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Bear in mind the gearboxes tend to give out on automatics and it's quite expensive to fix...
To be fair she probably just hasn't got the 'knack' of gears. I couldn't do them when I first started riding bikes and found concentrating on clutch control and gear changes meant my road sense was reduced - probably what she is thinking now. But when you've got it you don't think about it all, do you? You could change gears with your eyes closed no doubt. I think as soon as you've got it though... that's it for life
so to all the people moaning that i shouldnt be on the road if i cant do more than one thing at once, thats exactly WHY i chose an automatic, because i am safer in them as there is less to consider
as for having a manual licence, yes its more versatile, and at some point i hope to be able to drive a manual car, but at the moment, due to time and money, i cant afford to spend time mastering things right now
I'm talking about the speed at which you pull away. Not normally a problem but if you are pulling out into fast traffic I found it a bit scary reaching the speed as the rest of the traffic on the road. I think some of the newer automatics have something called "kickdown" where you floor the accelarator to make it drop a gear. Neither of mine appeared to have this feature so when you were going up a long steep hill you would have to wait for the revs to drop to the correct level for the gearbox to change. Seemed to take forever!!
I'm not having a go at you. You drive whatever you like! I'm just giving you my perspective as an experienced automatic and manual driver. If I saw my dream car but it had an automatic gearbox it wouldn't put me off buying it.
The reason why it bothers me that you are choosing the auto so that there is less to think about is because it suggests to me that you're saying you can only concentrate on a certain number of things at once.
This is pretty bad in a car driving situation where, really, any number of things could happen at once.
if i was a danger to society on the roads, my instructor wouldnt be putting me in for my test after christmas
i can assure you i can drive, i am perfectly capable of using 2 pedals, indicators and my mirrors and my eyes
i am not gonna explain AGAIN that i find it hard to do those things AND use my clutch and gears
you`re making out like i`m not safe to be out on the roads, which is untrue and i think that i`m being responsible for choosing an auto as i know i`ll probably be a safer driver in one
i have actually had lessons in a manual, and i did ok (although i wasnt confident) but ended up having to quit my lessons due to financial reasons, and have since decided it`d be quicker and cheaper for me to go for an auto for now
However, I still doubt the driving skill of someone who freely admits to having problems concentrating on lots of things at once. Hopefully that will improve.
She can probably cope with lots of things at once, but surely you remember what its like when you dont have the hang of gears, you pay 100% attention to the gear change cos you're so scared of stalling...
but i`m going in for my test after christmas and i dont think a driving instructor, who has been in his job for 27 years would put me in for my test if he doubted my driving skills
TheShyBoy is spot on as is the girl with sharp teeth
Like Ali said, she might one day plan to get a manual licence as well but I don't know why a manual license is so much better. Being able to "concentrate" on more things at once does not always make a better driver...hence the phone/smoking example.
The people we should be scare of on the roads are the ones who seem to forget (or ignore!) every skill that let them pass and just do what suits them. Give Ali a break! :razz:
People learn in automatics for different reasons. If anything, those who learn in automatic and then go on to take their manual licence are putting in twice the effort, getting experience on the road before they have to worry about including gears into the mix - I think it's a good mix.
x
It's always better to have a lesson in difficult conditions than on a sunny lovely day with no traffic and then get flustered when you have to do it yourself. I did my CBT in september with rain, it was quite cold but we had a good day.
Ooh bikes *humps*
Did mine in snow, great fun that was! I soon grew an immunity to the cold, but since getting rid of my little moped I soon started feeling every draft again
The worst I've experienced is overtaking a lorry on my bike, after you pass it you get a big sidewind that blows you from one side of the lane to the other. :thumb: It's all good. The people who I want to do my lessons with say it'll take 3-4 weeks to get my test booked and they recommend I book as soon as I've done my theory test! (which will be over christmas)
So my first test will be end of jan / start of feb :eek2: how weird is that!