Gone to the Dark Side Loving an auto more than stick!

[kwak250]

Ok so for 30 years i have always driven Manual cars ,

Whenever i bought a new vehicle i ran a mile from an auto.

Now 2.5 years on and my wife's car which is a Honda Civic Rs is fantastic to drive and its auto.

I have a Hilux 2.4 Manual and to be honest driving in cities in stop start traffic is so much hassle .

Used to drive down South 500km each way and used to get out the hilux with so much muscle ache from no cruise control and used to get home and get a couple of tickets for going above 100kph.

Don't get me wrong i still love a manual for off road drives around the country but i always get in the Civic for city runs/long runs now.

 

Obviously if i had a Subaru Impreza Sti with 500hp then that would be a different story.

Anyone else moved to the Dark side?

 

 

 

[Kwasaki]

49 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Anyone else moved to the Dark side?

Well as for auto gearboxes they've been about since 1932 so you are 87 years in the waiting. ????

[jadee]

Hi, I just wanted to reply because I've never heard liking auto gearboxes described as 'going to the Dark Side!'. It makes sense that you'd prefer autos - city driving and 1,000km round trips in a manual Hilux can't be much fun! 

Another reason may be that auto gearboxes have improved so much over the past 30 years. Car tech has advanced enormously over just the past 10-15 years - look at an old Toyota Camry from the early 2000's and then look at a new one - it's like night and day. 

[ben2talk]

I had manual right up to a Peugot 306 turbo many moons ago, before and after that it was mostly bikes, so I understand your point...

 

Obviously being a biker, I enjoy the advanced control skills you need for a bike (and to go fast you definitely need a nice gentle touch...). I drove my Peugot like a bike too, bit of a boy racer but often frustrated because cars just don't come close... best suited to cruising IMO.

 

Bikes gave me a different view of power - supercars costing maybe 30 times as much can be quick from a standing start, and certainly better when you get up 250-300km/h, but they can't compete when there's traffic. You soon learn to appreciate that the main difference in a 1 hour gentle drive and a 45 minute mad dash is hardly even enough for one cup of coffee anyway... Still, the adrenaline certainly pumps when you can get out of your soi, hit 120km/h still in first gear in about 2 seconds to get across 3 lanes of traffic to a U-turn from a standing start... I enjoyed it, but it just cost too much in the end - tyres and chains alone started at 12000 per year, then fuel was sucked in around 2.5 baht per kilometer. Add some stupid repair bills and costs would probably equate to a Camry over 5 years.

 

My friend bought a used Accord here and had many issues with his auto gearbox and fuel economy, so I kind of maintained a negative opinion of them...

 

When my wife was buying I told her to stick to Toyota, buy an eco-car and save the CVT cost and buy the manual...

 

She ignored me and I never realised I'd love it so much. Driving around the soi/side streets I can keep it at about 1000rpm until I need to go over 60km/h and cruising at 120km/h it's on 2500rpm. Excellent fuel economy and it encourages better driving too. I felt so good I sold the GSX and bought a PCX - it took me a year to learn to ride that, but it's definitely more civilised (and 10 times cheaper...).

 

No darkside - it means even with a puny 1.2 litre mill it can be driven quietly... I'd vote for CVT over an auto any day (though the auto in my brother's Camry is okay, I just don't see the point of choosing it over CVT).

 

Next up you should try ditching the stupid cartridge razors that everyone assured you were better and buy yourself a nice cheap safety razor with a box of blades to last you 2 years for the same price ???? 

Edited May 31, 2019 by ben2talk

[DaRoadrunner]

In Thailand auto is the way to go due to traffic. Plus when the time comes it is not easy to sell a manual car. Despite which, Da Roadrunner drives a manual! I'd rather drive the car than have it drive me.

[jabis]

Driving a car, whether it be double-clutching an uphill race in europe, or a single Bangkok traffic light - always a treat, except for the clutch ????

[Coremouse]

Everyday I drive a manual through busy Bangkok traffic, with ultralight flywheel and heavy clutch. So I'm on the lightside! lol XD

 

Actually I think it's easier than auto, keeps my attention and focus... in Bangkok lost awareness for a sec = hit by motorsai. I drive ~50km daily and I seen accident scenes along the road almost everyday. 

 

Edited May 31, 2019 by Coremouse

[kwak250]

Thanks everyone its just a bit of fun calling it The Darkside i just always had a very negative opinion getting a auto car .

The civic is actually a cvt with paddle shifters so you get best of both worlds when on the twisties.

I actually wanted the civic in manual but they only had auto and i thought i will never drive it but now the wife is always shotgun .

[kwak250]

11 hours ago, ben2talk said:

I had manual right up to a Peugot 306 turbo many moons ago, before and after that it was mostly bikes, so I understand your point...

 

Obviously being a biker, I enjoy the advanced control skills you need for a bike (and to go fast you definitely need a nice gentle touch...). I drove my Peugot like a bike too, bit of a boy racer but often frustrated because cars just don't come close... best suited to cruising IMO.

 

Bikes gave me a different view of power - supercars costing maybe 30 times as much can be quick from a standing start, and certainly better when you get up 250-300km/h, but they can't compete when there's traffic. You soon learn to appreciate that the main difference in a 1 hour gentle drive and a 45 minute mad dash is hardly even enough for one cup of coffee anyway... Still, the adrenaline certainly pumps when you can get out of your soi, hit 120km/h still in first gear in about 2 seconds to get across 3 lanes of traffic to a U-turn from a standing start... I enjoyed it, but it just cost too much in the end - tyres and chains alone started at 12000 per year, then fuel was sucked in around 2.5 baht per kilometer. Add some stupid repair bills and costs would probably equate to a Camry over 5 years.

 

My friend bought a used Accord here and had many issues with his auto gearbox and fuel economy, so I kind of maintained a negative opinion of them...

 

When my wife was buying I told her to stick to Toyota, buy an eco-car and save the CVT cost and buy the manual...

 

She ignored me and I never realised I'd love it so much. Driving around the soi/side streets I can keep it at about 1000rpm until I need to go over 60km/h and cruising at 120km/h it's on 2500rpm. Excellent fuel economy and it encourages better driving too. I felt so good I sold the GSX and bought a PCX - it took me a year to learn to ride that, but it's definitely more civilised (and 10 times cheaper...).

 

No darkside - it means even with a puny 1.2 litre mill it can be driven quietly... I'd vote for CVT over an auto any day (though the auto in my brother's Camry is okay, I just don't see the point of choosing it over CVT).

 

Next up you should try ditching the stupid cartridge razors that everyone assured you were better and buy yourself a nice cheap safety razor with a box of blades to last you 2 years for the same price ???? 

Yes i always had bikes in the u.k takes a bit of getting used to selling a Gsxr1100 and then

Buying a wave 100.

I did drive a friends auto yaris which i didn't enjoy much mind you it was quite old .

Cvt seems much better.

[transam]

5 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Thanks everyone its just a bit of fun calling it The Darkside i just always had a very negative opinion getting a auto car .

The civic is actually a cvt with paddle shifters so you get best of both worlds when on the twisties.

I actually wanted the civic in manual but they only had auto and i thought i will never drive it but now the wife is always shotgun .

Auto's have moved on big time, automotive progress....

[BKKBike09]

Depends a lot on the auto. I think CVT for general driving - certainly urban commute etc - is great. For more entertainment, DSG auto is excellent. Speaking as owner of a VW Scirocco with 2.0 turbo (250 hp) and DSG with paddle shift; the shift changes are immediate and certainly quicker than with a manual clutch. Just a shame VW didn't make the Scirocco AWD or RWD.