Puddy Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Curious what people think about this. It seems the common thought is that if you are going to go down the road of buying a sports or muscle car you should get the manual transmission. What is the thinking behind this? Is it just a 'purists' point of view or is there some real reason why it is superior. I mean all things considered, I enjoy not shifting all the time. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Curious what people think about this. It seems the common thought is that if you are going to go down the road of buying a sports or muscle car you should get the manual transmission. What is the thinking behind this? Is it just a 'purists' point of view or is there some real reason why it is superior. I mean all things considered, I enjoy not shifting all the time. Thoughts? If you are looking at a serious drag racing type application then Auto is the only way to go. Road Racing? Stick. Just a cool car to drive around on the weekends? Go with what you are comfortable with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Another thing to keep in mind. If you are going to buy an older muscle car type of toy then you will need to turn in your AAA card and buy yourself a set of real tools! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted December 3, 2009 Author Share Posted December 3, 2009 If you are looking at a serious drag racing type application then Auto is the only way to go. Road Racing? Stick. Just a cool car to drive around on the weekends? Go with what you are comfortable with! Looking to trade in the [timc] riceburner [/timc] for the new Camaro at some point. I frickin' love that car (plus it's time for a good old fashioned mid-life crisis). (and yes BeeR I know it's not racist because I'm a bad driver too) Another thing to keep in mind. If you are going to buy an older muscle car type of toy then you will need to turn in your AAA card and buy yourself a set of real tools! Nah...I need to buy a new car to avoid any repairs that I'm not qualified to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Looking to trade in the [timc] riceburner [/timc] for the new Camaro at some point. I frickin' love that car (plus it's time for a good old fashioned mid-life crisis). (and yes BeeR I know it's not racist because I'm a bad driver too) Nah...I need to buy a new car to avoid any repairs that I'm not qualified to do. If this is a car you are going to drive every day in any kind of stop and go traffic you would be crazy to get a manual transmission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yo mama Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 (edited) I love sticks. But unless you are going super-high end, it seems like I only see them in the stripped-down models of today's "regular guy" cars. Automatic transmissions have no soul. Edited December 3, 2009 by yo mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted December 3, 2009 Author Share Posted December 3, 2009 I love sticks. But unless you are going super-high end, it seems like I only see them in the stripped-down models of today's "regular guy" cars. Automatic transmissions have no soul. I will definitely be going with the optional V8 if I get one (I just can't imagine buying one with the base 6). So that 'soul' thing. What does that mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Neutron Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 If you are looking at a serious drag racing type application then Auto is the only way to go. Road Racing? Stick. Just a cool car to drive around on the weekends? Go with what you are comfortable with! Exactamundo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budlitebrad Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I have an 07 Mustang GT with an auto transmission as my daily driver. Stick is more fun, but I have an 93 race tune that tweaks the stock shift points. It probably shifts faster now than I could with a manual, plus it's easier on my knee in morning traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 stick..... 3 on the tree pullin a cement mixer....chicks dig it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yo mama Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 (edited) I will definitely be going with the optional V8 if I get one (I just can't imagine buying one with the base 6). So that 'soul' thing. What does that mean? A stick shift allows you to get in touch with your performance vehicle like an OBGYN does an expectant mother. You get to *feel* cool things that you know are in there, but can't see with the naked eye. Automatics probably go just as fast, I just think a stick shift makes for a more... intimate driving experience. Edited December 3, 2009 by yo mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted December 3, 2009 Author Share Posted December 3, 2009 A stick shift allows you to get in touch with your performance vehicle like an OBGYN does an expectant mother. You get to *feel* cool things that you know are in there, but can't see with the naked eye. Automatics probably go just as fast, I just think a stick shift makes for a more... intimate driving experience. That's hawt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 That's hawt. Oh yeah. I remember that hot little 5 speed orange '82 Datsun truck i used to drive. Vroom vroom baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I think it depends on the kind of "performance car". if it's a sporty high-rev, turbo kinda deal, I'd probably want a stick for sure. if it's more of a "luxury" ride with a big v8....well to me the reason you have all that raw power is so you don't have to think about shifting. to me, stick is MOST