Paris MkVI

I drive a manual, and have for years - because I enjoy it. It has me more fully involved in the activity of driving, and I really like that. I also spend a certain part of every work day in stop-and-go traffic. I am almost 49, and have healthy knees.

If you really like shifting for yourself, the manual will make up for the stop-and-go time with all the other times! If you are indifferent to it, get an auto and have better trade-in value and an easier-to-sell car one day.

For me personally, it's manual tranny all the way, even if the new autos could smoke me from a light.

I like shifting.

Ray Man

+2

I drove a manual for 20 years in So Cal and what a pain in the ars it was, so I opted for an auto this time. I didn't know it would be a weekend driver and now sometimes I kinda wish it was a manual. Oh well... I sure don't miss the manual when I hit traffic and hills though.

Hatchman

I'll be honest, I have owned both, and I would get an auto.
Reason, the auto is still a blast to drive, especially after a good Bamachips or similar tune. Completely different after that, night and day. And the auto's are pretty quick, seperated from a similar driver in a manual by hundreths of a second. A bad driver in an auto can smoke a bad driver in a manual all day.
Gas milieage, pretty close, within one or two mpg at highway speed. Auto's have a higher ratio rear end,
so that helps a little hear.

I'll be honest, I've always loved manuals, but after dealing with the slipping stock clutch (with 500 crank hp) and now a PITA aftermarket clutch that is very grabby/on off/and chatty, I'd much rather have an auto in my 5 days a week take an hour to drive 20 miles stop and go heavy traffic.

Love manuals, and I think auto's might get a little boring while canyon carving, but don't get to carve many canyons in Virginia Beach. I'll take an auto in my next car.

shwaco1967

BAM!!! Right on the money Darth Stang! Took half of what I wanted to say right outta my mouth.. I don't know why folk always need an opinion on whether they want to shift or not. On that note, my 2011 5.0 will be an auto.. Tired of shifting... Don't give a d*** who don't like it... Owe no explanations...

c25sailor

You need to make the call. It is a personal choice. If you like manual --the 5 speed is the way to go. Traffic just means you shift more. If you don't want to shift -- buy the auto. The fact that it has 5 speeds makes it about as quick and efficient as the manual. It's about your experience and choice. Everyone here has an opinion based upon their needs / wants / likes / dislikes. I LIKE MY HURST -- lots of manual drivers don't -- but they won't change my mind. Pick the 'Stang you want and drive it like you stole it -- have fun.

nynvolt

Haha, actually when I was 19 I shattered my left knee cap in a motorcycle accident, so it does give me some trouble here and there. Going up a steep incline on I-5 north of L.A. caught between trucks and massive ongoing road work made for a very bad day. And that was in my Civic, with a significantly lighter clutch and smoother shifter.

And you do learn to deal with eating or drinking, but I would bet everyones got a lap full of whatever they were drinking atleast once while grabbing the wheel and reaching for a gear.

It is fun to row gears when you have open road and they are far more attractive than the plastic T handle in the auto but I have been converted. This tranny's nothing like my moms old '79 malibu wagon.

Ice Hawk

Don't do it for the cool factor (MT) and don't do it for the convienience factor (AT). Do it for the YOU factor.

Boltzman

auto. man is a PITA in stop and go. Been there done that

gmantheman

Another So.Cal person here. I hated the commute on the East bound 78 between 3-5 P:M and I know I will hate the commute on the Northbound 15. My last 4 cars including my current mustang have been manual. I forgot how it is being stuck in traffic with an auto.

Kingpin2B

5 days a week in stop n go traffic = you need to get the automatic, that's all there is. That being said, I drive a manual, and if I'm away from my car for too long I start getting flashes of my engine roaring while I maniacally slam thru the gears with right foot planted(and they just get worse till i get back behind the wheel), BUT I am hardly ever in prolonged stop and go traffic, and that's a huge 'but'.

My vote is for you to get the auto because during the few times I actually have been in traffic, like really bad traffic (stop-n-go for what seemed like miles going uphill on Sepulveda), the experience sucked enough that if I had to go through that 5 days a week, getting an auto would, in hindsight, be the clear choice.

