pros and cons...

im looking to purchace very soon

i am looking at both, have not driven an auto car yet

obviously m6 has the fun factor and better mpg from the ratings point

auto,.... about the only plus i have now is that my wife can drive it, (she refuses to drive manual)

are they less fun? slower?
less maitenance from a clutch point of view, obviously

but as far as moding them, maybe a a tuner to crispen up the shifts?

what else? i want to hear from both sides
any help is appreaciated,
for what its worth im looking at a 2000 yellow vert, m6 and an 03 medium spiral grey, auto with the removable top
any help is appreaciated thanks

 

The '03 will not be affected by the electronic column lock recall issue.

Other than that, this is a personal decision.

The torque from an LS1 is different then any other car you or her will drive. You can literally let the clutch out in first and never touch the gas and the Vette will cruise along without any loping. You can bring it to a momentary stop and let it accelerate on its own without depressing the clutch, just brake.

Going to the complete other extreme, accelerating in first gear to about 5500 plus RPM is quite a attention getter!

 

Like Jet-Jock said, it really is a personal thing. Lots of folks like autos, though, including me. Drove a stick for years but am enjoying the A/T now. My '99 coupe has the 3:15 gears and Z51 suspension. Safe to say, when I put the pedal to the metal, it still takes off like a bat out of hell.

 

looking to travel 3 hrs to look at the 03 auto sat morning

how do they compare in acceleration and takeoff?

 

Do you know the gearing of the A/T? I've heard the base 2:73 gearing is nothing to write home about. At 3:15 and above is when things start getting fun.

 

i dont right now how can i find out?
i have the VIN does that help withthe build sheet on it?

 

Rich, I have a 00 mill yel vert with auto, and an 04 red Z06 with Vortec SC. I love them both, but would have a real tough time deciding which would have to go if I could only have one. The wife and I both are big fans of the Mill yel. I suspect you would be happy with either one.

Jack

 

Real sports cars have 3 pedals. I cant see wasting time with an automatic in a Corvette.

 

In the glovebox the 315 Gear ratio will have a code G92.

Like the rest have said, auto vs manual is a personal choice. All MN6 cars will have a 342 Gear ratio.

A4 cars are not slower persay, especially once you start modding. You can add a stall converter etcc. and have the tranny reprogrammed to perform better. Some just like rowing the gears of the MN6.

It just boils down to your preference, no one is better than the other. What you view as a con someone else might view as a pro.

Good luck

 

As you can see, opinions are like bellybuttons, everybody has one.

 

I went through the same thing a couple of years ago. To me the manual accelerates a lot better. There are 3 different axle ratios in the C5. All manuals get 3.42 gears. The standard automatic comes with 2.73 gears and the performance axle option is 3.15. I would say definitely do not get an automatic with the 2.73 gears, The acceleration is too lackluster. You have much more control over the acceleration with a manual.

I wanted a manual but could not find one in the time I had alloted myself in the right condition for the right price so I ended up with an automatic with the 2.73 gears. A common thing people with a manual do is to put in some 3.42 gears. They can be easily found because it is a common performance mod for the manual people to get higher gears.

Now that I have 3.42 gears my car has pretty good acceleration, but I also got a high stall torque converter which helps too.

Good luck with your search. I would say to just get your first Vette. Don't drive yourself crazy. Get one and love everything a Vette gives you. You can always trade for a different one after a while. you may run into the one you want somewhere along the way. The best way to really uncover your preferences if to own one for a while and just spend time driving it. There's no down side to that!

 

No one has mentioned what I think is the most important thing, what traffic will you be driving in ?

If it is stop-and-go, I would get an automatic. Otherwise a stick is preferable - more "fun" to drive and more control. Mine is a MN6.

 

as you can see i live in South Dakota traffic is a twice a day thing, that sets me back like 5 min in rush hour VS non Rush hour

our city is like 170K and the closest thing to traffic issues is 4 hrs NE to Minneapolis or 3 hrs south to Omaha

 

Go stick then. Mileage is awesome, and of course it's more fun.

By the way, I find "the wife will be able to drive" is actually a con. Who wants to be fighting over who's driving when you KNOW you're going to want to drive the Vette.

I'm not a big fan of the 4L60E auto. It doesn't think like I do. I had 2 cars with a 4l60E and got fed up with them not shifting when and to where I wanted them to shift to. That's why I bought a manual. (And the fact that Z06's only come in 6-speed made an even easier decision. LOL)

 

Test drive both and see which one you like the best. Personally I like the manual the best.

 

The Vert is one of the few automatics I've ever owned although the Jaguar I just bought is also automatic. Thats what living in the US for so long did to me

In my case I had the choice of A4 Covertible or MN6 coupe. I went for the vert

The biggest plus is that the 2000 onwards did not have the column lock fitted. No danger of ever being stranded.

I found the A4 great in Vegas traffic. It takes the strain but it's plenty powerful to still give great performance. The only frustration is that it wants to change up in the corners around the English back roads. An upshift at the apex is not comfortable. I constantly have to keep it in 2 or 3 to stop that.

I can't match the gas mileage that some MN6 drivers seem to achieve. Mines normally around 20 mpg

All that said, for pure driving pleasure you cant beat an MN6. Now I'm back in England I'd prefer the MN6 as the traffic is light around here but I don't regret choosing the A4.

 

Seriously, test both, pick what suits you.

 

Rick. I have a '00 coupe. It's an M6. I like the need to shift. Always have, probably always will. As for which is faster. It mostly depends on the driver The M6 is easy to drive. Plenty of low end torque. Either the manual or the auto is going to be a lot of fun. As your purchasing used, I would be more concerned about exterior/interior color, other options (i.e. sport seats vs regular, HUD, etc..) and get the car that matches more of all of the options I think I would want.

Good luck in your search and purchase.

 

The 6-speed was a requirement for me when I was searching for mine. I believe I will continue to drive one until I am physically unable. I absolutely love it

 

I got an '02 vert with the A4 back in April. I love the car, it's fun. I think sometimes I would like to have had the 6 speed as I like going through the gears. At other times, while I sit in traffic, I like the A4. Mine is a DD so over all I think the A4 is good choice. When I get up into the mountains I shift the A4 a lot (up & down) and have no worries about doing so. Ya just gotta make sure you don't miss a gear. I miss a manual for this type of driving.

On the hwy I don't see what difference it makes, other than some gas mileage. I can get over 26 mpgs on the hwy with the A4. I would think that with the 6 spd there would be a bit of shifting on a hwy through traffic, 6-5-4-5-6. But shifting ain't that darn hard. I did not buy a vette to get the best gas mileage, who would!

For me it was a choice I struggled with for awhile. For me it came down to what was available and the overall condition of the car.