Norm Peterson

Never understood that point of view.

Once you get to the point where a MT is just the way your car operates, it ceases to require that much thought and it's second nature to have it in the right gear virtually all of the time.


Norm

mayo

You not have rush hour traffic?
You know stop and go bumper to bumper traffic, I can't say I miss riding the clutch for minutes on end. Thats where I find myself @ 5pm everyday, not on a country road running the snot out of her on a twisty.
Advantage...Auto.

TomKat

i say if you believe there will be a lot of traffic / rush hour auto might be a good option for you i do agree if you do get an auto you MUST get a tune it makes the world of a difference !but if your set on a wild sports car go with the boss 302 its like a shelby but more track refined!

bakerjd

Exactly. It's not like driving manual requires any thought anyway, it's just an inconvenience in heavy traffic (typically seen on a daily commute).

Norm Peterson

I dealt with enough rush hour and city traffic going to school or working various co-op jobs to learn very early that there was no way I was going to live the same commuting life that my Dad did. This was Boston, late 1960's, and back then I was mostly driving automatics because that's what was available. Since then, I've managed to pull off working within about 5 miles of my residence, with only a few brief exceptions. An automatic would have represented much too big of a sacrifice overall for far too little benefit in the commute.

FWIW, it's still my wife's active preference to drive stick, and she's thoroughly enjoyed driving the Mazda, Maxima, and Subie that are listed in my sig and the heavily modified Pinto that isn't.

I do run into stretches of stop and go of up to an hour or so most times I drive between here and my Dad's place in southeast MA, and while I still don't find it a pleasant experience it's not particularly aggravated by having to work a clutch or having to decide what gear the transmission needs to be in and putting it there. It's just the way my cars work, so I don't look at these episodes as hardship or ever wish I'd chosen differently. Call me hardcore?


Norm

Gary Ugarek

If the OP is in No. Virginia he need an Automatic. I know lived there for 10 years, stick in NO VA/DC Burbs traffic is a major NO NO.

Although I rocked a stick in an 08 Cobalt I had as a DD, my Mustang was Automatic (My Black 2012 GT)

I live in NE philly now, and I rock a 6 speed, but my commute is 90 miles one way to lancaster and I leave at about 6am every morning so I beat the traffic.

When I worked in NE Philly I had an 11 Automatic, was pleased to have it because Philly and Philly burbs traffic sucks major ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Yes, a manual is more fun to drive, but being stuck on the Capitol Beltway (495) with a stick during RH, is murder on the legs, the clutch and your goddamn nerves.

Go Automatic, you won't regret it. Also, don't waste the money on the Boss 302 if it will be a DD. It will kill the value. Boss 302 are limited production cars that are meant to worth some money if the miles stay under 10k

Your choice, but a 13 GT Deluxe would be suffice. Same power as the premium, but you save $2000+ on price.