ALT-3 The Difference between an Automatic and a Manual Transmission
There are several differences that you need to consider when choosing between an automatic or manual transmission. Most of the major differences are extremely obvious, while others aren't.
The most noticeable different between the two types of vehicles is that a manual transmission uses a clutch, while an automatic does not. The clutch essentially is the control that allows you to change gears. By pressing down on a clutch pedal, the clutch is engaged and allows you to change gears. The automatic does this automatic as a computer, once it realizes the vehicle is above a specific RPM, will change automatically.
The performance difference between most manual and automatic vehicles is that a manual gives the user a lot more control over the performance of their vehicle. While two vehicles may have the same power and everything else, a manual transmission is generally much better at getting a vehicle up to speed as the user is capable of timing the gear shifting to recognize the best performance of the vehicle. The automatic, generally shifts for the best fuel economy of the vehicle, which means that the vehicle shifts at somewhat aukward intervals for racing or performance purposes.
Another difference in the the two is maintenance. Generally the owner of a manual transmission will expect to replace their clutch once every 40,000-100,000 miles depending upon how hard the drivers pushes the vehicle. With an automatic however, the driver might never have to do any transmission work besides adding fluid or doing a flush for the life of the vehicle.
