The Most Important Automobile Question

[whirlaway]

Automatic of Course

I drove both at the phone company an automatic is far superior in a van than a manual,Ive owned several old Chryslers and Desotos with powerflite 2 speeds no problems.Thats what automatics are about no shift driving.I even drove my 54 down Lombard street 30years ago in San Francisco,and all over the city no problems.They are cheaper for the manufactors.Its mostly brain-washing.Why do you think for years in the 30sand forties people wanted no shift driving and power steering.Bobby

 

[qsd-dan]

Manual!

I've seen a couple Toyota and Honda cars/trucks with over a million miles on the original engine and manual transmission. Ain't gonna happen with an auto. Even Toyota and Honda are still having auto tranny issues since auto's are now ridiculously overcomplicated.

If I lived in San Francisco or commuted in stop and go traffic (580 W in the morning and 580 E in the evening) an auto would probably outlast the manual counterpart in clutches.

The only auto trans I ever liked was GM's 4 speed Jetaway, Strato-flite, Super Hydramatic or the 5 other different names GM called it. Monster low 3.96 first gear to get you moving and the trans practically locked up with no slippage once it hit 2nd gear. Silky smooth shifting that couldn't be felt with the dual coupling models. It was so strong that dragster used em for racing. It was said that GM mechanics went apeshit when GM discontinued them in 1964.

 

[goatfarmer]

I drive a Freightliner with a 10 speed all day long. I like an automatic on the way home, thank you. Although my 91 Dakota is a 5 speed.....8^)

 

[whirlcool]

The cars we have now both have automatics. These are the first cars we have had with automatic transmissions in over 20 years.
All the others were manual. I really prefer the manual transmisson, but the cars we have came with automatic as standard equipment.

 

[sudsmaster]

Besides, what's a gal who lives in Manhattan doing with buying a car, anyway???

 

[launderess]

It Was More General Information One Was After

However like many who live in NYC, especially Manhattan, was not born here. Also like many others learned to drive and while unlike others who do own a car in town, only rent when required as in going to the country or any reason that involves leaving the city.

Renting a car in Europe is always a hassle if one does not know how to drive a manual transmission. Though things are getting better in terms of finding automatics, you take your chances.

Worse still is learning how to drive on the left, as in the UK. That one will never get used to.

L.

 

[cuffs054]

For fun I'll drive the 2CV. My new SRX has the "sport shift" auto that you can shift manually. It seems stupidly gimmicky.

 

[whirlaway]

Jetaway?

Please,the first automatics were nightmares,and general motors took the cake.Jet aways were trash to work on and didnt last.I have friends who are adament GM fans and said the same thing.You couldnt beat the first Chrysler powerlites and torqueflites,They were heaven compared to the others.

 

[tbolt25]

most important auto question for 350 CID Chevy owners

The question(joking, really) for people who own a Chevy with the 350 CID small-block engine is this-can it rev 6,000 RPM?-I heard once that if a 350 cannot rev 6,000 RPM, then it is no good.

 

[qsd-dan]

Jetaway?

Are you thinking about the 3 speed jetaway from Olds? Those ARE trash! You also could be thinking of the rotohydramtic that GM started using in 61. That was a HUGE piece of shit!!

Yeah, the dual band trans had a few issues when first produced in the 30's, but were solid by the late 40's. The dual band transmissions had a somewhat rough 1st to 2nd shift (really rough 2nd to 1st downshift) and in 1956 Gm replaced the front band with a coupling and a pair of sprag clutches to smooth things out. The guy who rebuilt my 59 dual coupling specifically went to school to rebuild these transmissions in 1956. He worked for GM well into the 70's. He said these were the best trans GM ever made and blew his top when GM went to the cheaper and more inferior Turbo 350 (He HATES this transmission and refuses to rebuild them!!) and 400.

I had a 73 Dodge Dart for 5 years and liked the 904 torquflite as far as durability, but I never really liked how it shifted. It shifted way too soon under light throttle conditions and always "clunked" into 3rd gear. Even my dads 96 Dodge Ram 2500 4 speed auto has the EXACT same characteristics. The 904 shifted kinda harsh as well, IMO. Still, a VERY, VERY stout auto along with the bigger 727!!

 

[maytagbear]

Rapunzel--

I have never driven a hybrid, but I am certainly familiar with the Toyota Prius as a passenger. I find the Prius to be comfortable, quiet, and altogether a lovely vehicle. I particularly like the hatchback configuration on the second and (upcoming) third generation.

If I ever drive again, which is rather unlikely, I plan for a Prius.

A close friend of mine, who has a daily commute of 120 miles round trip adores hers. Certainly better on gasoline and more reliable than her former Kia Sportage.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[MikeS]

Automatic, Please

I've tried to use a manual shift, but I'm not good at it. So every one of my cars has been an automatic. I make no apologies for shiftless driving, especially in the city and on the freeway. Of the various cars with automatics I have owned, the smoothest has been the one on my current ride, my '07 Saturn Ion with the GM built 4 speed auto. By contrast, the automatic on my 1982 Nissan Sentra was annoying; too slow to upshift at higher speeds and a habit of erratic shifting at lower speeds. In the Sentra's case, the five-speed manual probably would have been better.

