Hey Paul,

DId you actually go down and put hands on the new Mustang. I think once you set up your preferences on the dash, you dont have to mess with it to much anymore...It really is an excellent driving car. That being said, an 8spd scat pack Challenger is a really nice car as well....I thought the fit and finish was much better in my Challenger compared to my GT350. The Challenger was a great road car.

Sorry to hear about your foot.

Thanks Michael...coming from you, that means a lot. I'll confess, no test drives...just visited Ford site for equipment options, watched a bunch of youtube reviews that had young guys playing with all the dash features and loving them.

Me? I don't want to play video games while driving. Too effing distracting.

Probably a generational thing...If only they'd make a car with informative gauges with high contrast like white needles on black faces. Also, a sound system that could be operated without taking your eyes off the road.

Second. You might be over-thinking the dash bit. Modern cars don't need you to monitor the gauges continuously. Set it and enjoy an awesome Mustang! (PS: get Perf. Pack 2!)

I put 1000 miles on the 10 speed Mustang last year, the dash is no big deal. Set it once and forget it.

The problem is that the damned thing is designed for economy, and will upshift until it's blue in the face. 8th gear at 35 mph! That means 1100 RPM, you can hear the engine crying. So, you need to go to sport or super sport mode, then it'll be 4th gear at 35, 3500 RPM. Sounds great, right? There's no memory, you need to do it everytime that you turn the car on. I would bet someone has a chip flash to change that by now, but it was the ONLY thing I didn't like about the car drivetrain-wise.

You are talking about what car to buy.

Why not talk about types of physical therapy to regain the total body strength you should have?
(Percussion massage devices. Massage therapist. Accupuncture. Changing diet and habits. Hydration. etc)

The Japanese have a simple corporate pre-work warmup of just knee bends and arm swings for a few minutes.
They do them as a mass group. Hundreds at a time.
It is effective as a basic routine.

Paul, the fancy electronic dash is optional on the premium package. Why not just get a base GT with the performance package and automatic?

Challenger and Camaro are also an option but the visibility sucks in both. You could also consider one of the luxury sport type coupes from Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, Infiniti, or Audi. Miata, BRZ/86, and Cayman/Boxster are good options but is easy access a concern? My parents are about 70 and considered a Boxster but didn’t like the low height for entry and exit.

left foot heel and toe on the clutch? que?

After some drunk fool ran into my Porsche 944 at speed (he ran stop sign), I spent the next 5.5 months off work going through therapy, and learning how to walk again. I had a shattered pelvis, many broken ribs, and a broken foot in 2 places.

I no longer enjoy driving a 5 speed car, so I sold my newer 944, and have kept my 04 Mustang GT with an auto trans. In heavy, stop/go traffic, my hips starts aching after awhile.

retrofit a hand clutch like a motorcycle.

I can still drive a clutch car, and do often, but hate heavy, slow traffic because of the pain I endure. A performance car with an automatic is still potent, especially with a few mods, and 4.10 gears.

PP2 is apparently only available with the manual trans.:confused:

Am never amused when a company talks about how terrific and fast their automatic trans is and then limit its availability to lesser performance situations.

That was my first thought.
If you love the car and want to be buried in it, customize it EXACTLY how you want it.
That includes the auto trans.
If you are concerned about keeping the car original for any sort of collectors status, then sell or trade for a car that was originally an auto.

And sorry about your foot.
Getting old isn't for wimps!

It’s supposed to be the most driver oriented normal Mustang, hence the stick. Just like the GT350. Also just like many Porsches like the Cayman GT4, manual only.

With the snapped tendon, can no longer "tap the toe" of the left foot when doing heel & toe with the right foot. All I can do is try to lock my ankle...which I sometimes can do and other times not, and work the clutch solely with leg muscles. Clumsy as hell, and yes, gets painful quickly when caught in heavy stop & go traffic.

Sorry I can't explain it better. I'll try...Podiatrist drew a line from the front inside part of my lower ankle to the front of my inside arch to describe the routing of the tendon (ligament) I snapped. This causes the floppy foot when I walk...can no longer wear mocassins...I just step out of them when walking, the heel rotates to the inside. Can't control that. Hope that helps...difficult for me to explain.

BK...I like the car, but not LOVE the car like I loved the old 911S. I take good care of the mustang, service by the book, wash/wax, etc. At 30,000 miles it shows a few rock chips, zero door dings.It's a well balanced driver, but really just a car. Thus, probably a better option to just buy another car over the cost of a trans swap. Money wise, clean & low miles '08-'09 Bullitts sell for high teens to low 20's...not $pendy cars at all.

Jesus! Makes my problem seem like a shaving nick.

I'll trade you a 66 convertible! :D
Bullet proof inline 6 with C4 automatic transmission.

LOL! Bet it's a nice Sunday drives cruiser...with folks coming
up to you with memories of when they had one.

Alas, I got used to the flat torque line of the 4.6 V-8. Might be considered slow and obsolete compared to the new iron with it's modest 315 horsepower, but it drives out well for me.

Sure. And yet the GT500 will not have a stick (as well as the Hellcats). I understand some of it (dumping the clutch on those cars equipped with sticks in particular) but here's a guy (OP) that has Mustang loyalty and couldn't get a car a particular way to suit him if that's what he wanted. I think it's just being too lazy to offer it.

This summer I bought a used 2010 MB GL that was optioned with a 2-speed transfer case and locking center and rear diffs. Those weren't supposed to be options (not listed anyway) but someone wanted them and MB made it happen for about $3k. It didn't require any new engineering as they were available on 450's. Something similar could apply here. Maybe Ford would do it if specifically asked but I kinda doubt it.

GT500 has always been more of a cruiser and drag car, not a sports car intended to mix it up with Porsches. Hence the auto. It’s about demographics, and maybe the fact that they don’t have a manual that can handle that much torque.

Sorry but I call BS on the Mercedes story. You’re telling me that a major auto manufacturer on a mainstream appliance SUV created a one off drivetrain including integration with all other vehicle systems and they charged $3k for it? No freaking way, those days are about 50 years bygone. Guarantee that there was an option, albeit a special order one, for locking diffs.

Ding Ding Ding. This seems the be the best solution all the way around.