Whether you call your manual transmission a standard, cog-swapper, a “row-your-own,” a stick shift, or a three pedal wonder, there are many reasons to love it. Many of us automotive journalists and other enthusiasts swear by our manual transmissions. But not only is the industry moving toward automatic transmissions, there are plenty of enthusiasts who prefer them. Read on for some reasons why.

Redditor oismac recently made a transmission confession to the /r/autos forum. “I much prefer automatic.” They added that at least in Europe, theirs seems to be “a very wrong opinion amongst car enthusiasts.” They asked the forum if anyone else, “doesn’t care about manuals.” The responses were an intriguing range of reasons that some enthusiasts opt for automatics.

Many commenters agreed their transmission choice depends on what the vehicle is for. Rashaen painted a clear picture: “If I’m just going for a joy ride in the sticks, I want a manual, hands down. If I’m pulling a trailer in traffic, I’m all about an auto.”

Others specified that they are OK with certain quick-shifting automatic transmission. One said, “I prefer a good automatic. But I’ll take a manual over a bad automatic.” So what’s a good automatic? One commenter specified, “If I can get a good automatic (ZF8, 10R80, DSGs) then I will choose that. If not I default to a manual.”

Ipfan724 argued, “Most drivers can’t shift better than a modern automatic.” They added, “I fully understand people that like manuals because they’re fun or more engaging. But, if the goal is to go fast, why wouldn’t I pick a faster automatic transmission?”

User Wizzle-Stick has both manual and automatic sports cars in their collection. “both have their disadvantages, but i can tell you that with increasing age, the manual is driven less. bad knees, frequent gout attacks, lack of energy from working, being stuck in stop and go traffic… yeah. aging sucks. in my opinion, automatics have only gotten better as time has gone on, and they are consistent and predictable. this makes then great for spirited driving. there is no wrong answer. drive what you enjoy…” Pvera agreed, “My heart prefers manuals, my old man knees and my brain prefer automatics.”

Another enthusiast enjoys automatics, even during a spirited drive. “I can very much drive both and learned with a manual, however i like driving automatic, because it lets me focus more on the road instead of changing gears constantly.”

One Dodge driver felt that an automatic is better for handling an extremely powerful car. ” I wouldn’t want anything faster than my modified scat pack in a manual.”

A diesel fan made a really interesting point. “With a petrol, I’d go the automatic route, unless if I were getting a sports car. With a diesel, I’d go manual any day. The torque of a diesel just pairs up so good with a stick, removing most of your problems with hill starts and allowing you to tow without worrying about your transmission overheating.”

So there you have it, several reasons that automatic transmission fans have for their preference. The world would be a boring place if we all liked the same thing. So whichever you prefer, it’s easy to support other enthusiasts, whatever their passion.