05 Mustang GT as first MANUAL car

[AT350Kobra]

OK I pretty much posted this same thing on some other forums. At the end of this summer I plan on getting a second car that has a back seat and a trunk of some sort because my 350Z has neither. I had narrowed my choice down to the '04 GTO, RX-8, or 05 Mustang GT . I leaning towards the RX-8 or Mustang because I can get it cheaper than the GTO..

But anyways... I wanted to know is how hard the the Mustang GT is to drive as a first stick shift car? I already knew the basic principle of driving a manual from riding my motorcycle and then recently one of my buddies took me out and taught me in a 6spd Accord. I know all of the basics when it comes to manual it all came pretty naturally so I would just need to practice with the car that I get to fine tune everything. I pretty much know how to avoid burning the clutch and putting excess ear on it etc. So what to do guys think?

BTW can the clutch pedal on the Mustang GT be adjusted where it changes the friction zone? Others say the GTO would be easier to drive than the RX-8 because of the better torque on the GTO, what do you guys think?

 

[Steel]

I think that any choice is good : just take it easy , and after the first two weeks you'll wonder how you did not try it earlier .
I drive stick and auto cars ; imho , i like auto in heavy traffic only , but the stang deserves the stick : spirited drive and road racing needs you to be in full control .

I have a stick stang and love it , even as a DD .
I tried many times an auto vert , a stang of a friend , but it's like you are missing half of the car . The same happened to me with any other car I drove in both configurations .

Of course just my opinion

Steel

 

[DarkFireGT]

The clutch in this car, or any American car, is going to be much easier than any asian car, from my experience. Not sure about Euro transmissions. These are pretty easy to learn on.

 

[Power4]

My '07 GT was my first manual transmission car and I had only a very limited amount of time behind the wheel of other manuals. All it took was 30 minutes in a parking lot with my brand new GT and I was ready to drive around on public roads. I haven't driven a lot of other manuals since but it's pretty easy to drive stick in my GT.

 

[Black_02_GT]

just throwing my .02 in, but i understand the new 05+ have a much better or i guess i should say easier throttle response as far as how easy it is to drive. Maybe im having a difficult time wording that but never-the-less of course the mustang would be a great choice. Can never go wrong with the mustang!

 

[stang8urimport]

Seeing the S197 has a hydroaulic clutch, it's probably the easiest of any Mustang to drive with a standard trasmission. The stock throttle lag can kick your butt the first couple days, though. I know it did me, and I've never owned an automatic vehicle.

 

[Black_02_GT]

^^^ that's what i was getting at

 

[AT350Kobra]

Thanks for the replies guys, I'm gonna shoot for the Stang instead of the RX-8 especially since I found out the RX-8's rotory engine doesn't make any extra HP from regular mods unless it's forced induction.

 

[MikeysOTP]

My wife never drove a standard before and she learned how to drive my car with no trouble at all. She practiced in a huge industrial park near our house for about an hour and I think she only stalled it once. She has never driven it since then though, she knows how much I love my car and I think she is scared to death of crashing it.

 

[Hoboattacker]

I taught a girl to drive my car when she had never driven a stick before. She started off and didn't even stall it. She stalled it once or twice in the 30 minutes that we were out driving. No grinding, stalling, or anything. It's easy.

 

[Troy-Stangsaver]

my 07 is the frist stick car iv drove and it was easy. very nice/fun car to learn on

 

[RagtopV8]

...The stock throttle lag can kick your butt the first couple days, though...

My '08 GT is stock and I've never had any throttle lag with it. Is this something that plagued only earlier S197s?

 

[Hoboattacker]

My '08 GT is stock and I've never had any throttle lag with it. Is this something that plagued only earlier S197s?

It's there, you just don't notice it. Get a tune, you'll understand what we mean.

 

[V8JamesGT]

I learned to drive a stick on my 05 GT and it took maybe a day of getting used to but it was pretty easy. And the GT is a GREAT choice over the RX-8 and GTO

 

[DarkFireGT]

I taught a girl to drive my car when she had never driven a stick before. She started off and didn't even stall it. She stalled it once or twice in the 30 minutes that we were out driving. No grinding, stalling, or anything. It's easy.

I like it when my girl grinds my stick, personally.

 

[stang8urimport]

Thanks for the replies guys, I'm gonna shoot for the Stang instead of the RX-8 especially since I found out the RX-8's rotory engine doesn't make any extra HP from regular mods unless it's forced induction.

Lots of mods for that wankle to make lots of HP without forced induction! Ported heads, light weight valves... High Compression Pistons... Lightweight rods and crank. Big camshaft. She'll really fly then!!