Anything goes in The Snug, General Discussion's rebellious little brother. An off-topic den of iniquity where any subject not covered elsewhere may be discussed. Well, anything except golf, Star Wars and Arsenal.
Johnny Byrne's Boots wrote: ↑Fri May 27, 2022 2:38 pm
I've had a good selection of manual and auto cars over the decades and much prefer auto. It's so much more relaxing, especially in traffic and my days of pretending I'm a racing driver are long gone. Of course it could be that most of my manuals have been smaller cars and therefore more skittish, while my autos were (and still are) bigger, more stable cars.
Reckon I'd enjoy manual if I didn't live in London
But alas traffic lights, left knee surgery and endless average speed cameras have made manual cars utterly pointless
That and I don't enjoy driving ice cars anymore so won't be returning so I'm stuck with auto
EastHam56 wrote: ↑Fri May 27, 2022 4:20 pm
finally collect the new Kuga on tuesday , only 13 months since I ordered it !
excuses trotted out , covid , lack of semi conductors and diesel engines being prioritised to commercial vehicles .
2009 MX5 for sale , pm if interested
TBH mate, those 'excuses' are spot on - that's what the motor industry is experiencing still.
Renault have just launched a new SUV and you can't get one for love nor money within 12 months. Only hope of getting one is waiting for the demonstrators to start falling in to the market - and even then, there are still dealers that don't even have one to show off to punters yet, and it launched in march.
Got my first Auto in 2007 and haven’t had a manual since.
Manuals are far too much hassle to drive in traffic and let’s face it, that’s probably where we end up most.
As for gearbox changing “speed”, they’re perfectly fine for 99% of users. I don’t see many manual boxes fitted to performance cars, they’re mostly auto’s with paddles and even a dsg will change faster and smoother then your average joe will with a manual.
They’re not the bags of spanner’s that DL probably had in his Ford lol and they’re extreme reliable.
They do tend to cost a grand more though which is a price worth paying imho. They probably use an insignificant amount more fuel.
Things have moved on since 1982
bigcarpchaser wrote: ↑Fri May 27, 2022 5:35 pm
They’re not the bags of spanner’s that DL probably had in his Ford lol and they’re extreme reliable.
It was a '94 and 3 years old when I got it, one of the bug-eyed ones. Wasn't anything wrong with it, and it proper shifted - I just don't particularly like autos, for the reasons stated in my original post- I prefer a gear stick and the control it offers, and a gear change when I want it, not when the car's 'box wants it.
The Kadjar I had recently as a courtesy car was an auto, and I was forever reaching down trying to find a gear stick.
personal preference at the end of the day - but I know of a few people that went down the auto route and went back to stick in their next car.
Like DL, I drive an auto at work (mine's a van not a bus) and I would never want my personal car to be one.
If you fly a lot, driving autos can contribute to Deep Vein Thrombosis. as you never use your left leg.
I got an auto last year after having a number of rentals when been away for work. I won't go back now unless I'm ever able to keep an extra car to have some fun. I hate traffic with a passion, so it is just so much less hassle. Also nice and smooth. All the ****ing gadgets and screens in cars now, its probably safer too. Just give me a car that drives itself.
DL < I know that they are not excuses but when you are on the receiving end it sure feels that way .
Having spent all my working life in the automotive supply industry I know the score . Speaking to former colleagues they are feeling the pain with sales well below budget and my former French colleagues on 3 day weeks . Its not going to get better any time soon , normally when we priced a job it was for model life with "productivity " reductions , now we are asking for non negociable prices increases .
Rocketron wrote: ↑Fri May 27, 2022 8:28 pm
Like DL, I drive an auto at work (mine's a van not a bus) and I would never want my personal car to be one.
If you fly a lot, driving autos can contribute to Deep Vein Thrombosis. as you never use your left leg.
Funny you mention that - because since I've been back at work, my left leg pisses me off and hurts during the night. I wonder if it's related somehow?
EastHam56 wrote: ↑Sat May 28, 2022 10:20 am
DL < I know that they are not excuses but when you are on the receiving end it sure feels that way .
Having spent all my working life in the automotive supply industry I know the score . Speaking to former colleagues they are feeling the pain with sales well below budget and my former French colleagues on 3 day weeks . Its not going to get better any time soon , normally when we priced a job it was for model life with "productivity " reductions , now we are asking for non negociable prices increases .
It's shocking mate - I've never seen so many vacancies for car dealer sales people - and according to one of my regular go to's, it's because they ain't making any money, so people are leaving. Although the used car prices have gone up, profit margins have shrunk - which is why you're seeing more and more dealers adding a £199 'admin fee' - it's so the salesman gets paid.
Places like WBAC are paying top dollar for 5-1 year old cars, and then they're selling them at Cinch - and there's a lack of PXs filtering in to the system because of the wait for new ones.
Of course, the drawback is, is once the market has settled, a lot of people are going to find that the car they paid top whack for in the last couple of years, is going to take a wallop in depreciation, and end up in negative equity. That's why I've gone against what I usually do, and have been buying FSH high milers - by the time I get rid of it, it will be average mileage and the hit won't be so hard.
Rocketron wrote: ↑Fri May 27, 2022 8:28 pm
Like DL, I drive an auto at work (mine's a van not a bus) and I would never want my personal car to be one.
If you fly a lot, driving autos can contribute to Deep Vein Thrombosis. as you never use your left leg.
Do what I did when I got my first auto. Keep jamming down the left peg on an imaginary clutch pedal.
Hummer_I_mean_Hammer wrote: ↑Wed Jun 01, 2022 8:41 am
Do what I did when I got my first auto. Keep jamming down the left peg on an imaginary clutch pedal.
I struggled with that when I’d just passed my test and was being sent out by the firm I worked for to install hardware for the reprographic industry. There was a mixed pool of cars we used, and several were autos, and I couldn’t get the hang of how to stop myself going for the clutch until someone said “take your left shoe off”, at which point, it instantly stopped being a problem.
dasnutnock3 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 01, 2022 10:52 am
I struggled with that when I’d just passed my test and was being sent out by the firm I worked for to install hardware for the reprographic industry. There was a mixed pool of cars we used, and several were autos, and I couldn’t get the hang of how to stop myself going for the clutch until someone said “take your left shoe off”, at which point, it instantly stopped being a problem.
Funny how daft things make driving easier. I had a r/h drive car when I was living in Europe and drove my mums car over here.
I used to think 'me' in the middle of the road in my mums car, 'me' by the pavement in my own.
Monkeybubbles wrote: ↑Fri Jun 24, 2022 10:46 am
Are we expecting used car prices to start returning to normal in the next few months?
I don't see it, until the semiconductor shortage/supply chains sort themselves out they are likely to remain elevated - this isn't much more than an educated guess btw. Economic meltdown might take some froth out of them, I guess.