Driving lessons in automatic car

[BevS97]

I learned in an automatic in the USA and have an auto license. You can get most cars as automatics. Second hand market is a bit more restrictive but I’ve always managed to get what I need from a small Citroen or fiesta to a larger 5 seater.

I’ve been auto only since 1986 and I’ve never regretted it. It’s becoming a total non issue these days.

[danisleigh]

My friend learnt in an auto car as she wanted to pass quickly and thought auto would help with that but now she says she wishes she had taken manual lessons and buying second hand cars with a budget is a lot harder when restricted to an automatic.
10 lessons really isn’t that many, I was learning for a year and found the whole gears and clutch thing hard to grasp but it did click eventually!

[wendy7654]

Thanks for the replies, I think il have the discussion re automatic and maybe take it from there, would prefer her to learn in a manual but I suppose it’s how she feels.
Thanks again

[Pino_Spetzberg]

Originally Posted by wendy7654

prefer her to learn in a manual

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Being able to drive a manual also helps when hiring cars on holiday or vans.

[stevekath]

Our eldest DD passed her test earlier this year in an automatic. She has dyspraxia and made very slow progress with manual lessons. An occupational therapist she was seeing recommended changing to automatic lessons and she immediately found it easier and progressed quickly.

[DonnaD]

Originally Posted by Pino_Spetzberg

Being able to drive a manual also helps when hiring cars on holiday or vans.

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Not in the US! An auto is so much easier with all the traffic today it surprises how many people still choose manuals in the UK.

[sky13]

I think there are some good automatic small cars - seem to recall that one of my friends drove a Toyota Yaris automatic (might have been a part automatic though) which she rather liked.

Originally Posted by Pino_Spetzberg

Being able to drive a manual also helps when hiring cars on holiday or vans.

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Oh yes this does happen - a few years back we went to the Lake District and the only rental option we had at that time was a manual car. Thankfully my dad could still remember how to drive a manual car (having at that point only driven an automatic for years)!

Things might change and I'd expect automatic cars to become more common over time though!

[Gabsnoot]

As someone else said, 10 lessons is not that many.

Our DD has her test next week and has had 20 lessons with an instructor and has been out practicing loads between lessons with her dad and grandfather. She also found the whole gear changing, along with everything else going on, a struggle initially and says it really only all fell in to place for her a month or so ago.

It might be worth persevering for a wee while longer to give the gears a chance.

[wendy7654]

Originally Posted by Gabsnoot

As someone else said, 10 lessons is not that many.

Our DD has her test next week and has had 20 lessons with an instructor and has been out practicing loads between lessons with her dad and grandfather. She also found the whole gear changing, along with everything else going on, a struggle initially and says it really only all fell in to place for her a month or so ago.

It might be worth persevering for a wee while longer to give the gears a chance.

See more...

I think we will see how the next 10 lessons go, we are unable to take her out as cars are auto’s and DH works away a lot, we managed it with DS now 23 and he passed within 3 months of his 17th birthday.
Thanks all for the advice.

[Universal VR]

My daughter had a serious knee injury several years ago. Three operations, physio and crutches for a year (off work for two), she wasn’t sure she could ‘trust’ her knee (it’s her left so the clutch leg) not to cause a lot of pain with bending it a lot to depress the clutch. Eventually she decided to learn in an automatic because it would be better than not driving at all. She’d turned 30 and wanted to get out and about without relying on our sketchy village bus service. The only disadvantage she has found is the limited number of used automatic cars. She now has a lovely 206 with low mileage and loving her new found freedom.