Automatic or Manual Trans?
 

I'm thinking about buying a 1995 Corvette. It has an automatic. I test drove2vette's, one with a manual and the other with the auto. I really think I prefer the manual because it's more fun to drive and I think it would get much better gas mileage, because of 2 extra gears. I looked at the average mileage on the electronic readout of each car and the automatic said 13.9 mpg avg, while the vette with themanual said 20.0 mpg avg. Would the manual outperform the automatic? IWould appreciate replys with personal opinions on pros and cons of manual or auto trans.

Thanks

RE: Automatic or Manual Trans?
 

I have an 96 LT4. I don't baby it when I drive it. Average over 20mpg.

[IMG]local://upfiles/3556/F8A03E87AC11416C8D68F6624D33AD6E.jpg[/IMG]

RE: Automatic or Manual Trans?
 

I have a '87 L98 auto and average about 27-28. On the highway with the cruise set at 78 I get 34 mpg on a flat road at @ 1700 RPM's. Better than most newer stuff. With the overdrive it's definitely a cruiser and I don't beat it...... welll..... not too much anyway.

RE: Automatic or Manual Trans?
 

If you prefer the manual, buy the manual.

The manual will generally outperform the auto.

RE: Automatic or Manual Trans?
 

LT4DAVE, I too have an 87 Vette conv't, automatic of course,and my mileage mirrors yours; I'm very pleased with the average gas mileage I get.

mypetu39

RE: Automatic or Manual Trans?
 

Automatic or Manual.......It's all good...

RE: Automatic or Manual Trans?
 

The manual will out perform the auto slightly. Not a lot but a slight edge. You can't go by what the readouts on those cars said as far as average MPG goes because you probably don't know how those cars were driven to achieve those MPG's. The manual will generally get better MPG than an auto but not as much as those numbers are telling you. The only downside to the manual is the same as the upside, the manual shifting. Its a lot of fun until you hit bumper to bumper, rush hour traffic and your stalled having to shift and hit the clutch 50 times per mile. I get 18-20 city and 24-26 HWY on my 92 auto.

RE: Automatic or Manual Trans?
 

Our 6 speed gets over 30 mpg on the road (usually 65-70 mph). We got 34 once at 60 mph. We don't have much problems with bumper to bumper rush hour traffic and don't take the Vette out much anyway. I do have to agree that a 6 speed is more fun to drive (at least for me). Even so, I would say get what you want.

RE: Automatic or Manual Trans?
 

I have a 92 w/ the manual transmission. I get 18-21 in the city depending on my "style", and 28-32 on the highway. The manual transmission is one of the primary reasons I bought my car. I like having control over which gear I'm using. I don't drive it during rush hour traffic, so I've not had to deal with the problems usually associated with having a stick. Get it if you want it!

The strangest thing is that my corvette gets better mpg on the highway than my 94 Toyota Tercel. The Yota is a 4-speed (no overdrive), so it's screaming over 70 mph. It does get better mileage in the city though.

RE: Automatic or Manual Trans?
 

My C3 was Auto, and I always appreciated the nicer daily grind to and from work, plus the added foot roomof no clutch was a nice bonus, although Ive always believed that there is no substitute in sporty feel, than a manual box.. And while some have made comments about a manual being more "economic" they obviously have a LOT of self control, because I know when I get behind the wheel of a manual, I let it sing for a little longer than the auto box would in each gear [8D]and because of the varying changes in shift point, it would be a bit harder to calculate fuel consumption, at least the auto box has smooth consistant changes.

Although I dont know much about the C4 admittedly, Im coming fresh out of an R32 GTR with an 8,800 rpm redline, I'd probably forget to change a manuals vette'sgears early enough [8D]

However I dont have an option with the C4 I have to get auto due to the fact that manual Vette's are impossibly rare to find :(