Should I trade in my 04 Touring with a 5AT for a 6MT? Lately I’ve been thinking how much fun it would be to drive the 6MT and it’s starting to really get to me to the point where I’m seriously considering it.

The problem is that I can’t really afford to lose a few thousand on something like this, which means I’m going to have to get a used 04 Z.

I like the fact that my Z has been mine since about 8 miles on the car.

I’m assuming that if I go through my dealer on this, that I will most likely lose money on the deal … even if it’s a used car I’m trading for.

Just feeling kind of confused at this point, and figured hopefully you guys could share some of your stories and opinions.

*Waits for the MT x AT war to begin*

 

i couldnt live if my z was a manual. i cant see the driving experience being nearly the same... to me its easily worth the extra money, but that easy for me to say when i'm not the one spending it.

i suggest you go to the dealer that you are comfortible with and trust (if you can trust a dealer), and test drvie a 6speed, thats the only way you be able to justify the extra money in your mind - if you feel its worth it.

test drive it, you'll never think twice - the manual is a different car with the same name.

 

You might try looking for others with MT 350Zs that are looking for an AT for trade... it does happen. I've seen it on this board on occasion. I think driving an MT is more fun (again IMHO), but from your first sentence it looks like you should really test drive an MT before thinking of pursuing one.

 

I think you answered your own question. You said that you can't really afford to lose the money that would result in changing your car. My suggestion would be to trade cars with someone who has an 6MT Z or another MT performance car and try it out for a few days. Then re-evaluate if the loss in equity is worth changing the transmission to you.

Good luck.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Hey I knew Aggro_Al would be in here sooner or later... :hehe:

 

Yeah, you know.

 

I have test driven the manual and it is fun. At the time I bought my car I was weighing out the options of where I worked, and what my daily commute would be like, however I failed to anticipate getting a new job within 3 months of the car purchase. Now I’m thinking a manual would make more sense in my life (quality of living).

I want a manual Z, but again, I’m probably not going to spend 2g extra, I need to save for other things at this point, and it would be selfish, and I don’t make enough for both.

Is there anyway to trade in my used 04 Z for a used 04 MT Z? Or would the dealers still be ****ing me in the end?

 

Well, they would have to "make a profit" on the exchange, so.... Read into that what you will....

 

The only way to find out is to go talk to a couple dealers. You may not lose money if you drop down to an Enthusiast or Performance model since a touring is more expensive.

Give it a shot!

 

Trading to a 6mt is pretty much like trading your car in and buying another... the fact that its the same kind of car will have little impact on the dealership. As said above your best bet is to try and see if anyone is willing to do a trade or try and do a private sale of your car for enough to buy a car from a private party on this forum. Your going to lose $4k-$5k going through a dealership. IMHO its not worth it unless your planning some crazy mods for your car, If you still want a 6mt in a year or two and trade the car in for a new Z so at least you get a new car along. You know you regret not getting the 6mt now but once you get it you may regret spending that $4k.

I would recommend listing your car on autotrader and on this forum and see if anyone has intrest in buying it, I think there are one or two members looking for 5at Z's.

 

That was some sound advice. Here is a quick update.

I went to my Nissan dealership on Saturday. I spoke to a salesperson (if you could even call him that). He basically discarded everything I was trying to get across to him about trading my car in, and tried to sell me on another Z they had. He gets the keys for this car (even though i tell him not to worry about it) and tells me to sit in it ... I wanted to say I have one, I don’t need to sit in it, I just need to know about the trade in value and what the process will be like. After wasting about 20 – 30 minutes of both of our time trying to sell me something, he goes on to tell me that Saturday is a sucky day to come in because it’s so busy (or … basically … I’m pretty sure your not going to bite on this, so let me go so I can find someone else to sell something too), and why don’t I come back on a weekday.

At the end of all this nonsense I realized, to me at least, it’s just not worth the money I will have to put in, and the time and effort to go through this right now. I wish I read your post before I went.