Do l go for manual or auto?

[Legacywr]

David Beer said:

I have an auto as I mentioned, if I want to go manual I use the flappies!

But, you still have an auto, that you shift yourself. It’s still not a manual

[300bhp/ton]

David Beer said:

Auto for me, quicker

Not in any meaningful way however. If this is anyones justification for an auto, then more fool you really.

[300bhp/ton]

Trevor555 said:

When I think of a Mustang I'm thinking burn outs, donuts in car parks, having to take command and drive the thing.

It'd have to be a manual for me.

Burnouts are easier with an auto

[300bhp/ton]

BIGDAI said:

Thanks for the responses folks.

I do indeed need to test drive them so I bit the Bullet (see what l did there?) today and rang my local Ford main dealer. They don't sell Mustangs! The nearest is apparently in Manchester - 70 miles away!

Not convinced so tried the next dealer (only 25 miles away) and they do sell them - marvellous! Spoke to the sales guy and the snag is that they don't have a demo! They "might" have a used one in stock but he doesn't know for certain as he only deals with new cars and the used car chap isn't in until tomorrow so could l please ring back in the morning.

I can see this is going to be more difficult than l thought!

If you just want a test drive, have a look on autotrader for used ones near to you. They don't need know you aren't actually buying from them.

As for the auto v manual debate.


It really is personal. Although I do struggle to ever accept that a manual is more fun. Faster maybe in some situations. But more fun??? I think that is just somewhat insecure people trying to justify their decision.

I've driven a few Mustangs over the years, manuals and autos. And while the autos are indeed capable. They do remove something from the experience, as they really do become 'point n' squirt' cars. Which is fine and likely suits a diesel BMW 3 Series very well. But a Mustang is a car you are likely to take out for a drive, just for the hell of it.

If you only ever drive on motorways and city driving. The auto is likely better. But if you want to go off and explore the vehicles abilities on British roads, then an automatic, of pretty much any kind. Will likely always end up irritating you at some point.


I'm not a Mustang owner. But I do own an America V8 pony car. In fact, I recently owned two of the same car. Almost identical apart from the colour. And the fact one was an auto and one was a manual.

I only own one now. And it is the manual one. It is just so much more fun!

I would say, with an American V8 muscle/pony car, part of the fun is the noise. Get yourself an aftermarket catback. Being able to 'throw a rev' with the manual at will is quite satisfying.

However, ultimately it is your choice. If an auto appeals. Go for it!

[David Beer]

300bhp/ton said:

Not in any meaningful way however. If this is anyones justification for an auto, then more fool you really.

True, only .4 a second to sixty and certainly was not the reason I went auto.
Last summer I did 5000 miles in the USA with the new 10 speed, very nice, you become fixated by the Rev counter as you really can not feel any changes. Anyway, each to their own of course.

[Matt Harper]

David Beer said:

300bhp/ton said:

Not in any meaningful way however. If this is anyones justification for an auto, then more fool you really.

True, only .4 a second to sixty and certainly was not the reason I went auto.
Last summer I did 5000 miles in the USA with the new 10 speed, very nice, you become fixated by the Rev counter as you really can not feel any changes. Anyway, each to their own of course.

I suspect the notion that auto is faster than manual relates only to drag racing, where it is usually advantageous to have a fast shifting automatic that tends not to fluff it's up-shifts.

[BIGDAI]

After 3 phone calls and no promised return call being received, l finally have a test drive booked for Wednesday. They only have a used manual so l'll have to go further afield to try out an auto but at least it's a start.

I can't believe how difficult it's proving to spend the thick end of £45k!!

[blippo1984]

Good luck with the dealership experience.
Personally I have found it very lacking with Ford.

[David Beer]

Matt Harper said:

I suspect the notion that auto is faster than manual relates only to drag racing, where it is usually advantageous to have a fast shifting automatic that tends not to fluff it's up-shifts.

I read the write up in an American car mag last summer. Their conclusion there were no instances where an auto did not win. The only reason I mentioned it was I always avoided automatic as in ye old days they were sluggish. .4 of a second off a naught to sixty is something some would bung money at, me with the griff!!
Having said all that, I poodle around anyway !

OP, good luck with test drive.

[300bhp/ton]

David Beer said:

I read the write up in an American car mag last summer. Their conclusion there were no instances where an auto did not win. The only reason I mentioned it was I always avoided automatic as in ye old days they were sluggish. .4 of a second off a naught to sixty is something some would bung money at, me with the griff!!
Having said all that, I poodle around anyway !

