I agree with that. I've never owned an auto. Nothing against them I just prefer to be in control. IMHO if you can't drive a manual learn now. Then once you can drive both, choose which is right for you. As for me and my vehicles I'll have a hard time buying an auto.

Manuals usually get more MPG's also.

 

I have driven the new 5R55S auto and it is very good, not a "slushbox"
at all....

I can't wait to get it!

 

Someone once said "guys like a girl that can drive a stick" But that's not about this post. Here is a little twist. I had a 88GT with the stick. I did a lot of mods and drag racing with that car. The more you did, the harder it was to drive on the street. Bucking like a mule, and that tight clutch that you had to almost mash through the floor board. Some of you can relate. In the end I decided if I mod this car (a lot) and keep it to the point of serious performance, the auto with a powerglide/ Neal chance converter is the way to go. And I have both already. So add that race block, 101 turbo, and 7's on the way.

 

The best way to answer this question is: Are you a driver...or passenger?

 

I also have better things to do with a $1000 than spend it on an auto tranny.

 

I'm a driver with really bad knees making an auto a necessity. Do you have a problem with that?

 

A Tiptronic type autotrans would be excellent! Wish it was available.

 

OK I went for the manual - All I have to do now is wait and wait and wait for my GT Vert

 

What would Frank Bullitt drive?


:drive:

 

M A N U A L ...otherwise buy a V6 and do your grocery shopping with it

 

Good move on the manual.

Point of interest, AT costs more to buy and it's a big ticket when it fails (and it will). IMHO, AT failure is the leading cause of junking a car.

 

so much for a jerk-free topic. we were doing so well, too.

ironic, don't you think, that in one sentence you managed to insult the very engine/tranny combo that sustains the Mustang as a viable business model.

well done! :angry:

 

JLD,

I've had my share of both automatics and sticks over the years.
'72 Beetle - stick
'75 Rabbit - stick
'76 Volare - auto
'77 Dodge pickup - auto
'78 Dodge 4X4 - auto
'80 Datsun 310 - stick
'86 LeBaron - auto
'89 Grand Prix - auto
'66 Mustang - auto
'95 Lumina Van - auto
'93 Mustang Ltd Ed - auto
'03 Mustang GT - stick

The stick in the '03 GT was a love/hate relationship. I loved it except when I was stuck in stop-and-go traffic...my left foot got really tired. I managed all the in-car things like eating, drinking, cell phone usage, holding girlfriend's hand, just fine with the stick. When I was ordering the '05, I procrastinated several weeks, carefully studying my driving habits and evaluating all the pros/cons of stick versus automatic. I drive about 60-70 miles nearly every day to/from/during work and it's about a 60/40 split city/highway. I even took a Lincoln LS with 5 spd auto for a test drive to get a feel for the "new" automatic. I wasn't inpressed with the feel of it in the Lincoln but knew that it would probably be reprogrammed appropriately for the Mustang. And the initial writeups on the auto were favorable. I also asked sales people at dealers about resale of Mustangs with auto versus stick and the consensus was that used V6's with auto's sell quicker than sticks but GT's with sticks generally sell quicker than auto's. It was still a toss-up for me right down to the wire. I finally called the dealer and gave him my order. We went through the list of options with me answering Yes or No. He purposely left the transmission to the end I think. He asked, there was a long pause and then I said "Manual". He said "Good choice!' which made me feel better. Even then, I asked him how long I had to "change my mind". I continued to 2nd guess my choice until finally my girlfriend said "A sports car like that has to have a stick!" and I left it that way. I have to add that the clutch in the '05 is far easier on my foot than the one in the '03. That's probably one of the first things I noticed when I first sat in it on Nov. 15 when I picked it up. I don't much care for the design of the center console...it's quite awkward shifting with my Starbuck's coffee cup there in the forward cup holder. After it's empty I stow it in the trunk out of the way. Once it went flying (1/2 full) when I was attempting a vigorous 2-3 shift and I had to clean Latte from the passenger seat. Glad it was leather and not cloth! Without the coffee cup there, my arm position changes and I've smashed my elbow on the console lid a couple of times!! I also find the Tremec 3650 transmission to be very noisy. Still, as I can only have one daily driver, right now for me it's an '05 Mustang GT stickshift.

