Auto vs Standard
Life Time NCM #2196
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 82,596
Likes: 1,712
From: Converse TX
I have the best of both worlds, the MN6 Boosted C5 for spirited and country driving and the C6 A6 for daily driving traffic duties and it is also no slouch in the local hill country, our 09 is an A6 so the wifey can drive it and good choice as she now enjoys her Corvette and hated the C5, and this was even when it was my daily driver she could not drive it
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 35,769
Likes: 148
From: Northern NYs Adirondack Mountains,http://www.visitsacandaga.com.
Dam man I'm 63 and according to some folks I should be driving a slush box for that reason. Wish I knew that when I bought my Z06 in 07. I could have saved some money as the Z is a manual only. Of course then I would still have my 05 Vert which shockingly was a manual also!
In my area I have noted for years that on the used market the manual box is in higher demand
Now that is funny I don't care who you are.
C5-JIM
In my area I have noted for years that on the used market the manual box is in higher demand
Now that is funny I don't care who you are.
C5-JIM
I never said what tranny is better, just the one I prefer in a sports car.
I have a slushbox in my DD 4x4 PU and wifes car.
I run into more and more people that do not have a clue how to drive a manual box, so goes progress.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 892
Likes: 1
From: westport ct & port st lucie fl.
Dam man I'm 63 and according to some folks I should be driving a slush box for that reason. Wish I knew that when I bought my Z06 in 07. I could have saved some money as the Z is a manual only. Of course then I would still have my 05 Vert which shockingly was a manual also!
In my area I have noted for years that on the used market the manual box is in higher demand
I have always driven Mn right up to ten years ago, except for the '54, and now at 69, the basic reason I haven't pulled the plug on a vette is the wife. You know the story. She can't/won't ....... I love my wife, I love my wife, I love my wife.......
I am starting to weaken to the paddle as a compromise but I am not convinced. I also know she probably will never drive it anyway. She loves her Deville.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,513
Likes: 1,463
From: Pittsburgh PA
2025 C8 Stingray of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C8 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
As a bonafide old guy, I find it comforting to know the automatic will be there as an option for when I'm finally too feeble to shift gears for myself.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 818
Likes: 0
From: Salinas Cali
No offense to you macho manual guys but get with it already. There was a great little article in Automobile magazine last month that gave the nod to auto's over manual which included a pretty good list of why they are better. I can say one of the reasons was the improved auto's are shifting faster than any person could do in a manual (including their professional drivers) and NO chance of blowing a trans because of a missed gear. Not to mention that Ferrari and Lamborghini have pretty much stopped making manual cars and they are the "Gods" of sports cars.
Personally I rather have my auto because anyone from Illinois knows that our state flower is the orange construction cone.
Personally I rather have my auto because anyone from Illinois knows that our state flower is the orange construction cone.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 958
Likes: 1
From: Fresno California
Wife drives a '98 Camaro SS with an LS1, and a Mn 6 speed.
The vert is a Mn 6-speed.
She wouldn't let me get an auto . . . I prefer driving a 6-speed. Love the idea of shifting gears. It is becoming a lost art.
The Trailblazer is an auto, but I couldn't get it in Mn.
I don't care which one is faster. I don't track the cars. I drive Mn tranmissions because it feels good.
The vert is a Mn 6-speed.
She wouldn't let me get an auto . . . I prefer driving a 6-speed. Love the idea of shifting gears. It is becoming a lost art.
The Trailblazer is an auto, but I couldn't get it in Mn.
I don't care which one is faster. I don't track the cars. I drive Mn tranmissions because it feels good.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,606
Likes: 88
From: Sammamish WA
but would you integrate the "Z51" badge with the "auto" or "Manual" badge or would you have them separate? I suppose it would not be appropriate just to have a "6-Speed" badge since it would defeat the whole purpose of having the badge anyway. Well, except maybe if it's just a badge for those who like badges. How about a badge for the rear of the car, say right above the exhaust pipes that reads, "see badges on side"
Or for those who don't like badges, how about a badge that reads, "this is not a badge"?
I wonder how a badge, integrated or not, would look if I put them in place of the "chiclets" I am planning to remove?
Advice anyone? How about a poll?
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,655
Likes: 5
From: Brea CA
Well...
Not everybody buys a car for the same reason or purpose...I have a 4 speed stick in my 1972 Stingray... weekend car.. love it... and I have a Auto in my C6 DD. As I live in the OC-LA area with the best freeway parking lots around... after an hour of move up 10 feet, stop, move up 10 feet, stop... your left leg gets tired... takes the fun out...
