vman

How much of a difference is there between thte two? I plan on getting one (2004 model) and am leaning toward a auto cuz I live in a very high traffic area. How much performance am i giving up if i get a auto such as how slow from 0-60 is it compared to the manual? Thanks guys!!!

jrreed350togo

VMAN...You've just opened the gates of HELL!!!!

Though most are going to flame you for even thinking of getting the automatic. It's really not the much of a drop off. Some will say for pure excitement get the manual. I say get what's comfortable for you. Nobody here will be driving your car but you.

This is a bad subject on this board...Do a search and you should find numerous threads on the subject.

Itzted350z

if you are getting a sports car, then you should get manual....

vman

I tried doing research and i just get numbers for Manual, so I am now lost. As for being a sports car and getting a manual i agree BUT I travel a lot into downtown chicago during rush hour, and I have a number of friends that have gone from manual to auto because they say their arm and legs get tired very fast. So I am in dilemma. AHHHH Hel pme, and sorry for opening the gates of hell (maybe i should be a politician). Thanks guys

failsafe

A small price to pay. My first car was a stick, then I owned an auto from 94-99 and wished I had a stick almost every day. I've never owned an auto since. I sit in traffic quite a bit too, but don't mind it. Of course like togo said- it's all your preference.

jimster716

iTrader: (3)

My commute is through 2 high traffic areas in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas...but having a manual is well worth the tiresome commute when i can rip it up on an open road, that's why i bought the car in the first place. I tossed the automatic Acura 3.2TL i had cuz i got tired of feeling disconnected from the driving experience no matter the performance/suspension mods i installed.

somphath

Personally, I have had a manual for many years and it worked ok, till I got my first taste of manual. I can bare the Dallas traffic with my new Z, but I can,t bare the thought of a open road and just pressing on the pedal with no excitement. Manual to me is the way to go, but you have to decide whats most important to you. Some cars have both but be prepared to buy a house.

Inova

i wouldnt say that getting the auto is that huge of a difference performance wise..... but it is going to make a huge impact on the fun factor of driving. the z is not that bad in traffic because it has enough torque to do 2nd gear starts from a stop, as opposed to say - a honda s2000. it all depends on what you are willing to give up. for me, the driving i do doesnt go thru much bumper to bumper.... so i dont really mind. ever think about getting 2 different cars? if i were in your position i would maybe get a pos beater auto to drive to and from work. then drive the z when you go out or want to have some fun. just a thought..

WebToker

What ever you decide, don't let anyone make the choice for you. I have had two nissans before this and they were both stick. My last car though was an Acura CL Type S and it was an auto. I can tell you that there is no comparision between the Acura CL/TL line and the 350z when it comes to a sports car feel. It has nothing to do with having a stick or an auto.

Your choice should be made by asking yourself if you want to shift everytime you drive your car. I myself don't. If I want to shift, all I have to do is throw it into the sport shift. The auto is tunned great, and is leaps ahead of the Acura I owned with a sports shift. Ya you loose a little bit of control and the feel of driving a stick every minute you are in your car.

Again, you need to decide what you are going to perfer in the long term. If you drive in traffic a lot like myself and tend to eat on the fly or talk on your cell alot without a headset, maybe a stick isn't the best choice. If you plan on taking the car to the track or don't mind shifting in bumper to bumper traffic, then a stick maybe right for you. Of course if you live in the backwoods or a small town that has no traffic, then bumper to bumper traffic is not an issue.

Now keep in mind, if you are a hard core "I wont ever buy and auto in a sports car" person, then get the stick. I can tell you this, either way your gonna have a blast after the break in is through...

vman

As much as i want a stick, i do not feel like shifting in 1 hour traffic for over an hour worth of traffic. I appreciate everyones opinions. Thank you everyone.

abz123

Not much of a performance difference. Prolly work against you if you are not that good at driving one.

Why do all that work when you don't have to?

MacGuru

Not many automatics will come forth for fear of flame. So I will speak...

This is the first automatic I've ever owned. I admit, I like the auto with the manual override. The manual shifting takes a bit of getting used to (up/down), also my foot is always looking for the clutch. I still catch myself looking for the clutch and it's been 7 months. My first car/truck (375hp) had a tricked out automatic/manual valve body/shift kit with a 3800 stall. Talk about a hard shift. After many years of driving a manual, I've decided to take a break from the stick. All my sports cars have been 5-speed sticks, CivicSi, Integra, MR2. And every year for 2 weeks, I have the luxury of driving a beautiful C5 6-speed Corvette. This is when I have fun with the manual.

