Well my I6 we're about to sell has an auto and i hate it. i drove a 4 speed 289 ysetrerday which was a lot of fun then a auto which just isn't the same. Most of my friends have imports and european cars which are sticks and I love driving those. Only auto I'd ever use would be for straight up 10 second and under drag cars or F1.
Hmmmm...nobody stated the obvious benefit of an auto. Ever try to hold or drink a cup of coffee while steering and shifting??? At my age, I'm gonna stick to an auto. lol
I'm with you man...LOL!
You hit the nail on the head when you said "At my age", LOL, how true...LOL!
I'm 44, and obviously most of these posters are young and full of excitment and energy, but believe me, when they hit my age, they are going to buy an automatic soo fast...it's not even going to be funny...LOL.
All my life until recently (when I was unable to walk for a year), I have driven only manuals, nothing but stick shifts all my life, now that I can walk again (but not with the same strength), I want NO part of stick shifts anymore, I'm so sick and tired of them, it's not even fun for me anymore, I just want to peacefully cruise, drink my coffee, talk in the cell phone, and not worry about aything else, but style and profile.
Yes, I know the youngsters love stick shifts, I did too when I was their age, but that was long ago.
I love my 4 speed toploader and it is my daily driver in a high traffic area. Although, I have to admit that, when coupled with my lack of power sterring, the 4 speed in the city is kind of a pain. What can I say? It just likes going (and fast I might add)better than stopping. I tell ya, nothing sounds / feels better though than throwing that hurst shifter through the gears as the 'ol 302 roars up through the RPM's.
i prefer manual, but my car has a c4 . one day far off in the future i will swap for a t-10 or 5 speed. my parents have discouraged the swap from auto to manual by buying me a shift kit, so now im not so upset about having an auto. plus all the really high horsepower mods (willys!!) are auto!! right...right guys...
I have manuals in both of my Mustangs. I don't know about more control, but I do know it is more fun "playing with a stick."
You are the exception to the rule my friend.
Well, my late father was his 70s, and he also still drove a car with a stick, that's what he always prefered as well, he was ol' school.
In my case, it's probably more of a necessity due to my medical situation (nerve damage in legs), and the fact that I have commuted on the Bay Bridge (Oakland to San Francisco) for over twenty years, lots of traffic, and sick of shifting back and forth, back and forth.
Well.. having had both types of transmission in some very high powered rides, and in some very booring slow cant get out of thier own way rides, I have found:
1.The slow cars are more fun with a manual. They feel faster because you can make the shift feel somewhat "violent" but it doesnt mean they are faster. Drive a stock Honda Civic 5 speed and then an LS1 powered F body with an auto and you will see the difference. yet the kids with Hondas think they are quite fast because the car jerks around when they dump the clutch.
2.High powered cars (honest 400hp and up) break less stuff with an auto and the auto often will leave harder with less spin.
A3.utomatics set up right will give the same amount of control as a clutch, without the harshness involved. You can shift a slightly modified automatic at any RPM you so desire, there is no need to leave it in "D" if you dont want to. Ford had a select shift that you could hold in low 1 or low 2 as long as you wanted and it wouldnt shift untill you moved the handle.
4.If you enjoy having things to do, the 4 speeds are fun in anything. If you have to work with the vehicle, they are annoying.
5.When you get old or you wear out your knees a 4 speed just isnt in the cards, especially if you have a large engine with massive power and torque. The clutch needed to harness a 500ftlb @ 2500 rpm engine is enough that it can bend linkages and make your left leg larger than the right one.
6.It doesnt matter what is better all around, because most cars are too much of a compromise to have any benefit either way. So drive what you like, and enjoy what you have. If you need an auto built so it rattles the windows and knocks your fillings lose, it can be done.
If you just drive around in D all the time you wont get an appreciation for the auto. Feel free to come up here and ride around in one of the automatics. Knowing how to drive one effectively makes a HUGE difference compared to someone who just leaves it in D or OD and hopes it will work right. (although the 4L60E does a fine job of shifting at redline in stock form)
Hmmmm...nobody stated the obvious benefit of an auto. Ever try to hold or drink a cup of coffee while steering and shifting??? At my age, I'm gonna stick to an auto. lol
I'm with you man...LOL!
