Manual or Automatic GT?
10-28-2007, 05:38 PM
#11
6th Gear Member
RE: Manual or Automatic GT?
I recommend the stick. I bought mine for the same reason... power.. And you really feel it and can enjoy it better with the manual, IMO.
10-28-2007, 07:59 PM
#17
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 288
RE: Manual or Automatic GT?
You are always going to get the internet forum jocks who think they are God's gift to Earth just because they know how to drive a stick (not saying it is anyone here), but get what YOU want.
Certainly, for some, getting the auto takes out some of the "cool" factor. If you are going to become obsessed with racing and posting your "kills" on the internet, and getting beat my another car in a street race will ruin your life, you may be better off with the manual. They do, after all, make about 15-20 HP more than the auto (stock) and will give you the street cred that some so desperately seek. Even so, an auto GT is hardly a pushover. There are plenty of cheap bolt-on options to make up the small difference in HP, and a tune will make the tranny shift faster than the manuals could ever shift. Sure, the manual guy could go out and mod his car too and you are right back to where you started, but there will always be a faster car than you, in the end is it really that important?
While most would agree the manual adds to the driving experience, I think the fun factor is, for the most part,relative. I have never found myself bored withthe autowhile driving the car. Would it be more fun with a manual? At times, probably. But I am certainly not bored and, due to the reasons listed below, I am plenty happy with the auto.
My personal reasons for getting the automaticwere the following:
(1) I live in the Chicago loop and drive the car at least one and a half hours a day in the worst of Chicago stop-and-go traffic. The shifting would get a little old. And even when moving, I am usually dodging trucks, taxis, construction zones, and bizarre traffic patterns, so it helps to have one less element to worry about when driving.
(2) I am 6'-5" and, after long drives, my knee sometimes bothers me. I can't imagine having to deal with another pedal in that traffic. The car is decently roomy, but if I were any taller, it wouldn't work for me, I am just about at the limit.
(3) My last car was a12 year old family sedan. So this car, even with the auto, is plenty of fun for me.If you have had fast, manual cars your whole life, you might be a little bored with the automatic. Once I have had my fill with this car, I plan on getting another muscle car in a few years, with a manual, and keeping this as my "beater".
(4) This car is my daily driver in Chicago winters and is parked outside (covered). The remote start is a life saver, not to mention I get to stand behind it and listen to my Borla mufflers and longtubes fire up. As far as I know, it isn't safe to put the remote start on a manual.
(5) While I was planning on modding the car, I never planned on racing the car are worrying too much about stuff like that. I was more concerned with the day-to-day practicality.
But, in my opinion, if none of the above applies to you, I would get the manual...
Certainly, for some, getting the auto takes out some of the "cool" factor. If you are going to become obsessed with racing and posting your "kills" on the internet, and getting beat my another car in a street race will ruin your life, you may be better off with the manual. They do, after all, make about 15-20 HP more than the auto (stock) and will give you the street cred that some so desperately seek. Even so, an auto GT is hardly a pushover. There are plenty of cheap bolt-on options to make up the small difference in HP, and a tune will make the tranny shift faster than the manuals could ever shift. Sure, the manual guy could go out and mod his car too and you are right back to where you started, but there will always be a faster car than you, in the end is it really that important?
While most would agree the manual adds to the driving experience, I think the fun factor is, for the most part,relative. I have never found myself bored withthe autowhile driving the car. Would it be more fun with a manual? At times, probably. But I am certainly not bored and, due to the reasons listed below, I am plenty happy with the auto.
My personal reasons for getting the automaticwere the following:
(1) I live in the Chicago loop and drive the car at least one and a half hours a day in the worst of Chicago stop-and-go traffic. The shifting would get a little old. And even when moving, I am usually dodging trucks, taxis, construction zones, and bizarre traffic patterns, so it helps to have one less element to worry about when driving.
(2) I am 6'-5" and, after long drives, my knee sometimes bothers me. I can't imagine having to deal with another pedal in that traffic. The car is decently roomy, but if I were any taller, it wouldn't work for me, I am just about at the limit.
(3) My last car was a12 year old family sedan. So this car, even with the auto, is plenty of fun for me.If you have had fast, manual cars your whole life, you might be a little bored with the automatic. Once I have had my fill with this car, I plan on getting another muscle car in a few years, with a manual, and keeping this as my "beater".
(4) This car is my daily driver in Chicago winters and is parked outside (covered). The remote start is a life saver, not to mention I get to stand behind it and listen to my Borla mufflers and longtubes fire up. As far as I know, it isn't safe to put the remote start on a manual.
(5) While I was planning on modding the car, I never planned on racing the car are worrying too much about stuff like that. I was more concerned with the day-to-day practicality.
But, in my opinion, if none of the above applies to you, I would get the manual...
10-28-2007, 09:05 PM
#19
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location:
Posts: 264
RE: Manual or Automatic GT?
Well I drove the stick and auto and I got the auto. My dyno tune shifts better than I ever could. But on the other side of the issue, if I did the road racing thing I would have got a stick and tricked out the suspension for the twistys. Moral of the story is, figure out what you are gonna do with the car, and choose accordingly.
