Of course the amount of fun is subjective. I just really feel like I need to try the stick to determine which is more fun for me. Bad traffic here means that you might not make it through the light on a single green. Even this is rare, though. Basically, traffic should not be a problem. The highways without stop lights never travel below the speed limit. All in all, a manual should not be hurting me here. Even if I did end up liking it less (based on your comments, unlikely), it certainly won't be hard to live with.

It is nice to hear that it is easy to pick up. I have heard people claiming that it is almost impossible.

It is interesting that manuals have better resale value. I would have actually thought the opposite to be true. Shows how much I know XD. Yet another reason to buy the manual. There seems to be little compelling reason to go auto. I am pretty much entirely convinced, but I do want to be able to drive one (if only for a very short distance) before I commit to it.

 

My 2010 gt was the first car I had ever driven with a manual transmission...I love it. It just sends a message and is so much more enjoyable to drive, I don't really mind it in traffic either.

 

PatrickAupperle, my friend years ago lost her brother due to an accident. He left her his brand new car....it was a manual and she had no idea how to drive it. She had someone drive it to her home. I showed her the basics of how I drive (had an '82 5.0 at the time) and she got in her car and drove it to my house. After she had the hang of it, I showed her what to do when you have to stop on a hill.
It's not that hard to learn. You may make the car buck and stall but that is part of the learning process. In time, you will be driving and smiling in your new Mustang. Just try not to grind the gears too much.

 

The resale value can't possibly be enough of a blip on the radar to make a difference. These cars are anything but an investment, lol. My advice would be to give the manual a shot. Even though I've stopped buying them, I do believe that everyone should know how to drive one. We bought our daughter a used Jeep to drive, and its stick. She wasn't thrilled (still isn't), however I just feel that its a necessary skill. You never know when you might have to drive one, or even move one out of the way in an emergency situation, etc. I taught her the basics and had her doing smooth take-offs on a minor incline within 30 minutes. Manuals are not hard to drive, but slightly more difficult to master. It doesn't take long before it becomes second nature though. What she has a problem with is gear selection. ie rolling towards a stoplight and it goes green, etc. I just always tell her look, the car is going to do EXACTLY what you tell it to do. When in doubt, pick a higher gear, if it bogs, downshift. Shes doing ok so far, it just takes time is all...

My best advice would be, don't be intimidated by the manual. Learn how to take off and how to "feel" the clutch engagement, then just own it, lol. The car will do your bidding, so understand the speeds vs the available gears, and simply tell the thing what you want it to do for you. In the end, its just a machine. I think many people get too nervous trying to over-think the process... our daughter was bad with that early on. I just kept telling her that there was no mystery involved, and that SHE was controlling the thing, not simply along for the ride. Good luck, I'm sure you'll do fine..

 

DON'T GET THE STICK-SHIFT!

Don't listen to those guys saying you should, I have a manual in my GT convertible, took me about 2 years just to get used to this monstrosity. I'm saying this despite ALL my other cars being manual ( they were 4 cyl though ). I wish I had an auto transmission now. Reasons why:

1/ V-8 engine and transmission are both very heavy and the clutch is pretty stiff, makes it really hard to shift smoothly and match the revs. Those are not made to be smooth but made to be fast. Of course, if you are racing it does not matter, but if you have a passenger drinking coffee next to you, they will hate it and you will feel like an idiot who can't drive...

2/ Its easier to shift smaller 4 cylinder engines because its easier to hear the engine speed, V-8 is hard to hear plus there is this weird thing that make RPM jump when you disengage the clutch, and stay up longer than in any other 4 or 6 cyl car I drove.

3/ Actually auto transmission is easier to launch from the complete stop and does better on a drag-strip.

4/ No-one else will be able to drive your car.

5/ When racing hard its pretty easy to miss a shift, the shifter position is pretty uncomfortable and the gates are narrow. I missed 3rd gear endless times, and sometimes after a hard acceleration it does not engage a gear smoothly for some reason.



6/ You will not be able to use your cup-holder. :-)

The only couple of things that the manual transmission is good for:

driving on the ice and snow ( kind of ... )
better fuel economy ( negligible )
longer life ( hopefully )

 

Counterpoint.

Actually, it isn't all that tough to drive these cars with manual transmissions smoothly. You do, perhaps, have to be a little more deliberate in your left foot and right hand motions.


Not something that's a problem unless you're hurrying your shifts more than necessary. FWIW, the revs don't jump up nearly as far in the Mustang as in my 2001 Maxima. You do get used to it, even though you may still notice it at times.


I'll give you this one. And admit that when there is doubt about being able to safely make a left turn across approaching traffic it's enough to keep me stopped and wait for it to clear. I'm probably still alive because of this concern . . . just reflecting on what might have eventually happened if I'd given myself almost 40 more years of cutting things ever closer . . .


I'd take that to be an advantage. It might already be a minor theft deterrent. I know in my case that the only people I'm ever likely to let drive any of my cars can drive stick (never mind that they'd have to be able to - see sig).


I'll assume drag racing here; in brisk street driving this is not a big issue (see #1). I've never noticed the stock shifter position to be awkward or uncomfortable.


This may be an issue with the way the OE shifter is mounted. There are aftermarket options.



If the only way you ever grab the shifter is palm down/wrist straight like you would for a power-shift, that's probably true. If you can grab it more pistol-grip style and maybe let your wrist flex a little, this "problem" goes away at least for the smaller cups.



Norm

 

I personally prefer Automatic over stick, if you want it to be easier Automatic is the way to go. It's all up to preference really

 

I was in the same boat as you too man when I first bought my stang. Didn't know how to work a manual but after about a half hour of practice in a empty local parking lot I picked it up perfectly fine, the bitch was the hill stops but you pick that up as well over time... Deffently get a stick over an auto if your buying a mustang.. just my $.02

 

Can't use your cup holder??? You are kidding right? I use mine if I have a drink with me, but most of the time I don't allow food or drinks in my car.
I agree with Norm that having a stick is a great theft deterrent. Not too many young punks wanting to steal a car for a joy ride is gonna mess with a stick.
Anyway, it's really up to the OP if he wants to learn stick on a Mustang.

 

all you need to learn to drive stick is as follows

1. two arms, preferably with hands attached
2. two unbroken legs with proper pivot points
3. atleast one more brain cell that the average ameba
4. about a week of hating it before you get good at it and love it!