Hmm auto or stick?

[ecko51]

I was in the same boat a month ago.
I went to the dealer to dive an auto knowing I wanted a manual. Well 2 hours later I'm on my way home with my Legend Lime GT Premium Auto.
They were very aggessive in moving this vehicle. I was told by several local dealers the Sticks that do come in are usually ordered or base line no frills.

If you really want a manual you should have strong will power because when there is a GT in front of you that little guy pops up over your shoulder it gets tough.

I since have gotten my JLT from BAMAchips and it shifts great I love it.
especially when I drive around time sipping that big ol Frosty from Wendy's

 

[Schlitz-420]

It's different everywhere

I played hell finding a stick with a Shaker 1000, and Polished 18's. I could find an Auto w18's and 1000 but never found a stick. I ended up buying a stick with Fanblade 18's (i think they are ugly) and Shaker 500, i guess i really wanted a stick.

 

[cowtown]

If you really want a manual you should have strong will power because when there is a GT in front of you that little guy pops up over your shoulder it gets tough.

I hate that guy! Grope that chick, rob that liquor store, steal that car, sheesh he never shuts up!

 

[Gorilla68]

I ordered an auto. I am not the best at driving a manual.
i get caught in traffic quite a bit and also multitask while driving, cell phone, PDA, coffee etc. working a stick into the mix would get annoying.

clutch brake clutch gas clutch brake 1st gear, oooH! I can get it up to 2nd gear there's a momentary break in traffic! eh, back to 1st. clutch brake clutch gas clutch brake.

I'll be exhausted by the time I get to the office.
IMHO, being stuck in traffic is only magnified by a manual tranny.

ALSO - I tend to get a little smashed here and there, it would be good to have the wife be able to drive home as I drool and halloucinate in the passenger seat.
to each his own. get what works for you.

 

[cowtown]

ALSO - I tend to get a little smashed here and there, it would be good to have the wife be able to drive home as I drool and halloucinate in the passenger seat.

Yeah if only I ordered my couch in an auto. ... ;-)

 

[SMOOTHIE95GT]

I just bought a 95 GT and it is a stick. I would'nt have it any other way. Revving the engine is great!!

 

[scoutbb]

My 2005 GT should arrive on Friday or Monday. I decided to buy an AUTO this time after driving a 1994 GT for 10 years, time for a change and a real cup-holder.

scout

 

[stanmckinney]

I love a stick. But age (53) with arthritis, leg problems, back problems, etc. means I need to go with the automatic.
By the way, those who are on the cell phone and doing other multi-tasking and drinking, etc. while driving, don't need an automatic or a stick. They need to go see Judge Judy and hear a lecture about the dangers of the open road. I believe she would also have much harsher things to say.

 

[cowtown]

Judge Judy is downright hilarious.

 

[allcarfan]

we opted for an Auto. I have driven a stick car for a year. Then I bought my ranger that was auto...what a great feeling. Now we have an 06 - auto. Atlanta traffic is some of the worse in the country. 15 miles = 1 hour + in the mornings and on the way home. Lots of stop and go.

 

[YardSpecial]

For me:

Somthing about 1-3 shift in an auto, feels like side steping the clutch in a manual. except it everytime.

Only seen 3 people in my liftime that can row gears properly in a mustang. Timing is everything under the stress of a race

I live in the land of traffic, so I have no choice but to get a auto.

I always have a stick mustang in the yard, nice owning more then one !

07 GT Prem auto will be ordered soon !

 

[Romeo46LV8]

It's kind of silly to ask us.

The questions you have to ask yourself are:
"Which do you prefer to drive?"
"Have you test driven both stick and auto Stangs?"
"Do you have to drive in a lot of stop & go traffic?"

I'd agree with 351CJ, especially on his last point. If you do quite a bit of stop and go commuting (work, play, etc.) then your left leg will begin to look quite a bit more muscular than your left if you buy a stick.

Its all about what you'll prefer to drive. For me, an auto wouldn't be any fun and would only enter the list of options if I lived in/near a large city that had quite a bit of traffic that I had a daily commute through.

And about never driving a stick that much, I never drove a stick, not once, before buying my '01 GT. Getting off the lot at first was a bit interesting, but within 2 days I was rowing through gears like I'd been doing it for years.

What's going to make you the happiest?

 

[Dreadnaught]

I plan on being in a major city in the next 1-2 years, and I'm getting a stick. I would feel like a hypocrite getting an automatic, something about a Mustang without a stick shift doesn't sit right with me.

I've since been learning how to drive a stick shift, tons of fun. I go back to my auto jeep and constantly find myself hitting the floor or my brake with my left foot when the time to shift comes .

If you do start to learn to drive a shift, upshifting and downshifting is a breeze on highway- 5 to 10 minutes max to learn it. Take yourself to an abandoned hill, and practice starting on that...mother of god.

 

[MD07GT]

At the advanced age of 56 I was reluctant to buy a stick again. I drove both the auto and the stick before buying my '07 GT, and decided the stick was the way to go. I'm not sorry I went with the stick: I spent quite a bit of time in stop and go traffic in the Washington, DC area yesterday, and the stick wasn't all that annoying. If I had to put up with heavy traffic on a daily basis it might get old soon, but I'm more than willing to put up with the occcasional inconvenience for the fun I get the other 90% of the time.

 

[Mr_Q]

All depends where you live and what you can put up with.

I live in grid locked SOCAL and after 7 years of having fun with a stick, I went auto on my new Stang. I don't regret it.

These new autos shift amazingly fast and even more so if you know how to "drive" a auto. Plus a tune makes it even tighter.

When I head to the mountain roads, I lock it down in 3rd, kill the OD and off I go. Bad ass! Around town and on the freeway I let it do it's thang. Couldn't ask for more!

The only thing you would miss is...if you actually took your Stang to the track...would be you finding it hard to keep up with same skilled/car manual drivers. Rev matching is a non-option in the autos. Although left foot trail braking can help.

P.S. And if you want to drift, just lock it down in 2nd and have a blast!

 

[stanmckinney]

Physical conditions are why I drive an automatic. Arthritis, back problems, etc. I actually have a handicapped parking permit. I get strange looks sometimes when I park my Mustang in a handicapped spot. I would probably get even stranger lookers if the car were a manual.

 

[flieger67]

I just went through this decision and last week, I ordered my GT with a stick. If you take back-to-back test drives in an auto and then try a stick, you'll likely enjoy the experience of driving the stick so much more. It sounds rather hokey, but you feel more connected to the car and the driving experience with the stick shift.

Another plus for the stick is that it saves $995 over the automatic option. Pocket that money for yourself or stock up on a bunch of options for that money.

 

[stanmckinney]

Should have made it clear that I also love a manual. It does connect you in some metaphysical way to the car. The dollar savings is also significant. If I physically could handle a manual all the time, that's what I would have.