[snackbar64]

With all the major news that hit yesterday concerning the performance of both transmissions, it has once again left me on the fence. On one hand the M6 is a tremendous value allowing one to avoid the higher gas guzzler tax and cost of the A10 option in favor of rowing his own gears. To the surprise of many, it seems to be every bit as quick if not quicker than the automatic where it matters; however, the A10 is 29 mph faster on the top end and that simply cannot be ignored. Most of us will never see 202 mph, but to lay claim to owning the fastest production Camaro ever and the first to ever top 200 mph just seems cool. I am now more conflicted then ever. I considerd buying them both but I haven't the garage space. I have the A10 coming and 48 hours ago had come to terms with owning it, but I also love and appreciate the manual for what it is. Decisions Decisions.

Anyone else this conflicted? Tell me I'm not alone.

[Evolvedx27]

M6

[DenverTaco07]

Well, is it a money thing or not? Cuz if it isn't just get the A10 now, and in a year or so, if you don't like it...go trade it (or sell it) for a 6 speed.

For me, it's the $$$. This car is very very expensive toy. I'm nervous as hell spending this kind of cash, but...i think i'm going to.

[speedyman]

I'll never go 200 MPH or 150 for that matter. Really glad that I have the skills to choose the M6. Todays automatics seem to post slightly better acceleration metrics in most cases but nothing profound. Daily driver-A10, part time use vehicle-M6. That advice may not be for everyone and all of us can't drive a manual but it is what works for me and I'll bet many others. Enjoy what ever is your ultimate choice.

[snackbar64]

Originally Posted by DenverTaco07

Well, is it a money thing or not? Cuz if it isn't just get the A10 now, and in a year or so, if you don't like it...go trade it (or sell it) for a 6 speed.

For me, it's the $$$. This car is very very expensive toy. I'm nervous as hell spending this kind of cash, but...i think i'm going to.

Not so much a money thing, but I like to save where I can when possible. I think that is good advice. If I am not satisfied I can always go for the manual. I never got tired of the A6 in the 5th gen. What transmission did you decide on?

[DenverTaco07]

BTW, your $68,900 includes Gas Guzzler.

here's a build on their site.

[thompstl1]

Originally Posted by snackbar64

With all the major news that hit yesterday concerning the performance of both transmissions, it has once again left me on the fence. On one hand the M6 is a tremendous value allowing one to avoid the higher gas guzzler tax and cost of the A10 option in favor of rowing his own gears. To the surprise of many, it seems to be every bit as quick if not quicker than the automatic where it matters; however, the A10 is 29 mph faster on the top end and that simply cannot be ignored. Most of us will never see 202 mph, but to lay claim to owning the fastest production Camaro ever and the first to ever top 200 mph just seems cool. I am now more conflicted then ever. I considerd buying them both but I haven't the garage space. I have the A10 coming and 48 hours ago had come to terms with owning it, but I also love and appreciate the manual for what it is. Decisions Decisions.

Anyone else this conflicted? Tell me I'm not alone.

You’re certainly not alone!
For day to day use, I’m partial to the manual. Most of my cars have been manuals for many years.However, I’ve ordered the A10 on my ZL1 and there are 3 primary factors steering me toward the automatic.They are;
· I plan to run the ZL1 at the Texas Mile.I’m really worried the manual transmission would “top out” in 5th gear at 173 mph prior to the end of the mile.This may not be an issue, but my lightly modded 1LE did a best of 161 mph in the mile.So probably reasonable to believe the ZL1 could reach more than 173 (especially if I add mods).
· My wife will be driving this car; she hasn’t driven “my” cars in the past.An auto is by far her preferred choice
· At 65 years old, I’m likely to be selling this car in a few years.I think the auto will have a larger resale audience (could be wrong on this assumption too)!
I am worried about finding the new ZL1 a tad “boring” with the auto trans (compared to the manual). Driving my wife’s AMG at the Texas mile with a 7 speed auto required 0 skill and although it ran well (160 mph) it was a boring drive (point and shoot).

I’m 51/49 leaning toward the auto, but know exactly how you (and some others) feel regarding the quandary!

[snackbar64]

Originally Posted by speedyman

I'll never go 200 MPH or 150 for that matter. Really glad that I have the skills to choose the M6. Todays automatics seem to post slightly better acceleration metrics in most cases but nothing profound. Daily driver-A10, part time use vehicle-M6. That advice may not be for everyone and all of us can't drive a manual but it is what works for me and I'll bet many others. Enjoy what ever is your ultimate choice.

Very good point. When I was buying manual transmission cars they were the cheaper and more economical choice and often came with "roll me up" windows. It wasn't really for performance purposes other than being able to downshift and pull up a steep incline on the highway. Today that is not the case. I come from the motorcycle world where shifting one's own gears brought a great sense of pride and joy. The A10 has me intrigued however. Operating a manual isn't an issue at all for me.

[DenverTaco07]

Originally Posted by snackbar64

Not so much a money thing, but I like to save where I can when possible. I think that is good advice. If I am not satisfied I can always go for the manual. I never got tired of the A6 in the 5th gen. What transmission did you decide on?

