Learn Manual For This Car?

[Tpyo101]

I really love this car, the sound to me is amazing and the looks as well. I've never driven a manual car in my life, my family has always had automatics, and I've been told to basically stay away from them as they are too much of a hassle to drive in traffic.

Is it worth learning how to drive manual, just for this car? The car costs too much to feel like a regret for going manual instead of getting a 5.0 automatic. Thanks.

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[Bender]

Learning manual is a good base to have anyway. You don't have a friend with a manual trans car that would be willing to teach you?

I learned in a 2000 Mustang GT. Wasn't the worst to learn it in. Then I perfected it when i bought my 01 cobra. These cars don't make tons of down low power so they're easier to keep under control, but don't let it fool you. It can get away. They also will assist with a throttle bump too if it senses too little throttle input. There are people who have learned on this board with a GT350. If you're determined and careful it can be done.

 

[honeybadger]

Agree with Bender. Unless you sit in bumper to bumper traffic for your entire commute, I seriously doubt you’ll regret it. Sure, it can be annoying in traffic, but that’s when I push in the clutch, blip the throttle, giggle like a little kid and forget all about the inconvenience.

 

[Tpyo101]

None of my friends/coworkers have manual transmission cars, everyone's got automatic. There's a guy who teaches you 1 on 1, its a bit expensive, $400 for 4 hours, but he provides the car, and I'm sure his time + the wear and tear on his car is probably worth it.

 

[Praehotec]

It is well worth learning and not just for this car. It’s a useful skill to know, despite manual cars becoming less and less common. Plus, this car is definitely worth it!

As far as learning, it just takes practice, the more the better. As others have said, it would help if you know someone who can let you practice for a while with their car. At the very last, take the course you mentioned in your last post prior to getting the gt350.

 

[Bender]

None of my friends/coworkers have manual transmission cars, everyone's got automatic. There's a guy who teaches you 1 on 1, its a bit expensive, $400 for 4 hours, but he provides the car, and I'm sure his time + the wear and tear on his car is probably worth it.

400 for 4 hours isn't a deal but I've seen worse. I would honestly consider taking that before hopping in a GT350. IF the person instructing you is good you will get the very basics down.

It really took me about 6 hours to start to gain confidence. Another 10-12 hours drive time to be comfortable in traffic on moderate hills. About 6 weeks of daily driving to get very smooth. About another few weeks to get all the little tricks and nailing the muscle memory.

Go for it

 

[Tpyo101]

Thank you all for your suggestions, I really like this car, so I figured this would be the best place to ask actual owner's opinions

 

[oldbmwfan]

Agree with Bender. Unless you sit in bumper to bumper traffic for your entire commute, I seriously doubt you’ll regret it. Sure, it can be annoying in traffic, but that’s when I push in the clutch, blip the throttle, giggle like a little kid and forget all about the inconvenience.

My wife DOES sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic for her entire commute, and none of our 5 cars have an automatic transmission. She couldn't drive a stick when we met 10 years ago, but after we were together a couple years she picked it up. Now her car is a TT quattro 6-speed and she takes my Fiesta ST to work, including navigating the Dan Ryan in Chicago.


Learn to drive a manual transmission car.

 

[ahl395]

I learned to drive a manual before I bought my Mustang because everybody raves about manuals being the best for this kind of car. I learned it and it just wasn't for me. Too much work and hassle for no benefit, in my opinion. It was actually less enjoyable for me. To each their own, everybody has different taste and opinons. :cheers:

 

[96cobra]

Yes, it is worth learning to drive a manual for this car. You will discover a whole new connection to driving. The GT350 is a true drivers car. An auto doesn't provide the same experience.

What's funny to me is that automatic transmissions were foreign to me up until I was in my early 20's.. Both my parents cars were manual and all of my brothers and sisters had manual cars. The first auto car I recall was in my Girlfriends car, and it as odd to me to just put it in drive and go.

 

[FogcitySF]

The method that I used to drive my first manual years back was I went to the dealership, bought the car, and learned to drive it on the way home. Sure, you stall a few times but it's not gonna kill the clutch much. Then I would just drive around in residential neighborhoods practicing the neutral to 1 shift (just getting car rolling which is the hardest), and 1-2 (slightly harder). 2-5 is very easy after a couple of tries.

The GT350 clutch is very robust, slipping it for a few days or stalling it a few times a week cause minimal wear so long as you don't keep riding the clutch. Once you've mastered flat road driving, then would proceed to go in slow hilly areas, where clutch slippage can be managed. If you feel more comfortable just borrow a friend's manual transmission, again a few slips won't cause much wear at all.

 

[OVRKILL]

Completely and utterly worth it. I learned manual the day I purchased my s550, and I've daily driven it for over three years. I have never once regretted my decision.

 

[MrCincinnati]

Is it worth learning how to drive manual, just for this car?

IMHO - learning to drive manual is worth it as a general skill. But if you’re literally just learning it to experience this one vehicle - well that depends..
Do u plan to track it?

If not - you’re never going to fully experience the car anyway so - get the 5.0 and be comfortable.

 

[Hack]

I don't really have a reference point on whether you should learn to drive a manual or not, because I learned at 13 or 14 years of age and I've always driven manual transmission cars. I'm leaning towards thinking that it's a bad idea for you to buy the GT350 not knowing whether you will like driving a manual transmission car. The main reason is because it can be expensive to buy and sell a car and I would hate for you to waste thousands of dollars doing that.

My recommendation is to buy something inexpensive like the '76 beetle that I learned stick on. Drive it to work for a few months. If you don't like the cheap manual transmission car better than your automatics you probably won't enjoy driving the GT350 either.

If you think it would be stupid to drive a cheap manual transmission car and can't imagine enjoying it - then I think manual transmissions are not for you and you should stay with automatics.

 

[jstump2490]

DO IT! My first car was an automatic, but the 4 cars I have owned since have all been manual and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's is a ton of fun! It becomes second nature after you have been driving a while. Stop and go traffic isn't a huge deal, my roommate and I both encounter it in our commutes and both drive manual. I actually taught him how to drive manual an a Focus ST, which he bought before even knowing how to drive it. I had to drive his car from the dealer for him and teach him how and after 30 minutes in a high school parking lot, he was driving us home. Stalled a few times on the way home, but a couple days later he was already pretty good at it.

The ST by the way is probably harder to learn on because it makes all of its torque right at 2000 RPM, which is where I like to tell people to rev to when learning where the clutch engages. The Mustang makes all its power up high so its very manageable under 2500 RPM. Point being, if I could teach someone how to drive in an ST in about 30 minutes, I think you will be fine in the Mustang.

Oh, and driving a manual gives you an excuse to rev match/downshift everywhere you go so you can hear that amazing 5.0 gurgle when you are coming to a stop or slowing down. What a glorious sound it makes! (with an exhaust that is)

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