[BlueScreen]

Stopped at my local grocery store and noticed this beautifully painted Toyota (corolla?) parked over the street from me.
Also general car thread, what does sinister.ly drive?

Spoiler:

Personally I'm driving a 2003-model Celica.

[XFL]

I drive a 2003, Hyundai Elantra GT.


Yes. I do feel the need to mention its a "GT" which is often confused with the term related to the spec of GT (GT1, GT2, GT3, an example Porshe 911 GT3)

Its a hatchback with a 135 HP. Front wheel drive, its auto but I wish it was manual sometime. Its a four banging but it enjoys the high ass revs and gets up and goes pretty quickly for a car that lives and breaths that 93 octane. I'm very into stance culture and wish it wasn't a Hyundai (At least in 2003).

Hyundai has really changed their brand around in the past few years. If you check out the new Hyundai Genesis which replaced the Tiberon, its quite sexy and quite fast. The sport package is like.. I think 70k? Factory turbo (as if that means anything now) 400+RWHP from factory man. Shit is sexy and quick.

Personally, I'm saving up for an E28.
Pic for attention

[mothered]

I'm not Into cars as I once was many years ago. The novelty has well and truly worn off.

Just to get from point A to point B, I drive a 2004 WRX Subaru Impreza . I must say, It's quite quick and certainly reliable.

[BlueScreen]

Front wheel drive, its auto but I wish it was manual sometime.

That's something I never really understood. I've always grown up around people who drove manuals, and pretty much everyone I know that hasn't gone the electric/hybrid car route has a manual. But that doesn't seem to be the case in the US. When driving up I didn't even have the chance to use an automatic, so whats the deal with everyone in the US using automatic over manual? Is it that you get cars at such young ages its just easier to learn, or what?

[Uzinero]

That's something I never really understood. I've always grown up around people who drove manuals, and pretty much everyone I know that hasn't gone the electric/hybrid car route has a manual. But that doesn't seem to be the case in the US. When driving up I didn't even have the chance to use an automatic, so whats the deal with everyone in the US using automatic over manual? Is it that you get cars at such young ages its just easier to learn, or what?

It's the same in the UK too, Automatic's are extremely rare here, I don't think it would be an over-estimation at all too say that at least 95% of cars in the UK are manuals. I'm not sure why they seem to be so much more popular in the US, but I figured it's probably because they'll be easier to drive.

Anyway, back onto the original topic, I don't drive anything (yet) despite being really into cars. Need to get a passport, which I can't afford yet, when I can I'll be waiting around 2 months to finally get it, once I get the passport, I can use that as a form of ID to get my provisional driving licence, at which point I can finally go ahead and take my test to get a full driving licence. Getting a car is a whole different matter though, because when you're young they really fuck you in the ass here. Got a few quotes before as tests, if I got a car in the lowest insurance bracket so I'd have to pay the least, on my details I'd still be looking at aroung £1.8k a year IIRC for insurance, on a £3000 car. Fun, fun fun.

[Diego]

That's something I never really understood. I've always grown up around people who drove manuals, and pretty much everyone I know that hasn't gone the electric/hybrid car route has a manual. But that doesn't seem to be the case in the US. When driving up I didn't even have the chance to use an automatic, so whats the deal with everyone in the US using automatic over manual? Is it that you get cars at such young ages its just easier to learn, or what?

When you are looking at a car at young ages the better deals tend to be automatic because they are more common in the market (US). Once i get a nicer car ill get a manual because im going for preference over its cheap and it works. Also the nice manuals with turbo and what not are expensive to insure for young drivers.

[XFL]

That's something I never really understood. I've always grown up around people who drove manuals, and pretty much everyone I know that hasn't gone the electric/hybrid car route has a manual. But that doesn't seem to be the case in the US. When driving up I didn't even have the chance to use an automatic, so whats the deal with everyone in the US using automatic over manual? Is it that you get cars at such young ages its just easier to learn, or what?

