Auto or Stick?
 

I'm thinking about getting a late 80s Mustang GT Convertible (88-92 I suppose.) What would you suggest, a stick shift or an automatic?
I've never learned how to drive a stick shift, but I'm rather new to driving so I have time to learn.

Any reason to get one over auto ?

Well, I went with AOD (since it was my first car), but now I am in the process of converting to a manual.

The stick are MUCH faster when the cars are stock or relatively close to. The auto is very consistent (duh), but the stock manual is much faster than the stock AOD. If you replace the AOD and get a stall converter, then that's when you can get the AOD to start competing.

Also, even if the manual was just as slow as the AOD stock, I would still want the manual, because it makes it much more fun to drive.

The stock AOD kills your perf gains from mods. Trust me :(.

Thanks,
DoranW

What does AOD stand for ?
Is it hard to learn how to drive a stick?
Does it getting annoying to have to shift all the time?

I would think stick would be more fun, but do they lose their shine after you've owned the car for awhile?

Automatic OverDrive. I love my 5 speed, wouldn't give it up for anything (except a 6 speed) and everybody is different, I was only out a few times in my dad's truck when i got my car. I found it very easy to pick up. Once you learn it though, it became second nature for me. When my car isn't running I drive an auto car and can't stand it. Everybody is different though, you have to get the transmission that best suits you, for me, that's manual.

Does it getting annoying, almost like you want a Auto after awhile.

BTW, if you put a shift hit in and gears, would a stick still be alot faster ?

AOD or stick?
 

Yes, the stick is always faster. Unless you are building a 10 sec. car...then you might start thinking about an automatic. But no, you'll never get sick of shifting your Mustang. Driving in stop & go traffic can some times suck...but well worth the sacrifice. Definitely go with the 5spd.! You won't be dissappointed.

STICK!!!
 

I would go stick all the way. In fact when I was looking for my car the first question i asked when i called em is was it a stick. If it wasn't i said thanks anyway. Maybe with a pussy car you can get tired of stick but in a stang you never get tired of it. The only downfall is when your trying to eat food and drive, it gets complicated but if you push the seat all the way back, you can shift with your right leg and hold the wheel with your left.

I might just......
Its to bad I don't know anyone with a stick shift. I just hope it doesn't turn out I hate using it ( If I do get a stick.)

BTW, do you think a 5.0 with snow tires will go in the snow, or am I better off buying a junker for the winter. I'm on a buget, so I would like to just use the stang, but I might have to go with a winter car.

I didn't find it hard to learn at all. I had a friend teach me. As long as they tell you how it works and what to do, I don't think it should be hard.

Easy to learn, harder to master. I was able to drive around well enough to get by within an hour. I also have never stalled to date :). <knock on wood...limited exp though.>

Thanks,
DoranW

I don't know anyone that has a stick and would rather have a manual...Even my mom wish her new VW had a stick, and she' very conservative with cars.

HOw much snow are we talking about... Stangs are definately not made for the snow. But most cheap cars aren't. Snow = bearable, ice = death... I was driving once, and while i was driving it went from hail to snow...creating a layer of ice under the snow.

I went down a hill, and steering didn't affect the car :). Luckily I stopped before the ditch. Reverse was much more affective... Parked car and walked about 2 miles home in the snow w/ sandals. Very random story, but thought I would throw it out there. Point is, stangs suck in snow and are ok in rain.

Where are you located?

Thanks,
DoranW

If you buy an AOD stang, to make it hang with a stock 5spd, you'll need a shift kit, atleast 3.73 gears, and probably a 2500rpm or higher stall converter. And thats just to run with a stock 5spd. Most 5spds aren't stock.... And plus, stock AOD's are junk. If you are gonna beat on your car, definitly go with a stick, because the AOD will blow in no time if it has high miles and you beat on it constantly. If you do buy an AOD, I'd recommend replacing it with a Lentech AOD, once it blows that is. They are much higher quality than the stock AOD, and the street version is said to be able to handle up to 500 horses. I know from experience that the stock AOD can't even handel 250 horses, unless its built...

you have to get a stick,, that was my number one priority when i was looking for my mustang,,,, try and learn on something with an easy clutch before you get a mustang, mustang clutches tend to be stiffer.. you won't get sick of shifting,, just get a short throw shifter such as a Hurst or a Pro 5.0 and you will be set..

