Hey guys, I'm looking into getting my Z but I'm curious about whether or not to get a stick or an auto. I'd like the stick but am a little leary of getting a 350Z with more than 50K miles that has a stick.
Guys with an auto, what is your opinion?
Sly

 

i love my auto. if i'm on a twisty road, i use the manual shift gate since it performs rev matched downshifts automatically.

if you prefer a bit more control to your driving and lean on the performance oriented aspect of your 350, stick is for you.

if you do a lot of stop and go daily driving and would just like to enjoy cruising in your 350, auto may be more suited to your liking.

 

manual...or you lose

 

Since i currently own a manual 350z and an auto 350z roadster, i'll tell you my real opinion on both.

When i'm in my automatic roadster, shifts are smooth, acceleration goes up to speed faster because there is no shift time from the driver. I feel like i'm in a cruiser car more than anything. It really doesn't feel sporty whatsoever but feels like the ultimate daily driver because it easily goes up to speed.

When i'm in my manual coupe, feels really sporty. i can shift at whatever rpm, i can rev freely whenever i want. I can control how loud my exhaust is, basically, i'm just more in control. With the handling of the Z, the stick is just a must for this car for some reason.

If i had to lose one of the cars, i would lose the automatic in a heartbeat.

 

That is the kind of input that I needed. I recently drove an 08 Malibu that has the 252hp V6 with an auto that has a manual gate and paddle shifting on the wheel and loved that option. Makes the auto so much more enjoyable since you can cruise or play with the manual gate.
Can you give me a little more info on the "rev matching" downshifting? That sounds like a great thing. How does that work?
Sly

 

Manual for sure...Rev matching is basically when downshifting you match the RPMS for the gear that you will be dropping to to allow a smoother downshift and it will keep your car in the power and by keeping it in the power it wont fall flat on its face as if you were engine braking

 

I agree with everything you said although you can shift at whatever rpm in the auto when in manual shift mode.

 

Own my manual for over 5 years and still love it. And that is including Los Angeles traffic too

~Robert

 

Test drive both. You will notice the differance. I'm sure you will like the stick better hands down. An auto Z is a cruiser car. If you want the Z for it's proformance value then dont bother getting an auto. If you do buy an auto Z I give you 6 months before you go nuts and get a stick.

 

1 yr. and 9 months and im loving the auto

 

3 years driving a auto Z TT and it sucks!!!! I will never get an auto sports car again. unless it is the GTR paddle shifting only.

 

ouch

 

type "6MT transmission" into the search and read how many have had to replace them. this should make your decision really easy

 

dick or *****?

 

Manual! So much fun. I was a little worried about it as I had no real previous m/t experience but the Z was pretty easy to learn on. At this point, I'll never go back to auto, unless I have to sit in traffic for hours every week.

 

They shouldnt of made the Z auto to begin with...

 

haha I see this thread is turning into a manual vs auto war again

~Robert

 

Like most said, if you buy a sports car you buy Manual, not auto...
I think you are buying sports car so go with Manual and don't even think about auto

 

MANUAL theres nothing like it.