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Comment by JoeAltmaier | Hacker News Reader

All of mine are manual. Live on a gravel road - can't properly drive on loose gravel with an automatic. Then you have to creep along at 10mph. I can do 55 in my Subaru.

Another downside of auto - they have all sorts of 'traction control features' that take over the accelerator. What that really means is, when driving on loose gravel they start to vibrate like one of those old vibrating-football-game toys and the car then drifts uncontrollably in a random direction. Totally dangerous.

With a manual I can do a controlled four-wheel drift onto a snow-covered road and end up aligned in any desired lane. Try to do that in an automatic.

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I grew up in a rural area with gravel roads. You can totally drive 55 mph with an automatic. I will agree with you on the traction control features; they are not very helpful when they engage on gravel or in any significant accumulation of snow. However, if the traction control is engaging regularly, you might be driving a bit too aggressively.

> they have all sorts of 'traction control features' that take over the accelerator.

That's not exclusive to automatics, both of my manual cars will take over a bit if I start to lose traction.

Isn't doing 55 on gravel going to destroy your paint?

Traction Control, on paved roads, is extremely beneficial, and one of the best safety innovations since seatbelts.

On smooth dry paved roads anyway. I live up here in the Arctic Zone (as my OK brother-in-law calls it) and we have weather. And gravel.

Don't most traction control equipped cars have a button to turn it off? Mine (Lexus LS600h L) does.

> Try to do that in an automatic.

I did that in my car with TC disabled with no problems.

I drive an old automatic Subaru, haven't had any problems on the gravel roads. I just put it shift lock and keep it in second gear and keep those wheels spinning.

I mean, most automatics have a sort of semi-auto mode that allow you to lock it in the gear of your choice. But obviously a manual has far more control.

I don't think most of us normal people would do that.

For the rest of us who have to deal with traffic, manuals suck. First gear, second gear, first gear is not fun.

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