wade through traffic in an old, slow smokey machine. The busway however is brilliant for those who live innercity and who's streets are always clogged with cars. :)

Time it takes for me to get from home to school via public transportation; ~50 minutes.
Time it takes for me to drive to school; <10 minutes.

Public transportation sucks. The bus-stop was less than a block from my house, the drop-off was less directly at the school. Waiting times + how slow the bus drives and how frequently it stops made for horrible transportation. It doesn’t matter how close the Bus can get you to the spot, but how long it takes.

Exactly so

However, unless times change, and gas prices stop increasing and start decreasing, i might have to look at using public trans when i visit the city's...but i live in a rural community, so no bus for me anyway...

'91 chevy corsica. 130000 miles

automatic

hasn't been washed in a year

missing one windsheild wiper.

i call it "the pimp mobile" :fluffle:

oh baby.

[edit] and i crashed it twice.

the passenger side door still doesn't open

i wanted a manual but also wanted a saab, so i ended up with an automatic saab 9-3, cause its impossible to find a manual saab that isn't lik 10 yrs old

Automatic. 1994 dodge caravan. very beat up. I live in the crappiest of suburbia and while we have public transportation and for me it's free, the area its goes is so small that I'd have to walk at least several miles to get to the closest stop.

P.S. I don't know how to drive a manual

P.P.S. I have been driving the car for 3 years and have never once washed it. Not even the windshield. I'm going to try to set a record with this.

'91 chevy corsica. 130000 miles

automatic

hasn't been washed in a year

missing one windsheild wiper.

i call it "the pimp mobile" :fluffle:

oh baby.

[edit] and i crashed it twice.

the passenger side door still doesn't open


Sounds like a good car for the TV show "Pimp My Ride"

Time it takes to catch a bus from the CBD to Garden City: 15 minutes
Time it takes to drive from the CBD to Gerden City: 25 minutes
Speed the bus hurtles along the new busways: 110Km/h :eek:
Speed limit on the highway: 100km/h
Speed you can actually do on the highway with traffic: 60km/h

:)

Now why don't you throw in some connecting lines and waits between when your Bus gets there, if its running late and how long you need to sit around waiting for your next bus to show up?

Sounds like a good car for the TV show "Pimp My Ride"
Agreed. You must give this car to West Coast customs, and in return recieve a bounty in the form of plasma screen televisions and playstations, and if you're lucky a flamethrower or bubble machine.

Yeah, but we have a new express busway that travels out underground in four directions from the city. It's great, if you travel on it. If you are somewhere else you have to wait half a friggin hour and wade through traffic in an old, slow smokey machine. The busway however is brilliant for those who live innercity and who's streets are always clogged with cars. :)
Yeah, see-you live in England. Now you're just rubbing it in. From what I've heard I wouldn't drive a car on a bet in London. Out here in California you aren't really considered a citizen without a car-except for all the hippie town bike riders. I'm not saying it's 'right', just where it's at out here.

I'm with ya-good public transit is where it's at. It's just that in spread out states that's most often not the case.

damn straight

Manual. 1994 Honada Accord 135k miles has not been washed in well over a year perfect condition lots of junk inside. I have to travel all over the palce and live to far out in suburbia to make effective use of public transport. If I have to go to downtown area I will do park and ride. park at light rail station go into city and take bus or walk around downtown.

I will drive an automatic in only 2 situations:

1)HMMWV when I am using one of our vehicles at the base

2) CVPI (Crown Victoria Police Interceptor) Once I complete my criminal justice degree and get hired on with the Washington County Sheriffs office.

ok, so I lied I would drive also drive an automatic if I ever got my own Hummer. and no not one of those crappy H2 abominations, you couldn't pay me enough to drive one of those. I am talking about one of the real hummers. If I ever got one of those I would probable never drive a manual transmition ever again.

Cpl Monastyrsky, Ilya USMC
Headquarters & Service Company
6th Engineer Support Battalion
4th Force Service Support Group

I drive an automatic. I haven't tried a manual vehicle yet, but then again, automatics are so much easier to come by here in the United States, even if they are considerably less fuel efficient than their manual counterparts. I probably could get my hands on a manual car, but... I don't really drive much anyway. There are too many lunatics out there as it is.

Now why don't you throw in some connecting lines and waits between when your Bus gets there, if its running late and how long you need to sit around waiting for your next bus to show up?

