Did you come to an age where you switched to an automatic?

Indeed. I tried really hard with my 175 hp diesel and could only get a 7.4 time.
 
Indeed. I tried really hard with my 175 hp diesel and could only get a 7.4 time.

Has to be said though, the 6 speed gearbox of the 04's A4 B6 doesn't like fast shifting at all. The gap between the lower gears appears to be super long, for me at least.
Don't know if that's the same for the diesel engines, but it's definitely the case for the petrol engines.

Well, then again I don't like shifting vigorously at all, it hurts my feelings and the car aswell, that might have something to do with it. Even when driving sporty/spiritedly I try to shift as smooth as possible because I don't think shifting quickly and possibly hurting the transmission and my spine is worth the time/speed you gain.
 
Has to be said though, the 6 speed gearbox of the 04's A4 B6 doesn't like fast shifting at all. The gap between the lower gears appears to be super long, for me at least.
Don't know if that's the same for the diesel engines, but it's definitely the case for the petrol engines.

Well, then again I don't like shifting vigorously at all, it hurts my feelings and the car aswell, that might have something to do with it. Even when driving sporty/spiritedly I try to shift as smooth as possible because I don't think shifting quickly and possibly hurting the transmission and my spine is worth the time/speed you gain.

Means it has shitty synchros, my Subaru is like that, fast shifting is not fun at all you basically have to force it into gear.
 
Means it has shitty synchros, my Subaru is like that, fast shifting is not fun at all you basically have to force it into gear.

Yes, that. The 6 speed is from VW, the 5 speed was a proper Audi box and apparently is better.
But then again, it's not a sports car and therefor not designed for quick shifting, so I'll give it that.
 
I thought about getting a manual, I learned to drive in a manual for that reason and we didn't own a manual so I had to go with an instructor for lessons but when it came time to buy a car I remembered that I lived in Auckland and that means stop and go traffic was inevitable and I ended up being in it regularly so I suddenly don't miss manual.
My Audi A3 has manual gear changes but no paddles which means I don't use it.
 
Interesting debate. Despite claiming I'd never own an autobox, I now find it hard to justify getting a manual at all. I'm only 33 so no old fart syndrome yet.

Current double clutch gearboxes have all the perks of autos (smoothness, ease of use, less wear on clutch, comfort) combined with the perks of manuals before (faster, full control at any moment, more economical).

That and bumper to bumper traffic x 2x 1 hour daily gets boring....
 
I'm 30 and dreadfully boh?me but all I want in life is an automatic diesel estate.
 
Did you come to an age where you switched to an automatic?

I want is a work vehicle that isn't slow and is comfortable for long drives.

And also a personal car that I'm ok with driving in the winter.

Technically I don't need either thing.


The only time I feel automatic is necessary when I know I'll be in traffic. Like, going to Chicago. Which is typically only when there's a job there.
 
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Very good thread!

- In comparison to most of you I made my driving licence when I was 29. (Excuses: I had zero interest in cars, was a bicycle freak, in the military I had a driver, and mainly because Switzerland is a public transport paradise)

- Bought my first car when I was 30. That one and the following two cars were manual.

- Then I got lured to the dark side when I got stuck for an hour in a traffic jam while driving a friend's automatic Mercedes. Man, that won me over. - So I switched to an automatic when I was 38 in 2011, and the last three cars have all been automatics. - And I probably will never go back.

- I also own two work vans: one a costum made large 3-axle 2000 Fiat Ducato with a 120hp 2.8 Diesel (manual), the other one a regular 2008 Fiat Ducato with a 160hp 3.0 Diesel (automatic).
 
What I find interesting is all the people complaining about manuals in traffic, I never once felt that I would rather have an auto in traffic, the fact that there is traffic annoys me not the having to shift part.
 
