Miss My Shifting

[ThunderBubba]

Re: Miss My Shifting

When you have gears to shift you feel more of a bond with your car. If it's your cup of tea to just slip the car in "D" and tool around, that's OK for you. But like Ted and others, I perfer to interact more with my vehicle. I perfer to feel as if I am making the decisions, I am in control, and I get more feed back from the car when it has a manual tranny. And yes, I think Ford missed the boat by not offering the Bird with the same drive train that comes in the Mustang.

[redwog]

Re: Miss My Shifting

I Second that E-Motion!
Well said Bubba!
Ted

[Daktari]

Re: Miss My Shifting

I still think that the whole character of this car and even it's looks suit the auto rather than a manual. It would have been interesting if when new the retro had been offered with a full manual or fixed auto, which would have been the most popular?

I could understand the manual thing more if this was more of a performance car but that is not what it was designed for. It's not a racing car or even a proper sports car and it is that fact that gives the retro bird a charm all of it's own. To me, it's a beautiful looking car that's great for cruisin and relaxing in and as a bonus, it attracts lots of attention. All this without having to push it all the time. Thats Jack Russel terrier behaviour.

I'm guessing that many of the retro drivers who long for a manual shift are the same ones who have attempted to push the car to 140 m.p.h just to see how fast it would go.... In this car, that's crazy in my opinion, (especially with no roll over bar). He, he.....

Gordon.

[MerlotBlue]

Re: Miss My Shifting

I still think that the whole character of this car and even it's looks suit the auto rather than a manual. It would have been interesting if when new the retro had been offered with a full manual or fixed auto, which would have been the most popular?

I could understand the manual thing more if this was more of a performance car but that is not what it was designed for. It's not a racing car or even a proper sports car and it is that fact that gives the retro bird a charm all of it's own. To me, it's a beautiful looking car that's great for cruisin and relaxing in and as a bonus, it attracts lots of attention. All this without having to push it all the time. Thats Jack Russel terrier behaviour.

I'm guessing that many of the retro drivers who long for a manual shift are the same ones who have attempted to push the car to 140 m.p.h just to see how fast it would go.... In this car, that's crazy in my opinion, (especially with no roll over bar). He, he.....

Gordon.

Given the median age of those 1rst owners?

Not really a tough one to speculate on.

It's pretty hard to work a cane and a shifter at the same time.

[ThunderBubba]

Re: Miss My Shifting

Given the median age of those 1rst owners?

Not really a tough one to speculate on.

It's pretty hard to work a cane and a shifter at the same time.

I just love it when people make those broad generalizations.

[V8 Cat]

Re: Miss My Shifting

I remember when Lincoln came out with the LS model in 2000. A dealer near my home had a 5-speed manual that sat on his lot for 8 months and that apparently was not unusual for the manual shift ones. No wonder Ford did not offer it on the Tbird.

[Leroy]

Re: Miss My Shifting

In 07 I was in the market for a new car for my Wife and since we both loved some of our other cars that were stick we though it might be fun to go with a stick again. We were in the market for a four door sedan though and didn't want to buy foreign. I looked at the Caddy CTS on-line and their base car was advertised as a V-6 with a manual six speed transmission. The next day I went to a dealer to drive one. They didn't have one and nobody else did either. I sent an Email to GM, and they told me that unless they got over 1000 orders for the CTS with that trans. they wouldn't build any. We ended up getting a new 08 Malibu LTZ with a V-6 and 6 speed auto with select shift. It's a nice car. I still have my 1948 Willys Jeep with a 65 Mustang 289 V-8 with the original willys 3 spd. on the floor. We both love driving it, weather permitting, no top, no heater, no wipers. Leroy

[maxg765]

Re: Miss My Shifting

Hello

I am just wondering here. I do agree that generally a sports car should be a manual, at least until today. With those new twin clutch automatics in the Ferrari, Nissan GTR, Porsche, and Mitsubishi Evolution's they say the Auto Shifts are better performing than the manuals are. That said I also have a Subaru SVX 1992 to 1997 vehicle. A car well liked and hated by just as many. It was often faulted for having been made only available as a automatic. Subaru's reason at the time did this solely because they did not have a strong enough transmission to support the largest V6 they had made to date (at that time). Today, many have done conversion swaps of the auto to manual using the more recent Subaru Impreza WRX manuals. Ford's reason was obviously not the same as Subaru for making only the Auto. "Its not that kind of car" as mentioned in another post. The Jaguar XKE convertible also only comes in an auto. Guess they feel its not that kind of car either (only in Europe you can get a manual)

I am wondering, while I will have no interest in doing this once I get my bird as I am a stock king of guy, has anyone done any conversions to manual using a Mustang tranny or something else in the Ford parts bin? I would be interested to see it and get opinions if its been done. If not maybe someone wants a new project. I will have to assume that this has not yet been done since these cars are still too new and the owners from what i speculate are more of the mature kind.

