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Automatic Vs Manual

24K views 38 replies 23 participants last post by  rumpleforeskin 
#1 ·
First of all appologys if this is in the wrong section and if it is please move it and dont delete my therad...

Okey a few issues have been buggin me i currentley have a 118d manual all fine and well and im selling it , so my next car i was thinking is a 325 CD M Sport can any one give me good pointers on what to look out for when inspecting theses cars and all the info it would be a big and great help

but im still wondering whats best automatic or manual and well ive all ways stuck to manual cars but never driven a auto so i just wanted to know like common break downs with automatics cars and are thay more or less cheap to fix etc etc

hope some one can guide me in the right direction many thanks and look fawerd to the replys
 
#2 ·
id go manual. diesels give better mpg than autos, bmw car found a 10 mpg difference on their longtermers, back when i used to read it, auto failures also seem higher with diesels because of increased torque, autofailure is very expensive, they are good boxes however, mines an auto but my wife can only drive autos else id have a manuel, its a good box, performance is not quite upto a manuel but closer than the old slushboxes, its got auto, sports and manuel mode, personnely i only drive in manuel, in town they are great tbh i dont miss a clutch at all, if your gonna remap your diesel id also go manuel, geuss its down to personnel preference
 
#3 ·
I'd only buy a manual car, can't totally explain why, I just would. I like to be in control at all times.

If it were to be an auto, I would want a manual mode.

Besides, you don't get automatic race cars :hihi
 
#32 ·
mmmm, what counts as an automatic gearbox?



So how about DSG? No clutch pedal, changes gear automatically, unless the driver intervenes, eg with paddles. Porsche used them in their Le Mans 24 hour race cars.

I’ve driven several cars with DSG: Audi TT 3.2, Golf Gti32, VW Scirocco. All great fun.

Current F1. Clutch pedal only used for moving off from standstill. Driver selects gears using buttons on steering wheel, but can be overridden by electronics, eg to prevent over revving on down shifts.

My current BMW is a E92 330d automatic. In manual mode, I select when to change gear using paddles on the steering wheel, being overridden by electronics only to prevent over revving or labouring the engine.

It's the 21st century - try one, move on.
 
#5 ·
Manual all the way... easy... Unless it was SMG that dont brake... :hihi
 
#6 ·
2008. E90 320d MSport. Auto.

Brilliant car for acceleration and keeping at a high speed on Cruise control.
Put the car in sports mode and the acceleration is unbelievable with the turbo, not many younsters in their cars beat me at the lights, except the M3`s!!:hihi

People who put autos down generally have not driven one long term.
I personally would not buy a manual gearbox anymore, in heavy town traffic, why fiddle about with a gearstick and clutch control? all for the easy life me.

To be honest the fuel consumption is not that less on an automatic, as normally it changes gear at the right point.

Bmw auto gearboxes are very expensive to repair, I have had 3 auto Bmws now, never had any major problems, but having said that I change my cars after 45,000miles.
 
#11 ·
id say manual over auto everyday, i feel more in control in a manual and current technology mess's with what i would call true driving control without having my gears chosen for me lol. plus when you first start driving an auto from a manual you will find yourself looking for the clutch all the time lol
 
#12 ·
Drove an automatic for 3 years and was OK. Didn't change it due to bad left knee but I think it recovered over those years and been manual ever since.

As it was an old school mechanical box it selected what you like regardless of speed.

I prefer manual but I might need to add a brake servo to my clutch line soon as doing a lot of traffic at the moment and knee killing again.

However, the big thing I dislike if fly by wire. I ant to be able to choose the wrong gear. I want to be able to select neutral at any speed if the throttle sticks, I want the option of destroying my engine or box if it is the healthiest option for me.



As an aside I wonder if anyone with a licence for auto is mistakenly driving SMGs
 
#19 ·
when last year i was thinking of an m3, my insurence and me mates dad who's a driving instructer said you can drive smg on a auto liscence. yousee it dosnt matter a toss how the box works its the absence of a clutch pedal, and we both got insurence on a yellow one in sailsbury, trouble was i didnt trust it as it was the e36 evo, so walked away from it and brought a 330
 
#13 ·
When I ordered my Cougar (it was me that bought one :rofl) I specced the auto box and it suited that big lazy tourer down to the ground. It was a very nice drive but compared to the manual you paid a heavy performance price. Manuals would do the dash to 60 in 8 seconds and top out at 140-odd, the autos took 10 seconds to reach 60 and were limited to 125 - so the auto turned the 2.5 V6 into the 2.0 four pot in that respect. I wouldn't like an auto in my BMW though, it just isn't that sort of car.
 
