HDPDZO6

I would bet money on there being more AT's.

Jaegermeister2k

Must be. All i know is i'm never going back.

350z2k3

iTrader: (5)

another MT vs AT thread :O yawn

Zrealsoon

Really... Unless your buying used... why not just order exactly what you want?

Suvlaki

I wouldn't mind an MT-only Z... but I still prefer my AT. I've had my Z for over a year now and it has yet to get "boring" as most MT guys would say. I want a sports car that has both convinience of use in certain situations and ability to have fun with it and make it perform at its max.

Most MT guys think you just stick the Z in D and let it go. I do that when I'm lazy, that is why I bought my AT. But when I wanna have fun with it, it's always in manual mode. No... "jerkiness." Pretty much the same ****, jus' missing a clutch.

I don't need a clutch to make me feel like a man... I got ... other stuff to do that ;-). But I feel you should own your car the way you want it because after all, the car is for you and not for anyone else.

On a side note, I was talking to a friend of mine from Greece over the phone the other day and at one point, she said, "Damn you and your automatics for being able to talk to me over the phone AND drive! Not fair!"

davidv

iTrader: (2)

That was never my intention.

Armitage

iTrader: (15)

Wasn't there some statistic that said only like 8% of new vehicles on the road were manual?

Edit - BTW, Nissan did make two models stick-only. The Performance model (which only lasted until 2005) and the Track model (which lasted until 2006). Those were two of the more 'performance oriented' models. Seems to me like they were just trying to cover all bases to pick up a bigger market niche, unlike the S2k.

Nero

its too hard to talk with MT i tried once....on a straight road i had to hold the cell with my left hand steer with right and when i shift i have to take my hands off the wheel for a split second...not doing it again lol (no one was around, dont flame me )....i smell an AT vs MT thread starting... IBTL

I1DER

I prefer the manual, but there are many cars that don't even offer them as an option. It is the sign of the times. Forget Nissan limiting the Zs to manual only. It would cut a big share out of the sales and then they wouldn't be available to anyone.

For some, it is very difficult to text message, cell phone, drink, smoke, eat, shave, pick your nose and shift at the same time while bogged down traffic.

NGZ

iTrader: (1)

If someone calls me while I'm driving I pick it up and see if it's important. If it's not, lately I've been telling everyone "Sorry I'm driving I'll call you back bye *click*". I love driving the Z and I'm not gonna let anyone steal away my quality 1-on-1 time :P

There is very likely a correlation between the present demographic of Z owners, and the availability of MT Zs.

firekrave

I don't know, word is BMW is coming out with sticks for the m5/m6 because the US demanded it.

firekrave

Doesn't any one use headsets/earpieces?

Suvlaki

Never... Here at FAU, we have tested many wireless headset and wired headset emissions against the actual phone's emissions themselves. Turns out that most of the time, a wireless headset causes almost twice the damage to your head than a phone does. In some tests, even wired headsets are worse than actually holding the phone itself to your ear. After seeing those results, I vowed never to use a headset.

...and I've seen people who constantly have a bluetooth headset on their ear even when they're not talking... like it's just there all day, just in case. I hate to say it but the risk of brain cancer in their future due to the headset is more of a certainty than a risk.

Yeah, I know, too much geeky information lol but I'm in a geeky mode right now. :-)

Accordaleer

iTrader: (5)

I choose to drive an automatic, I'm not lazy, and I know how to drive stick, its just not something I would want to do everyday. Having a car for years and regreting always having to shift, or being able to sit back and relax or shift when I want anyway? People who drive stick need to get off their high horses.

Eddie@Performance

iTrader: (4)

70% of our 350Z in inventory are manual, we got a bunch of them too, more then 30 of them.

Kolia

iTrader: (2)

Any of you guys gave a thought of how much a MT-only Z would cost? Given the limited production ?

Forget the 27k$ base model!

Spike100

Good point... The AT option expands the Z's market (some buyers won't consider a MT). Smaller MT market ='s higher cost per unit (a more expensive Z).

And, a paddle-shifter (as is the case with the 6 cylinder Audi TT) might satisfy both "markets" (AT and MT buyers), but adds a lot of cost (initial purchase, maintenance, and repairs).

--Spike

usmanasif

iTrader: (4)

Where is FAU? Right next to FSU?

Aggro_Al

The only cars I know of with paddle-shifters are ATs with manual overrides. I don't think it would be too expensive to add paddles to the column if it came from the factory. The 5AT already has the necessary hardware and software. It's just a matter of extending the controls from the center console to the column without affecting the software. No extra maintenance required because the 5AT already has an automatic clutch, automatic gearbox controls and software that can handle both manual and automatic shifting. Adding paddle-shifters to the 6MT is a different story. You would have to replace the manual clutch with an automatic clutch, add automatic controls to the manual gearbox (ala SMG) and develope software to run it all. This would add significant cost and maintenance to the 6MT and would no longer make it an MT. I personally like the new ATs but I wouldn't want to bastardize an MT by automating it. A standard MT should stay a standard MT.

Kegsbane

Not to threadjack, but if everyone who always uses a Bluetooth earpiece gets cancer, I think it'll improve the breed.

Seriously, you don't look cool.

Okay, I'm done.