Should I switch to an automatic car?

I’ve been learning to drive for 2 weeks now and done around 10 hours. I’m currently learning in a manual car but I’m not getting anymore confident with the clutch and the gears. I’ve been having problems in all of my lessons with these which is causing me to stall a lot. My instructor is really good and always explains things in detail so I can understand but I just cannot get my head around them.

My grandparents drive an automatic and says it’s so much better than driving a manual. I don’t want to have passed soon but I feel that if I continue in a manual I’ll never be passed this year. Should I change to an automatic and keep struggling with a manual?

Reply 1

Liamw1998

17

Original post by Anonymous

I’ve been learning to drive for 2 weeks now and done around 10 hours. I’m currently learning in a manual car but I’m not getting anymore confident with the clutch and the gears. I’ve been having problems in all of my lessons with these which is causing me to stall a lot. My instructor is really good and always explains things in detail so I can understand but I just cannot get my head around them.

My grandparents drive an automatic and says it’s so much better than driving a manual. I don’t want to have passed soon but I feel that if I continue in a manual I’ll never be passed this year. Should I change to an automatic and keep struggling with a manual?

Definitely keep going. You will get the hang of it. Try sitting in a parent or relatives car and just practicing switching between the gears. Once you’ve got it, youve got it and it becomes natural, then you can easily drive either a manual or automatic car and have the option

Reply 2

IWMTom

20

Original post by Anonymous

I’ve been learning to drive for 2 weeks now and done around 10 hours. I’m currently learning in a manual car but I’m not getting anymore confident with the clutch and the gears. I’ve been having problems in all of my lessons with these which is causing me to stall a lot. My instructor is really good and always explains things in detail so I can understand but I just cannot get my head around them.

My grandparents drive an automatic and says it’s so much better than driving a manual. I don’t want to have passed soon but I feel that if I continue in a manual I’ll never be passed this year. Should I change to an automatic and keep struggling with a manual?

These things take time.

Don't pass in an automatically, because you won't be able to drive a manual if you ever need to in future without resitting your test!

Reply 3

stoyfan

20

Original post by Anonymous

I’ve been learning to drive for 2 weeks now and done around 10 hours. I’m currently learning in a manual car but I’m not getting anymore confident with the clutch and the gears. I’ve been having problems in all of my lessons with these which is causing me to stall a lot. My instructor is really good and always explains things in detail so I can understand but I just cannot get my head around them.

My grandparents drive an automatic and says it’s so much better than driving a manual. I don’t want to have passed soon but I feel that if I continue in a manual I’ll never be passed this year. Should I change to an automatic and keep struggling with a manual?

You just need more practice mate.

It took me 4 weeks to become competant at using the clutch

Reply 4

Janneb

Original post by Liamw1998

Definitely keep going. You will get the hang of it. Try sitting in a parent or relatives car and just practicing switching between the gears. Once you’ve got it, youve got it and it becomes natural, then you can easily drive either a manual or automatic car and have the option

I don’t see the point in learning in a manual when I’m getting an automatic car when I pass and I just feel like I’m never going to pass on a manual because I’m concentrating too much in clutch control and gears when I’m not confident with them. Plus all my family drive automatic so I couldn’t do extra work with them as it wouldn’t be relevant to my issues with manual driving.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 5

Janneb

Original post by IWMTom

These things take time.

Don't pass in an automatically, because you won't be able to drive a manual if you ever need to in future without resitting your test!

I’m thinking on changing since when I do pass I’m going to be getting an automatic and I only started on a manual to try. I don’t have the funds to pay for so many manual lessons as the instructor says I’m still going to need about 40 lessons or more because I cannot get my head around it and I don’t want to stress too much when driving

Reply 6

nevershear

15

Original post by Janneb

I don’t see the point in learning in a manual when I’m getting an automatic car when I pass and I just feel like I’m never going to pass on a manual because I’m concentrating too much in clutch control and gears when I’m not confident with them. Plus all my family drive automatic so I couldn’t do extra work with them as it wouldn’t be relevant to my issues with manual driving.

All your family might drive automatic, but out of all of them how many hold an auto only license vs a full. I didn't stop stalling until maybe a couple of weeks before my test, and then when I went from a diesel back to a petrol after passing I was fine for a bit, but went through a 2-3 day period of stalling lots again. Now I'm fine and can start quickly, I remember back on my provisional being next to someone at the lights and wondering how the hell they were so much faster at moving away.

