Looking to buy a small/medium sized car with a soft, gentle clutch due to hip problem

Grumpy_chap

facade said:

The only thing to watch for is the first (and only) time you press down on the "clutch" locking the wheels up, bouncing everybody off their seatbelts, and move all the junk spread around the car into the front.  Everybody does it, just the once mind

Been, there, done that, got the T-Shirt!
Scared the do do out of the lady from Citroen sitting in the back-seat with no belt and leaning forward for the test drive!
You are also correct, it is only the once and now.

facade said:

Swapping between manual & auto isn't a problem,

Dr_Crypto

Just get an auto. Really easy to drive and you won’t miss a manual at all. 

In some countries auto is standard. No idea why it’s not here. 

Homer_home

Automatic all the way

You can pick them up cheaper than manual cars, theres loads of good ones about,  admittedly they are not as good on fuel but if you dont do many miles you wont notice much of a difference  

Get one with cruise control and you can rest both your legs whilst driving

Ditzy_Mitzy

Hope the hip gets better!  Oddly enough my Mum's been through something similar: a wrist issue prevented her from driving a manual car and she bought an automatic.  A year or so down the line she had an operation which cured the wrist issue, hooray, but is now stuck with an automatic car she doesn't like that much.  She misses her old, manual car which I now own.  
Therefore it's worth considering whether there's a permanent fix for you before committing to buying a car you don't really want to solve a problem that might only be temporary.  
In answer to the original question: I drove a medium sized Hyundai car once, a manual, and that had an extremely light clutch pedal.  It was medium sized, roughly equivalent to a Ford Focus, and seemed all right - the dashboard had blue lights in and was pretty. 

lordmountararat

I have two vehicles, one automatic and the other manual. I never have any trouble switching between the two. If you get a true automatic, not an automated clutch semi-automatic, I am sure you will never want to go back to a manual.

noclaf

lordmountararat said:

I have two vehicles, one automatic and the other manual. I never have any trouble switching between the two. If you get a true automatic, not an automated clutch semi-automatic, I am sure you will never want to go back to a manual.

How does one define a "true" automatic, is that referring to torque converters? I'm looking to switch to auto after 15 years driving manuals but find the different types of auto's confusing. I tend to hold onto my cars long-term (only owned 2 cars in 15 years!) so durability/reliability is important. Do the various types of automatics withstand short journeys and low mileage (mainly local journeys) as well as manuals? My current manual has 113bhp (petrol) but moving to an auto I think will need more power to avoid sluggish performance too. I am hoping moving to an auto will be a game changer in terms of a less stressful drive and I also have lower back issues that only seen to get worse with age 

Goudy

noclaf said:

lordmountararat said:

I have two vehicles, one automatic and the other manual. I never have any trouble switching between the two. If you get a true automatic, not an automated clutch semi-automatic, I am sure you will never want to go back to a manual.

How does one define a "true" automatic, is that referring to torque converters? I'm looking to switch to auto after 15 years driving manuals but find the different types of auto's confusing. I tend to hold onto my cars long-term (only owned 2 cars in 15 years!) so durability/reliability is important. Do the various types of automatics withstand short journeys and low mileage (mainly local journeys) as well as manuals? My current manual has 113bhp (petrol) but moving to an auto I think will need more power to avoid sluggish performance too. I am hoping moving to an auto will be a game changer in terms of a less stressful drive and I also have lower back issues that only seen to get worse with age 

There are lots of two pedal cars around as for the sake of DVLA, they are classed as automatics, though what people class as "true" auto's are perhaps Torque Converters.

I mentioned the main type of auto gearboxes in an earlier post, each has their pluses and minuses.

Single clutch systems are really automated manuals, hydraulics operate a pretty much standard clutch and change the gears on a fairly standard gearbox for you. It still has a clutch (that wears) but the load on the engine is similar to a manual, hence emissions and mpg are very similar.
They can have pump and hydraulic issues (like my old Citroen ETG6) and clutch wear can sometime be faster than a manual  and how it copes with the wear can cause issues.
These are generally fitted to small city cars and are a cheap way of offering an auto.
Not all "creep" (crawl slowly with your feet off the brake and accelerator) and so can cause problems with slow maneuvers, you need to cover the brake with your left foot while using your right to get the begger to move!

Dual Clutch, DSG, DCT etc tend to be a bit better. Some have had issues with certain types, like the dry clutch pack DSG from VAG used in their smaller cars. They don't suck too much power so emissions and mpg tend to be favourable. Some have 7, 8 or 9 gears so can actually run fairly economically as it's has a better choice of ratios.
They tend to drive well and feel quite slick, creep ok and are reasonably reliable. Most have a manual override with paddles or buttons to manually select a gear if you fancy/need it.

CVT's used to be a bit of a joke, but some manufacturers have done a good job with them.
It's basically the same as a motor scooter gearbox, a drive belt that get thrown up a ramped pulley the faster the engine spins to produce a ever higher continuous gear, though some have added "steps" into them to make them few more like a Torque Converter.
The engine speed and road speed don't always match and it throws some drivers, particularly when they accelerate hard and they make a bit of fuss, but it's a small price to pay really as they are quite reliable as there's little to them to go wrong.
Emissions/mpg are pretty favourable as well and they generally creep ok.
(Toyota use a different type of CVT in the Hybrid cars, it's part of the electric motor and uses a set of planet type gears, it's almost indestructible!)

Most know all about Torque Converter autos, it's a set of gears with small fibre/paper type clutches in between that operate through fluid pressure inside the 'box.
The TC part is the part that replaces the clutch and is a fluid coupling inside a housing that multiplies the torque from the engine as it's spins.
They drive like a proper autos as we all think they are proper autos to start with, so creep, but can be a bit mushy and slow, tend to have less gearing in them that perhaps a Dual Clutch system and suck a fair bit of engine power with effects emissions and MPG. Reliability is often good if their fluid and filter is changed often. They not always suited to smaller engines but some have stuck with them and have done a good job (I'm thinking of the lasted Suzuki Swift)

For short city trips and low mileage in a smallish car I would say look at a Dual Clutch system or a CVT.
Neither needs the sort of power a TC sucks and will be far more drivable and reliable than a single clutch automated manual.
You'll find most come with around 90 to 120hp engine and they'll be more than adequate. 

EndlessStruggle

Thank you all for your advice. I test drove a car with a good soft clutch but had no clutch control so no good.
I am going with an auto and I have a lesson with an instructor on Thursday to learn the controls and get a bit of road confidence back as it has been a while since I drove.
I might go back in later years but most people have said I will never want to!

victor2

EndlessStruggle said:

Thank you all for your advice. I test drove a car with a good soft clutch but had no clutch control so no good.
I am going with an auto and I have a lesson with an instructor on Thursday to learn the controls and get a bit of road confidence back as it has been a while since I drove.
I might go back in later years but most people have said I will never want to!

Good luck. OH will adapt and you won't go back!