Offer to buy neighbours car

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121866437#Comment_121866437

You know I actually kind of agree with you there. I know one person who was driving a rented Yaris hybrid up a hill and the car seemed to be seriously struggling to figure out what gear it should be in

That's why I like my EVs best, don't need to deal with any of that changing gear nonsense 😉

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121866487#Comment_121866487

Not by the sounds of it, both stories about autos sound total bulls**t 🤣🤣

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121866522#Comment_121866522

I have the famous flappy paddles on the Audi, never used them

GSBellew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121866533#Comment_121866533

Three hours on the M50?

If that is the case it really kills the argument anyone could possibly have for living in Dublin, sure you would be as quick commute from Galway.

GSBellew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862139#Comment_121862139

Automatics make more sense to me if I'm completely honest, but I still would not advise anyone against learning to drive a manual, maybe in ten to fifteen years it'll be different, but its a long way off yet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121868392#Comment_121868392

I don’t see why you’d sit the driving test in an auto tbh unless you just couldn’t get your head around shifting the gears and do it correctly and smoothly

Even if you pass and primarily drive auto after I just don’t see why not have the option for manual there. One test to have the license for both makes the most sense to me tbh

maybe it’s just me but I prefer to have the option of either when buying a car. I recently did and I didn’t see any automatics of interest. Also nice not o have to worry about it either way!

SVI40

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121867190#Comment_121867190

Luckily, I actually don't care whether you believe it or not. 😁

dodzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121868377#Comment_121868377

The point was simply that auto wins every time in a situation where you are constantly clutching and gear changing . The days of crappy auto boxes are long gone. Far more refined and reliable now and have been for years. The ZF8hp auto box in my car, as one example, is found in a plethora of cars including Audi, Maserati, landrover, Porsche, jags plus many more. The vast majority of drivers nowadays would opt for auto over manual every time given the opportunity to drive one.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121868377#Comment_121868377

Crash on m50 and you are f**ked….🤣🤣

Jofspring

Not sure about the automatics driven above but I remember in an older Peugeot 3008 automatic the car would reach high revs before changing gear. Found out what you were supposed to do is as it starts reving up you should lift your foot off the accelerator for a second and it would gear up sooner, just like you would in a manual. It just took the clutch and gear stick out of the equation. It also had the option of changing gears with paddles.

electricus

Yep, that’s how it worked in every ICE auto I drove, and foot to the floor to keep them in a low gear when overtaking. I never felt that I had less control with auto gears.

As for EVs, it not an issue as there are no (traditional) gears or engine rev noise to worry about, unless you install fake sounds.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121868522#Comment_121868522

In the case of my son and very soon my daughter, we are a 2 EV household. In fact, our whole extended family are EVs for over 5 years now. There was no manual car for my kids to practice in. Doing lessons in a manual without having the chance to practice in one later makes it a lot more challenging to pass a test. This is especially true when you could be waiting a year, or more for a re-test. So, at the risk of fumbling the gears and failing a test and having to wait another year, it makes more sense to go with an auto. My son was/is able to drive a manual, but with 11 or 12 hours of practice over a 3 month period, the risk wasn't worth it and he took the test in one of our EVs.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121868827#Comment_121868827

And it happens all too often. Thankfully I only traverse 3 exits, but if there is an accident on either side of the M50, the traffic is chaos!!! I could be stuck for over an hour covering less than 15 kilometers. Rubber-neckers are a real problem when the accident or breakdown is on the opposite side. Boils my blood.

CMOTDibbler

Auto boxes are far more sophisticated than seems to be indicated from experiences related on this thread. I have an Audi A5 which has a CVT and only has definable gears in sport mode when you get seven. In normal mode, it barely gets above 2k revs and just keeps accelerating as long as you have the loud pedal down. It will push up to 3k, but you really have to work to get that. A combination of sport mode and kickdown should get it revving higher.

And it has a manual mode by pushing the lever to the left. You can choose what max gear to be in, but it will change down automatically below that. In snow and ice, you can lock it in first and it'll stay there as long as you want.

Most modern autos are minimum seven cogs. Gear changes are almost indiscernible. You only really feel them in kickdown.

GSBellew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121873228#Comment_121873228

Auto's are brilliant for lazy driving, I'm not sure that is being disputed, but I certainly would not advise anyone to not bother learning how to drive a manual.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121869595#Comment_121869595

Fair enough if you’re just interested in EV or only automatic I am saying someone shouldn’t learn auto only and pass test only to learn the easier way without considering the future implications.

