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In recent years, the old standard of manually shifting between gears in a vehicle
has been slowly replaced by the automatic transmission. Given that millennials
have helped fuel the ideology of automatic everything, it’s no surprise that this
trend has begun to dominate the automotive industry. But despite the automatic’s
transmission being popular, is it better than a manual transmission, simply easier
to use or just priced differently? In this post we at Vesas Automotive will help to
answer those questions and help making your next car­buying experience a bit
more informed. We like to keep our customers in the loop; knowledge is power!

Operation and Handling
Tackling the most obvious aspect first, a standard manual transmission just takes
more skill to drive than an automatic. In order to maintain or increase speed, the
transmission requires constant manual adjustments to higher or lower gears,
making driving especially tricky in high traffic conditions or doing through a
gauntlet of stop­and­go driving in a city. Enter the automatic, and we see a much
more relaxed “set it and forget it” potential for cruising the streets, automatically
shifting to the best gear suited for whichever speed the driver requires. Many
manual transmission enthusiasts however prefer their transmission method for
the benefit of having total control over their vehicle’s operation, making it easier to
respond better in driving conditions such as hills, skidding, or rough terrain.

Costs and Maintenance
No matter the generation, everyone is concerned about how hard new purchases
will hit their wallet, especially large purchases like buying a new car. For the costconscious consumer, you’ll be pleased to know that on average the manual
transmission version of any car model will be around $700 to $1000 less
expensive. Some might say that cost savings is negligible when considering the
average cost of a new vehicle is $20,000 or more, but money is money. Besides
the cost, manual transmissions utilize more basic, mechanical engineering that
translates to greater longevity and less maintenance issues over the life of the
car. The more simple a solution the easier it is to execute, and solving the
transmission problem with a manual design rather than an automatic version is no
exception. Still with the quality of new cars increasing in recent years and the
decline of the manual transmission’s popularity, it’s possible that manual
transmission repair costs could climb as parts become less readily available.

So is an automatic transmission better than the old tried­and­true manual
version? For the practical commuter, automatic wins out as the best option for its
ease of use and simple operation. Those people that are more money­conscious
and/or love the hands­on feel of the road are better off with a manual, as these
types of transmissions are less expensive and allow a great deal more fine­tuning
to your driving style. At Vesas Automotive we service both transmission types, so
we say drive whichever version you like best! Thanks for reading and as always,
happy driving!