So I've given up on getting a great deal on a 2004 because the 05's are popping up. I spent hours last night firing off for quotes using the GM Buy Power website and this afternoon I'm getting offers from dealerships that say their first shipment just arrived.

My question is whether to get a manual or automatic. I've read a number of magazine articles that say the GTO is sloppy, with long throws and I've read posts by owners that frequently miss shifts when power shifting and over rev the engine.

So for you manual owners would you swap for a new A4 if it did not cost you anything? I'm sorta leaning for teh A4 so that I can drink my Starbucks and drive at the same time. But I also love to sit at a stop and rev that engine a little before letting out the clutch. Gee that is a sweet sound. Your thoughts please. :woot:

If nothing has changed between an 04 and 05 transmission, I would say manual. I test drove several 04s extensively and found the manual to be a very strong point. It was really fun.

If shifting gears is your thing, get it! Manuals are so much fun. If you aren't too good at manual and would rather just go fast, pedal-mashing in the A4 will probably be faster! But I think you will "feel" faster in a manual, nothing like a one-two shift with a slight chirp! Of course I think an 05 would get some serious chirp... (My Volvo gets a 4 wheel chirp ha).

M6.

No offense but if you want a car to drink starbucks in then the GTO isn't made for you. :unsure:

Are you kidding? A triple shot of Starbucks brew and 400HP, what a combo. I have at least 2-3 a day. :woot: :woot: :woot: :woot:

I'm having this same dilemna myself. I drove a 04 M6 and I thought it shifted fine. This is coming from someone who drives a manual Civic Si daily. Haven't driven an A4 Goat yet. I've also driven manual LS1 f-bodies vettes and IMHO they shifted like **** compared to the Goat. But, the A4 is still tempting for me because 1) according to GM it offers similiar or better performance than the M6 on the 05 and 2) the a4 might make the car more liveable for a daily driver. Still love the sound of a man. V8 though so that's what I'm leaning towards.

MatadorRed69, I've read that the new trannys for the 2005 were improved to deal with the added torque but I have not heard if that changed the smoothness or throw for the M6.

I had a little tricky time shifting the 04 I test drove a few months back. It was a little vaugue between gears and I did have issues getting it from 1st to 2nd the first time. But that was mostly because I was so used to driving my Honda which shifts amazingly easy and the gate on the GTO is a little different since it is a 6 speed vs only 5 in the Honda. It wasnt a deal breaker for me nor did it make me want to get an automatic any more than I would otherwise consider one. (Which I do hope to test drive both 05's and compare for myself before I do end up purchasing either.) But I agree, i'd much rather have a manual as it is way more fun and I dont mind the extra work. (Heck, I'd get bored driving if I didnt have to shift myself!)

Actually the 05 Transmission is different, its the 4L65-E I believe which is a beefier stronger, faster version of the one in the 04.

But I would still go with the standad.

The GTO has more than enough power to get the Auto.... I had an Auto 1999 Vette Converty and it ran with most M6s I confronted. My New GTO (2004) the last time at the track ran a 13.8 but on the street it runs with the M6s I have encountered. Go figure....I would personallly rather have the M6 BUT this is my daily driver and the extra hand is Priceless.

Starbucks or no..... M6 all the way. The A4 is world's apart from the experience and thrill of shifting the M6 GTO. Something about knowing that your precision shifts can make all the difference in the world when racing that G35 next to you. I still can't believe I have a goat in my garage and I purchased last September. B)

I bought and '05 A4. If you are concerned about performance, let me tell you, don't be concerned. With the traction control on you can get rubber from a stand still or rolling start. With the traction control off you will get sideways from a straight stand still. This car has unbelieveable power. Besides, I'm gonna drive it almost every day and I really didn't want to hastle with a manual. If I want to slam some gears I'll take my '64 Tri Power, 4 speed Goat for a ride.

My feeling has always been if it's a performance car it's gotta have a stick. In any car you would turn off the radio to listen to the engine you want to be the conductor playing the engine notes (wow that was deep :P ). In practicality, it really depends how and where you are going to use the car. If it's just a leisure car I would go with the M6, a daily driver could go either way. If I was still living in a suburb of Detroit and commuting downtown everyday in a GTO, I would have to get an A4 or I would start to walk funny after building up all the muscles in my left leg.

cboman01, your thoughts make a lot of sense. This will be my fun car not a commute vehicle.

Does anyone know what the cost would be to replace the clutch in a GTO?

Starbucks and an M6 go together just fine, thank you very much! Their cups fit very nicely in the cupholder. Just need to not drink and shift at the same time and, unless you wanna piss off your passengers, be cognizant of their sipping, too... ;)

My $0.02? I wouldn't trade my manual for an automatic.

Fun to drive sports car with tremendous power? Yeah, do the M6. Plus, you'll save hundreds avoiding the gas guzzler tax and having (obviously) better gas mileage.

I also worry if having the M6 will interfearwith slower traffic jams and what not. But it is a muscle car, not a camry, so I would only get a car like that in stick-shift, and on the 05' it saves you $1,300 on the gas-guzzler tax, so you win both ways.

I've only driven automatic trans cars for the last 9 years. The GTO is my first stick-shift car. So far I'm having a blast. I haven't even listened to the radio yet. I'm still in love with learning the shift points and listening to the engine. I commute around Chicago, so traffic is horrible. Lot's of clutching and braking. The only good thing about it is now I can kick 65 yard field goals with my left leg.

