Sunday, December 26, 2010

Are Automatic Cars Better?

When asked this question people usually answer differently. It is a matter of preferences, of experience and of what they expect to get when buying a car. Some more experienced drivers, that have a passion for sport cars would rather buy a manual transmission one, while those who are newly beginners feel more comfortable driving an automatic one than handling a stick. If you ask yourself the same question, there are some criteria you should take into account before making a decision.

1. Price. Nowadays everything goes around the price issue. Most automatic cars are more expensive than manual transmission ones. This can be explained by the fact that manual transmissions are easier to produce than the automatic ones. This is in spite of the fact that the former has an additional part- the stick. In what concerns the maintenance costs, the stick-shift transmission lasts longer than the automatic one if taken care of properly. This means monitoring the fluids it require and adding them whenever it is necessary. Replacing the automatic transmission can be very expensive sometimes.

2. Comfort. There are many drivers who consider the automatic car much more comfortable than the stick-shift one. This is because they don't have to concentrate on managing the stick while driving. Moreover the absence of a clutch can add to the comfort issue. This way you would need to use only one leg and you won't have to hold the clutch when waiting for example at a red stop.

3. Technical issues. First of all they say that a manual transmission car can accelerate easier than the automatic one. This is why car races have manual transmissions. However if you are on a hill the car may go backwards if you do not handle the clutch properly. The automatic transmission usually has 4 gears while a manual one has up 6 gears. And we all know the more the better in this case.

4. Gas consumption. It is well known that automobiles with manual transmission have lower gas consumption than automatic ones. This is because of the direct mechanical link that saves power. In the case of automatic cars the reverse phenomenon is called slippage, leading to a less efficient use of the gas.

5. Personal preferences. There are people who really love driving a stick-shift car, because they feel more in control of the vehicle. They can accelerate easily and shift the gears whenever they want. On the other hand there are those who do not see the necessity of going through the trouble of using the stick especially in a crowded city, when this process would have to be done many times. In the end it all depends on what you expect from driving a car, whether it is a necessity for you or something you do for pleasure.

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