 

[hydralique]

I have a buddy who's a vintage GM lover through and through. Currently he owns a '60 Coupe de Ville and a '65 Wildcat, and in his opinion the later three-speed plus torque converter Turbo-Hydramatic on the Wildcat is smoother than the four-speed plus fluid coupling Hydramatic on the Caddy. He remembers many large GM cars that his family owned back to the early '60s and feels his are representative of the breed. He's especially critical of the little 1-2 shift on the Caddy, although it seems pretty good to me.

The old Torqueflites were for many years probably the best automatics in the world. I love the pushbutton controls used through the '65 model year! Another friend of mine who owned '60s Imperials once told me "I understand your preference for manuals, but you've got to admit that with an automatic pushbuttons are the only way to go." Can't argue with that!

Regarding Priuses, I see them everywhere, especially in affluent neighborhoods where it isn't unusual to see a TOL Lexus, M-B S-Class, or Range Rover on one side of a driveway and a Prius on the other. In that case I guess that being hald-green is better than not being green at all. A couple of days ago I saw three Priuses parallel parked in a row in Brentwood, each a different color. Toyota seems to have produced the most classless car since the orginal VW Beetle. They evidently are really reliable, and owners like them. I doubt I'd ever buy one because Toyota only sells them with automatics!

 

[petek]

In Oz and the UK I believe correct me if I'm wrong but if you take your driving test on an automatic you are not allowed to drive a manual but if you take your driving test on a manual you are allowed to drive both?

 

[qsd-dan]

He's especially critical of the little 1-2 shift on the

Tell him to loosen the adjustment on the TV linkage. At full throttle from a dead stop I can't feel 1st to 2nd shift in my 59 Pontiac; you just hear the engine RPM's go down. The only shift you should feel in a dual coupling trans is 2nd to 3rd since that's when the rear band is applied.

 

[turboace]

Manual - gives you something to do while your driving, and is way more fun, and, your in control.

Dave, I too can double clutch. Growing up we had a jeep that had a bad 2nd and 3rd synchro. My day tought us how to doule clutch, was the only way to get that thing moving. Also know how to match revs and can shift without the clutch! Anyone else try that one?

 

[qsd-dan]

Double Clutching

Wow, that brings back memories of driving my grandfathers fully un-synchronized 1928 Graham Paige sedan. Shift into neutral, let out clutch, rev engine, push clutch in, shift into next gear while staying in that small window of opportunity.

I double clutch my Honda on upshifts since upshifting is what takes the most toll on the syncros.

Back in 2001, I had to rev-match-shift my gay friends Mazda Miada when his hydraulic clutch master cylinder went out. Should saw the look on his face the first 3 gears I shifted without using the clutch, lol. Priceless!! Didn't even grind one gear all the way home

 

[launderess]

Prius

Having driven the things several times, and found them rather like a school science experiment.

Yes, the car is quiet, and that in itself is rather off putting when one first "starts' the car and "nothing" happens.

Over all found Priuses to be a decent car for running around the city in, but on the highway can be rather a pain getting the things up to power for passing. One often does not have much of a wide window to "stick and move", and often found the Prius slow off the mark.

As for petrol mileage, there certianly is a learning curve to getting anywhere near the 50mpg claimed. One really has to keep below a certian speed so the car runs on battery power, and there will be lots of brake action and coasting. In otherwords a sure method to make people feel car sick.

Apparently the new models will exploit the above further, but while having more power, drivers will still need to coast and brake to keep that milage up.

Often haul things out to the country, and found the Prius didn't have enough room in back. However am seriously eyeing the new Ford "Flex".

L.

 

[volvoguy87]

Double Clutching.

I learned how to drive stick on a 1983 Dodge Ram 150 pickup with the 225 slant 6 and 4 speed. The 2nd-3rd synchro was questionable at best so double clutching came in handy. I have also driven a friend's two 1931 Chevrolets (A Special Sedan and a Phaeton). Neither car has synchromesh, but are they are surprisingly easy and fun to drive.

My Volvo has an automatic, and it is one of only 2 things I hate on the car, the other being leather seats.
Dave

 

[launderess]

PeteK

Don't know about OZ, but in the UK if one has a license to drive a manual transmission, then one can drive an automatic. However if one has a license to drive an automatic, then that is all one is allowed to drive. Most persons take the exam for manual transmissions so they can have a "full" license.

It makes sense really, if one is used to driving an automatic, one ought not to be let loose on the world attempting to drive a shift. Know of many stories, funny and not so of Americans going over to Europe on holiday and renting a car, only to find it was a manual, and no automatics were available. So taking what they could get off people went, with varied results.

As another poster stated, automatics are becoming more common in the UK and Europe, but manuals still abound. Indeed for teens and others who are probably going to end up with a used or older car as their first, manual is going to be much of what is on offer.

L.