HAHA..........u made it sooo simple yet got the point across sooo well

 

simple answer.......
I got the 05 in automatic because it will be a daily driver in LA traffic. You spend more time with the clutch in than you spend driving in 1 gear.

For fun I have my 1967 Mustang Fastback GT 390 4 speed toploader.

 

well it all boils down to what u use it for. daily driver, manual would be ok i guess if you didnt deal too much with traffic. same if it was just a weekend cruiser
but if somebody else has to use it n they dont know how to :drive: *cough*mom*cough* or if ur commute is long and hard with plenty of trafiic, then auto is the choice.

btw, when are we gonna get a manumatic tranny, it satisfies everyone's needs!!!

 

When i drive an auto my left leg tingles, and tickles. I cant stand it, i feel like going insane. I like moving alot and a manual keeps me sane and happy.
Anyone else like this?

 

Found this one....(still looking for more)

 

I just end up pawing at the floorboards with my left foot looking for the clutch.

 

Dudes. I'm getting a auto for several reasons. The primary 1 being that I have never driven a stick, although I do have several people willing to teach me. Another reason is, as most here have pointed out, I wouldn't like dealing with the clutch, shifting, gas & whatever else while sitting in stop & go traffic.

Plus a stick seems like too much trouble, I like being able to put it in Drive & go. I have my other hand free to hang out the window, talk on the phone, or whatever. Another major factor though is that I have a very bad Right wrist. And because of that I have to wear a brace at least once a month to help alleviate the pain. And with the brace on it's a challenge jsut to start the car. And therefore a stick wouldn't be a very wise decision on my part.

But back on subject: As has also been stated, it's your money & you are the one who has to drive the car. So get what you wat & tell the others, who will enevadently make fun of whatever you decide, to shut up & that it's you car & they don't have to drive it.

 

Call me weird but I find it really hard to drive an automatic sports car (suvs im cool with) . . . I learned to drive stick b4 an auto and just now recently drove an automatic sports car (04 vette) and found I had no control of the car I was really hard on the brakes and kinda scared! will probably be the last time my dad lends me his car!

 

It will take you 15 minutes to half an hour to be able to drive stick at most. I taught my brother at 14 years old. It isn't that hard. It will take a few days or few weeks driving with it before it will become automatic/reflex and you will hardly notice it. It can take more to learn special skills (heal-toe, how to quick shift, double-clutch or power shift, etc.). But if your concern is learning, don't sweat it. And sticks vary by car to car -- it is hardest to the first time -- but just changing cars can take a few lights (or more) to adjust to.

Someone asked if a V8 stick is harder to press the clutch than a V6; the answer is "it depends". Motors and cars vary. But that isn't based on output per say, just more on the clutch pedal design (leverage, etc.) and what the automakers want. Some people have very soft clutches, some very stiff. A lot of sportier cars make them a lot stiffer under the argument that it offers more feedback, or feels more powerful. Almost none are really hard to push (almost never as hard as a good brake pedal), but you do fatigue by holding your leg/foot there, and the constant in-out (in city driving, or if you already have leg/knee/foot issues). If your legs/feet didn't fatigue by holding them in the same position, then people wouldn't have invented cruise control.

It is total garbage that real sports cars are sticks. Most high end Ferari's, Porsche's, Mercedes, Lambos, BMW's and others are coming with sequentials or basically super automatics. Many race cars have about the same. My Dads Austin Martin DB6 (James Bond Car) was an automatic with a 6 cyclinder. (Each cyclinder was the size of an oil drum, and it had 3 four barrel carbs feeding it). One of the fastest cars I've driven BTW, and it ate most mustangs without any problem.

Yes, if you're lucky enough to have your clutch cable/fluid go out in a stick, and you're good, you can power shift your way home. I did it once, 20+ years ago, in an old car. In the days of cell phones and AAA, this is a pretty lame excuse to buy a stick, as more people are likely to break a stick than an auto. (I've known one guy to fry an auto. I've known many to misshift bad and do damage to a stick). I wouldn't buy based on that what if -- buy what you want to drive.

