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Paul Reis
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 941
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| Posted: 05 April 2026 at 4:36am | IP Logged | 1
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every car i ever owned (7 of them) had a manual shifter ... until i got a diesel Smart car ... which was automatic but had paddle shifter ... and spoiled me. i returned to a manual after the smart car but now with my 'final' car of my life (hey, i'm old) it's a gas/electric hybid with paddle shifters.
Edited by Paul Reis on 05 April 2026 at 4:37am
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Bill Collins
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 26 May 2005
Location: England
Posts: 11559
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| Posted: 05 April 2026 at 6:32am | IP Logged | 2
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I mistakenly thought i would get bored driving automatics
regularly, but automatics are so much easier, hill starts
are a dream and the shift in gears is almost
imperceptable (I prided myself on imperceptible gear
changes when driving manual). It makes busy stop/start
traffic easier to cope with.
My car has paddles on the steering column to give me the
option to change gear myself, i have used it once in 7
years!
My transmission has "Sports" mode, but again i rarely use
that as i'm not a boy racer!
Slightly off topic, but what are members opinions of the
touchscreens on modern cars?
Personally i hate them, it's very difficult to hit the
right icon when moving, and you have to take your eyes
off the road. I much prefer actual buttons and dials that
you can feel for and press or turn without taking your
eyes off the road.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135988
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| Posted: 06 April 2026 at 1:31pm | IP Logged | 3
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…but what are members opinions of thetouchscreens on modern cars?••• Hate ‘em. Anything that forces me to take my eyes off the road is inherently dangerous.
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Bill Collins
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 26 May 2005
Location: England
Posts: 11559
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| Posted: 06 April 2026 at 2:12pm | IP Logged | 4
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I agree, i find them troublesome to use even as a
passenger. Just because car designers can do something,
doesn't mean they should.
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Scott Sackett
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 409
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| Posted: 07 April 2026 at 3:08am | IP Logged | 5
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The handful or so of cars I’ve owned since 1987 have all been manual transmission cars. Until two years ago I bought a Mazda 3 with an automatic transmission.
The model I wanted, a turbo all-wheel-drive car, they did not offer with a stick shift.
About six months after purchasing the car, I broke my left big toe and was in a boot for six weeks. At that point, I was very glad I had bought an automatic. I had often thought about what would happen if I was unable to operate a clutch.
Like several other others have said, I often find myself reaching for the gearshift.
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James Woodcock
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 21 September 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 8438
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| Posted: 07 April 2026 at 6:35am | IP Logged | 6
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Touchscreens are a menace.
We have laws banning the use of mobile phones because they are
distracting, but we have now designed touchscreens that have simple
functions, that used to be dials, embedded in layers of menus.
I had a car where even the heating was buried within the touchscreen menu.
That was painful to use.
Thankfully, I only had use of that car for six months or so.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135988
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| Posted: 11 April 2026 at 12:41pm | IP Logged | 7
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Addendum: I took a ride in a friend’s new car the other day, and I must admit I liked the wide angle rear view camera. So much better than working off three mirrors—especially in parking lots, where people have the insane habit of sprinting behind moving cars!
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135988
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| Posted: 11 April 2026 at 12:45pm | IP Logged | 8
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Paul’s comment on having owned 7 cars got me counting, and I came up with the same number, starting with my ‘71 VW Beetle back in ‘73. Continuing the theme of this thread, I tally my rides as foreign, domestic, foreign, foreign, foreign, foreign and domestic.
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Brian Miller
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 28 July 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 31958
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| Posted: 11 April 2026 at 1:03pm | IP Logged | 9
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Not counting cars primarily driven by my wife, I’m on my 6th right now. All
have been “foreign” except the first one.
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Doug Centers
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 February 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 5782
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| Posted: 11 April 2026 at 2:07pm | IP Logged | 10
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Breaking my car count down, I've owned 13.
11- Domestic 1- Import 1- My very first car was a 1978 Ford Fiesta, though domestic brand was actually imported from Germany.
Still not helping Detroit out much, only 2 were bought new, 1 was an import.
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John Popa
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 March 2008
Posts: 4751
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| Posted: 11 April 2026 at 3:14pm | IP Logged | 11
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As someone who travels for work and uses rental cars in cities and states I've never been to, touch screens with GPS are a freakin' godsend. And much safer to glance at than looking at a map or your phone. It's right in your line of sight.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135988
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| Posted: 11 April 2026 at 3:27pm | IP Logged | 12
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So is your phone!
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