RedFire4.6

I got an auto because my car is a daily driver its the best auto I've driven when i do track/autoX events i manually down shift it and it works pretty good its no replacement for a manual but i find its a nice compromise.

MustangGuy

Auto is the way to go!

mhconley

I was always a manual fan - until recently.

Stop and go commutes had me looking at autos and I love them. Spirited driving in the twisties is the only time I miss a manual.

I love my Bamachips tune on my 08 auto GT. The car accelerates like a bat outta heck and the shifts are fast, firm and predictable.

Modern 5+ speed autos are nothing like yesterday's 2 & 3 speed slushboxes.

Martin

Five Oh Brian

For many enthusiasts, I recommend a manual transmission. But, in your case, an automatic seems the better choice for your situation. I owned 5 manual Mustangs and enjoyed each immensely, but when it came time to buy the '07 I chose an automatic. It's a daily driver and the stop & go traffic plus an aging left knee really sealed the deal for me. I can still "shift" the automatic manually and can hold gears for fast corners. Plus, at the drag strip, it's super consistent and never misses a shift.

FRONCZ

I have both the Mustang is an Auto, the Daily driver is Manual and during the week driving the Manual can be a pain (and then some days it is fun as HECK) but go with what you want, to me the Auto is still great fun and everyone stilll looks at you wishing they had one.

ksguy73

I always preferred manuals but I got to drive an 05 auto and it was the best auto I have ever driven. I was almost sold but in the end the manual won out. It can be a pain in heavy traffic but the fun you get by running through the gears all the other times easily trumps that. End the end it's a choice you have to make but for me the fun factor of a manual is the way to go.

GrnT

Auto Equals 1 extra hand for the Cell phone. Ur I mean Radio. Ur I mean Glove box. Ur the daily news paper.
I went with an Auto because of my bum Knee. When I was younger I prefered the manual but got tired with age.

jonztang

I think the current auto is darn good. In retrospect, commuting every day, I might have gone with that. Although, I just have to say, that the stick is just way more fun, hands down. Let's face it.......why do we buy a Mustang GT? Many reasons, but I would venture that one of them almost always is because we want to show off a bit. It's ALOT easier to show-off in a 5-speed, and I'm not talking about burn-outs and speed shifting. With a sick you control the revs, the volume, the torque, the overall ATTITUDE of the car....every second, every inch, every day.

It can be tedious at times, but I bought my GT to show some attitude, and to me the stick enhances that experience. The auto, although good, takes that down several notches. So, I guess you need to ask yourself......what's your attitude?? Mean, and wound-up tight,.....or more casual and relaxed? Because IMO, that will be the deciding factor. No matter what you get, the car will be stellar. Good luck!!

adrenalin

I currently have a manual, however I have had several automatics. In constant stop and go traffic, especially where inclines are involved I would go with an automatic. I only got a manual on this one because I don't do a lot of city driving.

Gearhead

Reasons to buy the Manual Transmission:

1. It is fun to shift
2. +2 MPG, which will save $261 per year at $5 per gallon at 15,000 miles per year.
3. It is $1,000 less expensive to buy the car with the manual transmission.
4. It is very inexpensive to change the fluid in the manual, and easy to do it yourself, saving an average of $50 per year.
5. Free exercise for your left leg (Just a side note here. If it is too hard to use the GT's feathery-light clutch, you better get a walker or a cane, because walking puts 100 times more stress on your knee.)
6. Part of the charm of this 2005-2009 Mustang is it's nod to the past. Nothing beats the look and the feel of the Hurst linkage in your right hand. I just went to a vintage car show over the weekend, and guess what the most common muscle-car shifter was;... anybody? Yes, it was, still is, and always will be, the Hurst.

Reasons to buy the Automatic Transmission:

1. You now have a free hand to hold your cell phone to talk while driving. Texting while driving is much easier too.
2. Send $261 more dollars per year to the Saudis, because they need the money.
3. Send $1,000 more to FORD, because they need the money too.
4. Send $150 every third year to your local Ford service bay, because they need the money, and are as lonely as the Maytag Repairman.
5. If you are right-footed, your left foot gets a lot of free rest. If your right foot gets tired, then just slide your left foot over to do all that nasty gas pedal work.
6. Charm is overrated. I am a shiftless individual.

The choice is yours. Choose wisely.