You hit the nail on the head when you said "At my age", LOL, how true...LOL!
I'm 44, and obviously most of these posters are young and full of excitment and energy, but believe me, when they hit my age, they are going to buy an automatic soo fast...it's not even going to be funny...LOL.
All my life until recently (when I was unable to walk for a year), I have driven only manuals, nothing but stick shifts all my life, now that I can walk again (but not with the same strength), I want NO part of stick shifts anymore, I'm so sick and tired of them, it's not even fun for me anymore, I just want to peacefully cruise, drink my coffee, talk in the cell phone, and not worry about aything else, but style and profile.
Yes, I know the youngsters love stick shifts, I did too when I was their age, but that was long ago.
Viva automatics!
Uh, I'm no youngster. I'm 37, and I don't see switching to an auto in seven years. When my grandfather died at the age of 63, his car had a 4 sp manual. I also pay attention to my driving rather than talk on a cell phone ( pet peeve of mine). Don't mean to slam you, but "I just want to peacefully cruise, drink my coffee, talk in the cell phone, and not worry about aything else, but style and profile." That says you should have somebody else driving you around. Depending on the car being driven, we're talking about 1 to 2 1/2 tons of metal ,plastic, and fuel movig at speeds of 30 mph or more. That's a lot of force and, if your not paying attention, a lot of potential death and destruction. This is a good example of the reason manual transmissions are safer. A driver of a manual transmission equipped car is generally paying closer attention to the road and the cars around them rather than just going along for the ride while the car drives itself. I'm sorry, but posts like yours frighten me.
_____________________________
68 Mustang Coupe, 289 58 Chevy Apache, 235 Living together in harmony, mostly.
Are the autos in mustangs worse than other cars? How is it lets say compared with that in my land rover defender a early 1990's box that was used in the range rover classic? As I cant even tell when it is shifting most of the time its very smooth.
Some may say its silly to compare a 1960's box with a 1990's but both cars get about the same mileage and im hoping its not a terrible auto?
Can't really answer your specific question as I have never driven a modern Mustang with an auto. Modern autos are definitely much better than the old ones, though, and some-I can't believe I'm saying this-are even better. From everything that I've read, the seven speed autos in the top end Mercedes are just as fast or faster than a manual, respond well to changes in terrain and driver input via the accelerator pedal, and shift very smoothly. Once again thtough I am just relying on what I have read. The only autos I've driven were in your standard people mover type vehicles and 4wd trucks/SUVs. These autos shifted at the wrong time, usually too late, robbed power from the engine, and generally drove me nuts.
_____________________________
68 Mustang Coupe, 289 58 Chevy Apache, 235 Living together in harmony, mostly.
Driving while drinking coffee in ur stang, are you kidding me?? It should be more like, drive it like you stoled it!! haha, you can't rip through all those gears and hear that beast rumbling while you're cruising and waiting for your gears to shift in a automatic! lol
By the way I don't even think my 69 came with cup holders...
Hmmmm...nobody stated the obvious benefit of an auto. Ever try to hold or drink a cup of coffee while steering and shifting??? At my age, I'm gonna stick to an auto. lol
I'm with you man...LOL!
You hit the nail on the head when you said "At my age", LOL, how true...LOL!
I'm 44, and obviously most of these posters are young and full of excitment and energy, but believe me, when they hit my age, they are going to buy an automatic soo fast...it's not even going to be funny...LOL.
All my life until recently (when I was unable to walk for a year), I have driven only manuals, nothing but stick shifts all my life, now that I can walk again (but not with the same strength), I want NO part of stick shifts anymore, I'm so sick and tired of them, it's not even fun for me anymore, I just want to peacefully cruise, drink my coffee, talk in the cell phone, and not worry about aything else, but style and profile.
Yes, I know the youngsters love stick shifts, I did too when I was their age, but that was long ago.
Viva automatics!
