Em happy as heck to see the auto is not one of them silly types where ya have to move it right then down then left etc etc just to get it into drive. (see pic to show difference)

05 mustang top
05 mazda 3 bottom

 

Does anyone have a good close up of the auto shift where you can actually see the gear label. I have seen great pictures of the manual but none of the auto.

 

You know why you have seen so many of the manual and not the auto?

Because the transmission stick means NOTHING in an auto, but does in a manual. Who cares about gear label in auto? I sure don't, and frankly, don't know why anyone else would either.


The manual provides a connection between the driver and the car, something which an auto doesn't have.


</rant>

 

I love to drive manual but like a lot of the others, auto's the way to go thanks to the traffic around my city. But they just newly re-paved about 3 main roads around my house, so it's like it was meant for me to get my new car.

 

Badandy, you're being a little biggoted/biased.

Many autos have "up/down" shift, and you can do it from paddles on the wheel or from the stick. (Giving you MORE control, by not having to take your hands off the wheel, or giving you more choice). Some autos are what 6 or 7 speeds. Some autos have half gears, others have an infinite amount (CVT's). Some sticks don't have clutches (see VW's autostick from the early 70s). You have to be careful about generalities and automatics.

The problem is that many automatics are just old versions, or the only type that people have driven are the old versions. Do yourself a favor, go down to an Audi dealer and drive a DSG based TT. Drive it hard through the Esses, and up/down shift a lot on it. Then drive for an hour in traffic with it and a stick, or drive stop-start on hills. Then come back and talk about both.

 

well im just wondering.. if i ever want to race my car at a track.. and just overall performance.. will manual give me better times than a automatic??...

 

I've driven both autos and sticks.

-Sticks are more fun to drive. You feel more in control of the car and in the whole process of driving.

-Sticks get better gas mileage.

However...

-The "you have to have a stick in a sports car" statements flying around here is crap. Its ridiculous to say that that. Its just like someone saying you have to have the 8 cylinder GT in order to have a "real" Mustang. Stop it already. Its a Mustang, regardless of V6 or 8, auto or stick.

-With that in mind, I know my next one will be an automatic. I have a manual, 6-speed SVT Focus right now. It is such a grin to drive, but knee injuries to both knees make shifting alot less fun than it used to be.

-Drive what you like and like what you drive. Don't worry about someone trying to tell you that you have to have something in order for it to be a "sports" car.

 

My dad taught my mom how to drive stick when she was drunk. Took her a half hour too. Dont worry though, no casualties though they were in an empty parking lot. B)

 

Question though. When driving say an 8 cylinder stick is the clutch heavier? Does your leg get tired quicker? Ive been wanting to learn how to drive stick. Just cant get my hands on a car with one yet.

 

wouldn't this new mustang be easier to learn to drive stick? I would like to get a stick gt hopefully by the end of this year and well dont know how. dont wanna get an auto because im "selling out" like others around here r saying

 

I grew up with a stock car racing mother. When she stopped racing I remember riding around in a canary yellow '72 Camaro, that really rumbled. My dad at the time had a '71 Mach 1 V8 fastback, and even grandma had a '71 Mustang Sprint.

ALL of them sticks. I grew up with the addage that muscle cars are stick. I remember driving my first car, a VW Rabbitt auto, and hitting the gas pedal then waiting as the car decided whether or not it was going to go.

I learned to drive stick on a Daihatsu Charade, THREE cylinder. I will never go back.

I was born and raised in some of the worst traffic in the country, LA County. I think its only second to NewYork. I have sat in literal bumper to bumper traffic for 3 hours, and still so very glad to be driving a stick. I like to DRIVE my cars, I like the feeling of being part of the machinery. If I want easy driving, I will drive my husbands truck.

For me, (stictly personal opinion) an auto Stang is sacriledge. Maybe its true that the autos drive just as nicely as the sticks do now. I dont know. Am I going to get an auto to find out? Nah, I love the feeling of ripping through gears when I have a stretch of open road in front of me. Even if that only happens a couple times a year!

Even better are the reactions of the guys I smoke off the line cuz they assume a chick cant drive to save her eyeliner.

 

stick shift is easy. don't let anyone discourage you. nothing to it. a couple trips out is all it takes to get use to it. after that your on your way. Pick a back road, and practise, practise. You'll be on to it in no time!

 

If you have a pleasant commute, get a stick shift, easy to learn, you'll get the basics in a few hours and master it after a few weeks.

If you have a wonky knee or sit in rush out, get the auto

 

"Stick" or "not to stick", that is the question......

It totally depends on you. Here are my pros and Cons on both. Remember, this is MY opinion and may differ greatly from yours.

Manual Pro =
Fun to drive.
Shifting range is your choice
You can do more "tricks" with a stick (Heel toe shifting)
Engine MAY be built tougher to handle stick driving. Example would be a cast crank in an auto as opposed to a forged crank in a manual car.

Manual Cons = One handed steering....try drinking a cup of coffee while shifting!!
Not good for people with knee/leg injuries
Not good for stop-n-go traffic
Seem to have more issues with worn parts (clutch, slave cylinder, etc)


Auto Pro = Kinda "idiot proof"....anyone can drive car.
Plan on bracket racing for money? Autos are more consistant

Auto Con = Tranny problems spell trouble on road....You can still shift a manual car with no clutch
You car may not seem "cool" enough for some enthusiasts
Plan on road-racing? Manuals are better for that application.
Kinda "idiot" proof.......which means anyone can drive the car, including your Mom who likes to hit every curb in the neighborhood !!