As driven both many of times, manual makes you feel more engaged with the car. It creates a sense of being a part of the machine rather than just driving it. Its not easier to learn than auto, it is more fun and like I said before, engaging. Its not that manuals are getting harder and harder to learn, its becoming that car manufacturers are starting to faze out the technology by replacing it with selective shift or paddle shifters. The Dodge Challenger Hellcat is a prime example of this. The auto in there is I think a 7 speed and can shift faster than any human can at times that it thinks its best. Therefore, manual is worthless at that point because you can focus more on the road. However, not everyone wants to go fast; or in a straight path for that matter.

[Eclipse]

It's the same in the UK too, Automatic's are extremely rare here, I don't think it would be an over-estimation at all too say that at least 95% of cars in the UK are manuals. I'm not sure why they seem to be so much more popular in the US, but I figured it's probably because they'll be easier to drive.

Anyway, back onto the original topic, I don't drive anything (yet) despite being really into cars. Need to get a passport, which I can't afford yet, when I can I'll be waiting around 2 months to finally get it, once I get the passport, I can use that as a form of ID to get my provisional driving licence, at which point I can finally go ahead and take my test to get a full driving licence. Getting a car is a whole different matter though, because when you're young they really fuck you in the ass here. Got a few quotes before as tests, if I got a car in the lowest insurance bracket so I'd have to pay the least, on my details I'd still be looking at aroung £1.8k a year IIRC for insurance, on a £3000 car. Fun, fun fun.

Yeah, I feel ya. I've got my provisional, and can drive reasonably well (only allowed to practice on private roads yet as the provisional won't cover cars until my 17th), so I'll need to pay for lessons. They're expensive af, so I'm not sure how I'll do it. I'll pass my theory and fluke the practical most likely.

[Earth]

That's something I never really understood. I've always grown up around people who drove manuals, and pretty much everyone I know that hasn't gone the electric/hybrid car route has a manual. But that doesn't seem to be the case in the US. When driving up I didn't even have the chance to use an automatic, so whats the deal with everyone in the US using automatic over manual? Is it that you get cars at such young ages its just easier to learn, or what?

There is a few factors to this.

1. We drive long distances a lot in the US, we simply have more land mass and its not fun having to downshift, up shift, etc constantly and stopping and going in a manual.

2. New drivers who usually go and get there permit do not have access to manual cars because there parents usually have automatic for the same reasons above and they don't feel safe buying a seperate car that is manual that they feel they may not be able to drive.

Automatic can be fun, it is reliable and is simply better all around for daily drivers and also if you are in it for drag racing if tuned properly it in most cases is always faster then manual and of course there is no human error. I can drive manual but I prefer automatic.

Automatic has a lot of haters, hell there is people who have not even been behind the wheel of a car and claim automatic is shit and manual is better when in reality non are better then the other it all comes down to personal preference. It pretty much the same thing as fan boys you know Chevy VS Nissan Honda VS Toyota bullshit.

[XFL]

There is a few factors to this.

1. We drive long distances a lot in the US, we simply have more land mass and its not fun having to downshift, up shift, etc constantly and stopping and going in a manual.

2. New drivers who usually go and get there permit do not have access to manual cars because there parents usually have automatic for the same reasons above and they don't feel safe buying a seperate car that is manual that they feel they may not be able to drive.

Automatic can be fun, it is reliable and is simply better all around for daily drivers and also if you are in it for drag racing if tuned properly it in most cases is always faster then manual and of course there is no human error. I can drive manual but I prefer automatic.

Automatic has a lot of haters, hell there is people who have not even been behind the wheel of a car and claim automatic is shit and manual is better when in reality non are better then the other it all comes down to personal preference. It pretty much the same thing as fan boys you know Chevy VS Nissan Honda VS Toyota bullshit.

Agreed; and very well worded!

I don't see the hate in automatics, they have their place and the first point is a big one. Especially in a city area where downshifting to slow down is more work than just hitting the brake. (You don't have to always downshift when braking, but its a good habit)