My wifes step dad borrowed my truck today and they left me with their CRV. As I was getting in it I realized it's been nearly 7 months since I last drove an Automatic vehicle. (unless you count my Lawnmower).
How long has it been for you?
And yes I stood on the brake and tried to take off like it was the clutch..
sunday. Our truck is an Auto.
couple of hours ago. Just to go out and do it again.
It's been 20 years since I made the brake for clutch error.
Will drive "the answer" home with a 3rd pedal, though.
Weekly in the van.
If I weren't terrified of reliability, I might consider a DSG transportation appliance, but I can't stand the mushiness of a torque converter on anything more sporting than a warehouse on wheels.
I may, possibly, someday make a Jaguar exception.
Back in the era of the old Ford-o-matic transmission, I well understood the distain for slush-boxes. But today, as well as they work, I don't see the reason to sneer at them.
To me, if you are going a long time without ever driving one, it just means you aren't driving a wide variety of vehicles.
Probably about a week ago, driving the girlfriends car. Longest that I've gone without driving an auto was about 7 months--it is weird getting in one after that long.
Haven't made the brake/clutch error in a while. I gave my mom pretty good whiplash on accident backing out of the drive way, about 4 years ago now in the Volvo (really grabby brakes). We were still rolling backwards at about 5 miles an hour and I slammed on the brake. Oops.
Drive many of them everyday
My DD is an auto, the wife's is an auto and just about every customer's German car is automatic. I like not having to "work" to drive, I'll save that for the weekends in the play car.
A few weeks ago, drove my mom's Impreza.
I just got back from lunch so I'd say 20 minutes ago. My Ford F150 FX2 is auto and I wouldn't have it any other way. So much better and easier for towing and all the crazy ways to have to back a trailer.
It's not the automatic of yesteryear but I still wouldn't want it in a performance, sporty car. When in that I want it to do exactly what I tell it exactly when I tell it.
Driving the wife's Grand Prix two days ago was the first time in about 6 months. Doesn't bother me, I like good autos (manually shiftable). Left leg started to atrophy from non-use, though.
The only time I got confused was back when my fleet was much bigger and I had a floor shift auto, an auto on the column, a 5-on-the-floor, and a three-on-the-tree. I'd slap a bench seat looking for a stick and all kinds of idiotic things.
My daily for 5 years was my 740iL with an automatic, and the tow rig is an automatic diesel dually. Got no problems with luxury cars, trucks, and classic muscle being automatics. My new daily is a manual, and my fun car is a manual, however. But I'd have another E38 or Jag with an automatic in a heartbeat.
I'm not 100% sure, but believe the last automatic-equipped vehicle I drove was 18 months ago. Vehicle in question? A 16 foot "box truck" used to move from Tn. to Fl.
ALL my relatives have auto-equipped vehicles, and since I haven't driven an auto in awhile, I would say that tells you how much I'm trusted with their cars.
I am getting to the point where I often feel driving is a chore because of the manual, but my 2 biggest beeches with autos are: not sure they are as reliable as a manual and the ones I have owned in the past (last one was a '92 Integra) sometimes needed a foot through the floor to downshift.
About an hour ago when I left work to pickup lunch.
integraguy wrote: not sure they are as reliable as a manual and the ones I have owned in the past (last one was a '92 Integra) sometimes needed a foot through the floor to downshift.
Different cars react differently. My '98 BMW 740iL had 185k miles on it's original fluid in its original automatc. Reliable? yup. Most good GM and Ford autos can be teh same way. And if you want them to shift, you don't have to mash th gas to the flor, you simply move the lever.
The BMW (like most modern autos) has a sport mode that changed teh shift points to be more sporty and hold gears longer. And a full manual mode that only shifted when you told it to. This is not steptronic, DSG, SMG, etc, but a traditional automatic, and to be honest, most could do this. The old 3 speeds in my classic domestic musclecars could do it. (and the classic domestic muscle had the advantage of having shift kits available for them that you coud change the shift programming and firmness).
If all your automatic experience is in mom's Accord or grandpa's Buick, then there's a world of other experiences out there waiting for you.
I occasionally drive the wife's Camry when we are all going someplace as fitting a car seat in the back of the BMW isn't the easiest thing. I've found I tend to start shifting that transmission manually in heavy traffic because I often disagree with its gear choice.
The C10 pickup has an automatic too. DD is a stick shift BMW though.
About a month. Our only auto vehicle is my old truck, and it gulps gas like there's no tomorrow, so I've stopped driving it except when I need the cargo space or the horsepower.
few days ago, my wife's Jeep is an auto
foxtrapper wrote: Back in the era of the old Ford-o-matic transmission, I well understood the distain for slush-boxes. But today, as well as they work, I don't see the reason to sneer at them.
I don't know about that. I rarely drive automatics (rentals or other peoples cars) and recently rented an Impala.... oh man, that was BAD. Not that the car was not driveable, but on a slight incline, you push the gas and.... OK... nothing, push a bit more... uhm... nothing... a bit more... "blaaaa" downshift finally moving at about half throttle... argh!! A 40 year old Powerglide is a much nicer experience.
I had a hard time believing someone actually designed a car to drive like that!! I had to switch the car out for a Hyundai, MUCH nicer. Maybe it is not the automatic, it's how they set some up to drive.
I obviously recently drove an automatic, but generally I can go a good year before driving one.
Bout 3 months ago, right before the starter died in the Prizm.
About 2mos. ago. Changed the brakes on SWMBO's truck, drove it around the neighborhood to make sure everything was buttoned up tight. Before then, I really don't remember.
Got to drive my wife's SLK to work yesterday. I gotta say, the auto in that thing is pretty good. If you stomp on it, then lift, it stays in the lower gear for a bit to be sure you're not getting ready to stomp again. It even downshifts when you slow for a light. I've never driven an auto like it before. I like it more than I would have guessed.
About 5 minutes ago. All of our company vehicles are now automatics. When I was much younger, I had trouble going from a manual to auto and back. Not so much now.
Every day, including this morning. My DD is an Astro, hers is an xB with auto.
this morning on m way to work...just like every day 
Today. My truck is auto, and so is our CR-V.
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