OK - - I know that I am going to be flamed badly about this post, but I have to tell you the truth (from my point of view).

When I went to my local Nissan dealer to try out the 350Z, the salesman tried to talk me into buying the 6MT Transmission because he felt that it was the true sports car tranny. I hesitated because I drive in a large city and hate to shift & clutch at every corner. So we both took two Z's out for a hard test drive. First, we drove an Enthusiast Model with the 6MT and loved pushing that ***** to the limit - what a total rush.

Then, we took a Touring Model with the 5AT for a test (the salesman had never driven one). Both of us took turns driving it in the triptronic mode and were totally blown away by the awesome response. The Auto felt every bit as good as the manual - - no BS !!!! We could not believe this. When it was my turn, I floored the accelerator and just banged the shifter up through the gears without ever taking my foot off the gas. I was doing 100 MPH in no time !!! This totally blew me away. I know that the manual is a lot of fun and an incredible transmission, but when the test drive was over, my heart was pounding - - and I chose the 5AT.

 

Are you buying the one you just ragged out?

 

I just took delivery of my manual enthusiast and I absolutely love it. I would NEVER get an auto. That being said, because there is so much power at low RPMs, I find that I end up in 6th a lot, just to save some engine wear and get better gas mileage. Because I am in 6th a lot, I end up with lots of shifting in the city. I enjoy shifting so I am very happy with my standard transmission, but if someone drives a lot in the city and doesn't really like to shift, I don't think the auto is necessarily a stupid idea.

 

why get a sportscar if you don't like to shift? that's like buying an SUV then never going off-road, but i guess most SUV's never get offroad. See what i'm getting at?

 

... but then again, why would you want to have a MT if you are constantly stuck in traffic and have to stop at every single stop sign and stop light in a city?

I'm sure most people would love to have the MT, but seeing as far as the area you live in (i.e., a big city - San Francisco, LA, NYC, etc), is the MT always such a good idea in the long run?

 

the shifting bothers you but not the stiff suspension on city streets? This might sound like a stupid question but if you go from 5th to a stop do you have to shift down through all the gears or does it just jump back to first?

 

There are instances where I wished I had an automatic - luckily these times are few and far between where I live unless there's road work and the like. Automatic's have come so far from the "Powerglide" days that performance wise unless you simply like to shift there's no real need for manual tranny. I simply like to shift gears - enough said.

 

I have a 5 speed auto with tiptronic in my passat. I never use the tiptronic mode because if I leave it in full auto mode it will shift at redline anyway (if I floor it). I don't think it is anywhere near as fun as a manual.

But when you are in tiptronic mode if you slow way down it will shift down to second if you are going like 10 mph. If you stop completely it will go down to 1st gear. It is really very "neat" but not "FUN". IMO

 

The AT manual mode defaults to 1st gear every time you stop.

 

I also bought an AT Touring. I live in the LA area. It's not the shifting I minded, it's the not shifting,or moving. We got stop and stand traffic here and I really don't enjoy sitting for an hour and a half holding the clutch in. I bought it to enjoy it, not work at it.

 

Hey guys, I really drove that automatic Z pretty hard and was impressed as hell with it - - but NO it is the one that I bought. After I test drove it and pushed that baby over 100 MPH, I sat down with the salesman and placed my order for the exact model that I wanted. It is due in March 2003. The test car is still on the lot - - - do you all want to try it ?? LOL.

 

No....you don't hold in the clutch for an hour and half. You see a red light, you shift to neutral, and coast to a stop. You save on clutch wear and tear, and on gas.

 

i would bet that 95 percent of you manual drivers can't outperform an average driver in an automatic. Everyone thinks they're Emerson Fittipaldi, but they're not.

automatic technology has come a long, long way. Even formula one drivers have forgone the clutch pedal.

 

sure. but the nissan auto is not an SMG or f1 style trans. it's a standard slushbox. but if that's what you want, more power to you...driving a MT isn't always about numbers anyway -- it's driving enjoyment...

 

I think both manual and auto are both legitimate choices, especially considering the way you're going to be driving the damn thing. If ya feel that AT works just as well, I say go for it!

 

My 2cents to the topic,
I'm a convert

11 yrs with automatics; 1st manual is 350z...

Day 1 - gosh! damm 1st gear!
Day 2 - damm red light; I'm fine...with no redlights!
Day 3 - humm...cool...finally 1st is cool

Prediction (as I am going to Day 4 now)
Day 4 - this is too cool...
Day 5 - Why have I been driving auto's all these years..!

 

if i had to go through traffic everyday, i would have gotten a auto.
i dont hate autos, sometimes i get sick of shifting.

 

This is like the fifth thread I've seen on this topic. There should be a MT vs. AT forum