PLEASE ALSO READ THE EDIT
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At first when I finally realized that my dream of owning a Mustang was finally going to come true I wanted to buy an automatic one, just because that is what I drive now.

As the months went on and I researched more and more, my eyes got stuck on buying a manual transmission Mustang. But then reality hit.

Over where I live there are a lot of stop signs, slow speed limits, and sometimes traffic. Not to mention some hilly areas.

I dont know how to drive manual and would really love to learn on another car for when/if I get the manual Mustang so I am ready to drive it.

I plan on buying an '05/'06 Mustang GT, but dont know now if I want an auto or a manual. What do you guys think?

PS: I live in a sub-urb of Chicago...which means there is snow that will drop soon.
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EDIT:
Another question for you guys...

Do you think that it is possible to talk in an Individual Seller into selling you his car, but not pay all cash upfront, and instead make payments?

 

Manuals are way more fun in my opinion. The only time shifting will be a pain is if you're in a lot of stop and go city traffic or frequently sit in jams.

As for snow, I prefer manuals because it's easier to control the vehicle's speed. Although I haven't had the pleasure to drive in snow with the Mustang yet.

And, lastly, if you plan on getting a loud exhaust for your Stang then a manual will really let you have fun with that.

 

Thanks for all that information. The transmission on my Taurus is officially dead I think, so this might mean that I will get my Mustang sooner then I expected. I wanted to get it next year for my birthday in March, but with this thing that happened I think that I might just get it now. 1997 Taurus= $1,500. To fix 1997 Taurus transmission= Over $2,000.

^^^
Screw that, might as well put that money on a down payment for the car that I have loved since I was a little kid.

 

I'm almost 55 and still drive a manual. Autos are too boring for me.

 

55! Thats so cool, how long have you been driving Mustangs for? I'm barely going to turn 19!

The only problem is that I dont know how to drive manual and I really want to learn. In your opinion is it hard to learn, and how long do you think it will take?

 

I like my manual, even with the Houston traffic I have to deal with. The clutch on this car is pretty easy to live with and it's got enough power that learning on it shouldn't be too hard (I spent 9 years living firmly in the realm of automatics before getting my manual GT, so had to re-learn basically). Also, with a manual taking off in the snow is much easier as you can start in 2nd gear (and the Mustang has the torque to make it easy).

 

Yeah some of my friends were telling me about that. Its pretty awesome that your story is kind of sounding like mine. I have been driving auto for three years and now with all this help on the forums I think it is safe to say that I want a manual Mustang.

 

You can also start in 2nd gear with the automatic. Just move the lever to 2.

 

Never bothered me....can be hard at first for some but practice make perfect and the clutch on the stang is so lite and smooth for the most part at the stock power levels...get the manual.... I have a stick shift for almost every car I have owned.
agreed and the gearing and engine braking and it keeps you awake....should keep you more involved with the car and feel like you have more overall control of it in most any situation.....I am 35 yrs old and as stated above always owned a stick shift!
good for you! forums can be a wealth of info!
LOL true but in a manual car its different......but I get what your saying

 

I'm 63 and still drive a manual. I agree, it's way more fun. I've only had one automatic in 30 years, a 1978 Trans Am, just like the one in Smokey and the Bandit. It was faster than hell, and I hated it. Learn to drive a stick!