Wouldn't that make your login name pedinger.

For you non NFL fanatics. Paul Edinger is the Chicago Bears kicker.

I swapped my '96 TransAm M6 for the '05 GTO M6. I haven't owned a "slushbox" since my '70 Plymount GTX and I kicked myself for not getting the 4-speed then. The M6 is a big, beefy gearbox that is designed for a lot more than 400HP, so it's not as dainty as a Geo Metro. But it is a great gearbox, good shifter. It feels a bit like a lot of BMWs I've driven. Throws are a bit long, but those are some mighty big cogs in there. Same feel as my T/A but a tad softer. I'm not a fan of "notchy" shift linkages. It's all what you get used to. :rolleyes:

Someone told me that the trans that goes into the GTO is the same that is used in the Dodge Viper and Mustang Cobra, and that it's designed for much more horsepower than the 350 that the '04 goat generates. I didn't even know that mfr's outsource transmissions. Was he BS'ing me?

GM Built the original for the C4 Corvette and ZR1s, then the maker Tremec sold a beffeir version to Dodge for their viper.

I don't know if this helps at all but I just traded in my 04 auto for a 05 manual and let me tell you it is much more fun driving the stick.My wife doesnt care to much for it since she can,t drive the stick(ha ha) :rolleyes: but I will never go back to the auto just not as much fun. :D

My personal preference for the M6 is that I feel I have more control over the vehicle, especially on hills, curves, and other challenging pavement conditions. I feel this is important on a performance oriented vehicle. It adds another dimension to the driving experience. An auto. trans., like some have noted, is much more suitable in heavy traffic, stop/go situations, and makes it a good all around/daily driver. Add the fuel economy advantage of the M6, and the $1300 tax penalty on the A4, my choice was the M6.

Driving a performance car with a slushbox is (IMHO) like taking a shower with a raincoat on. I have't owned an automatic (wife's GTP doesn't count) since my 70 Plymouth GTX. Shifting is second nature to me. The clutch effort never was a consideration (some wussy reviewers thought it was a bit stiff) and the shifter is as good or better than my late, great 96 TransAm. Why sacrifice the mileage for a bit of one handed convenience? If you're driving in that much traffic, you're in the wrong car.

As a former GM service manager, I can tell you that automatics are a repair waiting for a time to happen. I've never put a clutch in one of my cars (did replace a disc in the 75 Saab due to broken hub springs but clutch facing was fine) due to wear.

Just my humble opinion. I told both my daughters that they couldn't drive any of my cars until they learned to drive a stick the right way. If you're wearing out clutches, either you're pulling horse trailers or you don't know how to drive it. The M6 is bullet proof.

The funny thing is that Autos are as fast and as fun as manuals....BUT you can drink when you want, you can talk when you want, hell you can break when you want....

It is a TOTAL preference.....If I owned a TOTAL race car then I would get a 6speed but this is the 21Century and Autos are just as good as the manuals but with the "lux" of the NEW AGE!

And like everyone else here this is my $0.02 worth :type:

Originally posted by mldavis@Mar 7 2005, 08:25 PM
Why sacrifice the mileage for a bit of one handed convenience? If you're driving in that much traffic, you're in the wrong car.

My sentiments exactly, but of course anyone who's been on the list a while knows my opinion on the subject :D

The only bad thing about a manual is having to hit the clutch and the brake at the same time. That hurts my balls.

Originally posted by pmajon@Mar 7 2005, 11:03 PM
The only bad thing about a manual is having to hit the clutch and the brake at the same time. That hurts my balls.
Push in clutch, place shifter in Neutruel, take foot off clutch, place other foot on brake....done.....and with no ball squishage.

Originally posted by Nocturn+Mar 8 2005, 01:22 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Nocturn @ Mar 8 2005, 01:22 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-pmajon@Mar 7 2005, 11:03 PM
The only bad thing about a manual is having to hit the clutch and the brake at the same time. That hurts my balls.
Push in clutch, place shifter in Neutruel, take foot off clutch, place other foot on brake....done.....and with no ball squishage. [/b][/quote]
So I guess that means no more tailgating!

I considered the M6 but decided on the A4 in the end. I just wanted to be able to cruise and enjoy the car. I already have an M6 in my other car and it gets tedious if you're in heavy traffic; the kind I encounter 7 days a week living in Metro Detroit. (I'm not kidding, my wife and I encounter stop-and-go traffic on the weekends even if there's no accident or construction. WTF?)

2 other reasons:

1. My wife can't drive a stick and I didn't want her to be left out of the fun.

2. I figured I'd need to hold on with both hands after years of owning 4-bangers. :hysterical:

1. My wife can't drive a stick and I didn't want her to be left out of the fun.

Familiar story. I was debating over M6 or A4 for the longest time, but the wife solved that one for me. She doesn't think she can learn to drive a stick, so I have my salesman looking up the status of 4 '05 Yellowjackets (A4). Only if they are all sold can I go with a M6. I tried the fuel efficiency approach, as well as the "it's cheaper", "this transmission is in a Viper", and "i'll leave you if you don't let me get the M6", but you guys (and girls?) can see how much good that did me (and my wife is too hot to leave over a car B))

I figure regardless, I'll be driving around in a goat, and thats all that matters.