So yea, im just ranting, i miss driving my mustang because it was a stick, and auto is just sooooo boring. Now and then, ill go up to a car dealer and test drive a car that is stick shift just to get to drive a stick for a lil bit. There was no better feeling then just on a whim, and when in the mood, just dropping a gear, steppin on it, and watching the rpms fly, then shift, and do it all over agian.
Who else loves driving stick a million times over an auto?
I totally agree with you on that. Everytime I have to drive my moms car or somebody elses that is an auto just pisses me off. I even go to push in the clutch when I am starting the car and my foot just falls to the floor because there is nothing there.
barely any mods, Daily driver
1965 Chevy c-10 350 chevy getting pulled for 402BBC and Th400
1984 Caprice Classic 305 getting pulled for mild 350, hoping for high 14s
I just had to have a stick when I ordered my Mustang. But if I had to use it as a daily driver, I probably would have gotten an auto. A stick is definitely more fun, but when juggling kids, coffee, pda's, and a phone, a stick just doesn't work.
And before you flame me; no, I don't drive around chatting on the phone and accessing a pda.
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'05 Sonic Blue GT w/ '07 V8 engine, 5-sp, IUP, Beige leather interior, nothing else -
just the way I wanted it. (1 of 113)
OK, so I've added a few things to it. Check my Profile - too many to list here.
There's always a split audience on this topic. There are pro's and con's to each tranny. All things being equal I still prefer a stick. The only Stang we have that's an auto is our 66 with a slushy C4. I just feel more in tune and more connected with the car when I'm bangin' gears... it's like you're part of the car. There is a strong argument that more consistent track times are coming from the auto's on the S197's but as I rarely will see and drag strips (haven't broken my cherry on the YET) so that's not really an issue for me.
Enjoy
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66 Coupe Tahoe Turq - 200, Pertronix & Flamethrower, 3 Row Rad, Cliff. 6/2 96 GT Vert Laser Red - FMS pulleys, Bullet ProM, BBK CAI, Prof. Prod. Elbow and 70mm TB, MAC Off-Road H, Borla side exhaust, Tokicos, B&M Ripper, 18x10 & 18x9 DD Bulletts 06 GT Tungsten, UIP, Red Leather, Stick, 18" blades, Steeda CAI, SCT XCal 2 w/ MC Racing 91 tune, MACs, BMR SP010 springs, BMR Adj Panhard, CDC ducktail & quarter louvers, Rear louver, painted black stripes
mostly people who think winning all the time is boring
yeah, like all the GT500 and z06 owners...
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1996 Mustang GT 248A
barely any mods, Daily driver
1965 Chevy c-10 350 chevy getting pulled for 402BBC and Th400
1984 Caprice Classic 305 getting pulled for mild 350, hoping for high 14s
In my Mustang, or any 'sporty' car, I want a stickshift. I like shifting gears in my Mustang and don't even mind traffic that much (of course, if things get too crowded, I ditch the main routes and hit the backroads - which are even more fun in a stick.) However, I really kind of wish my Bronco II were an auto (except for the fact that the A4LD trannies they put in those were complete crap.) See, offroad in 4WD, an auto would probably be a lot more effective at 'crawling' over rough terrain, obstacles, etc. at little or no throttle, especially on hills, because you don't have to worry about bogging down and killing the engine - I could ease an auto through places where I kind of have to punch it with a 5 speed, plus in such situations an auto leaves the driver free to concentrate on other things. In fact, short of a Ford Lightning or a Dodge SRT10 truck, I think I would pretty much prefer auto in any truck or SUV, be it two or four wheel drive, as long as it was a strong auto.
In fact, I am thinking that when the Mustang is paid off (and yes, I will keep it) I am going to look into getting a new 4WD of some type - and it will be an auto.