It's ultimately your choice. I'll be getting a manual in my 'Stang because it won't be my daily driver and i don't plan on drag-racing for money.

 

I definatly think that the manual transmission is synomous with sports cars. I would even go out and say that manuals are generally better in such aplications as sports cars. Sports cars are meant to be a visceral and involving experience where one can connect and control a piece of machinery to exacting standards and the manual allows this. Because of this automatics in most purists opinions take away from the experience (im not talking about "Automatics" like the SMG or DSG because those offer a manual experience unseen in automatic units with "tiptronic" i.e. torque converters). True automatics are copouts unless you are injured in the legs or drive in incredible traffic. Manuals offer better performance, sometimes by a good amount (reference BMW, 3 series with manuals are up to a .5 second faster in posted acceleration times), and better fuel economy. In addition they are lighter which helps handling and are often times cheaper.

So in response to your question, unless you have knee injuries, or maybe drive in LA, I would recomend a manual in an application such as a mustang (especially GT).

My 2 cents.
Jason

 

The "Real cars have four pedals attitude." Is never going to die.

At the end of the day, its your car, and you have to be happy with it, not the tard at the convenience store who feels his 5.0 that he had when he was 19 that crashed is superior to your car.

 

You do know that you don't have to do anything resembling a balancing act on an incline, let alone one of San francisco's steepest hills, if you simply set the parking while you wait for the light to change or traffic to pass. Then as you engage the clutch, release the brake, and off you go. If you drop back even an inch you'd amaze me.

I'm not getting into this "autos are a sarilege" arguement. I drove a stick for 37 years and went with an auto on my Mustang because at the time I lived in Southern California and driving in traffic down there had become a nightmare. My choice. Period.

I agree with dke about the manumatic type transmissions. That would be my first choice of a perfect tranny, the best of both worlds. Enjoy your sticks, fellows, because fewer and fewer cars offer them these days and that number will diminish over time.

 

If the manual were a 6speed I would get a manual, but since they are both 5speed I am going to get an automatic. I drive in traffic every day, and don't feel like shifting while I talk on my phone, eat, drink, etc... Plus, I hope to reprogram the chip on the automatic to give it a more powerful response.

 

Gotta love the Getrag 6 speeds Too bad the Foci shines so well above the national speed limits more so then at the lights. That little bugger doesnt get started untill the 65mph 3rd gear shift.


I'm not very good at giving advise for manuals, Its such second nature to drive one after all this time, the shifting and pedalwork becomes a subliminal action to what I want the car to do. I actually think more about it in an automatic then a manual. I have yet to drive an autostick that was more of an annoyance after 5 minutes of novelty. The "manual' shifts are SOOO slow to react from what my left foot normally does that it becomes a distraction.

After years of driving manual trannies and playing FPS video games with sub-30 pings, even the .5 sec of a very fast-reacting 'autostick' gets BIG TIME on my nerves. SMG's are another matter, but much more expensive to impliment in cars then a line of computer code and the extra hardware for the shifter that makes up the "autostick's" guts(really about 50 bucks). Autos are pretty smart these days, and using the manual shift selector just makes the computer adjust and shift even slower. Id rather have an auto with a custom tuned shift-kit added by a speed shop then an autostick anyway. Autostick is a gimick, it still automatically shifts out of the gear at the same point before redline then stomping on it in "D" With the newer 5 and 6 speed autos, the computer can instantly downshift 2 gears if needed in the same time it takes to "click" down one.

Manuals are fun no doubt, but having the power the next stang will have, it is quite tempting to just keep the left arm on the windowsill and tapping to the music while just stomping on it at will just like any respectable 60's red-light king. I still am on the bubble untill I drive a few autos and see what the aftermarket can do with it.

 

I have had little time spent with a 6-speed civic last June. I picked most of it up in fifteen minutes. The most important thing for me was the fact that I already knew how to drive a car before learning the stick. If I had learned to drive at 16 with a manual transmission I would probably have given up, but thats just me because I am a slow learner. I had a hard enough time learning to drive the auto for the first time!

The only thing that I had a problem with, and still do, was getting the car to roll slowly from a stop. As someone else said it's all about learning the friction point of the car. It can be frustrating but stick with it. (sorry bad pun!) If I can learn most of it it in fifteen minutes anyone can learn it.

I first suggest getting a little exp with a stickshift before buying the car though. Nothing worse than regretting this choice while picking up your new car! Once you get the feel of things on a "test" car you will know if you want to have the stick in traffic. Also, ignore the usual "autos stink" "be a man" "don't waste your money" "it's not a real sports car" comments on every board on the net. It's not their money being spent! Not only that, but the new 5-speed auto looks sweet if you go that route. Auto's are also very forgiving if you do something stupid.

I will be ordering a car soon, though I havn't decided what to buy yet!! I'm ordering a stick this time because my last three cars were autos. I'm sure the salesmen at the dealership will have a good laugh at me stalling my new car the first time, or two, I try to drive it. Just ignore people and don't worry about stalling it. Remember it's just a car and it can be fixed.