I'm in my late 60's.I need to get my driving licence so I can travel with grand children.My husband tells me an automated car does not have the shifting lever for the speed changes.Will this make it easier or harder for a learner driver like me!
tigra,
Oct 14, 8:29am
"shifting lever!. Automated car!"
tigra,
Oct 14, 8:30am
oooh I forgot " speed changes"!
kohi5656,
Oct 14, 8:30am
Sorry, the stick.The hand operated stick or lever.Forget what you call it.
thejazzpianoma,
Oct 14, 8:31am
This advice is perhaps not quite as important as it was in days past. Better, long lasting brakes and roads have made this less important.
Plus, you can buy modern auto's, or even better the likes of VW's DSG automated manual that will let you shift manually any time you want to.
My advice, buy a VW Golf with the 6 or 7 speed DSG and you can both be happy, because it drives like an auto when you want it to but technically its a manual, just the car operates the clutch for you. You also get all the economy (and more) that a manual transmission will give you along with most of the low maintenance and reliability.
Also, the DSG and similar transmissions will automatically do the engine braking for you when you lift off the gas even when in auto mode.
kohi5656,
Oct 14, 8:34am
Thank you.When you say shift, do you mean changing speed during the trip!
splinter67,
Oct 14, 8:34am
Get yourself a nice little automatic it will be easy to learn in
kohi5656,
Oct 14, 8:37am
Thank you.Do you ask for automatic if you want automated speed changing!
trogedon,
Oct 14, 8:45am
Agreed. Good advice, straight to the point and not about confusing someone with more vehicular knowledge than they were after.
thejazzpianoma,
Oct 14, 8:46am
Most cheap little Japanese automatics have 4 gears which they shift for you as and when required. So yes, you just worry about the gas peddle and the car does the rest. However the old technology they use saps away most of your economy due to only having 4 gears and the design of the transmission. Imagine riding a 3 speed reliegh 20 verses a light 10 speed bike, the car is experiencing much the same thing.
The DSG is exactly the same to drive as a normal auto above, you wouldn't know it was not one unless someone told you.
However underneath its actually a manual transmission with a robot that does the gear changes and clutch. So it gets all the advantages of a manual AND an automatic transmission together.
Plus if and only if you want to change gear manually with a DSG, you can, you just push the shifter over and you can flick up and down the gears as much as you want, but realistically you would probably never use this part of it.
I have probably over complicated matters but hey if it keeps your husband happy and gets you a nicer more economical car then all good.
kohi5656,
Oct 14, 8:47am
This sounds remarkable.Robots!You're not pulling my leg!
mrfxit,
Oct 14, 8:48am
The only gear selections that you need to use are .
P = Park = when the car is parked somewhere R= Reverse = when you are backing the car D= Drive = ALL forward motion = it will take care of ALL the forward motion gear changes *************** Please DON'T let anybody teach you to use your left foot for braking. Far too many ppl get lazy & leave their left foot touching the brake peddle which makes the brake lights flicker on & off confusing anybody behind you. THEY are not mind readers & don't have any way to know if you are braking or not. It also has a habit of creating a lot of wear on the brakes **************
craig04,
Oct 14, 9:00am
Jazz, you are over-complicating things. In this particular case any automatic will do along with a sh!load of airbags.
thejazzpianoma,
Oct 14, 9:04am
Nope, I am not pulling your leg. Its not a robot with arms and legs as such its just electrically powered levers with a computer brain to make the decisions. Its a really good system.
Oh, and you won't see the robot unless you look underneath the car, like I said you wouldn't know it wasn't a normal auto to drive unless someone told you.
Sorry again if I have over complicated matters.
Here is a picture of a DSG shifter, see it just looks like a normal automatic shifter. It has Park, Drive and Reverse just as described above. You just put it into "D", stick your foot on the gas pedal and off you go.
Get an automatic, Nowdays the automatics are very good, there's enough to worry about on our roads with all the signage everywhere, and the speeds everyone is going, keep it simple. Stick it in drive and just steer. Good on you. Get somsething your comfortable sitting in with good vision. Don't get caught up in too much lastest technology. Keep it simple. All the best.
gunhand,
Oct 14, 9:41am
Yea, the person your giving advice to I think is no slouch and quite up there with new technology so Im suspecting they may be having a giggle. But ya never know.
thunderbolt,
Oct 14, 9:46am
Jazz & Mrfixit
pedal 1(??p?
brish,
Oct 14, 9:47am
I'm over 70 and drive an automatic, although I'm quite pleased I drove a manual for years.I understand what gears are all about, and could use a manual if I had to.However, if you know you won't ever want to drive a manual, just go for it and get an automatic.Happy grandparenting.
kazbanz,
Oct 14, 12:22pm
Kohi -I'd suggest a good little Japautomatic like a toyota echo 1.3l;
chebry,
Oct 14, 3:44pm
What you want is a small automatic car thats easy to drive basicly pick a colour or shape you like there aint much difference in the cars now and off you go.My Nana learnt to drive in her 60s in a Morris Minor and dont worry she could pedal that little Morry flat out with the best of them Yer never too old.
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