I live in North Jersey. I can tell you right now that the 6MT will be my last stick shift car for the next 15 years. Starting a family within a couple of years, I'll be drive a MPV or the Quest around, oh god, noooo..

 

Im still amazed on the attidude some stick drivers have . Allways putting down some one that doesnt like to shift 50,000 times a day driving back and forth to work . With a little modding , a auto will beat a stick and never miss a shift . No matter how good you are at shifting....your gonna miss a shift and lose . In the 1/4 mile my car only shifts 2 times and the stick must shift 3 times . With the AT5 I never have to lift my leg , but in manual mode I can just flick my wrist .
But Im lazy and old , If your young and full of **** and viniger , I can understand some of the comments

 

Hey relax, I was in a different mood when I replied that. I'm not one of those hardcore out of my way type drivers.
Perhaps next time I'll pretend I was down south and sipping on my tea, and write you a 800 letter reply and state every one of my points with full explaination.

 

its preference as many of you guys have said... i guess manual is no longer > auto anymore because of technology


but its still a difference...

 

Well I've had 2 G's since November 2002.
At the time, November 5, 2002 only the sedans were available and no stick options yet...I couldn't wait for the cpe...was going to be another 6 months..

Anyways on April 1, 2004, I traded in my sedan with 25K miles on it (leased) way over the mileage I decided to trade it in for a 2004 cpe 6mt. The payoff amount was less. The plus side was a newer car, lower miles, the car i've always wanted...!

It's really up to you to get the stick or automatic.

For me, this is my first sports cpe and 6spd. In San Francisco...OMG it took me a while to get comfortable using the E brake on the hills.

It's true that shifting has to be precise in a race!

There's been a couple times where first gear and second gear were smooth..at 14K 3rd gear was grinding...just once on saturday hasn't happend since..but the service guys are going to look into it.

If you're going to keep the car for a long long time....get the stick.

If you're going to resell it within say five years, automatic will always sell faster than a stick especially if you're going to get the sedan..If it's the cpe...get the STICK!

GOOD LUCK man!

BoBs

 

They both are fine. It depends not only on preference, but intended use. In the "old days" the auto was considerably inferior to stick in many ways, but with constant engineering and innovation there have been advances that give many of the advantages and returns of a stick, with the ease and smoothness of an auto (autos did not always used to be "smooth"). (btw, any of you old guys remember the "automatic stick shift" on the 1968/69 VW beetles?)

And sticks have with the "paddle shifter" technology been supplanted in the truly high performance platforms. It is just that the additional cost for that feature, at this time, makes it not available on very many cars. But with what we can expect to see in technology and cost reductions therefrom, you may indeed expect to find it on more and more future offerings in the high performance area. It is simply much faster to shift with a finger flick than with your left leg, even when you are a highly coordinated driver whose timing is so excellent that the shift is just a quick "jab" with the left foot.

On a quarter mile straight run it is difficult for any but the most accomplished drivers in a manual, side by side to beat out the auto tranny in many cars, the G35 included. On a road course, however, it is still terribly difficult for an auto to keep up. This is why you will almost always find a car set up for road racing to be a manual. (Again however, you may recall that the Jim Hall race car, the Chapparal, was an auto and kicked butt in the 1966-68 era with its then radical innovations, including ground effect and wing technology).

For daily driver use, the trade offs make the choice for the vast majority of drivers to be an easy one, because the performance sacrifice is nominal, so they get the auto. That is in fact for them the best choice, and it is one reason why they sell so many. For some enthusiasts, for twisty canyon and mountain roads, and track driving, or just for the felt fun of it, the stick is the way to go, and they can consider nothing else. They both are correct. Just depends on you and what makes you the happiest. There is no "best" here, just what is best for you.

Be sure to come back when you get your baby, to post pictures and give us your driving impressions. Good luck and drive safely.

 

The fact that auto ran a faster 1/4 mile in testing than the manual makes me sad

 

but I still love the look of my Brembo :-)