I turned 63 in October, so I think I can say with some sort of age authority, that you never outgrow the fun of shifting a stick instead of the ho hum auto. Regarding drinking and eating in the car, I sip some coffee in mine, but never eat in them. Even when I am stopped. Eating in a car while driving would be akin to talking on a damn cell phone while driving. Not a real bright idea. Back in the day, you would be laughed out of the country if you drove a "sports" car with an automatic. You just didn't do it. Today, I guess all those unwritten rules have been done away with.
Posts: 303
Joined: 11/17/2003 From: Connecticut,United States Status: offline
Think about it.....back in the day an auto was an option...unlike today where they offer it as an option, but maybe one or two cars on the lot have a manual........ I like the manual, but that being said, I have a 75mile round trip to work in stop-and-go, so an auto works better for me. BTW-both my 'stangs are 3 speeds.
I turned 63 in October, so I think I can say with some sort of age authority, that you never outgrow the fun of shifting a stick instead of the ho hum auto. Regarding drinking and eating in the car, I sip some coffee in mine, but never eat in them. Even when I am stopped. Eating in a car while driving would be akin to talking on a damn cell phone while driving. Not a real bright idea. Back in the day, you would be laughed out of the country if you drove a "sports" car with an automatic. You just didn't do it. Today, I guess all those unwritten rules have been done away with.
I agree. The Mustangs are supposed to have manuals. I plan on drinking/talking on phone in my car but not eating so I guess I agree with you to a degree there. But have you driven auto in the new cars? I think the reason those unwritten rules were done away with is because auto is just better. My Dad's Audi has the tiptronic transmission. I can drive it with paddle shifters, a traditional manual, automatic, or "sport" mode. I'm not a very experienced driver but the Sport mode is much much faster than what I can do with the paddles or the stick. It's got a faster response on the throttle, hits the redline perfectly, and I can have both hands on the wheel when I'm using it. It's perfect for pulling out into tight, high speed traffic (although I've nearly killed myself a few times doing it). So I don't think it's so bad for the newer sports cars not to have standard.
Posts: 156
Joined: 6/27/2006 From: Auckland, New Zealand, living in USA Status: offline
wow this is turning into a religious battle lol. it also depends on how we started driving i think. as far as how violent a shift may be to the car, it's possible to shift a manual so good that it's less harsh than an automatic. The only way I would have an auto is with manual shifting, but still, i will never buy one. true some of those new tiptronic, dual clutch dsg audi mercedes lexus 7 and 8 speeds may be faster than a manual, but for how long, sure you can read the brochure but can you fix one? last time i heard einstein was dead, so who's gonna fix your tiptronic, luckily mustangs won't be getting those forever basically, i just don't forsee it happening. oh yeah, if a manual is wearing and tearing enough for you to mention it, your not driving it right, my clutch and tranny both have 130,000 miles on them and they are doing great, no sign of slippage.
< Message edited by enzedchris -- 12/28/2006 4:39:32 PM >
Both. Depends on what I want to do with the car. My '71 is set up more as a road racer, so the stick is a must. The '73 fastback is going to be a straight line car, so it will be getting a built auto.
My '03 is a 5-speed and is a pseudo daily driver (35-40% of the time) and I like it. My other daily driver ('93 Explorer) is an auto and I wouldn't want it to be a stick.
Posts: 339
Joined: 10/21/2006 From: Gardena, California Status: offline
I think in this thread we must agree to disagree! Everyone has there own preferences and reasons for what they like or are stuck with. When I'm stuck in traffic on the 405 during rush HOURS I prefer an automatic, but when I'm on my way to Northern California on the 5 through the San Joaquin valley I want to be slammin gears on a manual. If your stang is your daily driver an automatic may be the way to go depending on where you work. If it is your weekend toy you may go stick. Bottom line is it's your choice! Here endith the leason.
Printable Version
RE: You like a Automatic or Stick for an old mustang? - 
RE: You like a Automatic or Stick for an old mustang? - 
. one day far off in the future i will swap for a t-10 or 5 speed. my parents have discouraged the swap from auto to manual by buying me a shift kit, so now im not so upset about having an auto. plus all the really high horsepower mods (willys!!) are auto!! right...right guys...