There's the same stupid bigotry (sticks to autos) in computers with command lines and GUI's. Real men type in command lines. Yawn. Now days 99% of users use GUI's most of the time. And the old trolls were shown to just be narrow minded. What matters more than auto or stick is the implementation -- and what should matter to you is what YOU want to drive.

 

Here is a quote for those of you who prefer a manual and know what it means to drive one:

To the ordered logic of the A to B driver the 5 gear journey seems impratical.

But to the enthusiast, faced with endless winding road, it's crazy to have anything less.

 

I'll have to agree with Darren on this one.

Also, a friend of mine has a Cobra with a manual transmission and he once stated that if the 5 speed auto was available at the time he would gotten it instead. It's been stated on this forum many times that only the best drivers using stick will out run the auto.

Finally, I taught my son to drive stick in an empty parking lot in about 30 minutes. It's pretty east to learn.

With all of that said, get what makes YOU happy.

 

Meanstang -

I've never driven a stick before and look what I ordered. I look forward to the challenge of learning. I've driven FWD automatics since I was 16 and decided it was time for a change. Plus, I already have a daily driver w/auto, and my 'stang is my toy, it made sense that it would be a 5-spd manual. It all depends on what YOU want to use the car for. This car is definitely going to be my fun car and not my work car.

 

I picked the 5 speed manual trans. for the fun of shifting the gears...

 

racer-

Congratulations on getting the manual!

may I suggest something though? Learn on someone else's car, and not on your new Mustang first. Things can go wrong, burning the clutch, slipping the clutch, and others. Just practice a little while on another car while you learn the basics, then have fun in your mustang while you perfect it!

 

Great thread - but here's a different twist to the question. I have a V6 Premium auto on order (last night) but still have time for changes. I've driven a 2004 GT 5 spd and found the clutch to be very stiff and reverse gear hard to engage. Granted no one has driven the 05 V6 but what about prior year 6s? Are they a smoother more buttery clutch and shift experience than the GT? I commute and get into traffic situations too so went for the auto but wouldn't mind the stick if a typical 6 cyl manual is 'easier'. I'd also like for my 3 early teens to learn on a stick - but as mentioned above don't really want to ruin a new Mustang tranny!

Comments????

 

Thanks Badandy.

I'm learning the "basics" on my friends F-150 and maybe my other friend's Rodeo.
I've found this link useful too: Learn 2 Drive Stick

Even in now in my auto Camry, I pretend (in my mind of course!) going through the motions clutch, shift, pedal. . I'll probably have my first real lesson this coming weekend.

Now, who's gonna teach me how to drag with a five speed stick ? ok, ok..that will come much, much later. I just want to be proficient enough to drive my new car home from the dealership. Lots of my friends have volutneered to do that , but it just wouldn't be right I wasn't the first one behind the wheel.

 

I believe the clutch in the new stand is hydraulic-assisted and have read that it has just the right amount of pedal feel. It isn't supposed to be too vague feeling, nor too stiff. This would be my biggest obstacle to purchasing a stick. I sat in an 04 Cobra, and was disappointed the clutch was so stiff, so I passed on it. Holding down a stiff clutch pedal with your left foot in rush hour traffic isn't fun.

 

The Getrag 6 spd is junk. Very weak. Many Focus SVT guys are actually switching to MTX-75's.

 

I'd also like for my 3 early teens to learn on a stick - but as mentioned above don't really want to ruin a new Mustang tranny

My son had his first few lssons this summer in an old beat up truck & I told him he will have to practice on his brother's manual shift Ranger before he drives my Mustang!

 

All you guys who say sports cars should never be automatic should also realize the Mustang is NOT a sports car. Get over it.

Don't worry what other people think of your transmission -- get what you want. Autos are easier and can make it more fun to cruise around town.

Personally, I love heel-toeing just before a turn, hearing the engine spool up then ripping through the apex -- something you can't do in an auto.