If your bus runs late you wait five minutes for the next (every five minutes on the express busway, that's why they call it an express busway, two lanes only for busses and they're both express). As for connections they themselves are not on the busway, because the busway is express. Now I have already said twice now that regular buses tend to take longer (because they're not on the express busway that runs express). I hope that I have made it somewhat clearer to you.

I choose to use public transport, it's a personal choice and I've made it. If you don't like public transport then don't use it, don't whinge about how bad it is and expect me to say "yes, driving would be so much better," because for me it's not, that's why I choose to use the express busway.

Yeah, see-you live in England. Now you're just rubbing it in. From what I've heard I wouldn't drive a car on a bet in London. Out here in California you aren't really considered a citizen without a car-except for all the hippie town bike riders. I'm not saying it's 'right', just where it's at out here.

I'm with ya-good public transit is where it's at. It's just that in spread out states that's most often not the case.

English? ENGLISH? ENGLISH? How insulting! I live in Brisbane, a small Australian city (only one million people) which is spread out over a wider space than Sydney. It's wonderful here, nice weather, good people, magnificant city!:D

I choose to use public transport, it's a personal choice and I've made it. If you don't like public transport then don't use it, don't whinge about how bad it is and expect me to say "yes, driving would be so much better," because for me it's not, that's why I choose to use the express busway.

some people just don't listen they are convinced that they are right and thats that. Public transport works for you, it occasionally works for me. If I had more time availible and didn't carry around a bunch of crap everywhere I went then I would probably take public transport more often.

Cpl Monastyrsky, Ilya USMC
Headquarters & Service company
6th Engineer Support Battalion
4th Force Service Support Group

If your bus runs late you wait five minutes for the next (every five minutes on the express busway, that's why they call it an express busway, two lanes only for busses and they're both express). As for connections they themselves are not on the busway, because the busway is express. Now I have already said twice now that regular buses tend to take longer (because they're not on the express busway that runs express). I hope that I have made it somewhat clearer to you.

Which means very limited range of places it can take you. Great if your only destinations happen to be amongst those few spots. Most people have a far wider array of places they need to go to than is covered by an expressway. And btw, before you said "old smoky machines" if you "don't travel on 'it'(public transport)", which to me meant "its either this fast way or cars." Also you used "express busway" and "busway" interchangbly and drew absolutely no distinction between the two. So no, this is the first time you've said much about there being a difference. Do endeavor to be clearer at all points in the future.

I choose to use public transport, it's a personal choice and I've made it. If you don't like public transport then don't use it, don't whinge about how bad it is and expect me to say "yes, driving would be so much better," because for me it's not, that's why I choose to use the express busway.

Personal choice or convictions concerning which is "better" is pointless. Which is faster and serves the most area is a matter of objectivity.

how the hell did a thread about cars get so angsty? :confused:

oh right, this is nationstates :rolleyes:

Which means very limited range of places it can take you. Great if your only destinations happen to be amongst those few spots. Most people have a far wider array of places they need to go to than is covered by an expressway.

Actually because of the way in which it is structured a good majority of places within the city can be reached quite quickly on this express busway. But you're right, it does not go everywhere, nor should it.

And btw, before you said "old smoky machines" if you "don't travel on 'it'(public transport)", which to me meant "its either this fast way or cars." Also you used "express busway" and "busway" interchangbly and drew absolutely no distinction between the two. So no, this is the first time you've said much about there being a difference. Do endeavor to be clearer at all points in the future.

That would be because the busway and the bus expressway are the same thing, however there are also other bus routes that use normal streets and roads.

Personal choice or convictions concerning which is "better" is pointless. Which is faster and serves the most area is a matter of objectivity.

And here I was, under the illusion that this was a thread asking people what type of transport they use. What is more I never said that public transport is better than all other forms of transport, all I said was that it was what I used public transport and I gave my reasoning behind my decision. I never said anything was better than something else.

Iff you were to compare road traffic and busway traffic in peak hour here you would find that the busway has a relativly high capacity and it is faster, but there are other times when it would be faster to drive somewhere than use public transport. Public transport plays a vital role here, if you don't like it then don't move here! LOL What's more, if you don't like public transport, or if it does not suit you needs, then don't use it, no one is saying you have to. No one is criticizing cars...

