Should I learn to drive manual or automatic?

[gieselbrecht@feddit.org]

I agree with most others, manual is useful to know in case you have to drive one. It will surely become less and less important with electrification of cars, but until then, knowing to drive manual might come in handy for you.

[hddsx@lemmy.ca]

Learn to drive a manual.

1. It’s easy to drive an automatic when you drive manual but not the other way around
2. It’s a car theft deterrent to drive a manual vehicle
3. In a zombie apocalypse, you don’t want to stumble upon a car you can’t drive

[ziggurat@jlai.lu]

In many places, passing the test on an automatic would give you a licence restricted to automatic only (and the need for some more hours to learn how to drive a manual). While it's not that easy to switch from manual to automatic, it's definitely easier, so get a licence on a regular car first and if you have the opportunity to drive an automatic you'll find out by yourself in a couple of hours how it works

[kualdir@feddit.nl]

I personally just learned automatic (had a deadline for my work, less risk this way) and the only downside is people complaining that I don't have a manual license. "What if" is something you'll keep hearing from people. I tried manual and it'd require me to do quite a few extra lessons and do ANOTHER exam so I'm just not doing it.

Honestly if you can, do manual. If it stresses you out too much, do automatic. Cars will go towards automatic/electric anyways so in like 10 years it really won't matter anymore.

[iamthetot@sh.itjust.works]

Everyone's advice about learning manual is correct so far.

But if you want to learn easier, choose the automatic. You'll be fine not knowing how to drive a manual.

[solidneutral@lemmy.ml]

Learn automatic.. Get your driver's license and move on to the next thing.

[skua@kbin.earth]

One other thing to add that I don't see mentioned yet: if you can drive a manual, you have more options when buying second-hand cars. How many more options will vary depending on where you are, but if cost is a significant concern then it might let you get a much better deal

[sidewayshighways@lemmy.world]

i miss my stick. every time my daily driver Is an auto, i be missing stick shift.

[Guest]

My dad & boyfriend are buying me an automatic car but they still want me to learn manual.

[dembosain@midwest.social]

I can't guess where your interests lie, but you'll get more girls with a manual.

[hedgehog@ttrpg.network]

I can't guess where your interests lie

OP does say they have a boyfriend

[bassturd@lemmy.world]

I learned on automatic but got a manual about 5 years ago. This past November I went on a trip with friends and we were able to rent a manual car for cheaper because I could drive one and it was the norm in the country we were in. Nice skill to have, but not required. I'd learn manual if you have the option.

[kittenbiscuits@lemm.ee]

I did both when learning but did have to separate them because thinking about all the things, clutch, gears, RPM, mirrors, traffic, pedestrians was too much all together at first. I drove my grandma's automatic to get used to driving on the road in traffic, and I drove my dad's manual around empty parking lots, fairgrounds, etc until I was comfortable with the car. Then I moved on to driving dad's car in traffic.

I loved driving manual, but my husband can't drive one, so if we took my car somewhere on a trip, I had to commit to being the driver the whole time. I gave it up after my job required me to do a lot of driving in bad traffic. For fun I will get one as a rental if we travel somewhere that has them commonly available to rent. I've had to convince well-meaning but somewhat judgy rental clerks to not upgrade me to automatic and that yes I did know that I selected manual when I made the booking.

[semi_hemi_demigod@lemmy.world]

I’d start on an automatic and then learn manual once you’ve got some practice with how to handle a car in traffic.

If you can find one try learning manual on a truck. They’ve got heavier parts which will put up with your mistakes a lot better than a car.

[hedgehog@ttrpg.network]

If you’re in the US, automatic is fine. Manuals make up like 1 percent of new cars and maybe 4% of used cars here. It doesn’t hurt to know how to drive one, but it doesn’t benefit you much, either. I drove a manual once, but it was a rental in another country. I’ve never been faced with needing to - or even having the opportunity to - drive a manual in the US.

However, learning on a manual does make it easier to understand certain ways of how cars work, even on automatics (less so on CVTs), so if you like understanding things more, I recommend manual even in the US. You can still get that understanding driving automatics, though - just a bit more effort.

Outside the US, most places I know of manual is the default. If manuals make up even 30 percent or so of cars where you live, I strongly suggest learning to drive one.

[thegiantkorean@lemmy.world]

Manuals are a lot of fun to drive. Also, since a lot of people nowadays can't drive manuals, it's like having a ln anti theft device in your car.

[ptc075@lemmy.zip]

(America). As a die-hard lover of manual transmissions, I can say that unless you specifically want a manual, the odds of you ever needing to drive one are near zero. Oddly, the big exception would be if your partner drives a manual transmission car, which is true here. Will there ever be a time when your car is in the shop and you need to borrow his car?

[oxjox@lemmy.ml]

If you want to learn how to drive safely, automatic.
If you want to have fun while driving, manual.

A manual transmission requires more of your attention. It connects you to the car and the road. It gives you more control over your gas mileage and torque. Forget about texting and driving.
My first few cars were automatic. I bought a car with manual transmission when I was about 20 years old. It took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to drive it and an hour to become proficient.

If I were a father, I would mandate my kid to drive automatic. People on the road are dangerous and there's far too many distractions. Learn how to drive first. That means learning how to deal with your environment and making quick decisions.