RE: Gas Guzzler Tax
The Gas Guzzler tax was applied to automatic transmissions only. Or at least it was. For the GTO and vettes, a 1300 dollar gas guzzler tax was applied to just the automatics. For those with manuals, to get around this we have a skip shift feature. For those of you who don't know what this feature is:
To eliminate the quick bang into second gear this feature locks you out of second gear and directs you into 4th gear. You must reach a speed of about 18-20 MPH or about 2000 on the tach to get into second gear. On the dash, it flashes up and is displayed, a shift diagram with a 1x4 indicator light when you get close to the minimum 2nd gear shift speed. Once you hit the minimum shift speed this diagram disappears. This feature does not affect down shifting into 2nd.
It can be annoying when first getting used to this feature, but you can sense by hearing when to shift to avoid being locked out. Many have installed a gadget that bypasses this feature. It is inexpensive and can be installed in a few minutes. I generally shift 1-3-5-6 for fuel economy reasons, and I rarely shift into second when coming from a stop.
If Chrysler does not offer manual for the Challenger all buyers will all be nailed for this nuisance tax. This tax does not affect used cars, just new.