I'll tell you what, I haven't even purchased the car yet and after reading through this entire site, I have about $128,459.23 worth of mods to do on the car..............when I get it.


But I'm struggling between the A4 and M6 selection.

My intent for the car is to use it as a daily driver. So I've decided on the targa/coupe.

But again, I struggle with the Auto vs. Manual issue. "BAKERSFIELD" has given me some insight, but I need more input.

I know a lot of you have already said I would like the gearing in the M6 better, but can't I fix that with some gears and computer work. (shift points.) ?

Then again, this is a sports car, and every sports car I've ever had was a manual, but they weren't daily drivers either.

I have driven both kinds of Vettes . The manual is a gas, but the auto is easy.

Something else I'm finding is that although I've been leaning towards the M6, there have been some great deals as of late on A4's.

What to do. Maybe I should get one of each.

Any comments, advice and/or experiences would be appreciated.

 

MN6. Nothing like going through the gears, especially if you are goin to performance mod later on.

Daily driver you say? Then you had better get a good warranty

 

I have an MN6 - and I love it. When I bought it, it was one of the two things that weren't negotiable....6 speed and black.

That said - if this car is going to be a daily driver and you're fighting traffic every day - A4. If you want to drive it aggressively, you can shift it manually. If you want more oooomph off the line, get yourself some 3.73's. Anyone will agree that an A4 is faster in a 1/4. Many guys even prefer the A4 on a road corse. The automatic does not make it any less a sportscar. Buy the one you get the best deal on and the one that you enjoy driving the most.

I still love my black MN6 convertible, though and wouldn't have it any other way!

 

Deals on A4's tells you somethig doesnt it?

you'll be setlling for less, that is if you really wanted an MN6 but purchased an A4 (or vice versa). You are spending thirty-fourty large on a car that you will enjoy. Why split hairs on a deal? If you want to save money, just buy a Mustang and save even more money

Get what you want, not what the deals are on.

 

Mn6... It gives you something to do in traffic.

 

Not necesarily. Faster in the 1/4 isnt the word. Consistent is the word.
And the gears in an A4 suck which is exactly why you need to go to 3.73's as you are suggesting.

This is the last I will say on the subject. IMO, there is a night and day diff in actually controlling the car with an MN6. An MN6 will also keep your driving skills sharp. I roadcourse my car 6-8 times a year and an A4 doesnt cut it on a roadcourse track. There is a reason why the Z06 only comes in stick. AN a-4 will give you consistent 1/4 mile times but that IS all I see in an A4. So if you are going to the strip once or twice a month, then the A4 will have this benefit.

 

I cant believe I missed this!

look, I'm really not trying to argue here but Come on dude, how many roadcourses have you been to? I'd like to see you post this in the Roadracing section!

 

I ordinarily think Automatics in sports cars are a tad weak.

But this car is my commuter.. and after about 2 hours driving the automatic.. I said THANK GOD I got this ... living in the bay area.. the traffic gets nuts at times.

anyhow.. I dont regret it.. and if I did it again.. I would definately get the auto.

Btw.. I have owned sticks

300zx (Stick)
Ferrari 308 gts (stick)
Vette ( read above )

 

Wait until a few guys like Sully check in. I didn't say I prefer an A4, in fact I said I prefer an MN6. I said "many guys", and by that I meant that many guys that I've seen here have made that exact statement.

I'm not going to debate the merits of an MN6 vs. an A4 with you Mark - especially when I already stated that I had to have an MN6 and that I love it. We're on the same side on this!

I am merely offering that if Trent is on the fence and doesn't know what to get - don't ignore the fact that there are a lot of people that prefer automatics, when they had a choice. And that an automatic in a Vette doesn't disqualify it as a sportscar.....okay? Peace my brother!

 

Not sure how Bakersfield traffic is, but if it is heavy, the A4 may be a good choice. While I like my 6-speed, if I had to fight traffic every day, I'd probably go with the auto. Get the 3.15 rear gears and it will be a decent performer. If you want more, swap them out for 3.42s.

 

Better deals on a-4?? Great!! Save you some $ and put it on some mods...

 

........with a slight adjustment to the color.

 

you should do this..and give me the one you like least.
Honestly i think you would be happy going manual as long as there isn't a lot of traffic congestion around you...

or you could just get used to it. i dont think i'll ever get a sports car that isn't stick. it just feels right.

 

My car is turning into my DD ('00 FRC) 70 miles round trip a day! ( NO MODS)

Needless to say, the car is great on gas (thanks to 6th gear), but WHY is anyone whining about having a 6 speed, even if you are in traffic? That clutch is sooo easy, not an issue at all IMHO.

I had a C4 w/ an A4, it just got too boring for me. I'd spend all day in traffic with a manual trans!(and I have)

Good Luck in your decision!

 

Thank you my friends for the advice and commentary.

C5

Electron Blue / Magnetic Red (both make me . . . . . . well, you know the feeling.)

M6

$128,459.23 worth of mods to come.

(I could have a West Coast Grond)


No way could I compete with Stephen.

 

Although Bakersfield is growing on a daily basis, it still doesn't suffer the snarls of SoCal traffic congestion. Having actually spent the muscle car years of my life there, an M6 would work just nicely...especially on the drives to Hart Park and Lake Isabella.

 

IMO, the only reason stop and go can be annoying in a manual is when it has no torque!! The throttle and clutch manipulation just gets tiring after awhile, especially when you can never let the clutch fully out until you're going pretty fast.

But LS1s have abundant torque, and if you're really want to make stop and go traffic easier, raise the idle a tad and give it 3.73s or 4.10s. Sure it will get slightly worse gas mileage, but it'll still do better than an A4, and low-speed driving will be effortless.

I actually beleive manuals are better for daily drivers than automatics just because they're more fun and economical. And automatics are better for the track, because you can go much faster in an auto than a manual. Most people will disagree because they want to beleive that the manual 'enthusiast car' will perform better, but it just isn't so.

don't beleive me?

Take a 3.15 A4, invest in a high stall torque converter and drag radials.
Take a 3.42 M6, and spend an equal amount on just about anything (short of n20)

and the A4 will walk the M6 up and down the track all day.

And beleive it or not automatics usually do as good manuals around a road course. It takes a very good driver to beat an equal automatic car with a good transmission by a large margin. All is good, except wayyy too many drivers have inflated opinions of their driving skills, that should be no suprise.

That being said, I'd still take the manual because I won't lose sleep over a few tenths, while knowing that my car is more fun to drive and gets way better gas mileage (god bless that .50 6th gear.)

 

perhaps I may have bene to aggresive so I apoogze but there really arent many Autos of any car on roadcourses. And if you are really into improving lap times, The MN6 will always get you faster lap times than the A4 (all things being equal ofcourse) , especially if you can heel/toe. Its no contest.

One important thing to consider with an A4 on roadcourses. For some reason, they have been known to get too hot and very quickly I might add. Aside from hearing about it in past threads, one of the vette owners we run with (there are usally 6-8 of us) does have an A4 coupe and his tranny gest too hot after a few laps so he has to bring it in. I dont know why this is.

 

No apology necessary, Mark. I'm not mad or offended. And as I stated - I agree that the MN6 is a better choice for a road course.....with the proviso that you know what you're doing. You obviously are an experienced driver in HPDE, and you know what gear to be in going into the turn, and coming out. But not everyone has that knowledge, and I still think an auto is possibly more competitive in the hands of a lesser experienced driver than an MN6 would be.

And as you said - the A4 is much more consistent in the 1/4 mile than an MN6....again, unless you really know what you're doing.

 

Get ya a manual and some B&B Bullets......sweet music...