It is nearly two months since I bought a Skoda Octavia. After the initial trouble I had driving it, I finally got familiar with the “personality” of the car. It is now rare for the engine to stall. More importantly, now I can drive leisurely and begin to feel the fun of driving. Of course, compared with veteran drivers, there’s still a long way to go. However, I’m glad and content that I’ve made such progress in less than two months.

In the beginning, I felt very sorry for myself that I had bought a manual car and believed it was the worst decision I ever made. Now my attitude has completely changed. I’m sure I have a mature more-balanced view on whether to buy a manual or automatic car. If you don’t care much about money and just want to make life easier and more comfortable, then an auto should be your choice. If you belong to the type of people who pursue the feel of “artistic” perfection, then a manual would be the one you dream of having.

For those who want to buy a manual, you have to be mentally prepared that the first one or two months could be very difficult, even frustrating. I believe everyone can go through that stage successfully, but if you are no longer young or not so quick-minded, you should think twice before buying a manual. However, once you’ve got familiar with it, a manual car can be even better. The key is whether you’re willing to “suffer” in that period. Manual ones are never inferior in any sense. The taxis driving skillfully on the street are all manual ones. Do they ever feel uncomfortable while driving? The answer is self-evident.

The most obvious advantage of having a manual is money saving. You can pay about ten thousand less. Generally a manual car is more fuel efficient, thus reducing your running cost. The biggest advantage is the feeling you have while driving. After the first stage, you enter a brand-new world. You can feel that everything is under your control. You believe it possible to make driving into the state of perfection. You may feel you’re just part of the car and your reaction is just automatic. That auto reaction is, of course, different from the mechanical automatic control. Comparatively, the biggest advantage of driving an auto car is simple and thus easier to drive, especially at the beginning. However, as time goes on, you would be bored, for you have nothing much to do. To some extent, you feel like a puppet or a low IQ person doing something simple repeatedly all day long.