Oh man...I'm with the you on indecisiveness, I thought A10 was going to be my choice, and right now I can jump on a SRE order (is that the right type?) for $1K off sticker, I'm very tempted, but it is out of state and i'm just nervous as all hell, and then there is the likely GM discounts coming soon on them, I just hate spending thousands more than the guy who gets his in a few months. I don't know if i can believe the other poster on your other thread that he got an agreement on an A10 for 62K, unless he's employee or supplier, which he didn't allude to.

Ahhhhh!!!!

[newmoon]

I'd wait another 6-12 months give yourself time to think it over and wait to see what kind of end of year discounts Chevy will put in place. Camaro sales are lagging you might see another 20% off to move the inventory once again.

[CAM-FIFTY]

If the benefit of that incremental speed at 200+mph is of value to you then pay the price delta otherwise not.

[67Builder]

The Auto has been faster in every test so far. 0-60, quarter mile, and every track test except for the one from Motor Trend. I think people saw that video and just thought the manual was straight up faster. That's not the case. If you watch the video you'll see that it appeared faster because it was able to carry more MPH through the corners. Specifically the last corner. That's why it was able to get back on the speed faster than the auto.
If you watch the video, the telling sections to me are the back straight, the final corner, and speed at the finish line. The auto had several MPH advantage and was in first place at the end of that back straight. It had to slow down all the way to 90 MPH on the final corner though. The Manual never dropped below 97 MPH on that corner and was able to get itself to the finish line first purely by that early advantage. That advantage came from corner grip, not which transmission was in the car. The auto then at the finish line had more MPH.
Randy knew something was wrong with the auto and thanks to his vast amounts of knowledge. He was able to diagnose the tire pressures being off of optimum. I think if the manual was off as well he'd have done something about that one too. I think this was just a case of the car not being set up optimally during the hot lap. The faster lap time wasn't indicative of anything other than the slight advantage the extra speed gave him in the manual that one lap.
Given his abilities and the average ability of any of us. The fact that both cars within about a half second. I doubt you'll notice a difference on track. And on the street where 0-60 and quarter mile times are really the only thing you'll notice. The auto will get you there slightly faster (again driver mod would make more difference than transmission choice).

[17CamaroZL1]

Originally Posted by 67Builder

The Auto has been faster in every test so far. 0-60, quarter mile, and every track test except for the one from Motor Trend. I think people saw that video and just thought the manual was straight up faster. That's not the case. If you watch the video you'll see that it appeared faster because it was able to carry more MPH through the corners. Specifically the last corner. That's why it was able to get back on the speed faster than the auto.
If you watch the video, the telling sections to me are the back straight, the final corner, and speed at the finish line. The auto had several MPH advantage and was in first place at the end of that back straight. It had to slow down all the way to 90 MPH on the final corner though. The Manual never dropped below 97 MPH on that corner and was able to get itself to the finish line first purely by that early advantage. That advantage came from corner grip, not which transmission was in the car. The auto then at the finish line had more MPH.
Randy knew something was wrong with the auto and thanks to his vast amounts of knowledge. He was able to diagnose the tire pressures being off of optimum. I think if the manual was off as well he'd have done something about that one too. I think this was just a case of the car not being set up optimally during the hot lap. The faster lap time wasn't indicative of anything other than the slight advantage the extra speed gave him in the manual that one lap.
Given his abilities and the average ability of any of us. The fact that both cars within about a half second. I doubt you'll notice a difference on track. And on the street where 0-60 and quarter mile times are really the only thing you'll notice. The auto will get you there slightly faster (again driver mod would make more difference than transmission choice).

Correct on all counts. The auto likely either had too much air in the front or probably not enough in the rear, causing the car to push through the corners. Anytime you're pushing, you're scrubbing speed, have to slow down more to hold the correct line, and usually even have to get back to the gas slower exiting the corner. So the autos faster acceleration down the straights is what made the times as close as they were. My guess is, they had the rear tires lowered for drag strip runs and forgot to air them back up. Can't go wrong with either transmission.

[17ZL1]

Originally Posted by snackbar64

With all the major news that hit yesterday concerning the performance of both transmissions, it has once again left me on the fence. On one hand the M6 is a tremendous value allowing one to avoid the higher gas guzzler tax and cost of the A10 option in favor of rowing his own gears. To the surprise of many, it seems to be every bit as quick if not quicker than the automatic where it matters; however, the A10 is 29 mph faster on the top end and that simply cannot be ignored. Most of us will never see 202 mph, but to lay claim to owning the fastest production Camaro ever and the first to ever top 200 mph just seems cool. I am now more conflicted then ever. I considerd buying them both but I haven't the garage space. I have the A10 coming and 48 hours ago had come to terms with owning it, but I also love and appreciate the manual for what it is. Decisions Decisions.

Anyone else this conflicted? Tell me I'm not alone.

A10 Faster all around 1/4 or top end. Auto will have better resale more people can drive auto than manual. Had a M6 sold it I grew up with 4 speeds but there was not even 1/10 the traffic stop and start kills. JMHO