Manual or Automatic to learn to drive?

angeltreats

Re the intensive driving courses - yes they do work. My husband passed his test first time after doing a course of three hours a day every day for 2 1/2 weeks (it worked out at something like 40 hours in total). And I did a 20 hour one week course and passed first time too.

I've never driven an automatic but I think I'd hate it - it would take all the fun out of driving! I'd persevere if I were you. It will make things easier in the future. And if you've already failed your test once, you probably already know how to use gears/clutch and just need to brush up.

littlefeet_2

Generally - learning to drive a manual gives you more flexibility when hiring/borrowing cars. Also it really impresses American men when they meet a girl who can drive 'stick'.

Some automatics these days are fantastic to drive (I had a Golf with DSG gearbox - that was a great little driving car)

Why do you fail your first test? Was it gear technique e.g stalling or because you just had too much to think about at once and made some silly mistakes?

I can understand why Oldernotwiser passed her manual test easily after driving for a while - she'd got confident and used to the process of driving, so had the spare brain cycles to get the gear change etc. learned.

Kimberley

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I passed my test in an automatic as I needed to get my licence quickly after my husband lost his. It would have taken me far longer (and more than one attempt) to pass my test in a manual.

After a couple of years I wanted to rent cars abroad so I had a couple of lessons in a a manual before taking my manual test. Although these couple of lessons had to be paid for, as well as the second test, I'm sure that it cost me less than the number of lessons (and tests!) that I would have needed to get my manual licence first.

I'm going against majority opinion and suggest you learn to drive an automatic. (After all, you wouldn't still use a twin tub to do your washing, would you? [Ducks!])

Thats what I was thinking. Pass my test in an Automatic and hopefully that means I learn quicker and then once i've been driving for a few months I could have some lessons and then a test in a manual car I wouldn't need to learn the theory or highway code because I've nearly learnt all that already.

What do you think?

Kimberley

littlefeet wrote: »

Why do you fail your first test? Was it gear technique e.g stalling or because you just had too much to think about at once and made some silly mistakes?

This was going back nearly 15 years ago though. I failed my test because I stopped to let a cat go by when I was reversing around a corner I also had about 8 lesson 5 years ago but stopped because of financial reasons.

ailuro2

Intensive courses work, do your homework before, so you know how a car works (amazing how many people don't really understand what the clutch does) and know all of the highway code etc, get your theory test out of the way, clear any other commitments for the week, then go for it!

God Luck.

fwiw hiring a car abroad, you tend to get automatics in the US, much more expensive to hire a manual, but once you've driven an automatic it really is simple, however, hire a car in Europe you will be given a manual gearbox, and it costs about three times as much to hire an automatic, because they're so scarce.;) Worth it in the long term to do a manual test to keep all your options open. (Wider range of instructors too!) If you really struggle with manual then you can always change to an automatic.

angeltreats

Apparently it's more expensive to take lessons in an automatic too, as there are fewer teachers around.

Inactive

Intensive courses can work for a few people, most people would find them too much of a challenge.

Driving is like everything else, we all have differing natural abilities.

Oldernotwiser

Kimberley wrote: »

Thats what I was thinking. Pass my test in an Automatic and hopefully that means I learn quicker and then once i've been driving for a few months I could have some lessons and then a test in a manual car I wouldn't need to learn the theory or highway code because I've nearly learnt all that already.

What do you think?

Well, that's what I did, so obviously I think it's a good idea. You have to make sure that you don't get into bad driving habits between the tests though.

Personally, if it hadn't been for the hiring cars thing I don't think I'd've bothered with the manual test. I still feel that driving an automatic is by far the easier way to drive; gear changing just seems so pointless to me!

Oldernotwiser

angeltreats wrote: »

Apparently it's more expensive to take lessons in an automatic too, as there are fewer teachers around.

Depends where you live though. I learnt on the IOW where there were several people who specialised in automatics and all the big schools were able to offer you a choice. Even if it were dearer, if you need fewer lessons then overall you'll save money.

Oldernotwiser

Just as a matter of interest, I wonder if people could say whether they're male or female. I appreciate that it's a bit of a generalisation but, in my experience, it's often women who sing the praises of automatics whereas men prefer manuals.