Well, after quite a bit of pondering, I'm seriouly considering swapping my 06 Auto GT for an 08 5spd GT. I've heard some good things about the 08, but when I went to buy my car, I test drove the auto exclusively. So my question is: Is this a good idea? How smooth is the shifting in the 5spd? I'd appreciate any feedback or advice. Thanks in advance.
Posts: 922
Joined: 4/6/2005 From: LI, NY Status: offline
I havean 05 with a 5 spd and I love it. I did have a slight problem shifting into third from time to time but after putting the MGW ****er in, no more problems. The MGW shifter definetely makes a huge difference. I love my 5 Spd.
Posts: 1160
Joined: 1/30/2008 From: Fort Smith, Arkansas Status: offline
If you can afford it, then go ahead. I test drove a manual before getting my auto, and the manual seemed really, really stiff to me. I've heard the stock shifter in the newer Mustangs isn't that great. Might've been because it was new, who knows.
Well, it will be cheaper because buying an auto costs something like an extra $1,000, and I bought my car in Hawaii, so I had a $3,000 markup on my car. If I can get an 08 5spd at invoice, it will actually lower my payments by $125 a month.
Posts: 1143
Joined: 12/8/2007 From: Pacific Palisades, CA Status: offline
i got an 08 gt 5speed. and i gotta say, i'm loving every minute of it. its a little stiff at first, but after a couple hundred miles, it loosens up. if you can't handle the stiffness, you can always go the mgw method as there have been 0 complaints about it
Posts: 4137
Joined: 4/6/2005 From: West Los Angeles Status: offline
it depends on where you're coming from. If your only experience is with automatics or tiptronic type shifting, the Manual Mustang will seem very imprecise. You might not be able to tell if you have it in first gear? Once you break it in or get the short-throw shifter it will become easier, but this will never shift like a BMW or Porsche! Having 5 forward gears is still new to the Ford engineers! The good news is that stock, the clutch isn't too heavy. Certainly not as heavy as the GT500, which was twice as heavy as the Z06 i tested.
I have an 05 5sp with the MGW shifter and an 06 auto. The 5sp is certainly more fun (most of the time). If you live in an area with a lot of traffic and drive in it daily, don't do it. Otherwise, drbobvs has a good idea, wait for the new one!
I dunno man... If I could do it all over again, I'd get an auto. I dont like shifting... The main reason is I always fall behind in traffic when I reach a shift point. With an auto, this wouldnt happen as they shift almost instantly. Also, the 5spd is just inconvienant all together, like during regular life, which is what this car is for. Driving people around, trying to find an address, dealing with my dog hopping in my lap, going over speed bumps, the list goes on. I sort of wish I got an auto.
Now, I wouldnt spend $$$ to switch to an auto, its not that important, but I definately would keep an auto over a 5spd.
If I knew that tuners could tune autos to shift better, and if I knew upgraded torque converters were so easily available, I would have definately gotten an auto.
+1 on the 2010, unless you have $$ to burn, wait and get a 2010. If they turn out to be BAD A$$, you would be in a good position to jump into one with the 06' paid way down or off.
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Swap 06 GT Auto for 08 GT 5spd? - 