At first the traffic is the major factor. After 8 years of 2 hrs of traffic a day, every day... You have had enough time to think and conclude that you're killing your left leg and your clutch for no reason at all
 
What I find interesting is all the people complaining about manuals in traffic, I never once felt that I would rather have an auto in traffic, the fact that there is traffic annoys me not the having to shift part.
That's exactly how I feel.

At first the traffic is the major factor. After 8 years of 2 hrs of traffic a day, every day... You have had enough time to think and conclude that you're killing your left leg and your clutch for no reason at all
That's what you concluded. I never found it to be a burden. Hell, if anything driving a manual makes the commute less boring for me. Only auto cars I've enjoyed driving had a nice big V8 in them too.
 
Also, in Yurope, manual is still the boring default choice and not sole rarity reserved for sporty cars or passionate drivers. Which makes autos more attractive since theyre 'special'. In the US it's the other way around, also because not everyone can drive stick
 
Yep, when I grew up automatics were seen as a luxury option, like leather seats instead of cloth, for example.
 
Automatics are very much a luxury option here still. It's the polar opposite from how it seems to work in the US. Anyone that just wants "1 car please" to take them to work is very likely to end up with a manual transmission. Most people are convinced that automatics will break down all the time, that they use copious amounts of fuel, that they're "dangerous in winter conditions" and some people even think they're "difficult to drive". Yeah, I don't know either. I can sort of understand the winter driving part back in the days of automatic chokes and RWD cars. I don't think I would want to winter drive something like a Sierra or an E30 with an automatic either because it only takes a sneeze to upset the car when the conditions are bad. You certainly don't want unwanted gearchanges at the wrong time. But these days there's absolutely no reason to worry about any of those things.

Meanwhile, I've encountered drivers that pick their routes around town so they won't have to do hill starts because they find it difficult. I've also been scared many times by drivers that roll back on hills while they lift the clutch. You deliberately picked a car with a manual transmission even though there were other better options available for your use case. How about you learn how to drive the thing instead of almost rolling into me?

Anyway, I digress. People that like luxury and/or tech filled cars are very likely to go for an automatic in Europe. Case in point: the E60 M5 which was SMG only at first but eventually received a manual transmission for the North American market only, because the manual is considered a niche thing for enthusiasts.
 
I've owned a couple manual daily drivers and a couple automatic daily drivers, as well as a couple manual project cars. I don't feel like getting older is making me like driving stick less, but I have been feeling like my next car should be something a bit more "grown up". Not something boring, but something a bit nicer spec and more luxurious. And those tend to be automatic only, which is a bit of a let down.
 
I've owned a couple manual daily drivers and a couple automatic daily drivers, as well as a couple manual project cars. I don't feel like getting older is making me like driving stick less, but I have been feeling like my next car should be something a bit more "grown up". Not something boring, but something a bit nicer spec and more luxurious. And those tend to be automatic only, which is a bit of a let down.

I'm sort of in the same boat I want a nicer daily but anything in the higher trim is auto only and neither I nor the wife like that :(
 
When I was 16, my first musclecar was a 1971 Ford Torino GT with the 429 SCJ engine and C6 3 speed automatic. I rebuilt the engine AND transmission myself (yes, took apart the automatic, replaced all the seals, and clutchpacks, and modified the valve body for crisper shifts). Loved that car. Over the years (38 years of driving since then) about half my cars and trucks have had automatics. I'm not scared of them, I don't 'mind them and when a car has a larger engine or is designed for cruising or big engine performance, they can suit the car just fine. Has nothing to do with getting older, either. My current cars are a mix of manual and automatic, with my MINI Cooper being a 6 speed manual and my BMW 740i Sport being a steptronic automatic. Both suit the characters of the cars perfectly. I prefer not to be closed minded and judge the cars on their overall merits, not merely on what transmission they have.
 
I sort of went the other way. Learned in automatic(which to me makes sense so that you can figured out road manners without thinking of changing gears) and as time went on, got a manual. It's strictly only for fun though. The one time I did Chicago morning traffic was also the last time. Two hours of topping 10-15mph and then stopping is not fun.
 
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