Oh, and T5's are none for their durability :rolleyes:. Just jerking the chain on a few of you stick guys. Hey, if your just learning to drive a stick and you go out thrashing it, it'll tear up too. I've had both and I just enjoy not having to change gears, plus I don't loose any boost between shifts like someone with a stick car would. It maybe more fun, but I have yet to meet many guys that can actually drive their stick car to it's full potential. They either spin or bog, then if they get past that, they miss a gear.

The main thing is, if you find a nice mustang in your price range, don't pass it up because it's has an auto in it. Yes it will be slower in the beginning, but who wins ever race anyway.

What are you after? .5 seconds faster and the hassle of shifting, or a more laid back drive?

Sounds like you will get tired of shifting, as you are already talking about it.

For me, its automatic and air conditioning. After all, your mostly sitting in traffic anyway. Not like its really fun to drive a stick in traffic.

I say go auto. Unless your after the faster of the two, then go stick.

STICK!!! I never had a stick until I got my stang, and I'll never have another automatic now. They are just too much fun. If you get an AOD, you'll be kicking yourself in the arse everytime you get beat by a stick. Besides, how many peoplewith automatics, in a street legal car, do you know who can cruise at say 60 and drop it into 3rd and get sideways. That in itself makes a stick worth having.:D

I really don't intend to race my car when I get it. I really don't care about .5seconds of the 1/4 mile.

I will be driving 90% on streets and residential neighborhoods. What I want is a car that’s fun to drive. If I wanted a dependable car I would just get a Toyota.

In the future I could always tweak the car for speed, but I might not. I have allot of exp in computers, and when you Over Clock them far past their stock speeds it just slowly kills em.... I take it that its the same with 5.0s.

Like I said before, I have no plans to race the car. On the other hand, its nice knowing it could if I ever wanted to.

As far as shifting is concerned, I don't have any experience except for the arcade games (Yes, I'm aware of how lame that is... don't kill me) and it is more fun to use the shifter.

I live in Upstate NY, so are winters are bad. I might just get a front wheel drive car for the winter of 2003.... Maybe a cheap hondia.

If I got an Automatic, would I want a shift kit? What are its advantages/disadvantages?

Thanks for the advice,
MadOnion

Just by a car and drive it. If you buy a stang, and it is an auto, then a shift kit really is worth it right now. The only thing I would consider buying is a tranny cooler, because it could benefit the AOD with a longer life.

I'd get a stick, but if you're a new driver, I'd think twice before getting a V8 stang unless you have control. It's a pretty powerful 1'st car.

As far as snow, best advice would be to park it if you're near Buffalo or Syracuse. I don't even drive my stang in ANY snow.

You can have lots of fun with it on or off the race track in the dry weather.

Good luck

:)

I agree with both sides here. Learning stick in upstate NY with a V8 Stick isn't a good idea, but once u learn how to drive it, you'll never go back to an automatic. And you say that you won't race the car, but who hasn't had the "red light races", and do you really wanna get beat by a POS rice burner cuz your running a crappy AOD? There's nothing like having a ricer try to pass you on a 50mph road, then when he's right next to you, drop it into second and spin away from him. Ulitmately, the choicec is yours, but if you go AOD you'll probably want a stick once you get used to the power.

What is a higher stall converter?

Will learning how to drive a stick shift on a 5.0 Mustang damage it? Where would you suggest learning how to drive one? None of my good friends or close by realatives drive one.

Do low gears damage the car in any way (3.53 or 3.73 which most people have.)

Anyone ?

That is total bullcrap and I am so tired of people saying that. No offense to you Agent 4573.

There are millions of people who "know how to drive" a stick, but still choose an automatic for the advantages it offers, myself included.

Dude, if you cant even drive a stick, and no one has taught you how to drive a stick, and you dont have anyone available to teach you how to drive a stick, and it is going to be a big problem for you, just get an automatic.

If you would like to drive a stick and want to learn, take someone else with you who can drive a stick to test drive the car you want to buy, then after you buy the car, have them teach you how to drive it, and then just practice in an empty parking lot until you can drive on the street without stalling all the time. Its not that difficult and can be mastered quickly.

Im sure you know somebody who can drive a stick car?