Regards

Max

[redwog]

Re: Miss My Shifting

Well Maxg765
My Friend - I still disagree - had FoMoCo offered it origionally as a 5 or 6 manual it would have appealed to Way more than we the Older Generation of as 'They' say Crusiers. My son 27 yrs old still reminds me I have an Old Mans Sports Car - Of which I take offence! But still love the T'Bird!
Im like Bubba With a manual Tranny I feel More a part of the car Like Im more in control.
I simply Personally think FORD Screwed Up form the beginning.
My opinion and Yes we do all have one!
TG
I too would love to see some custom shop put a nice six speed in one - who knows it just might be me in a few years!
If I had a wearhouse I would buy about ten Birds and stockpile them!
Again
TG

[SR71Blackbird]

Re: Miss My Shifting

The LS came with a 5 speed? Cool I been looking for a car that I could rob the trans steering column and cpu out of and being a sister to the bird all the stuff should work.
Junk yard hunt to began once I get the house back together after the tornado hit about 2 weeks ago. Doing all the work myself and using all my vacation up to get it done is kind of a drag.

[V8 Cat]

Re: Miss My Shifting

The LS came with a 5 speed? Cool I been looking for a car that I could rob the trans steering column and cpu out of and being a sister to the bird all the stuff should work.
Junk yard hunt to began once I get the house back together after the tornado hit about 2 weeks ago. Doing all the work myself and using all my vacation up to get it done is kind of a drag.

Dennis,
It's not going to be that easy. The LS 5-speed only came with the V6 engine, and even if you could bolt it up, I'm not sure where the transmission came from and if it would take the V-8 power.

[maxg765]

Re: Miss My Shifting

Well Maxg765
My Friend - I still disagree - had FoMoCo offered it origionally as a 5 or 6 manual it would have appealed to Way more than we the Older Generation of as 'They' say Crusiers. My son 27 yrs old still reminds me I have an Old Mans Sports Car - Of which I take offence! But still love the T'Bird!
Im like Bubba With a manual Tranny I feel More a part of the car Like Im more in control.
I simply Personally think FORD Screwed Up form the beginning.
My opinion and Yes we do all have one!
TG
I too would love to see some custom shop put a nice six speed in one - who knows it just might be me in a few years!
If I had a wearhouse I would buy about ten Birds and stockpile them!
Again
TG

Hello redwog,

Don't get me wrong here. I would have much preferred a manual choice and if the Bird came in that option thats what I would look for as the number one option before color or year. When I say "Its not that kind of car" its not my personal sentiment but rather those of its creator or at least the pencil pushers at Ford. Someone had to make that decision and have enough pull to over rule the rest. All my cars are manual except for my SVX (no choice) and soon to be the Bird (again no choice). Thats aside from my wife's kid hauler as she cannot drive manual. As for the older generation of "cruisers", I don't think they always look for auto's. Sometimes I wonder what the marketing departments are thinking. Like the Jag convertible, I think if a manual was offered it would outsell the auto. I think the Bird would have been the same. As for it demographics, I think it wold have not changed much. Obviously your 27 year old son would be more interested in the car but so would you. A win win in my books and a loss for Ford.



Regards

Max

[maxg765]

Re: Miss My Shifting

Dennis,
It's not going to be that easy. The LS 5-speed only came with the V6 engine, and even if you could bolt it up, I'm not sure where the transmission came from and if it would take the V-8 power.

So I guess this means no one has done this yet. At least not on this forum. Did any other Ford use the same engine? If not in the American market what about overseas. Often they offer more manuals in Europe than in America. If so a CPU, trans, and other related items can be sourced. Would love to see one and get the feed back. I will never do it as I do not poses the skills for it and like my cars to remain stock but I do think like the Subaru SVX that if done properly it would be something that would catch on as the cars get older and less expensive to buy.

Regards

Max

[MerlotBlue]

Re: Miss My Shifting

I just love it when people make those broad generalizations.

......stay tuned........I got a few more!