With 2 cars I miss nothing... and for the people that think the C6 with a stick is a "Sports Car"... they would be amazed driving a C3 shoulder to shoulder with the passenger. 
With 2 cars I miss nothing... and for the people that think the C6 with a stick is a "Sports Car"... they would be amazed driving a C3 shoulder to shoulder with the passenger.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 4,573
Likes: 34
From: So. California
No offense to you macho manual guys but get with it already. There was a great little article in Automobile magazine last month that gave the nod to auto's over manual which included a pretty good list of why they are better. I can say one of the reasons was the improved auto's are shifting faster than any person could do in a manual (including their professional drivers) and NO chance of blowing a trans because of a missed gear. Not to mention that Ferrari and Lamborghini have pretty much stopped making manual cars and they are the "Gods" of sports cars.
Personally I rather have my auto because anyone from Illinois knows that our state flower is the orange construction cone.
Personally I rather have my auto because anyone from Illinois knows that our state flower is the orange construction cone.
I could not shift as good as my A6=Period. The sign of the times...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,040
Likes: 416
From: hardyston new jersey
St. Jude Donor '09-'25
No offense to you macho manual guys but get with it already. There was a great little article in Automobile magazine last month that gave the nod to auto's over manual which included a pretty good list of why they are better. I can say one of the reasons was the improved auto's are shifting faster than any person could do in a manual (including their professional drivers) and NO chance of blowing a trans because of a missed gear. Not to mention that Ferrari and Lamborghini have pretty much stopped making manual cars and they are the "Gods" of sports cars.
Personally I rather have my auto because anyone from Illinois knows that our state flower is the orange construction cone.
Personally I rather have my auto because anyone from Illinois knows that our state flower is the orange construction cone.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,838
Likes: 6
From: San Diego CA
Here's an often-overlooked benefit of a manual transmission:Some carjackers do not know how to drive a stick! There was a case here where the perp just gave up trying, and ran away from the scene.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,412
Likes: 1,295
From: Bluffton, SC
Both my Vettes have been manuals, both my 2005 and my 2009. In fact, every sports car I've ever owned has been a manual transmission car. Barring any unforeseen physical infirmity, that's the way it will always be for me.
I really don't care if an auto is marginally quicker, and I don't care if the manual is a bit more economical. I buy manual transmission cars because they are simply more fun for me to drive. I started driving sports cars when I was very young ... I started out with "stick shifts" and have never seen any reason to change that.
Our family car has an automatic, which is just fine for its intended purpose. When it comes to performance cars however, I have always found that clutching and shifting have always been a huge, and integral, part of the driving experience. For me, I doubt that will ever change.
I really don't care if an auto is marginally quicker, and I don't care if the manual is a bit more economical. I buy manual transmission cars because they are simply more fun for me to drive. I started driving sports cars when I was very young ... I started out with "stick shifts" and have never seen any reason to change that.
Our family car has an automatic, which is just fine for its intended purpose. When it comes to performance cars however, I have always found that clutching and shifting have always been a huge, and integral, part of the driving experience. For me, I doubt that will ever change.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,029
Likes: 4
From: Florida
Despite the popularity of automatics, I think an overwhelming number of board posters here have manual cars.
I have an auto and there are days I wish I had a manual. I like shifting, but for the type of driving I do (city, lots of stop and go), the auto works better for me.
I might buy a manual next time around, though. I want a Z06 next time, so I don't have much choice there.
BTW, the Dodo bird became extinct in the late 1600s, not 100 years ago. LOL.
RMX
I have an auto and there are days I wish I had a manual. I like shifting, but for the type of driving I do (city, lots of stop and go), the auto works better for me.
I might buy a manual next time around, though. I want a Z06 next time, so I don't have much choice there.
BTW, the Dodo bird became extinct in the late 1600s, not 100 years ago. LOL.
RMX
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,446
Likes: 314
From: Tarpon Springs FL
FL Events Coordinator
I LIKE a manual tranny in a sports car. And, if I was racing either Drag or Road a Manual is a must. Having said that....I now have a Vert and that means NO RACING FOR ME. For me, NOW a A6 with paddles makes perfect sense.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 14,984
Likes: 185
From: CT
So glad to hear you and your manual Vette bond so well. How sweet.