OP, good luck with test drive.

There are no podiums, no prize money and nobody keeping lap times when you are on the road though.

Older autos also aren’t sluggish. Total misnomer.

[Matt Harper]

300bhp/ton said:

There are no podiums, no prize money and nobody keeping lap times when you are on the road though.

Older autos also aren’t sluggish. Total misnomer.

If you are comparing Ford's 10R80 with a C4 or C6 transmission then I think you could say both are very sluggish compared to the 10 speed.

I drag race with a ZF8 Torqueflite in a Challenger and it's markedly faster in 60ft, 1/4 ET and TS than manual versions of the same car. Modern transmissions shift/lock in milli-seconds.

[drd63]

I’ve got a V8 manual. I just enjoy changing gear and It’s not a bad gearbox,it makes the drive more fun and engaging. If I were driving in town/commuting I would consider an auto but then I probably wouldn’t be using a Mustang.

[300bhp/ton]

Matt Harper said:

If you are comparing Ford's 10R80 with a C4 or C6 transmission then I think you could say both are very sluggish compared to the 10 speed.

I drag race with a ZF8 Torqueflite in a Challenger and it's markedly faster in 60ft, 1/4 ET and TS than manual versions of the same car. Modern transmissions shift/lock in milli-seconds.

Very few drag race in the U.K. though. It just isn’t a thing here. Not enough at any rate that people would option their daily driver differently to suit drag racing.

[Matt Harper]

300bhp/ton said:

Very few drag race in the U.K. though. It just isn’t a thing here. Not enough at any rate that people would option their daily driver differently to suit drag racing.

I get that, but respectfully, I never said it was 'a thing' - my point was that the auto-faster-than-manual sentiment was probably more to do with drag racing than anything else.

You could also argue that very few people pound their cars around the Nordschleife - but it remains a significant frame of reference for many - purely based on a perceived association.

[David Beer]

Matt Harper said:

I get that, but respectfully, I never said it was 'a thing' - my point was that the auto-faster-than-manual sentiment was probably more to do with drag racing than anything else.

You could also argue that very few people pound their cars around the Nordschleife - but it remains a significant frame of reference for many - purely based on a perceived association.

My griff 500 when standard ( modified it could not get to a track, let alone go round)I did maybe 5 or 6 track days, of course not racing ! I would take the mustang on a
track day when things get back to normal.
I do have a manual gearbox in the 4x4 convertible, not quite as quick, but that’s nothing to do with the fact it’s a manual!!

[Matt Harper]

The top and bottom of it is that computers can shift gears faster than humans can. Whether or not it's more fun to drive manual is subjective - both can be very rewarding for different reasons.

[BIGDAI]

The saga continues! Test drive was a farce. I was only allowed to drive around the block .... all in a 30mph area!

However, l did like the car so the next step is to check if it fits my garage (actually I know it doesn't but I'm having new garage doors fitted & l need to know how much wider the gap needs to be) so l arranged for the car to be brought to my house this morning. I checked yesterday afternoon that we were still on for this (since l hadn't received the promised confirmatory phone call) and was assured it would be with me at 10.

09.50 this morning l received a phone call - they can't come because of covid restrictions!

Getting seriously fed up with Ford customer service!

[jimmsy]

Might be worth finding a car on Cazoo and then using the 7-day money back guarantee. That's how I bought mine. Was good knowing I could use it for a week (250 miles I think) and if I didn't gel with it, or there were issues I could send it back. Kinda best if they have a car you're interested in though.

I've read mixed things on the auto. That the 6 speed isn't up there with modern standards (ZF8 etc.) and that the 10 is great and modern but more boring and dis-engaging that usual due to the number of gears. I went manual as it's a car to put a big smile on my face rather than go fast (and my commute - if I have one again post-remote working - is fairly traffic free).

[CaptainSensib1e]

Both gearboxes are pretty good. So it's really down to personal preference and driving style, whether you are buying a Mustang, or any other performance car for that matter.

For me I couldn't pass up the chance to own a car with a big N/A engine and a manual box. It's lots of fun, if technically not quite as quick as the auto.

[David Beer]

If the OP is looking at spending 45k, if an auto it will be the new 10 speed. As I mentioned before, I did 5000 miles last summer in the USA, very nice gearbox, just not in sport mode, rather “break your neck “mode. My 6 speed is not quite as good but in sport it is a lot nicer than the 10. I know economy is not really a point but the 10 speed is more economical than the 6.
Once again, each to their own but auto for me.