Autos might be less stress to drive in congested areas, but overall petrol cars are cheaper, and the license is more useful. Courtesy cars and company cars are much easier to come by in manual and you won't need to task your test again to drive one. Get an automatic when you pass by all means, but just have the full license and get that out of the way.

Original post by Janneb

I’m thinking on changing since when I do pass I’m going to be getting an automatic and I only started on a manual to try. I don’t have the funds to pay for so many manual lessons as the instructor says I’m still going to need about 40 lessons or more because I cannot get my head around it and I don’t want to stress too much when driving

An automatic car is more expensive to both buy and run than a petrol. In many cases automatic lessons also cost more (but not by much). If you can't afford to pay for 30-40 manual lessons (assuming it even takes you that long), you can't really afford to drive in the first place anyway. You'd still probably take the same amount of automatic lessons just to competently learn everything else.

Reply 7

CurlyBen

19

You could consider some automatic lessons to get used to being on the road, then try manual again. When I was learning my parents had a small automatic and it was quite nice to learn being on the road without worrying about gear shifts. I then did 6 or 8 lessons in a manual before doing my test and passed first time, even though I did stall at the lights!

Reply 8

IWMTom

20

Original post by Janneb

I’m thinking on changing since when I do pass I’m going to be getting an automatic and I only started on a manual to try. I don’t have the funds to pay for so many manual lessons as the instructor says I’m still going to need about 40 lessons or more because I cannot get my head around it and I don’t want to stress too much when driving

Fact of the matter is, you probably will at some point need to drive a manual, and you won't have a driving licence. Courtesy cars are a great example, as dealers tend to buy in the cheapest stock to give out, which always have manual gearboxes.

Whilst it may not, it could cause problems in later life, and you'll need to pay for more lessons and ANOTHER test if you ever want to upgrade. Don't limit yourself.

Reply 9

Gregorius

14

Original post by Anonymous

I’ve been learning to drive for 2 weeks now and done around 10 hours. I’m currently learning in a manual car but I’m not getting anymore confident with the clutch and the gears. I’ve been having problems in all of my lessons with these which is causing me to stall a lot. My instructor is really good and always explains things in detail so I can understand but I just cannot get my head around them.

My grandparents drive an automatic and says it’s so much better than driving a manual. I don’t want to have passed soon but I feel that if I continue in a manual I’ll never be passed this year. Should I change to an automatic and keep struggling with a manual?

Stick with the manual for learning - being restricted to only automatics might be a pain in the future. I do drive automatics myself these days, and they are much easier/nicer to drive as well as being more efficient than manuals these days. But you may end up (getting a hire car on holiday, for example) where a manual is the only option.

However here's a possible tip - what are you wearing on your feet for your driving lessons? If you are wearing shoes with a thick sole (like trainers) try swapping to something with a thinner sole - you get a much better "feel" for the clutch.

Reply 10

Harley-Flame

7

Original post by Janneb

I don’t see the point in learning in a manual when I’m getting an automatic car when I pass and I just feel like I’m never going to pass on a manual because I’m concentrating too much in clutch control and gears when I’m not confident with them. Plus all my family drive automatic so I couldn’t do extra work with them as it wouldn’t be relevant to my issues with manual driving.

Original post by Janneb

I don’t see the point in learning in a manual when I’m getting an automatic car when I pass and I just feel like I’m never going to pass on a manual because I’m concentrating too much in clutch control and gears when I’m not confident with them. Plus all my family drive automatic so I couldn’t do extra work with them as it wouldn’t be relevant to my issues with manual driving.

I don't know, it seems as if you have already made up your mind as to what you want to do.

I don't drive myself but most people in my family are drivers and they all have a full license which comes in handy in family emergencies, or you end up needing to borrow a friend's car, or hire a van, it's all pretty useful to not have to worry about whether you know how to drive it already.
when it comes to driving I doubt it comes naturally to anybody and most things take practice and time. if you stick at it, inevitably you will stop stalling and look back on all the progress you've made.

but it seems that maybe you're set on changing to automatic anyway.

Should I switch to an automatic car?

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