If you only had ONE. (poll ahead)

if you can disable the traction and stability control then rwd auto for me.

You will never find me owning an automatic car. EVAR. So FWD manual.

Honestly, autotragics are so incredibly boring. My father's 94 camaro with a 6 speed = lame if it was automatic.

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the concept of just one car. What does that feel like?

FWD manual. I've got enough Golfs, Civics and Tercels under my belt to be biased, though.:)

I'm surprised that more people here wouldn't own an AMG, Maserati or 612 Scaglietti . . .

-Dave

Black Stig wrote: I'm surprised that more people here wouldn't own an AMG, Maserati or 612 Scaglietti . . . -Dave

Mostly because then Vito would chastise us for being elitist douchbags posing as grassrooters, and who needs that?

If we're talking big HP RWD with an 'automated' manual gearbox, then that's different.

There is no way to remove the 'specific car' element from this question. My wife had an automatic IS300, and I would take that any day over the 91 SE-R I had.

I was recently faced with the same delimma, and I compromised with a manual AWD...

If you're talking with a limited budget and/or HP,..I would get a FWD manual. If you're into drag racing, get the RWD auto.

The world is much more complex than simply "manual versus automatic." How about a semi-automatic, or a semi-manual? If a true automatic, does it have a tip-shift function? And, even if it's just a regular four-speed automatic, the shift logic can either be good or bad. Oh, and an over-drive lockout switch makes a big improvement.

For example, a Ford Fusion V6 with five-speed automatic is a good car. But with the four-banger the tranny is always in the wrong gear, ratios are bad... Whereas the Mazda 6 with automatic (which shares the platform) is vastly superior as it has tip-shift with good logic.

So a Ford Focus with a five-speed versus a 911 tiptronic? Even a 964-series 911 with the old tiptronic? Sure, gimme the 911 auto.

But Chrysler 300 V6 auto versus a Mini or Si with an auto? Gimme the front-driver.

David

Really really depends on the car, but in general id pick fwd manual. I dont use fwd vs rwd as a criteria for deciding if i like a car though.

Tommy Suddard wrote: FWD Manual. I hate automatics.

+1

yep!

but . . . but . . . .

DILYSI Dave wrote:

Tommy Suddard wrote: FWD Manual. I hate automatics.

+1

agree

but . . .

Vito82 wrote: yep!

LOTUS?!!!! THATS LIKE THE BMW OF BRITAN YOU ELITIST BOURGEOISIE! i'd have a fwd manual. no contest.

If those are the choices, I'd buy new shoes...

I think it's like a Zobmondo . . .you can't choose death, LOL! It's one or the other . . .HAHAHAHAHA!

-Dave

PS:

Put a RWD auto in S shift or whatever the one that locks 4th gear out(on my old car) and see what happens. I don't do it often because I don't want to do any damage to my transmission as it is 30years old, but have heard you can do some stuff. It really matters about the car. I really don't like FWD because the handling is usually jerky, but my moms 2000 toyota is FWD auto and has really nice balance. Maybe just because I drive an auto RWD every day and have only driven one FWD manual I am a little biased. If my car had a taller 4th gear and higher kickdown speed I'd be set with the auto. It all matters on the car.

An integra with a manual would probably settle this argument!

RWD Auto, I can always put a manual valve body in it.

I'll drive an auto before I drive FWD

FWD ≠ fun

Shawn

VW GTi Wait

how about a Is300? yes, Lexus IS 300 Autobatic RWD tht should do it.

derekshannon wrote: 1) Rear-Wheel-Drive but automatic transmission. -OR- 2) Front-Wheel-Drive but manual transmission. Does the ability to oversteer outweigh the control of a manual or vice versa?

You're assuming two things, all three of which are incorrect.

auto transmissions are for invalids. or those physically unable to drive a manual.

I don't care if an auto is more consistent or faster(cvt's/manumatics)..

an automatic ruins the experience like "getting out of the gate early"

For me, it really depends on the cars in question. IS300 automatic versus, say....Camry/Accord manual? RWD auto the entire way. Now, if we starting talking Integra Type R manual versus a late-90's Mercedes C 230 hatchback auto or Mustang V6 auto or something like that, I'd snatch that ITR up and never look back.

If both cars are fairly unremarkable, RWD would probably win out for me, but it generally isn't that simple.

Depends on the car and the what you consider fun.

I'm a die hard RWD guy but if it's a question of a boring RWD with an auto vs. say the Mini/Fiesta/CRX with manual I'd take the FWD no question.

I need to ask a question!

[I]are auto's that can be shifted manually considered automatics[/I]

Ie Paddles shifters, etc