Amalfi Coast Drive by car or bus

Take the bus that way you get to see the place ,There are several tour companies that will do a short stop in Positano, a longer one in Amalfi and a decent stop in Rafello and will also include a lunch stop along the way.

Absolutely, do not drive a car. Firs,t and foremost, the driver would not be able to enjoy where they are because they would have to focus 100% on the road. Secondly, there is no place to turn around and parking is extremely limited. We had a driver pick us up in Naples at the train station and drive us to Positano which we used as our base. The rest of the visit we used the convenient, stress free ferry system. We did not use the bus but that would have certainly have been another option.

It depends if you're a confident driver on rather tight roads (and don't suffer from vertigo).

Where are you staying exactly?
A car it is useful to have if you stay in the Amalfi coast proper and want to venture out to places for dinner in the evenings, because buses are infrequent or not running in the evening.
During the day, just for the drive itself, it is up to you. The bus will do and you don't have to worry about parking. The car offers flexibility, since you don't have to worry about schedules, but the main issue with the car is in fact parking (or lack thereof), not the drive itself (as long as you have driven on curvy roads before). There are parking lots but they charge €25+ a day. Street parking is scarce to non existent. If you decide to have a car while there, find accommodations that have parking on the premises or arrangements with local lots.

While I would not mind the driving itself (curvy road on the edge of the sea so not for everyone) ; parking is the major concern.
Even if where you are staying has parking for you, each town you visit with a car will have the challenge of finding and paying for a spot. The bus drops you off at the top or bottom of town (depending on the town) and you are right there, parking you will end up walking more, paying more and be aggravated more.
The bus when not over crowded is scenic and quite enjoyable ; unfortunately it gets over crowded quite often.

You didn't say where you are sleeping. Do you have to pay for parking there, and do you have in and out privileges? I can tell you that when we were in Sorrento in May, 2014, the bus to Amalfi/Positano had more people in line for it than would fit on one bus, every morning we walked buy. On the TA board, I've heard of a private hopon/hopoff company that is less crowded. The previous description of driving is correct. It like rush hour traffic around an American city, but on a single, two-lane, two-way road with no branches or turnoffs.

If you haven't done it already, you should look at some video clips of driving on the Amalfi Coast. This link to a little Google search I did (drive amalfi coast) for videos should give you some ideas of what it's like. Most show people going from Sorrento to Salerno, so they are on the water side of the road.

We went the opposite direction on the bus, so we were on the land side. It was still exciting. I don't think I'd ever want to be the driver of any vehicle on it, though.

We have driven the coast road many times, usually April May Sept and October. Last September we took the bus.
It was one of the worst experiences imaginable. Roads were bumper to bumper the whole way. This was due to the Naples port strike. The cruise ships were anchored at 3 of the five towns. If you experience this type of traffic, we never have in 10 trips,my advise is to take the ferries. More expensive, but much less hassle.

I've driven the Amalfi Coast three times and the first time was a "white knuckle-death grip on the steering wheel" adventure. My wife saw everything while I only saw the road. The second and third times were a little easier, but still required intense concentration. The road is narrow, more narrow, windy, and could be crowded/jammed with all sorts of vehicles. The most most infuriating motorists were those on motorcycles or scooters and we are Harley owners.

If you take the bus you will be able to relax, see the sights, and not need to navigate the road. Or, drive and take your chances.

Buon viaggio,

I'm going in February and am considering renting a car for a few days.

I don't know how Patty feels after all your comments and watching a video or two. I watched one and it looked pretty much like roads I've driven in the hills of Andalucia and especially the Pacific Coast Highway in California. The only big differences are the motorcycles - and they do look more agressive than the ones I contend with here at home and the parking. Since I'm traveling in February, I'm hoping that parking will be less of an issue. I plan to stay in Salerno (probably free parking available) and will take the bus part of the time, but since I suffer terribly from motion sickness when I'm not the driver - and more on a bus than in a car - the rental option is attractive. The cost, including full insurance (no deductible) is less than $25/day.

Question - are there any pullouts for especially scenic vistas?

Not really like the PCH at all, that is probably my favorite driving road of all time.
It is far wider and the curves can all be handled easily at high speeds.
There are some side roads that go up and over the canyons in the Big Sur area that connect to the PCH that are very much like the Amalfi Coast road though.