GT John

I guess it all depends on what kind of driving you do every day.
If your driving is mostly city you may want to purchase a manual.

If you go with the manual be ready to spend some money on a good shifter.

One poster said that know body can shift a manual faster than the auto...........I agree.

I chose an auto because I'm always multi-tasking and dont want to screw around with having to shift all the time. Just one more thing to remember.

If I was younger and really wanted to show off a lot I would probably get a stick.

Hell, its your decision. Get what you want. I got what I wanted.

BigDave

OK, noone caught that you were in UAE. Dealer swaps and such are probably out of the question.
I have a stick. Personally, I think this trans is a piece of crap. It frequently binds up on shifting fast (presumed an issue with the engine torquing over and causing misalignment), the 2nd gear syncro is really noisy, and the gears are pretty loud (less helical cut for increased power capacity, I'm told). But, I enjoy the stick.
My supercharger manufacturer states that the stock auto is not up to the job with blowers. Although the clutch is only good for about 450HP as well.
I agree with the above about autos better for drag racing. Since there are no dragstrips over there, I assume racing is not your goal.
If you plan to go with a blower or turbo later, the temperature swings will drive you crazy. I went to Riyadh 6 times (all seasons) and it would drive your tune crazy...

Timmay!!!

Hold out for a stick. But the auto isn't bad if you just plan to cruise and drag.

phatphil

Buy an 06 in Missouri, they're discounting them 4000.00 off sticker.

Black GT

See if they'll do a dealer trade for you. That's how I got mine.

I test drove the auto, but told the dealer I only have two requirements: a black GT with a manual tranny. So they traded one of their autos with another dealer and got mine.

I like driving the manual much better than the auto. Plus you can get better gas mileage with the manual.

saud alzaabi

nasser i forgot to also tell you that about my old auto mustang...

he said 3 months ... so i got the auto .. when i hated the auto that is 3 weeks after i got mine .. i went to the dealer and saw many 5spd mustangs... i told him why did u say 3 months ? he said there was a mistake ....

so either u wait or u wait...

and another desicion is... if u like going cruising ..ONLY cruising then get an auto ... but if u like shifting and clutch work that makes you feel your totaly in control of ur car then WAIT I REPEAT WAAAAIT FOR THE MANUAL.... dealers usually lie...

guys the dealers here in uae are a bunch of fagots... they all deal together .. since uae is not that big witch only has about 4 or 5 ford dealers.... (STRIGHTLY FROM COMPANY ) they all deal together and work together... u can barely find a good person ... i was lucky to meet that guy in the dealer,



nasser his name is ra'ed he is the guy on ur left when u get to abudhabi's dealer... if u want im coming to uae after a week and if i went with you he will give u a great deal.. and wont cheat you ... he is the one who helped me into getting this mustang.. and by his deal i tell you he is going to give u free parking sensors and im gonna talk to him into giving u a good discount in the handsfree blutooth ... also the window tint... you just tell me bro ...

cheers

kenthicken

I see you're in the UAE, so a "dealer trade" is out of the question. What about just buying the manual stang you want from an eBay dealer, and have them set up the shipping? I assume it's pretty easy to set up, no?

And, definitely go with the manual, even if you have to wait.

zjdoran7

OMG, those are my thoughts exactly, my first car was a Manual... Yea great fun and all, but after a few months its like... YIPEE... I get to drive through traffic at midnight on my way home from the movies....Sticks are a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, but when you DO have a bad day or a long night (everyone does) it just adds fuel to the fire. Personally, I drove 4 hours every weekend with the stick and I dreaded every minute of it, It wasn't fun, I just wanted to sit back and drive and take in the scenery... but noooooo on ramps, off ramps, turn arounds, pit stops... shift shift shift shift shift. It got old is what I'm trying to say.

Sonic Boom NH

First, YES a manual WILL have more horsepower at the rear wheels then an automatic would have. I don’t know who conducted what test that state a manual does not have more horsepower then a automatic at the rear wheels but if there is such a test it is flawed or was done with a real crappy driver.

Second, YES a manual will do better in the ¼ then the automatic IF you have a real good driver that can shift well. With that said there are not a lot of “real good” drivers that can shift well and thus the reason the manuals and autos tend to reflect about the same times in the ¼ mile which goes to prove my first point that manuals WILL ALWAYS have more horsepower at the rear wheels then any automatic because if they didn’t then most manuals would be getting beat by 0.4 to 0.6 tenths in the ¼ mile by the automatics.

Third, an automatic will ALWAYS handle more torque then a manual will so if your thinking about going supercharger then go with an automatic as it will handle more torque then the manual and it WILL last longer then a manual as the those who own manuals with a supercharger will usually be replacing the clutches often.

Forth, I absolutely love my manual and wouldn’t have it any other way but the fact of the matter is you nor very many others will notice any real difference between a manual and automatic when it comes to performance.

So it really gets down to personal preference as far as a stock car goes. Go with manual if you want a true muscle car feel or the automatic. If you’re seriously considering a supercharger then I would suggest you do a lot of research of which transmission to go with. Don’t take my word for it that an automatic is much better for a supercharger application for durability because there are upgrades you can do to a manual to get it to “properly” handle the additional torque output of a supercharger.

Silencer06

To say "period" is still not accurate. Dealers around here kept telling me Ford only makes 1 in 10 Mustangs as a manual (don't know how true that really is), and as a result, they would NOT negotiate one penny with me on a manual. Two dealers had identical black GTs, all same options except one was manual and one was auto. I ended up getting the auto for $27K plus taxes -- $3000 below MSRP -- simply BECAUSE it was an auto and it gave them room to negotiate with me. The other dealer was not willing to take ANY less than $31K total for his manual, simply because he KNEW he'd get someone that just had to have a manual pay the extra costs. And by the way, in case you're thinking the dealer I bought my car was just easier to deal with, I also tried to get him to negotiate with me on a white GT with manual -- wouldn't budge an inch either. Soooooo, a manual is NOT cheaper, period!

As for shifting, I love the auto. Yes it has some throttle lag (most notably in 3rd), but everything I read says that'll be gone when I get my tune. With that said, what's the point in having a manual.....except fun? Mine is fun too. Absolutely love it....and oh by the way, if I blow out my left knee, I can STILL drive mine. With a manual, it would have to sit in the garage, pouting at me and begging to be driven. Not my auto -- I can love her EVERY day.

Nick