Nothing like cranking through the gears with the sweet sound of your 5.0!!!

Oh, the thought of braking it loose at 60 mph :rolleyes: . Can anyone honestly tell me this is fun and where would you ever want to do it or find the need to do it?

And buy the way, my little AOD does that now when it downshifts, except I'm in 2nd when it does it and it wasn't any fun, I don't care what you say. You don't have to have a stick to break the tires loose at any speed, that comes down to hp.

Like I said before, I have yet to meet more than a couple of guys on the street or at the track that could drive a stick car to it's full potential on ever pass. Most average guys can't, all you have to do is do a search on the web of the times guys are running with the 2003 cobras to see that. Most of these guys can't break out of the 13's with a near 400 hp car.

Have a nice day stick guys, and remember don't miss a shift;) .

Disclaimer:

Once again, just poking a little fun at you stick guys.

91GTTurbo - It's not a matter of me enjoying getting sideways at that speed, or having a need to do it, just knowing that you can. That you are in total control of our car, it shifts when you want it to and it downshifts when you are ready for it to.

I have to agree with big red on this one. I like knowing that my tranny isn't going to do anything that I don't want it to do.
I personnally would never want a high performance vehicle that wasn't a stick. I'm not going to say that if I get an Explorer or something that I wouldn't want an auto but no way in a Stang.
When something pisses me off and I'm fuming, I like being able to take my car our and rip through the gears at my discretion.
I love the stick but hey, to each his own, that is what I say. You have to figure out what you want and thats it but one more vote for a stick here.

Oh yeah, and if you have the money for a beater honda, I might go ahead and do that if I were you.

I say go for a stick too. I looked around for about a year before I found a nice gt vert that also had a stick in it. I could have got an auto a long time ago and saved a couple hundread bucks, but I'm glad I didn't.
For the winter, if you can a beater car would be a very good idea, though it is possible to drive a v8 in heavy snow. I did it with my 91 stang I used to have. You will want to invest in a really good set of snow tires however.


should have known from your username you were an overclocker, when saw it the first thing that came to mind was 3dmark2001. How fast is your comp?

I've owned about 19 vehicles in my time mostly Fords, but to the point...

A regular car gets extremely boring to drive all the time with a stick, I had a cavalier and a celica and a wrangler tj and a mercedes deisel, all very boring and tedious after a couple of months I couldn't stand to drive them anymore, but to me auto's are also very boring...
I had a nice '95 Tbird 4.6 that was pretty fast and fun to drive in a straight line, but I had no fun with it in the corners because you can't control the car in a corner like you can with a stick.

I've owned my '91 5.0 5spd now for about a year and I can't wait to get in it everyday, because it is so fun to drive, I simply can't get enough. These cars really are a blast to drive and I wouldn't want to try an auto, because in my opinion it would be an insult to the car. You'll never know just how fun it is....

Its obviously true that most people prefer sticks over autos, but it all depends what you are looking for. Don't let others make decisions for you. There just telling you what they like or want (including myself from previous post). If I were you, I'd test drive both an auto and stick and see what fits you best. I prefer a stick myself, but there is really nothing wrong with an auto. I have a 91 GT Conv that is an AOD and I love it. But I also have 3.73's, a shift kit, a tranny cooler, and some other high performance parts. It may not beat a stick, but hey, its good enough for a daily driver ;)

Well I think it's all what you want out of the car. My GT is a 5 speed and I love it. I would not have it any other way. I love just keeping it in second gear doing about 25 mph, letting a ricer pull up next to me and just hitting the gas. There is no tranny down shift or anything, just power! I also love the control of holding gears. I have driven my stang in tons of crappy weather (I used to live in Northern Canada where winter lasts as long as 6 months :eek: ). A stick is much better to drive in bad conditions.

I also love ripping throught he gears, no other feeling like it.

Having said that, my F150 is an auto and I love it. I can grap drinks or food or my cell phone. I can mess with CD's or whatever. While you still have to be carefull when doing this while driving it is way better than when I'm in the stang. I also like just "slow" cruising in it. It is also nicer for stop and go traffic. I do HATE it when it comes to performance type driving. Passing and other driving manuvers are way harder (remember I'm talking about a big 4X4 truck with a 4.6L V8).