As for the Z, I've noticed when you have your foot into the accelerator, the automatic shift is pretty quick. On the other hand, when you ease into the accelerator the shifts are smooth and subtle. I sit in traffic going into nyc 2-3 times a week and I can say it's a pleasure not having to constantly shift a manual. Now this is not to say I won't regret having an automatic when I'm on the track racing @ Limerock or Pocono. I look forward to seeing how it feels shifting with the manual override this summer.

Cheers.
-m

zmeister03

I bought the AT5 partially due to a previous back surgery and also from spousal pressure. And the AT5 is the BEST auto I've ever driven.
But I should have got the 6MT, I split my driving up between my 350Z and 86RX-7 because the RX-7 is just more fun to drive.
And I think is more fun to drive because it's manual. The technology is almost 20yrs old and it puts out almost half the ponies of the Z. But you just don't get envolved enough with the automatic.

Shifting in traffic is not enough reason to lose out on the fun of a real sports car. And unless it is physically impossible to shift there is no reason in the world to drive a manual.

I was a fool but it's not to late for you.

Boomer

Yes, there is a reason for buying a 5AT, its more fun to drive than the 38 years of manuals for me. Don't try to say sports cars aren't sports cars w/o a manual. Everyone's definition is different about what is a sports car, so you haven't a leg to stand on. I get very involved driving my 5AT in manual mode, I use it more than full auto and if you haven't driven the Z's 5AT, you are uninformed.

WayneTN

Boomer must be about my age since he's been driving manuals for 38 years. I've been driving them longer than that, when you go back to my first motorscooter, a 2-speed Cushman Eagle, which I downshifted "on-the-fly" without stopping and using the clutch (in case you're familiar with that motorscooter). I've owned various vehicles and shifted gears with either my right hand, left hand, right foot, or left foot. I won't buy an automatic for me to drive until I'm a full-fledged geezer.

Owning all sorts of cars, trucks, motorcycles, and flying airplanes, I've only been stranded one time: I had a fairly new car with a 3AT. The transmission started to go out on the way to a vacation at Daytona Beach. It was not a good day. In fact, it was a bad day. Also, I've had an AT start burning up while towing a trailer - a trailer that was not supposed to be too heavy for the vehicle, which, by the way, had the towing package option - but I made it home and to the shop - and to the bank.

Manuals are simply more fun (to me) and without question are much more reliable. Oh, after several years the clutch can gradually start slipping, but over a period of days, and I've had a clutch cable on a motorcycle break (no big deal). But, it would have to be something really wrong with a MT to get me stranded. If you think stop-and-go traffic in a 6MT Z is no fun, try it on a motorcycle - you'll be thankful for a car of any type.

Manuals all the way for me. I'm not through having fun yet!
WayneTN

Boomer

Aha! I've been driving autos since my Cushman Highlander, couldn't afford an Eagle, with centrifugal clutch which made it an auto transmission. I must be a full-fledged geezer because I love this AT. My boredom with manuals led to my buying the 5AT, so I took a big chance preordering a car I had never seen, except in pictures, and I was going to sell it if I didn't like it. I have been looking for a good 5AT for awhile in a vehicle I would like and the Z fits the bill. I love the car and the 5AT.

Raistlin

My girls 350Z is an automatic, and coming from someone who owns a manual 90 300ZX and a manual 2k2 Audi A4 1.8T (must have for the 1.8T) the auto on the 350Z is very nice...... now the manual mode on the automatic is nothing to brag about, and not very smooth if you ask me, but driving in regular automatic mode is still fun in the Z.

Boomer

You need to go back and read some of the 100s of posts on this topic, and I can break traction in 2nd and 3rd in manual mode. Read about high stall torque converters and how they will blow the 6MT off the strip, if thats your fancy. And I was coming from a manual 91 MR2 Turbo and a list of manuals stretching back to 1965 before I bought this very nice 5AT. Your statement is old news and inaccurate to boot.

Raistlin

First I was not knocking the auto, I happen to like it. Now the manual mode on the auto I don't like. So what.... now I am not entitled to an opinion?

Boomer

Of course you are. I'm angry with someone else, not you. Please accept my apologies.