Are you a car guy if you drive an Automatic?

To put it short, Yes! Yes you are!
As a car guy, I love manual.
I do manual everything.
My car is manual, my toothbrush is manual, even my manual is manual

But here in the year of 2016, in the evolving age of technology, we are seeing new technologies every single day.
With that being said, we are seeing a lot more of something called an Automatic transmission.

Since I spoke of the forbidden transmission, the entire CT Facebook community is calling for my execution, and I’ll most likely be shot at dawn…
So for now, while I’m still alive, and awaiting my execution, let me talk about the battle between Automatic and Manual.

One thing that you should know about me, I believe in free choice. I believe that people have the right to choose where they want to go in life, who they want to marry, and I think that everyone is equal, no matter gender, ethnicity, etc.. I also believe that you can have ANY brew you want, despite what Dom says..

I also believe that us car enthusiasts have the choice of what we want to drive. Whether it’s FWD or RWD, coupe or hatchback, Subaru or Nissan, everyone has the choice of what they like and what they want to drive, and I don’t think that they should be criticized for their choice. Sure these differences create rivalry, but I like to believe that we, as a modern society (for the most part) have moved past shaming others for being different than ourselves.

This leads me to the question: “Is a car enthusiast really a car enthusiast if they drive an automatic transmission?”
This question has been up for debate for too long, and I am here on a special peacekeeping mission from the United Nations to end the quarrel so that our communities can live together in unity.

Us as car guys/gals love spirited driving, and its commonly known that an automatic transmission can take away from “spirit” of driving when the car does the shifting for you.
This has been bothering me for while, I drive a manual transmission and love it, but am tired of seeing those that choose automatic be ridiculed by the bullies of the car enthusiast world.
So automatic guys, this one’s for you.

What actually is a car enthusiast?

First off, what really is a car enthusiast? First off, what really is a car person? When you hear “car person” you may think numerous things. You also might think, (but I can assure you that they are not), car people aren’t those abominations made by Disney..

No, to me, a car guy/girl is a car enthusiast. Someone that eat, sleeps and breathes cars. Nowhere in the auto bible does it say that “Thee that are worthy shalt drive with three pedals.” So why do we all preach like it matters so much? If I can find another car enthusiast in the whole universe, I immediately drop whatever I’m doing and start chatting about cars, the fact if they drive an auto or manual, is the last thing on my mind.

Technology's Evolution

Let’s face it, technology has come a long way. When I was a little kid, I played with toy cars and building blocks. Now, I see babies in strollers playing Angry Birds on their own iphones. I don’t like it (I’m a little jealous tbh) but hey, that’s the way of the future. Technology has also come a long way in the auto industry as well, in the past, cup holders were considered a “luxury” item in automobiles, but now we see vehicles fitted with the same technology that you might find on the International Space Station.

It’s the same story with the transmissions. When they were first introduced, automatic transmissions were a disaster. Even though they received public praise for the amazing new development, some of the main issues included: Weight, reduced fuel economy, miss-shifting, slower shifting, cost, lack of response, lack of reliability and significantly less strength. Back then there was a reason to hate automatic transmissions, they were just genuinely terrible transmissions. However, over the years, auto makers have smoothened out most of the rough edges of the manual transmission and got rid of most of the faults. One of these being Mazda reducing the weight of the automatics with their Skyactiv systems. Nowadays, it makes more and more sense to drive an automatic. So why do we still hate it?

Face it, some people just don't want to drive stick.

This one’s obvious, and it all comes down to personal preference. Let’s be honest, some people just do not wish to drive stick shift! There’s a lot of people out there that don’t want to learn, and that’s okay! Where I will always say that driving manual is a useful life skill, it’s totally up to you whether you want to or not. Also, think of all the car enthusiasts that live in hilly areas. I really do appreciate a windy pass through the hills with massive changes of elevation, and tight, complex corners. However, to deal with hilly areas with large amounts of traffic and stop signs is too much for me and my clutch to handle.

It's kinda nice to drive Auto!

I don’t know about you guys, but sometimes, I just wish that I didn’t have to deal with my super stiff stage 2 six puck race clutch (which is in my daily for some reason). Life is hard, and we all deal with large amounts of stress throughout the day. Sometimes it’s nice to not worry about operating a clutch on your way home from a hard day at work. So all you car guys and gals that just want to chill without stressin’ about a clutch, you’re alright in my book.

All in all, I think this automatic hate is pretty silly. I love my manual transmission, and always will. However, in my opinion, saying that a fellow enthusiast isn’t a real car guy/girl just because of a choice of transmission is far beyond a stupid that I hope this community can overcome. Sure, the majority of the car community will appreciate the stick shift more, it’s everything we stand for. Spirited driving, control, revving to the redline and choosing to bounce off the limiter just because we feel like it is the life blood of the car community and I don’t think that will ever go away. But the love of cars is something that lives in all car enthusiasts, regardless of the type of transmission we drive.

Because at the end of the day, it’s about the passion, not the transmission.

That’s my time, talk to you guys later.

Cheers,

Bennett Cook (a.k.a Performanceandluxury)

Automotive Student. Automotive Enthusiast.