When buying your new car, is it better to go with an automatic or manual transmission vehicle? There are certainly benefits and costs to both. Let’s look at which car is right for you.

Repair Costs
Repair costs are usually lower in manuals because they require less maintenance and usually cost less to fix when they do need repairs. Automatic transmissions, however, are getting better all the time, so, perhaps in a while, there will be no difference.

Fuel Costs
Manuals are more fuel efficient, but newer automatic transmissions are within 1-2 mpg of manuals, so the difference isn’t worth much.

Get up and Go! (Power)
Manual vehicles will usually be your best bet if you want a fast and powerful vehicle. This is where manuals shine in comparison to automatics. Automatic transmissions do not have the same acceleration capabilities as manual.

Where do you live?
City driving in heavy traffic is when automatics shine. There is nothing worse than having to shift every little bit while stuck in a long traffic jam. If you live in a big city with clogged roads, an automatic is probably your best bet.

Conclusion
So the question comes down to each individual. If you’re a power-loving person living in rural Alberta, a manual is probably best. If you only use your car for transportation and live in Calgary, an automatic might better suit your needs. Calgary Driving School and Derek Brown’s Academy of Driving offer lessons in both.

Calgary, like most of North America, licenses are available at a young age, fundamentals are emphasized, and roads rules are clearly and extensively articulated and marked on the road. Calgary drivers schools teach both stick shift and automatic driving. Driving is seen as mostly a practical skill that anyone can attain.

In much of Europe however, the rules are more lax while the training is more extensive. There are also very few automatic cars to be found. They view driving more as an art form to be performed only by the more skilled.

Check out this video of the roundabout at the Arc du Triumph in Paris:

Do you prefer the North American or the European way of driving?