Buying an automatic

Big Nelly

thatkindofgirl wrote:

No, I'm not American. Neither am I Irish. I have a full international licence. I am still waiting for a test in Ireland (great system guys!).

Interesting how you call being an ignorant pig, "satire". Is that the Irish meaning of the word?

I guess you'll tell me how I bought my car from "many dealers" too. Perhaps this is another Irish facility I am unaware of.

And why do you hate women so much? Did your mammy treat you bad?

Resorting to personal insults....yeah of course you are driving on an international license.....did you bother applying for the test yet??? seems strange that everyone that knows they wont pass the test cant get a date....who ever I know applies for test gets a date within 2-3 months at most in Dublin and less outside.....maybe its just me and the sh*t drivers cant get a test......

if you have come on here to insult the Irish then please f**k off!!! this is an ie website!! Irish people will be here and we comment on Irish things.....strange again that is!!

Maybe english isnt your main language because if you could read proper any of my comments above there wasnt nothing serious!! you just cant be bothered reading it....pick up on one part of my remards and then go around calling people names because you cant understand the meaning of the quote.......so I would suggest you go back to school or english lessons(which ever is required) and start over again because from what I have seen you havent a f**king clue

Hate women? where the f**k did you get that from??? again showing you IQ rating!!! I dont hate women! if fact I love them...and plenty of them as well;) ...the more the merrier(not sure how GF would take that).....again I will say the first comment was a piss take...UNDERSTAND.....the same as the one about auto drivers are just for people that cant drive.....also me and mammy get on great....wat about your mother?????

Oh yeah there is no satire anymore.....

thatkindofgirl

Get help

Big Nelly

thatkindofgirl wrote:

Get help

lol......no more personal insults????? aaahhhhhh

You should get help......look up yellow pages for english lessons!!!



Anyway enough of me winning arguements....in regards to initial point....how many dealers in Ireland actual sell new auto's??? I have never seen any except for imports or the larger model BMW/Merc

PlayaFlow

well my dad drives a Merc C270 CDI Auto . I all i can say is that its absolutley Savage!!...this car eats up the road. i drive it all the time and especially when youre on the M50 and wanting to overtake - you just pull out onto the fast lane and put your foot down and youre gone!! -something to do with the 400+nm torque.

anyway it feels muuch faster than a manual as the changes are so smooth and lightningly fast. i love that car

Johnny Storm

Whoa! Those last few posts kind of add evidence for my earlier point that not liking automatics is some kind of macho thing for some people.

Can we try and get back on topic for the benefit of TheJuggler, the original poster, please?

Big Nelly

Johnny Storm wrote:

Whoa! Those last few posts kind of add evidence for my earlier point that not liking automatics is some kind of macho thing for some people.

Can we try and get back on topic for the benefit of TheJuggler, the original poster, please?

Who is being macho??? this is already back on topic!!

prospect

Well, I am gonna get REAL macho on ye:


My MX5 is an auto!


Not by choice, as I do prefer manual transmission, (btw my other car is manual).
But having said that, in the mornings in traffic, and cruising long distances with few gear changes, the auto is really lovely and, em, relaxing.
But on the quiet country twisties, the manual is more fun, just because you feel more involved in the drive i suppose.

As for power loss in auto, if there is any, its negligable.

Mah two cents.:)

Borzoi

Big Nelly, thatkindofgirl - cool it, both of you. No more warnings.


As for the topic, I'd love to be able to put the car into some sort of 'automatic mode' for city driving, but retain the manual for the open roads.

Big Nelly

Borzoi wrote:

Big Nelly, thatkindofgirl - cool it, both of you. No more warnings.


As for the topic, I'd love to be able to put the car into some sort of 'automatic mode' for city driving, but retain the manual for the open roads.

No probs man....wasnt there a car out a while ago like this??? think I seen something on topgear about it....maybe my imagination getting away from me!!

lazylad

thatkindofgirl wrote:

I haven't ever caused an accident. I've been driving 12 years and have always driven a lot including in ridiculous weather -- blizzards, tropical storms, etc.

