Hey guys, right now I have a 2005 v6 automatic, and im trading up soon to a 2007 Mustang GT becuase of money I saved from scholarships. I recently learned to drive stick shift, and I like it so far. My question is, which do you guys perfer; stick or automatic? I think I would like driving stickshift but Ive heard it gets tiresome in traffic and when your tired, but I think its more fun than automatic. What do you guys think?

 

Yes stick is faster & more fun. But if you do a LOT of bumper-to-bumper rushour traffic creeping it can get tiring to work the clutch all the time. But only if your do a LOT of that type of driving. just an average amount is no big deal at all. Get the 5-speed.

There are TONS of people posting in the tech sections asking how to convert their autos into standard. Good luck finding any posts going the other way

 

right now i have a automatic, and a bunch of my buddies have stick shift and taught me how to drive stick, and i love it i wish my car was stick shift

 

Faster isnt entirely true with the 05+ Stangs. The manual was only .4-ish quicker than the auto in the 1/4 with a pro Ford driver, or the other way around. But they do generally end up quicker..IF you nail all your shifts. +1 to the getting tired on traffic. I picked my DD an auto and my 2nd car a 5-speed for a reason. I've been in many situations where I wished I was in my auto. Just think about how much of that heavy traffic driving you will be doing, and test drive a manual on the lot to help you decide. Its all about what you prefer

 

there are actually quite a few people putting a 4r70w into an 03/04 cobra, a properly modified automatic can be a street race demon

 

??no there isnt. what do you mean by "quite a few" maybe the only few that have a 100rwhp track monster.

 

I love my 5spd. Its not all that bad driving in traffic around here. I can leave it in 3rd most of the time and be fine when just cruising around town. My 3rd will work from 20mph to about 45. I would go with the standard just for the added fun factor

If you're planning on racing it, the standard will usually be faster. This is because 1 an standard has more gears, therefore can keep the motor in its powerband better. 2 a standard has less power loss through the driveline. Manuals lose approx 15% while autos lose approx 20%. Keep in mind that a lot of that depends on the driver. It takes a lot of practice to launch and shift a manual while racing. That said, the auto will be more consistent depending on the driver. I dont know anyone that can shift a manual as fast as an auto every time without missing gears every now and then.

 

I'm 26 now and have been driving 5 spd's since I was 16. I've never regretted haveing a 5 spd. I live close to Columbus, OH and so have to deal with traffic regularly.

 

If your gonna race it on the drag strip a lot or drive A LOT in stop & go traffic, go for the auto. It will break less & you have more consistent times. Manual is more fun & sounds better IMHO.

 

Oh, autos on muscle street cars are for gurls.