Attention: Stick shift owners

Michael Yount · Jul 28, 2004

Lynx - if you haven't figured it out yet, it's a purely subjective choice. One isn't better than another or even 'superior'. There's just what we prefer, or what we don't prefer. Contemporary automatics offer performance and fuel economy that is almost identical to manual trannies - they've gotten that efficient with 5 spd. automatics and lock up converters.

So, pick what you like. The reason so many automatics are sold is because the vast majority of auto buyers (probably 95%) view their car as simply a transportation appliance - a means of getting from point A to point B. So for most of them, the auto is the way to go. One less thing to think about. Even among enthusiasts, there are those that prefer automatics.

So take your pick - only you can decide what you want. We can only tell you what we like.

Lynx331 · Jul 28, 2004

i think im definately going to choose the stick, cuz i really liked the few times i drove it. I was just alittle unsure because everyone otld me o youll get tired of it etc etc. And i wanted everyones opinion on if they got tired of it or not. THanks for all the great responses guys!

ill advised · Jul 28, 2004

It took me 16 years to finally get tired of driving a stick everyday (in Los Angeles no less). Then again, this also had to do with the fact that my modded Stang, which I drove for the past 9 1/2 years, is getting old.

Finally broke down and bought an auto this past March but I'm glad I still have the manual.

I say get the stick and worry about getting "tired" of it later.

timewarped1972 · Jul 28, 2004

just for curiosity sake what were the production numbers of stick vs aod's from 89 to 93 V-8'S???

HISSIN50 · Jul 28, 2004

ill add that it seems to me, that MOST of the guys/gals who drive a slushbox, also have a manual around, for when they are in the mood. if i had only one choice, it would be a stick (though i said i do like being able to drive an auto sometimes).

87'GTstang · Jul 28, 2004

HISSIN50 said:
i did not see anyone mention manual valvebodies, so i chimed in. no other reason.

It's a step closer, but just isn't the same. Any person with an auto that has had the valve body replaced with a manual one is a person that just wished that they had sprung for the good ol' 5 speed in the first place

RickyB · Jul 28, 2004

i got bad knees and do 99% city driving....maybe on the highway 2 times a month ..wouldnt trade it for anything..i dont really like driving auto cars anymore

z9_87 · Jul 29, 2004

When my AOD craps out it will become a stick. I don't think that'll happen soon but hey. It's not realy a true sports car unless it's a stick, period.

408stroker5.0 · Jul 29, 2004

I've been driving nothing but stick since I got my license (16), even in my my daily driver beaters. Have never got sick of it and probably never will. Hell... the odd time that I do drive an auto I end up shifting the thing manualy since I'm so used to having total control over my viechle. Once you go stick you will most likely never go back. The only nice thing about auto is it's a hell of alot easier to launch the thing at the strip.

Qwk88LX · Jul 29, 2004

RickyB said:
i got bad knees and do 99% city driving....maybe on the highway 2 times a month ..wouldnt trade it for anything..i dont really like driving auto cars anymore

nah, not really buddy.. I had a chance to get a cheap 5-speed when I decided to put my C4 in, but I wanted the C4 for bracket racing. as for the manual valve-body, I too like to be in control of when I shift & I have just as much fun driving my car as I do driving a 5-speed. If anything I plan on getting a 5-speed for my daily driver & building my C4 car into a beast for the track

Qwk88LX · Jul 29, 2004

z9_87 said:
When my AOD craps out it will become a stick. I don't think that'll happen soon but hey. It's not realy a true sports car unless it's a stick, period.

haha..statements like that crack me up! so my buddy's 8 sec. powerglide Mustang isn't a "sports car" huh? I guess it would be considered more of a grocery getter then?

94TURBO5 O · Jul 29, 2004

Lynx331 said:
I just got a quick question. Do you guys ever get tired of driving a stick? My dad tells me i don't want a stick because ill get tired of it in traffic Etc. Do you guys get tired of yours?

Depends on where you live and if you are a daily driver in it. I can say that in South Florida and now DC that it sucks to drive a 5 speed in rush hour when you move 2 feet at a time and you push in the clutch at least 500 times before you get home. It makes you wish to have an auto. IMO they are more consistent at the track in the 1/4 but a 5 speed is just fun as hell to drive around and especially bully people.

