Manual vs Automatic
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 82
Likes: 1
Manual vs Automatic
I'm hung up on my search for an '80-'81 w/manual.. not sure why. I know with today's technology you can build, or in my case, buy a built automatic that will perform great and shift hard. BUT, I just have this thing about a Vette needs to be shifted .... comments?
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,729
Likes: 267
From: Austin Texas
Corvette of the Year Winner 2017
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
your age makes a difference, 4 speed for the youngsters, Automatic for near retirement age.
nothing worse than a older guy that must sell his Vett, ...because he can no longer comfortable drive a 4-speed.
nothing worse than a older guy that must sell his Vett, ...because he can no longer comfortable drive a 4-speed.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 82
Likes: 1
I'm 55 and can completely understand .. Although I feel I can enjoy the clutch for many more years.. of course I do.. LOL
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 6,640
Likes: 287
From: Ann Arbor Michigan
OUCH X2! I'm 73 and like the 4 Speed in my 79. It's more fun to drive, but the auto box is preferred in a daily driver. "Sticking" it gets old in rush hour traffic.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 9,063
Likes: 2,736
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
Automatics are for girls. A Corvette is a sports car, and should have a manual transmission. I wouldn't own an automatic, don't care how well it shifts, even if it shift better than a manual. Don't care if I had to drive in "rush hour" traffic or not. You asked.....that's my opinion and my standard.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 199
Likes: 83
From: College Station Texas
I would not have bought mine if it only had two pedals under the dash. My daily driver is a pickup with an automatic, but for fun it needs to have a clutch! Everyone is entitled to their opinion and preference, but to me a sports car is just more fun when you can row the gears.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 3,363
Likes: 303
From: Lansdale 19446 PA
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Unmodified
St. Jude Donor '10-'11, '15, '19
I am 71 and it has to be a manual shift for me - IT"S A SPORTS CAR!!! We purchased a automatic 78 Silver Anniversary for my wife years ago. She never got behind the wheel after owning it for a couple years. So I converted it to a 4 speed!! Shifting and listening to it purr is what it is all about!!!
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 6,247
Likes: 471
From: Glen Allen, VA
Well, I don't think I qualify as one of the old guys, but I wouldn't call myself young either at 47, but my 79 HAD to be a 4 speed when I was looking 13 years ago. I didn't have too much trouble finding mine, but as I'm sure you've found 80% of the late C3's are autos. Keep in mind, you can convert an auto to a manual, and there are complete kits to do it, with overdrive, however they are expensive, as in around $4000 or more.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 968
Likes: 122
From: Lighthouse Point FL
There are hardly any millennials who can drive a manual according to the statistics I have seen.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 4,355
Likes: 2,633
From: Draper Utah
Funny but both my daughters got jobs at local car dealership while going to college. Their job was to move cars around on the dealer lots and they both got the job because they could drive a stick. Who would have guessed a good paying part time job was available to a college student that could shift gears...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,073
Likes: 1,191
Buy the manual.
Unless you are building a very high horsepower car, '80-'81s are much more fun to drive if a manual. They're not fast, but satisfying to drive if you shift yourself.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 46,602
Likes: 109
From: Down in Bulldog country
2015 C3 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '15-'16-'17-'18-‘19-'20-'21-'22-'23
Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,409
Likes: 136
From: PHOENIX, AZ Yes, it's true. You are a good woman. Then again, you may be the Antichrist.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 14,907
Likes: 3,329
From: NYC NY
I'm about to be 65 and would not own a Corvette that was not stick. I know it's not for everyone and I totally understand,
My everyday driver (stuck in traffic car) is an automatic. My Corvette is for pleasure and part of that pleasure is shifting gears.
My everyday driver (stuck in traffic car) is an automatic. My Corvette is for pleasure and part of that pleasure is shifting gears.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,950
Likes: 498
From: Chino Hills CA
I'm 65, have owned at least 100 cars and motorcycles, have converted 5 from autos to sticks, converted 2 from 3 speeds to 4 speeds, converted 3 from 4 speeds to 5 speeds, and only had one automatic I left alone, a '64 Sting Ray with a powerglide. I would have changed it over, but I was only 19, poor, and didn't have a clue. However, as a bracket racer, it could not be beat. Also, my wife of 45 years won't drive an automatic either.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 11,907
Likes: 4,480
From: Virginia
80 and 81 manuals are quite rare. I was fortunate to find on, and wouldn't have it any other way. My car needs a lot of work, though.
If you think you might want more than 4 speeds eventually, a really nice auto plus a TKO-600 conversion might be a way to go. in mine, with the 3.08 rear end, highways are fine, and I'm in second gear before I clear the intersection, so the car is plenty quick as-is.
If you think you might want more than 4 speeds eventually, a really nice auto plus a TKO-600 conversion might be a way to go. in mine, with the 3.08 rear end, highways are fine, and I'm in second gear before I clear the intersection, so the car is plenty quick as-is.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,397
Likes: 649
From: Saskatoon Saskatchewan