#15 ·
I still feel that way a little about power steering. I mean what else have I got to do with my arms. They don't have an elsewhere to be.
 
#16 ·
Used to think of myself as the next Arton Senna - and i wasn't bad either as a fast road driver, could do all that heel and toe'ing or left foot braking or even driving clutchless............but, when i bought my first auto (Merc 300) then there was no going back considering the mileages i was doing.
Its not fun being sat in a traffic jam on the M62 morning and evening stopping and starting and crawling etc when you know it's gonna be like that for at least the next 4 years.
Just think how many times your knee joint is flexing - ok when you are young, but it catches up with you sooner with a manual.
The other aspect is that a lot of people do not know how to use an auto, ie using kickdown or using manual mode.
The modern 7+ speed auto's aren't bad when it comes to efficiency.
 
#17 ·
Thanks you all for the help i guess its manual and ive never driven a auto just 1ce to move a relatives car even that took like 10 min like starting a airplane for take off lol

well ill be looking for 320 cd msport soon as soon i sell my car and will keep you guys updates on how i get on

once again thank you on the feedback and help all ways a plesure many thanks :goodvibes
 
#20 ·
It depends what you want to get out of your driving "experience". I've always liked cruising around in big automatics (e.g. my 735). I've never had any desire to be a traffic light racer or the like. If you enjoy zipping around country lanes then a manual is probably a better bet.

Just remember that if your journey to work involves sitting in traffic for half an hour every day then you'll thank me for telling you to get an auto :)
 
#22 ·
Very few people go from Auto back to manual. Once driven never forgotten. Most of the bias towards Automatics goes back to the old 3 and 4 speed. The new 6, 7 & 8 speed are a different breed. They cost less to maintain as no clutch and you cannot over rev the engine, like some donut screaming his 1.8 through the red line. Autos do everything manuals do only better. They hold their price better too. Try selling a manual 530d E60.
 
#25 ·
I used to be an 'autos are shi*t, manuals are proper cars' kind of person... Until I drove one :hihi

On a diesel I'll always have an auto. A petrol is a harder choice but I think if it was forced induction I'd be tempted to an auto too. NA engines still need the precision of a manual to be at their best (no great wallops of turbo torque to get you out of trouble in the wrong gear).

I agree with the above comment re selling an E60 530d manual - and it really makes me laugh when people advocate the buying of a manual 6 pot diesel over an auto :hihi . Yes, great idea! Just try and sell it to anyone other than a forum member for a good price :(
 
#31 ·
Yup and you have to be rich to of even touched one :hihi

Autos are poor in my eyes and I am 24 - You just dont have the control with a auto like you do with a manual...

When I am older and am rich I might change my mind :thumbsup
 
#29 ·
As said autos are great for the traffic, just keep it in gear and lift your foot on/ off the brake. Dont know about the new autos but the old ones you can control when it changes up with the throttle so not that bad and you can select the gears manually as well.

Manual for a bit of fun tho imo mate:thumbsup

On the motorway my e28 528 4 speed auto will be as economical as my e34 520 manual, not in town tho lol
 
#30 ·
My 2.8i E39 auto is 14 years old
My left leg is 53 years old
as is the rest of my body.
In my car
my left leg leads a happy,content life
as does the rest of my body....
Different things
take on greater relevance
at different stages in our lives
Happy New Year,Chaps

Eddie Hitler
 
#33 ·
^ This.

If you can get out of the mindset that a manual makes you a 'better driver', you'll find some great technology out there. It's horses for courses, but the field has been levelled, in my humble opinion, between manual and auto performance :thumbsup
 
#34 ·
Only if you can afford the top notch auto with the cars that have them are over 15k.

So manual is a trusted & reliable system... For under that....

When I drive a good auto I'll let you know :hihi
 
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