auto vs stick

[Anbu]

I've been in the market for a mid 90s corvette for awhile now. I've been only able to find automatics and my patience is kinda running out waiting for one with equipped a manual tranny. Is there any significant performance difference between a vette with a auto tranny vs one that's manual? If the difference in performance like, acceleration and 1/4 time isn't too much then I might just settle for a auto.

[fredjacksonsan]

With a 'Vette, I'd think it's personal preference, and what kind of traffic you'll find yourself in most of the time. Either one will be fast.

[Hofmeister]

It'll likely be about a 1/2 second slower (max.) to 60mph as it's a 4-speed. I've got an edition of Road & Track (Feb. 1994) that has a 6-speed doing 0-60mph in 5.7 seconds, and the quarter mile in 14.1 @103mph. The auto shouldn't be too far behind.

Automatics work really well with large displacement, high torque engines as auto's usually like to shift as early as possible. A mid 90's Vette reaches its hp peak at a relatively low 5000 rpm, and hits its torque peak (330 lb -ft of torque) at 3600rpm. That's one reason why a lot of auto Corvettes have been sold over the years. You don't lose all that much performance. Personally I prefer manuals, but getting an auto Corvette (or any other V8 coupe) is not a bad choice vs. getting an auto with a high revving low, displacement engine.

[Anbu]

Thanks for the replies.