Auto vs Stick
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,652
Likes: 629
From: Rural North West NV
Auto vs Stick
Took my Vette out for a blast today. I drive it maybe once a month so I forget how much fun it is to drive. Headed out of town on a divided highway that crosses a dry lake bed. Nice and straight, clear visabilty with little traffic so I let her fly. Nice and smooth at triple digits with no shake or drifting or wandering. Could have kept going like that for a hundred miles (which can be done here in the NV desert). The only thing that would have made it more fun (other than a couple hundred more ponies) would be a stick shift instead of the auto. On the open road it doesn't make much difference but around town or in the twisties it's like night and day. I find myself manually down shifting the auto. I think about converting it to a stick but think it would be better to sell and buy a stick car. I think about going to a C5 as well but really like the looks of the late C4's.
I actually had my car advertised locally for $10K but got no calls. Put it on e-bay and bids only went to mid $8k's which I thought was too low to sell. Am I asking too much ('93 auto, 105k miles, chrome rims, new Goodyears, excellent condition)? Should I keep it and convert it to a stick? Should I leave the auto in it and put a blower on it?
I actually had my car advertised locally for $10K but got no calls. Put it on e-bay and bids only went to mid $8k's which I thought was too low to sell. Am I asking too much ('93 auto, 105k miles, chrome rims, new Goodyears, excellent condition)? Should I keep it and convert it to a stick? Should I leave the auto in it and put a blower on it?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,467
Likes: 43
From: Auburn MA
I would keep it auto and put a shift kit in it and mod the hell out of it. But yeah driving a 6 speed definately makes the experiance more pleasureable.... let me explain my answer though... I dont know how much it will cost to convert it but i am sure its upwards of 6g's. If you have a nice clean C4 that you know the history of and you know how its been treated buying another C4 with a stick could be a crapshoot in finding a real nice one. If you find a real nice C4 stick with low miles you will pay a premium for it. Thats why I say you should just keep yours and hot rod it. I wonder if you could make an auto into a tiptronic paddle shifter type setup.
Last edited by Impala Balko; Feb 11, 2007 at 10:02 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
the 6spd conversion is pricy... figure $1500 for a ZF6, another $2000 for a Dana 44, cause you don't want to run that with a Dana 36...
labour and incidentals. $6k seems like a good baseline.
labour and incidentals. $6k seems like a good baseline.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 329
Likes: 0
From: Antioch California
Huge dillema when I went to pick up my 86vert, the guy has 3 Vettes, two are for sale. The vette I was planning on buying had a blown head gasket and paint was in bad shape,interior in bad shape too. He shows me a very clean silver coupe with cloth seats and a manual trans, if I wanted he would sell it to me for another $500 over the price of the black one. Short story, I wasn't willing to give up the vert as tempted as I was, there was even brief talk with the wife about takin them both...Turns out my Tarbaby keeps me busy enough! She'll get hers later.
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From: OBAMA IS HITLER
(my word, we agreed yet again 
Racer
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 444
Likes: 2
From: Dardenne Prairie Mo
My advice would be to hang on to it and start sniffing around for a six spd. You never know, sombody with one might be looking to trade it for an auto. Crazier things have been known to happen.