I'd love to see the Irish driving population see a real snow storm. ROTFL

My car has almost no marks, and those that are there (I've counted 5) were there when I purchased the vehicle. Many dealers have commented that it's a very "clean Micra".

The fact that you honestly believe an entire nation of 296 million people "can't drive", and that half the population of the world are bad drivers (despite all evidence to the contrary!) pretty much paints your picture quite clearly though .

Awfully cocky for someone from a nation of unlicenced drivers.

You obviously have issues if you are going to generalise every driver in this country. If you have a problem I suggest you get help and leave if it calms your, "provoked" by OUR society, angry personality.
You have a cocky attitude that is uncalled for. Noone on this boards is fully right RIGHT!. Arguing gets nobody nowhere but getting banned for some sh*t reason! So I suggest you keep your cool and don't generalise.
After all, didn't a European survery suggest that the Irish were either 2nd best or 2nd most confident drivers in Europe!
Either way you will attack that argument :rolleyes: But let the study speak for itself!:cool:

If someone attacks you on boards, ignore it and laugh it off, its just "type". I think anyone who argues on the internet is a pr*ck! or b*tch!

Keep fightin with a keyboard and mouse and shouting at a screen! Better than a real argument eh!:rolleyes:

telemachus

In fairness the guy spouting exclamation/question marks out of every orifice was hardly subtle in generalising about all Americans, quickly followed by all women, I guess the satire went over my head.

Big Nelly

telemachus wrote:

In fairness the guy spouting exclamation/question marks out of every orifice was hardly subtle in generalising about all Americans, quickly followed by all women, I guess the satire went over my head.

Its long over and done with.....back on topic!!

maidhc

Please, people. Arguing about American and/or women drivers has nothing to do with "buying an automatic".

(Although I'd love to know why colour coded bumpers on american cars are always and invariably destroyed... someone might start a thread...)

AMurphy

Color coded bumpers, that's a new one on me...not seen Bar Coded bumpers either. but we live and learn.

As for automatics. Modern automatics can be pretty slick, the "manual" or "auto-stick" mode on several cars is like clutchless shifting, otherwise, very similar in response.

Automatics do absorb a few HP, cause they have internal hydraulics which need to be kept pressurized, just like PS and AC absorb power, so to the primary hydraulics of the AT.

Which are better... Some Truck A/T are rated for higher torque than the manuals for the same vehicle, so it goes both ways.
A/T's are far more expensive to replace and to repair. And thy need frequent ATF changes, new ones with synth ATF's probably require an ATF change every 30K. AT/s do have clutches, which do wear eventually, so 100K mls out of a box is pretty good.
Easier to chage the single dry clutch int eh manual

Automatics are great in Dublin traffic, where you get about 5 feet per move when the traffic and bad weather peak together.

Automatics do have an adverse effect on your brake pad life, as the AT is always pulling, whereas the manual, is actualy brking, whe you drop the trottle.
Off the line acceleration is generally better with an AT, though it diminishes rapidly.

As for branding drivers who use automatics "pufters", well we could extend that argument to those who use ASB, Electronic Stability, power brakes, aircon, electric start, etc.....also.

When I was a lad we had real cars and real drivers, hand crank to start, bring your own hot water bottle (or wench) if you wanted heat and a few patches and glue, if you wanted to repair a flat....

My advice. Grow up.

Blaster99

Surely the torque converter saps power at lower speeds before it locks? Automatics are definitely slower than manuals and use more fuel.

AMurphy

There are some internal pumping losses in the Torque converter also, just like as with any pump.

Cars with A/T are as capable of doing 120 and ones with manuals, so the AT is not inherently slower or faster.

Typically the losses have to be covered with more fuel being consumed.

Not all Torque converters lock. and even with the TC locked, the internal hydraulics still require a few HP to maintain pressure.

Johnny Storm

Blaster99 wrote:

Surely the torque converter saps power at lower speeds before it locks? Automatics are definitely slower than manuals and use more fuel.

In my experience they use more fuel but do not feel slower.