Michael Yount · Jul 29, 2004

qwk88 - I'd have to define a true sports car as one that stops, turns and handles as well as it accelerates; so in my mind your buddy's 8 sec. glide is a drag car, not a sports car. Oh it's pretty sporty in a straight line, but I suspect it'd be pretty funny to watch it on a road course or an autocross course. But -- in the end, it's all subjective. Just like tranny preference.

Gravel · Jul 29, 2004

Gotta go 100% with Michael on that one qwk88... Not exactly a car that you would go carve cannon corners with....

fly4spd · Jul 29, 2004

i don't even notice the manual anymore, it's second nature.

stangbear427 · Jul 29, 2004

Qwk88LX said:
haha..statements like that crack me up! so my buddy's 8 sec. powerglide Mustang isn't a "sports car" huh? I guess it would be considered more of a grocery getter then?

No, no it isn't. Michael Yount beat me to the punch by being online at the right time, but he said exactly what I was thinking as well. A sports car (plural-sports car, as in more than one) does it all and does it all well. A car that is built to dominate in the quarter does it well, and that's it. It's a hobby car, it's a drag car, it isn't a sports car. In order to be truly competitive, almost everything that is essential for turning at speed and yes, even driving safely on everyday roads usually ends up getting removed (i.e. anti sway bars, safety glass windows, air bags, tires that actually have treads on them, and whatayaknow- standard trannies... and how many disc brake kits made for drag racing explicitly say not for street use?). Anyone who has grown accustomed to the instant ultra sensitive precision of having a clutch in the snow will never be comfortable piloting an automatic in the elements, it's just plain better control. My car will pull 1G on the skidpad and travel over any speed limit in pouring rain like dry roads, and incidentally, hooks up fine to go in a strait line too. In 8 seconds? No. Sports car? Yes. With over 200,000 miles on the original 302, it still runs similar times as most high end exotics in every accepted performance test a sports car is put through, and most of those $100,000+ exotic "sports cars" won't do the quarter in under 11 seconds either.

Kumm3 · Jul 30, 2004

5.04Life said:
I too vote for the stick shift. It's all I've ever had in my vehicles and is second nature to me, don't even notice anymore really. Then it hits me when I try to push the clutch in on my dad's bronco when I drive it, and then it hits me, oh its an auto lol

good, so im not the only one that does that!!

i vote stick too, but only in a sports car. Had a 5spd truck, and it was a bitch to tow with that thing. My Dakota is an auto now, wouldnt trade the auto in that.

It all comes down to what your using it for, but IMO, a 5spd on a mustang is a necessity.

Hell, after a while, you wont even have to think about rowing through the gears. I went a year and a half of driving an auto every day, then i got my car back up and running, took to driving it like i never stopped. It becomes second nature.

Boss 351 · Jul 30, 2004

Unless you're talking about a built C4 with reverse throttle body, ratchet shifter, etc... With some power those trannys will kick you in the face between shifts so they can be VERY fun HOWEVER stock automatics suck in my opinion.

I never get tired of shifting and I love the feeling of a real manual car and the economy it will give you versus a built 3 speed.

Qwk88LX · Jul 30, 2004

Michael Yount said:
qwk88 - I'd have to define a true sports car as one that stops, turns and handles as well as it accelerates; so in my mind your buddy's 8 sec. glide is a drag car, not a sports car. Oh it's pretty sporty in a straight line, but I suspect it'd be pretty funny to watch it on a road course or an autocross course. But -- in the end, it's all subjective. Just like tranny preference.

haha.. thats a good point I guess, it would be hilarious to watch it stumbling throug an autocross course then I'd have to say that my preference is a drag car though I don't mind bangin gears in a stick shift neither.

z9_87 · Jul 30, 2004

Qwk88LX said:
haha..statements like that crack me up! so my buddy's 8 sec. powerglide Mustang isn't a "sports car" huh? I guess it would be considered more of a grocery getter then?

your right it's still sports car, it just doesnt feel like it to me. I like being able to shift myself, just seems to put more fun into driving.

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