Also, if I were looking at a sedan - such as a Crown Vic - for a daily driver, I would love the auto. When driving cars like that, I just want to lean back and cruise (reference ZZ Top's song "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide") and not fool around with shifting.
mostly people who think winning all the time is boring
Even if that were true (and I'm not sure it is), since I really don't get involved in races, 'winning' isn't the biggest factor for me. For me, the real factor is 'fun' and, to me, it's just a lot of fun to be on a deserted, twisty backroad - downshifting, upshifting, etc. You don't even have to be going all THAT fast to have fun driving in such a situation. Not that I never drive fast - of course I do, and I think most people with Mustangs do, as well. It's just that with me it's more about enjoying my own, personal driving experience and not about 'beating the other guy' and, to me, having a manual in my Mustang greatly increases the pleasure of that experience. I think a lot of drivers feel that way, as well.
I don't agree with the idea that an auto Mustang is, somehow, less of a Mustang simply because I wouldn't really want an auto if given a choice. That is really the operative word here - choice. If there weren't some folks who want an auto, Ford wouldn't waste their time putting them in Mustangs. At the same time, for me, a stick just feels a lot more 'sporty'.
In my Mustang, or any 'sporty' car, I want a stickshift. I like shifting gears in my Mustang and don't even mind traffic that much (of course, if things get too crowded, I ditch the main routes and hit the backroads - which are even more fun in a stick.) However, I really kind of wish my Bronco II were an auto (except for the fact that the A4LD trannies they put in those were complete crap.) See, offroad in 4WD, an auto would probably be a lot more effective at 'crawling' over rough terrain, obstacles, etc. at little or no throttle, especially on hills, because you don't have to worry about bogging down and killing the engine - I could ease an auto through places where I kind of have to punch it with a 5 speed, plus in such situations an auto leaves the driver free to concentrate on other things. In fact, short of a Ford Lightning or a Dodge SRT10 truck, I think I would pretty much prefer auto in any truck or SUV, be it two or four wheel drive, as long as it was a strong auto.
In fact, I am thinking that when the Mustang is paid off (and yes, I will keep it) I am going to look into getting a new 4WD of some type - and it will be an auto.
Also, if I were looking at a sedan - such as a Crown Vic - for a daily driver, I would love the auto. When driving cars like that, I just want to lean back and cruise (reference ZZ Top's song "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide") and not fool around with shifting.
Just fab up a throttle control trigger on your stickshift and you've got the best of both worlds. I'm building my Wrangler for moderate rock crawling in the future and will be doing that mod so I can feather the throttle in slow situations. You can actually do it pretty cheap!
Snack
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66 Coupe Tahoe Turq - 200, Pertronix & Flamethrower, 3 Row Rad, Cliff. 6/2 96 GT Vert Laser Red - FMS pulleys, Bullet ProM, BBK CAI, Prof. Prod. Elbow and 70mm TB, MAC Off-Road H, Borla side exhaust, Tokicos, B&M Ripper, 18x10 & 18x9 DD Bulletts 06 GT Tungsten, UIP, Red Leather, Stick, 18" blades, Steeda CAI, SCT XCal 2 w/ MC Racing 91 tune, MACs, BMR SP010 springs, BMR Adj Panhard, CDC ducktail & quarter louvers, Rear louver, painted black stripes
Just fab up a throttle control trigger on your stickshift and you've got the best of both worlds. I'm building my Wrangler for moderate rock crawling in the future and will be doing that mod so I can feather the throttle in slow situations. You can actually do it pretty cheap!
Snack
Sounds interesting, and thanks for the tip. Thing is, with the BII, it isn't so much throttle control as it is that the little 2.9 V6 just doesn't have a lot of guts and when you link it to a manual transmission, well, you lose a lot of low end potential. Still, it does pretty well crawling in 4-low - I just think an auto might do better.
Right now, a Wrangler is actually #1 on my list to look at when the Mustang is paid off. My wife and I want a convertible, but I want a 4WD, so a Jeep with a removeable hard top might be just the thing - but I still think I want an auto (with auto hubs and auto transfer case - I'll keep the BII for the rough stuff.)
Missing the STick 
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