_Kaiser_

Well I have to say my 98 Mirage Auto is very agile on the road (and it's a 1.3) and so handy in traffic. I can fill it for about €35 at the moment and that'll do for the week's travelling on the N3.

As for the common complaint of "they're slow" - well this is Ireland (not Germany), where the average (legal) limit is 50-80kph which ANY car these days will do comfortably. You want to do more, take it to the track

[rant]
We'd all be a lot safer on the roads if there was more cop on behind the wheel than power in the engine what with idiots driving around with no lights on in the dark/no indicators/dangerous overtaking/speeding
[end rant]

Blaster99

By "slow" I incidently meant 0-60, but automatics have lower top speed too, presumably because of the gearing.

No particular offence intended and this is a personal opinion, but I'd say your 1.3 auto is a dog to drive in the scheme of things. Autos need a lot of torque to get around the fact that they're typically in the wrong gear and the transmission loses torque. That's why they tend to work well in diesels. You can rarely get much performance out of a diesel even with a manual, so it usually doesn't really matter which you choose.

unkel

Blaster99 wrote:

You can rarely get much performance out of a diesel even with a manual, so it usually doesn't really matter which you choose.

Where have you been the last decade? Both diesels and automatics have evolved greatly

prospect

Blaster99 wrote:

You can rarely get much performance out of a diesel even with a manual, so it usually doesn't really matter which you choose.

Ha Ha Ha Ha












You were joking, right?

Ratchet

unkel wrote:

Where have you been the last decade? Both diesels and automatics have evolved greatly

leave him alone Unkel, he drives 1978 volvo 240 Diesel

japanpaul

My girlfriend drives a 1.3 toyota vitz(yaris in ireland ) automatic and I think it's great (Not a patch on my motorbike though). Really easy to drive and quick away from the lights in city traffic.
The only reason I could see for the poor fuel consumption if there is any would be it's so easy to just put your foot down when you do pull away from the lights.

Blaster99

unkel wrote:

Where have you been the last decade? Both diesels and automatics have evolved greatly

Yes, and?

unkel

Blaster99 wrote:

Yes, and?

You read my above posts at all? I proved in the case of a modern automatic attached to a modern diesel that the automatic is actually faster 0-100km/h than the manual

unkel

Ratchet wrote:

leave him alone Unkel, he drives 1978 volvo 240 Diesel

Hehe, just looked up 0-100km/h for a W123 Mercedes 200D: 35 seconds

Blaster99

unkel wrote:

You read my above posts at all? I proved in the case of a modern automatic attached to a modern diesel that the automatic is actually faster 0-100km/h than the manual

And this is contradicting me how?

Squirrel

Blaster99 wrote:

And this is contradicting me how?

Blaster99 wrote:

By "slow" I incidently meant 0-60...
You can rarely get much performance out of a diesel even with a manual, so it usually doesn't really matter which you choose.

unkel wrote:

You read my above posts at all? I proved in the case of a modern automatic attached to a modern diesel that the automatic is actually faster 0-100km/h than the manual

That seems to contradict your point quite alot. You said that diesels are slow in ordinary circumstances, then fit an auto and they're worse, and unkel has clearly stated that the auto diesels are faster

0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) 6.5 sec - BMW E60 535D (3 litre diesel)

0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) 6.4 sec - BMW E60 530i (3 litre petrol)

They're both with auto boxes. 535d is a Auto only, as the Manual box can't take the torque

mackerski

Blaster99 wrote:

but automatics have lower top speed too, presumably because of the gearing.

This is certainly true in at least some cases. My car, with an automatic box, has a top speed of 228, and I recall that the manual version could do up to 235 or so. Bummer, huh?

Dermot

Blaster99

No actually what I wrote was that diesels and automatics suit each other as the automatics don't deteriotate the performance of a diesel. But thank you for taking various quotes out of context.

If I were to be arsed, I'd say I can probably find a twin-turbo petrol 3.0 V6 that does 0-60 in less than 5 seconds, so spare me idiotic comparisons to make a weak point, please. The 530d is a fine car for sure and possibly better than a 530i (without bringing in the significantly more expensive 535d into the equation), but that's not actually what we're debating here.