The other night on my way home, I pulled up to a red light and a pickup pulled up beside me and honked his horn. I looked over and the young (< 30) driver had his window down and he looked like he had something to say. I lowered the passenger window and he said "Hey man. Could you do me a favor and rev it up?" I did the heel/toe thing and made some "music" with the Bassani axle-back mufflers. His face lit up, gave me a thumbs up and with a big grin said "Awesome, man!" I smiled back, the light turned green and I chirped first and second for him. Wouldn't have been quite the same if I had to "shift into neutral" first and then let the revs come down before shifting back into gear again. (IMO)

Hope my story helps solidify your decision!!

 

Manual all the way!!

I like the ability to control what gear I'm in depending on what kind of driving I'm doing at the time, the manual sounds better coming off the line, the manual is $800 - $1000 less expensive ($$'s that can go towards mods), the manual is lighter, and (generally) manuals will run a bit faster times...(I realize this point can be debated - but that's what you generally see in test results)....just the "aural" feeling of driving/shifting a V8 that's piped right and running through the gears is one of the best aspects of owning a muscle car. + GT manuals have a better resale than the GT autos.....

Plus I traded in a '01 Lincoln LS V8 Sport with (this VERY SAME auto tranny) and hated that transmission - even with the "Tiptronic" Sport Shifter (lame excuse for a stick) It tended to "think" too much and would do things like slam at times when you let off the gas then re-accelerated at freeway speeds - it would hesitate then slam into gear coming up to a red light that turned green b4 you fully stopped then reapplied throttle....just way too much computer influence - and the sliding in and out of "torque" lock at freeway speeds was always annoying to me - sounded as if the tranny was sliping in and out of gear.....I'd probably still have that car if it was a manual.....(these tranny issues were not just my LS either - 50% of the owners were having some sort of erratic behavior with this tranny - now Ford may have revised it since then - but even guys with new '04 LS's were still having many of the same tranny issues).

No offense to anyone with an Auto tranny - just my experience......

Go to www.llsoc.com" and do a search under transmisson related topics and you can read about this transmisson and it's problems (Lincoln LS Owners Club)....

 

I'm a driver with really bad knees making an auto a necessity. Do you have a problem with that?
[/b][/quote]

Well, I guess it stinks to be you

 

Before I test drove an 05 GT (with auto), there was no WAY I would even consider a slush box in my Mustang. Just not right. After putting 40 miles on it, I had to do some fairly hard thinking. That was a VERY good automatic! The best I have personally driven by far.

But when I ordered my GT, it was Torch Red and had a stick. Just because that is the way Mustangs SHOULD be!

But that is STILL a very good automatic!

 

My syn-T-mints pre-xactly

 

Well, I guess it stinks to be you
[/b][/quote]

Does it stink to be a jerk ?

 

Buy what you feel you'll be happiest with in the long term. This is an age-old debate I've seen on many car forums, and there isn't a winning side. I prefer automatics to sticks for daily drivers, and I've had a couple of stick cars that I grew tired of rather quickly after buying them. I doubt I'll ever own another car with a stick, especially with the inreasing number of gears being added to automatics. I know GM is working on a 6-speed auto that will probably find its way into the Vette, and the redesigned GTO. Auto trans are closing the gap with the manual cars, and in some cases have surpassed it.

 

I chose the Auto so the wife could drive it. It was a small price to pay for her letting me to buy an approx 30K toy...

Since she does not drink, it comes in handy after a late night party...

This is an excellent Auto trans and only the very best stick jockys will be able to out preform it. ( Not that any of you guys/gals would ever admit it )

The point is, get what you want.... Both preform extreamly well...

One more is raw and the other more refined...... Take your pick...

P.S. Some of you guys seem to have a strange stick facination...Think about it before you post...