Why do people buy manuals these days ?

jase1

I have no objection to automatic cars whatsoever.

When it can be demonstrated that the cars are (a) at least as cheap, (b) at least as reliable, and (c) at least as economical, then I will consider one.

Until then, I am not bothered enough at having to change gear to change to an auto when there are disadvantages.

There is a lot to be said for a big, lazy barge with a slushbox when you're commuting, and if petrol was 50p a gallon I'd pick up an old Nissan QX tomorrow.

bigjl

mustrum_ridcully wrote: »

Or could it be there are now more older drivers who are struggling with manual boxes?

Automatic transmission - helping pensioners have mental car accidents since 1939!

Like these chaps...
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/evening-chronicle-news/2010/05/11/narrow-escape-after-car-crashes-into-garden-72703-26421386/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-506450/Pensioner-parks-neighbours-car.html

Or these in somewhat less amusing accidents...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5833409/Pensioner-killed-as-husband-reverses-Mercedes-in-their-drive.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328669/Pensioner-killed-freak-car-accident-trying-save-wife-ran-over.html

Not really an age issue, my Dad is in his late 70's and has never owned an automatic, but then again where he lives two sheep on the road is considered congestion.

Having an automatic car when living in a city ike London is just a overall good idea.

Once you have driven an auto for any length of time in London then you will find it difficult to go back to manual.

There has also been some studies, I read one about 9 or 10 years ago, that talked about driven fatigue and concentration levels and it came to the conclusion that if you drive for a living, especially in a busy urban environment then an automatic was safer and caused less fatigue.

ACPO also did some research into using a manual car and automatic car for Immediate Responce work and the research firmly pointed to it being safer to use an automatic. As quite simply there is one less thing to worry about and you can pay more attention to your mirror scan and road positioning and other road users and pedestrians, however most advanced driver training is still carried out in manuals, though the LAS now has driver training units which are automatic, they used to hire 17 seat minibuses, and before that they used police spec cars, nothing more surprising to drive than a 405 Mi16 that looks like a 405 GE, even down to the seats, though the larger than normal steel wheels did give the game away, oh, happy days.............

Nilrem

jase1 wrote: »

Everyone should be made to retake their test every 10 years. Every 5 preferably.

That's a great idea except for 3 things:
1: It's going to be yet another tax on the motorists.
2: It's going to require the number of driving test examiners increased massively
3: It's going to require a huge number of new test centres.

The current test centres often have a wait of 4-8+ weeks for people wishing to book a test as it is, and that's almost entirely people taking their first test.
If you add in mandatory retests for 10-20% of the existing drivers per year you're looking at an increase of probably in the region of 200-400% in the number of tests taken per year (possibly much higher as that assumes that everyone taking a retest passes on their first attempt).

And that's just for the standard car licence, add in the retests for other categories of licence and the cost goes up massively for some people (especially professional drivers who might have a motorbike, normal car, van, truck, passenger vehicle/bus etc on their licence).

mikey72

Revenue, jobs, and infrastructure!

Flyboy152

mikey72 wrote: »

Worry about the ones you haven't caught after you've sorted out all the ones you have caught.
Re-test the ones that are lethal first, rather than the ones that might be.

I would much rather that poor/blind/senile drivers were identified before they commit an offence.

Gene_Hunt_2

bigjl wrote: »

Not really an age issue, my Dad is in his late 70's and has never owned an automatic, but then again where he lives two sheep on the road is considered congestion.

Having an automatic car when living in a city ike London is just a overall good idea.

Once you have driven an auto for any length of time in London then you will find it difficult to go back to manual.

There has also been some studies, I read one about 9 or 10 years ago, that talked about driven fatigue and concentration levels and it came to the conclusion that if you drive for a living, especially in a busy urban environment then an automatic was safer and caused less fatigue.

ACPO also did some research into using a manual car and automatic car for Immediate Responce work and the research firmly pointed to it being safer to use an automatic. As quite simply there is one less thing to worry about and you can pay more attention to your mirror scan and road positioning and other road users and pedestrians, however most advanced driver training is still carried out in manuals, though the LAS now has driver training units which are automatic, they used to hire 17 seat minibuses, and before that they used police spec cars, nothing more surprising to drive than a 405 Mi16 that looks like a 405 GE, even down to the seats, though the larger than normal steel wheels did give the game away, oh, happy days.............

and for good reason.

Flyboy152

jase1 wrote: »

I have no objection to automatic cars whatsoever.

When it can be demonstrated that the cars are (a) at least as cheap, (b) at least as reliable, and (c) at least as economical, then I will consider one.

Until then, I am not bothered enough at having to change gear to change to an auto when there are disadvantages.

There is a lot to be said for a big, lazy barge with a slushbox when you're commuting, and if petrol was 50p a gallon I'd pick up an old Nissan QX tomorrow.

A) Automatic cars are traditionally more expensive to buy. But the extra price does not accurately reflect the extra cost

Automatic cars tend be more reliable, by virtue of the way they are driven. They tend to be used more "sedately," than manual cars, with less wear and tear on the engine and other mechanical parts.

C) It very much depends on how you drive and how you view economy. With the relatively lower maintenance costs and slower deprecation etc., you need view the economics of the car as a whole of life cost.

Flyboy152

Nilrem wrote: »

That's a great idea except for 3 things:
1: It's going to be yet another tax on the motorists.
2: It's going to require the number of driving test examiners increased massively
3: It's going to require a huge number of new test centres.

The current test centres often have a wait of 4-8+ weeks for people wishing to book a test as it is, and that's almost entirely people taking their first test.
If you add in mandatory retests for 10-20% of the existing drivers per year you're looking at an increase of probably in the region of 200-400% in the number of tests taken per year (possibly much higher as that assumes that everyone taking a retest passes on their first attempt).

And that's just for the standard car licence, add in the retests for other categories of licence and the cost goes up massively for some people (especially professional drivers who might have a motorbike, normal car, van, truck, passenger vehicle/bus etc on their licence).

1. Not bad really. Fifty pounds for fifty year of motoring, that's a pound a year.

2. Good. It will decrease the unemployment figures, get people working, ergo, relieving pressure on the welfare system.

3. Good. It will provide growth in an already depressed industry sector.

Harry_Flashman

Flyboy152 wrote: »

1. Not bad really. Fifty pounds for fifty year of motoring, that's a pound a year.

That's how most taxes start - as a 'good idea'

Flyboy152

Harry_Flashman wrote: »

That's how most taxes start - as a 'good idea'

Hmm...can't agree there. I heard today that they were going to tax restaurants for feeding overweight people. Can't see that as a good idea.