important on a car like the one I drive now, a small subaru with like a 165hp 4 cylinder -- as an automatic, I would be totally furstratred driving it, trying to milk power out of it. but with a stick it's actually got it in it to be pretty damn sporty and fun to drive. the more power you get, the less you NEED stick. but that extra level of feel and control can always be nice (it can also be a PITA if you're in traffic). for a v8 "muscle car"...I dunno, I'd probably get the auto personally. somehting like a mustang isn't really a "road car" anyway, you're buying it for the hammer (and because you have a small peener), I don't see much need for a stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre8tiff Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Drving a stick is almost the most fun you can have in a car (when the car is moving, anyway). And NOT those ghey "clutchless" manual trannies. It's clutch or else just poosily out and go auto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 My penis still works, so I have no need for a muscle car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I drive in DC traffic and Ms Cid needs to drive it occasionally, hence my Vette is an auto. I really, really wanted a stick but the realities of the world forced this decision. I am not disappointed with it at all. A stick is better for straightening out the twisties, an auto for drag racing type applications (you'll never blow a shift). I will manually shift my auto sometimes for a couple of reasons like if the damn computer shifts into 4th to early and I want to keep the engine revving in the powerband or if I'm cruising and I need to punch it to pass soeone I'll downshift to third. It saves some wear and tear on the forks in the transmission. The bottom line is as tbimm said, get what you're comfortable with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Puddy, I'm proud of you. We'll make a real man out of you yet. It took awhile for you to realize a Honda or Toyota is just a piece of crap and never considered a real car unless you're a 5' 2" Jap that glows in the dark and loves the smell of uranium in the morning....or some mis-guided white trash 20-year old kid that thinks putting a coffee can on his Civic while wearing his wifebeater t-shirt gets him an extra 40 horsepower. Be sure to put extra Zaino on the Camaro to help wipe the drool of others off easily. Oh, and make sure to get the optional baseball bat to beat Da Ladies off with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 as mentioned above, one 2hr stint in stop and go rush hour traffic and i will never get a stick. unless i lived in the boonies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 If you're split 50/50, a stick will have far better resale value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 If you're split 50/50, a supra will have far better resale value. tru dat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 If you are driving around in urban settings during traffic times very often, then auto is the only way to go, IMHO. A stick is fun and gives you the trill of driving for sure but it wears off. I drive an auto to and from work and I drive a stick all day long between sites. I sort of wish I could have them reversed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrudge Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 If this is a car you are going to drive every day in any kind of stop and go traffic you would be crazy to get a manual transmission.My first, third, and fourth cars were stick shifts. Once I learned how to drive one, it always was just second nature with stop and go city driving or highway. My preference would be for a stick shift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 for a muscle car, who cares? for a sports car I would definitely go with a stick for a 1994 Tercel, the stick was definitely the way to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
policyvote Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 (edited) Driving an auto isn't driving. With a stick, the car does absolutely nothing I don't tell it to. I can shift for economy, performance, or a little of both as I feel like it. If trapped in mud or snow, I can almost always massage my way out of it. I stay engaged with the car and with the road. I get feedback through the clutch pedal and gear selector that I'd never get with a slushbox. As Az said above, a manual transmission makes any good small car a rewarding drive; attacking corners with my Pontiac Vibe turns commuting into catharsis. You can get a Lexus with an automatic transmission, cruise control, and climate control, that stays in its lane automatically and parks itself. That's one step away from the f***ing Matrix, man. Drive your car, don't let it drive you. That all having been said, a Camaro SS is a burnout/stoplight race/parking lot king. The only input you care about in one of those is the throttle. You want one foot out the window, one hand on the honey next to you, and the other hand holding your beer. If you're aching for the transcendent purity of unwinding winding roads, there are other machines to do it in. On the other hand, you're going to have a pretty unique machine if you go stick. All joking, hyperbole, and personal preferences aside, unless you are planning on driving this thing into retirement, consider the secondary market. Muscle cars, overwhelmingly, are automatics--and while sticks are cheaper on the way in, believe me when I say that they're often tough to get rid of. Don't overlook your exit strategy when making an investment this big. Peace policy Edited December 3, 2009 by policyvote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.