Jay_Dogg

... and i bought it because i wanted an auto. I'm from the 5.0 mustang fox genre and anyone whos ever owned a 5.0 knows how slow the AOD trannys make the poor little fords. After owning 9 foxes w/ 5 speed trannys i had become so tired of driving a manual i quivered just looking at them thinking of how sore my leg got from clutching a million times a day. So i sold the fox and decided i wanted something newer, faster, better looking, more comfortable, and AUTO. Thats what landed me w/ my '02 TA. The only times i ever wonder about an m6 is only when im curious about track times and highway fuel mileage (even though my almost stock car holds its own and also gets great gas mileage city or highway).

I dont miss the manual gear boxes, especially in the f-bod. I didnt want a stick, and i dont feel comfortable w/ the position of the shifter in these cars.

Its truly a matter of opinion, but i'll take laid back cruising/city driving any day now over slow down/down shift/speed up/upshift/reset cruise control/no free hand to wave at the cuties eyeballing my shiny car and the handsome driver.

Vertigo

iTrader: (1)

I know A4's are the way to go for drag racing but I just couldn't EVER see myself driving an auto sports car! I love my M6...great for roll races!

Steel Chicken

iTrader: (3)

Some people say A4's are better for dragging and this is true. Some people say manuals are better for road course, auto-X, and I would say this is also true. I do far more road course days than dragging, and I just love having the control and extra snappiness of an M6. Somedays, I wish I had an A4, but those days are few and far between the days I enjoy the M6. Avoiding the gas guzzler tax helped too

darrensls1

Me neither. But that's why I drive a muscle car instead of a sports car. Roll racing can actually be done in an auto (especially with a higher stall) but I try to avoid those races. Partially because it's not good on the tranny to suddenly downshift under WOT but mostly because I'm not fond of jail, fines and or losing my license.

I love the "fun factor" of M6's too. I plan to someday have a Vette with a manual tranny but I will always have my stalled auto for the track. It's just too much fun being thrown back in your seat because a 2.5+ STR is kicking into action and then seeing some rice boy trying desperately to powershift fast enough to make up all that ground he lost.

dlmater

iTrader: (7)

I would have prefered a M6. With few exceptions, I have always had manual cars. Especially in higher performance cars, I think manuals are more fun. However, in this case I bought an automatic because I am 6'5" with legs that start right under my neck, I have a size 14 foot, and clutching the manual f-bodies was not near as fun as I would have liked. I barely fit in this thing as it is without having to move my feet or legs. If it wasn't for my size, no question I would have bought a manual. But I still have alot a fun with the auto.

jmm98LS1

iTrader: (28)

I love my car and will never part with it, but I hate the automatic. I've owned all manual cars with two exceptions, and I sold them for that reason. I looked for an m6 for six months and found nothing that wasn't torn to hell. I stumbled across my car in mid '99 and just couldn't pass it up.....'98 w/6k miles, basically just broken in and only gave $18 for it. It's got the a4/3.23 and tan interior, the only two things I hate about the car. I can't wait until the wife lets me swap trannies and interiors.....but that could be years away . At least my daily driver has an M22 muncie!!

99blancoSS

iTrader: (115)

m6 daily driver around 440 rwhp 420tq, wouldnt own anything but a stick in a sports car, have had auto's before you just cant control the torque the same way when cornering.

Var

iTrader: (1)

I have an M6 and i would not have it any other way. spirited moutain driving plus road racing. every time i get in an auto i try to heel-toe when i'm coming to a stop only to realize there is no cluth pedal. if i was into drag racing it would be an A4 with 4k stall no questions asked.

SweeTbone

iTrader: (8)

I love my M6 as well. I drove about 230 miles one way to pick mine up. I wanted a 6 speed since they came in F-bods in 93. My first Trans Am was an 86 and auto. I got rid of that because it was getting ready to blow up, and I knew I wanted a stick. But due to money, I settle for a 94 V6 Camaro with a 5 speed. 3 years after that, I picked up my 89 Formula 350, available with A4 only. I'm kinda glad that's not a stick due to my gullwing steering wheel. But I still wanted a M6. I drove that Camaro for 8 years until I picked up my 6 speed. I would see a TA on a lot, run up to it, and say "Nope. Auto." But I was not biased, I would have got a M6 Z28, SS, or TA. Things worked out good.

There is something that seems to make a unique bond between driver and car when I'm shifting. Kinda like "This car won't continue down the track/road unless I shift." Teamwork baby!! I feel more in control, if that makes any sense.

mattkimsey

same here...more control

darrensls1

Nice avatar matt. Everytime I see you post I think the colonel has come back to ls1tech. He was my hero

99FormulaM6

iTrader: (21)

if i could get another fbody right now, it would be a4. i like both, and i just chose m6 b/c of the fun factor. both are good trannys

<---and look at what the smiley has

Sharpe

iTrader: (7)

Amen.

Flieger

Having total control of where you are in your RPM band is killer, thats the best part of an M6, but if I had it to do over I would spring for the A4. Bumper to bumper traffic in D.C. sucks, since my car is at the dealership again I have a rental with a auto trans., theres something to be said for putting the little lever in D and leaving it there, not only that but A4's are more consistant run after run after run. I like rowing through the gears but given the environment I drive in I would go with the A4.

monicaz28

iTrader: (5)

rpm control should not be the issue when deciding which to get...
My rpm's are where I want them at all times. And yet I get the pleasure of making the tranny do the work when I don't want to.

darrensls1

Hey I got RPM control too. My TCI 3500 keeps my rpm's controlled nicely between 3500-6200 at all times

Silvrshark

I like shifting so M6 it is. But there is a LT1 red Formula down the street that is sweet, it is A4. I'm waiting for them to sell it and I'm on it.

chrisryn64

iTrader: (2)

I couldn't find an m6 anywhere, my boss finially sold his a4 for a great price and I couldn't pass it up. Sometimes I wish I had an m6 but my a4 is still fast and fun to drive. My next car will definatly be manual though

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

I've had several f-bodies. None of them automatic. I really dislike automatic sports cars, they bore me. As for autos being better at the track, thats also a false statement if the manual driver can actually drive a car. You can make an auto quicker for less money, but once you start running low 11s or quicker the costs start to be about the same.

But, if you can't row the gears consistently, then by all means get an auto. We manual drivers call that the "driver delete option"

darrensls1

I think you've been spending too much time around JRP Take a good look at this and pay specific attention to the cars themselves by clicking on model.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/etdb.php

Let me give you a quick summary. Top 20 ET's only have three manuals and one of those was clutchless. None were in the top 10. Fastest LS1 in the country is a what? Oh yeah, it's an auto.

Stalled auto > M6 at the drag strip. You can deny it. You can come up with lame insults. You can even call a 3600 pound car with back seats a sports car But none of that changes the fact that automatics are the best route for drag racing. So take your driver enable option to the highway or road course where it belongs