English? ENGLISH? ENGLISH? How insulting! I live in Brisbane, a small Australian city (only one million people) which is spread out over a wider space than Sydney. It's wonderful here, nice weather, good people, magnificant city!:D
Well, you see...I was educated in California..so, you know...sorry

Anyway-city better than rural or suburban in regards to public transit. And sometimes public transit can suck ass around here. My home town comes to mind...

As a side note-I thought something like this (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/toyota-pm.htm) was kind of a good idea. They'd (in my mind) sit on corners like cabs and you'd pop in, set your destination and they'd go along in thier special lanes. Almost like that bicycle experiment in I think Portland. Maybe I'm wrong about that...

Well, you see...I was educated in California..so, you know...sorry


S'OK! :) It was only in jest! :) LOL I was just having a crack at the poms, it's like a hobby here. :)

I like the idea of how the PM works (howstuffworks is an amazing resource) it does look cool. However I don't think it's current form will hold, no where to put shopping or the kids really if they're designed for one person. You don't want to send the kids on their own, they'd probably just drive off! LOL Perhaps we will see a larger versian in a few decades. :)

English? ENGLISH? ENGLISH? How insulting! I live in Brisbane, a small Australian city (only one million people) which is spread out over a wider space than Sydney. It's wonderful here, nice weather, good people, magnificant city!:D

Yeah, but there's a major drawback. It's full of Queenslanders (including all the ex-Victorians who have moved up there). :D

21 speed manual.
Or a Magic Bus.

Yeah, but there's a major drawback. It's full of Queenslanders (including all the ex-Victorians who have moved up there). :D

Don't get me started on those bloody Victorians! :p I tell ya, the WORST ones are from Melbourne and, err, sorry Boony! :D

S'OK! :) It was only in jest! :) LOL I was just having a crack at the poms, it's like a hobby here. :)

I like the idea of how the PM works (howstuffworks is an amazing resource) it does look cool. However I don't think it's current form will hold, no where to put shopping or the kids really if they're designed for one person. You don't want to send the kids on their own, they'd probably just drive off! LOL Perhaps we will see a larger versian in a few decades. :)
I think it would have to evolve a lot, but in theory I love the idea. I kinda dream of a world where people who just want something that takes them to work and back and couldn't care less are given a viable alternative and the cars become only for enthusiasts-the 'gotta have its'-in my crazy dream world that wouldn't probably work for reasons I don't care to explore...

Don't get me started on those bloody Victorians! :p I tell ya, the WORST ones are from Melbourne and, err, sorry Boony! :D

Yeah, so they tell me. Personally, I'm not so sure. :p

1995 Ford F150 [manual]

1998 Ford Mustang [automatic]

So have the option of either.

21 speed manual.
Or a Magic Bus.
yey for the blue bus

Manual, '89 Magna. It's a shitbox, really, but it's MY shitbox!

PS Bloody Queenslanders, bloody Vics!

im still refining my driving(nice way to put it), i find that without changing gears to work on, in automatics i kind of tune out and either speed or drift onto oncoming traffic, its not the alcohol at work either.

For getting to work I use the bus. It is only 15 minutes longer than on my bike and I avoid all the myopic drivers who aren't concentrating on driving as they are dropping off kids, thinking about what they have to do at work or are still asleep. Going to and from work is probably the most dangerous time of the day on the roads.

At weekends it is out on my bike. It is more fun than a car and you avoid all the traffic.

I haven't owned a car for 4 years but if I was to buy one it would be a manual. The only reason I would buy an automatic would be if I was physically incapable of driving a manual.

I like manuel for fun, automatic for everyday, but as of yet, I don't have my own car.

Manual 96 Hyundai. Though most 'work cars' I've driven are autos, suitable for no-brain-required driving while talkting to clients. I much prefer manual, even on long, tedious trips.

Riding a bike is nice, but when you live in a town where your work is a 30 minute drive away and public transport is a non-event, a car is a necessity.

Riding a bike is nice, but when you live in a town where your work is a 30 minute drive away and public transport is a non-event, a car is a necessity.
Phoenix, Arizona?

The satellite towns of Houston are extremely far from public transportation. In fact, the entire city of houston only has two forms --- Metro Bus and Light Rail (pfff, Light Rail. It takes you from the Astro Dome to Downtown, fucking bullshit!).

And the busses only located in the city proper, and maybe a few hundred yards outside the Beltway 8 boundary.