Is it worth the money to get a 6 speed or is a T5 a fine choice. It would really help me if anyone has info....but I don't need someone to go big through me because I don't have the money.

 

Welcome to TGO!

Depends on what your plans on with the car and it is hard to say with no info.

If you are planning on staying stock / free mods with stock wheels and tires, the T5 will be fine. It is cheap and easy to R&R at least.

However once you start getting traction or achieve over 300ftlbs or so, it will not live long, world class or not.

FWIW I went T56 long ago and consider it one of the best mods I have done to my car.

 

i started with a t5 and swapped to a t56 and absolutly love it. i get better mileage, different rpm choices when compared to a t5, and although it weighs more, the weight is down low. i overall cant say enough good stuff about the t56

 

Especially when you have a T5 go kablooey!

IMO they work in the Fox body crowd because they are in a much lighter chassis that stock to stock gets even less traction. We can attribute the T5 aftermarket to them in fact.

So in a heavier car that hooks better with more TQ from the GM v8 = T5 death. There is a reason they couldn't warranty them behind the 350 and they slapped the ZF6 in the 92 Hawk at the time.

If $ is an object as you hinted, T5, although depending on how you score the swap parts it could be cheap.

 

everybody has thier own opinion on the t5 but i think they're just fine i race with two other third gens all running the stock t-5 with no major problems since i started 6 years ago and mine has the least power (300 hp 360 ft.lbs)

 

I think with the T5 YMMV seems to always come up.

I have a buddy who ran them in a drag car launching on slicks and it held up, I had a "mild" streeter that ate 2 of them.