Also as someone who recently sat their test I don’t know where you’re getting this idea it’s a year or more for a retest or even an initial test… I booked my test in on the 9th February for the 12th!

Keep an eye for the cancellations and the estimator the longest waiting lists are max a few months and retests are done within 6 weeks or so.

Sorry but you are also way overstating how hard to shift gear is. Fumble with the stick? Cmon man it’s up left for first, pull straight down for second, middle up for third, pull back for fourth, up right for fifth and if you’re 6 speed straight down from 5th.

and also I passed my test with 3 days to prepare, on the morning of my fecking civic wouldn’t start so I had to drive the ADI’s auris I had driven twice in 18 months. His reverse gear was up to the top far left and mine is down far right. So total opposite.

During both turn around I fumbled a bit on reverse cos I was putting into sixth instinctively so I just don’t see how it’s that big of a deal to do a manual test even if you don’t drive one regularly. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t think it’s nearly as difficult as it’s being made out to be and really outside of particular circumstances like yours which are fair enough there’s absolutely no way to practice reliably but choosing to go automatic for test just to save yourself from the hardship of shifting gears is madness tbh.

Just don’t think the market is there for autos here just yet and it’s far enough in the future imo that it doesn’t bare worrying about atm.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121873342#Comment_121873342

You've only recently passed your test, so I'll excuse your ignorance as you wouldn't be expected to know what came before you.

When I applied for my test 20 years ago, the waiting time was on average 40 weeks in Dublin. My next test took 54 weeks of waiting in 2006. I drove a manual and never had an issue with one. No fumbling at all, but in a test, it's easy to fumble the shifter as you have experienced. This can result in a fail. Some people take longer than others to get used to gears.

My son passed his test last year. He was waiting nearly a year for the test. Don't believe me? Have a look at the records from the Dail debate last October. You got very lucky to get a test date so quickly.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2023-10-18/8/

If someone is practicing in a manual car, it would be silly to take a test in an auto unless they simply can't manage gears. Some people just can't. I know someone who has been driving longer than me and burns through a gearbox every 3 or 4 months in company vans. Lots of fumbling and still never wants an auto.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121873401#Comment_121873401

I didn’t say there wasn’t long waiting lists even a few months is ridiculous but there are more tests being done now than a year ago and retests are not subject to the same length as first time tests.

I don’t disagree that if the only cars available bar the ADI’s being auto then you should probably go auto unless you can get comfortable fast. My overall point is manual is not nearly as complicated as it appears some think it is. But also I do not think the market is in a position yet or for some time where manual is not worth learning.

Doctors room ghost

Them old automatics are no good. They will turn you into a lazy fcuker. You will be wearing pyjamas and slippers into the shop next or them fcukin swimming jackets

give me a manual every day

jackofalltrades

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121869595#Comment_121869595

You make a good point here.

A big chunk of learner drivers practice and do the test in their parents car. If that car is an automatic then that's all that they have to practice in.

Finding a manual could be impractical or too expensive.

And it's going to become more common place with the rising popularity of EVs and Hybrids.

jackofalltrades

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121873342#Comment_121873342

What are the future implications?

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121873410#Comment_121873410

You countered my point by saying you got a test super fast. That is not a common experience and as recently as January I was listening to the radio where the topic was about driving test waiting times of 8+ months average. If that's an average, there are shorter wait times on some occasions, but longer on others. I can tell you that my lad was waiting over 6 months for his second and final test.

A manual is not complicated for some, but for others, it can be overwhelming on top of everything else one must do to drive a car. I took to it like a duck to water, but others can't. We all have our skills and abilities in different areas. I was always crap at playing football, but was a gifted goalkeeper.

I don't think there should be a restriction for those who took a test in an auto. Or at least they should be able to take a short test at some later stage to show they can operate a manual gearbox, similar to adding a trailer to a license.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121873342#Comment_121873342

You can always pass your test in an auto now and if you really want a manual later you can just do the test again in a manual

I had plenty of problems with the manual while learning to drive but like anything it's a skill you can learn

I do feel like some manual gearboxes are easier than others, my wife's old Citroen for example had a gearbox that would go on strike half the time you wanted to go into fourth gear

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121873732#Comment_121873732

From talking to a few people waiting on tests, there's a significant spread in waiting times from a couple of months to over a year

You can get ahead of the queue by looking for cancellations, they seem to try an prioritise retests as well over first timers

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121873866#Comment_121873866

That's it. No consistency or proper spread of resources for testing which leads to wild variations in waiting times. One shouldn't have to ring up and cross their fingers for a cancellation. A properly run system would have options for cancellations to be given to those who opt in for them.