Anyway, think about what you want to go for it. Just don't be afraid of a manual transmission. You'll teach yourself how to drive in a few hours and it is a lot of fun.

:cool:

I guess I got a little carried away with my post there, but if you were to read carefully, you would have found that I was replying to MadOnions response:

I would think stick would be more fun, but do they lose their shine after you've owned the car for awhile?

My opinion is that regular everyday passenger cars do lose there "shine", but my experience with the Mustang has been quite different.

sorry to invide this mustang post with an IT question, but since it was brought up by someone else....

MadOnion, do you have personal experience with an overclocked computer dying? I personally built mine with an Asus CUSL-2 133MHZ board, PIII 866MHZ CPU and Micron 256MB SDRAM and I am overclocking the board @ 166MHZ FSB and the CPU is running @ 1.08GHZ and it's been performing like a gem for over a year of daily use! Since there is so much new stuff out there I think I'm going to build a new one and give my old stuff to my brother. Who would own a regular computer long enough for it to crap out anyway? Just wondering? :)

OCing does shorten the life....
I've never heard of anyone having their CPU dieing on them though. As long as you are doing a moderate OC and you don't mess with it.

Its when you push it to hard or let the temps rise that it may just die on you. Also, pelts are real hard on a cpu, but I doubt you use one.

It really depends on the person but I would say get a stick. I cant think of a greater feeling than slamming through the gears in a 5.0. Sadly my own mustang is an auto, and it gets up and goes really well for an auto car with just 3.73's and flowmasters (14.3@96.8). But I really think I can break into the 13's with a 5 speed and no other changes. So I've got my rebuilt t5 and all the extra goodies in the garage...2 more weeks till its in!

So in short....Autos can be quick in the right car w/ the right mods, and are nice if you cant do multple things at the same time(Drive,shift,eat,cell,feed dog)
Otherwise get a stick if you want the true mustang experience, I think.

I NEVER miss a gear with my Jerico DR4 and Long Verti-gate shifter setup! :D ...I'm definitely a stick guy, and wouldn't have it any other way for a race car.

I wouldn't give up the auto-trans in the Z71 Silverado tow-rig, however... ;) but I do prefer the stick 'stangs over the autos in stock trim.

You need to buy a stick. I believe you will have much more fun wtih a manual. Once you get one, you will know what i mean. I live in upstate NY too. Where are you? I could show you how to drive a stick in 15 minutes (not in my stang though)! Alkso, you definatrly need to get a winter car here in ny. No questions asked. I drove my stang once in the snow and was crapping the whole way home (its no fun)! I have an 89 maxima for the winters which is an automatic. It is nice to drive an automatic in the winters, BUT I always look forward to the 5 spped in the summers!!

Good God 1Jimmy_D ... you guys have to have a different car for different seasons !!!! Now i know why I put up with this freekin crowd in Cailfornia ! :D

And this is a GOOD THING?

this is like paper or plastic.. there's pros and cons for both... bla bla bla... when it's all said and done... buy a car that has low miles and runs nice... you can convert to stick later... cause you're going to blow the AOD, I did it with a car with 85k , I think i had the car a month... cause I beat on it... but when it's all said and done, I dont care about the stick or not.. plus you can do the AOD shuffle if you need to shift manualy.. and that's alot more fun then just shifting in an H.. :)

to be honest, you're probably better off with the automatic, if it's your first car or at least your first car with power... cause I dont think I've seen to many mustangs, camaros or firebirds that dont have front end damage or even worse, been totalled... I admit the AOD lacks balls... but that's why you get news gears... eitherway, you wont ever be happy with the car, it'll allways need more power... ALLWAYS... you can run a 4 second quarter with the top fuel guys and you'll walk away thinking about how you could go faster by adding a bottle of compressed air or a leave blower or something...so anyway.. you'll be adding stuff left and right.. and I'll still be typing this response when you're telling your grandkids about how you ran a 3 second quarter...
enough of me..
-as

I don't usually see to many mustangs sitting for sale on a lot somewhere with a Jerico in them, but when I do, I might even have to switch to a stick car:D .

LOL! :D

Well, the DR4 is a blast on the dragstrip to say the very least... but it takes alot of finesse on the street, in other words, it can be a PITA! ...and that would prolly make ya wanna go back to the AOD for street use ;)