As most stick drivers know you start shifting up and down without even thinking about it after a while. If you have a lot of slow city driving, stuck in trafic, you may want the A4 though. The M6 feels so much better to me and the '01/'02 have the same clutch as the '01-'03 vette according the the GM parts book. Hopefully a better/stronger clutch. Also I never go into 6th till a least 60mph on a flat road or down hill. You should keep the rpm's up a little maybe 1400 or so. Why lug the motor, won't be any differance in gas milage and better for the engine. Just my $.02

 

others have said using 6th below 60 makes the engine turn too hard. i have no idea since i've got an a4. yeah, i wish it was an m6 too

 

Dude, if you like to drive, then get the M6 and skip shift eliminator. If you like to eat, talk on cell phone, etc, then get the A4. I've had my M6 TA since Feb '02 and have not regretted it at all.

 

I have both. A 94 a4, and a 99 m6. The m6 managed to get 32mpg with 4.10 gears on the way home with the car from Rhode Island.. which for that gearing is incredible.. My car is really boggy feeling if I switch into 6th before 55, but it can be done. Most the time I use it from 65+.... I would imagine the engine working so hard to push the car would negate any gas milage you could get by switching so low, but I may be wrong. I look at it as like driving a bike in a high gear at a low speed... wears out your legs because it requires more power or work... The m6's fun factor is so ridicolous.. I wonder how I ever drove an a4 to begin with Sure I could talk on the cell fone better with the a4.. but just get a headset. After a while you won't even notice your driving the manual anymore, because it will be so natural.. However, if you plan on modding the car, look forward to buying a clutch and rearend. A manual with a good clutch really puts shock on the rear. Also in 1st gear in stop and go, if you keep it to a slow 1mph roll, the car will automatically pull itself idling... Which in very slow traffic is very useful.. However, you really can't beat a stall at the track on launch without mucho cash in a 6 speed, and very very top notch driving abilities for the consistency..

p.s. get a short shifter you won't regret it.

 

Positive:
I love having a M6. The 2 best things about the set up of a M6 camaro is the tranny and the rear (as apposed to an Auto). The T-56 tranny is really solid. I know alot of people that have blown the Auto for the camaros, but the T-56 is build to last. The other is the gear ratio, the auto only has 3.23 and the M6 has 3.42.

Negative to the M6:
Off the line performance. An auto at the track is worth it weight in gold. An auto can lunch after and hard then most drivers, it can also shift faster and harder. But to make an auto fast, the rear end should be regarded witch because great low in fuel economy.

I love my M6, but if you are going for hardcore drag then get an auto and build it up and handle the power.

One more thing, M6 sucks in stop and go traffic

 

I'll be a manual tranny lover till the day I die. Maybe sometime I will have a cruiser with an auto, but there will sure as hell be a sporty car of one kind or another with a manual in the garage. I love the M6 in my SS, I got 4.10's and still barely use 6th gear, only over 60 or 65. The thing only revs 2 grand at 70!! I dont even mind in traffic I have gotten so used to manuals in my last couple cars, shifting is just second nature. Auto's may be faster in certain situations but to me it's not a true sports car if it's got an auto. Let's not start the massive debate cause I know a lot of you are gonna get pissed when you read this it's just my opinion, got nothing against ya'll auto boyz, I just wouldn't ever buy one in a sports car, ever.

 

1) If you're looking for "convenience", then you shouldn't be looking at a freaking Z28. These cars are many things. "Convenient" isn't usually one of them.

2) They shouldn't even make cars like Camaros and Corvettes with autos. A Corvette with an AUTO?! STUPID. Go buy a Malibu or something if you're too damn lazy to shift!

Anyway, get the M6.

 

..........and I'll be waiting for ya at the end of the track!!!! Seriously now, my last car was a Sunfire coupe (not GT) so it had the 2.2L, and it was a 5-speed. I'm definitely a big fan of driving standards, but when I found my car at the dealership with everything I wanted except the 6-speed, I still took it, because it's still WAY nicer than a Sunfire.......................now a friend of mine has a Sunfire GT 5-speed, and I drove it recently, and for a car that's faster than my old Sunfire was, it still feels like a slow POS and I couldn't wait to get back into my "automatic" Camaro!

I'd have to be honest and say that I'm "75% happy" with the automatic in my car, and the other 25% wishes I had the 6-speed.............however, I'm stuck in stop-and-stop-and-go-and-stop traffic every morning between 6:00 and 7:00, and again in the afternoon between 3:30 and 4:30, so I know (cause I did the drive with my Sunfire) it sucks after awhile with the standard.................hence, I'm pretty happy with the auto --- even though it's in a "sports car" --- hey, it's still f'ing fast!!!

 

If this has turned into a vote then I gotta vote 6spd. 'Camaro00_ss' mentioned the difference between 'pointing' and 'driving'. I thought his description was right on. The 'interface' between the driver and car is the steering wheel, throttle, brakes, etc. The stick gives you another level of control over the beast. I like manual (I previously had an '87 Camaro w/auto). Doesn't anyone keep it in a lower gear a little longer when cruising slowly just to hear and feel the power? (or to let others hear the power?) But I could be biased, I also have a 5spd in my Dakota.

 

Wouldn't take a M6 if you gave it to me (J/K,I'd take it if it was free ) I LOVE my A4.It's the 2nd A4 equipped F-body that I've owned.Some people just refuse to realize how good and how fast the newer A4's can be.As far as saying that people with autos don't get to "drive" their car,that's total Anyway,just my .02 from an auto guy!
Kevin

 

I have an A-4 2001 Z28 and i love the car and all, but damn do i wish it was stick. I really had no choice since im 17 and was forced into "your getting an automatic or your not getting a car at all" by my parents. Definetly go with M6

 

Ive had an M6 for a year now and still wouldnt trade it for an A4...I cant get enough of my M6

 

This is the first standard I own, and I have never regretted it. I had an automatic V6 before and I get better gas mileage now, about 26 mpg city. I still have the original clutch after 44,000 miles and it's been on the drag strip a few times. I drive 40 minutes to work, and I don't get aggrevated with it. It's too fun to go back to an automatic!

 

When I wrecked my Z I was so angry because it was very hard to find a good deal on another 6 spd. the market is loaded with autos and convertibles, and I wouldn't drive either. I love 6 spd. w/ t-tops. Some days I wish I could buy a beater car with an auto to drive in the rain and traffic, but I would never trade my SS for one with an auto tranny.

I also had a 95 V6 camaro automatic and went through 2 transmission rebuilds in the 20,000 miles I owned the car...55,000 - 75,000.