[Iwanna350z]

I am pretty young and looking to get a 350z what do you think would be my best bet on getting manual transmission or automatic ? pros and cons ..Thanks for your help ..
I love this site...all of the 350s here are so sick

 

[Going Deep]

My vote is for stick, its simply alot more fun to drive.

 

[opossumboy]

Fun to drive.....Stick. Practicality....Auto. In the city....Auto. Mostly highway.....Stick. I have both so it's a matter of driving conditions. If I have a cup of Joe I want the Auto. You know the drill! Could debate this all day. :banghead:

 

[jetpilot718]

I cant make that decision for ya, but I can tell ya a few facts about my Z:

1 - First off, its a 6MT performance.
2 - I live in Queens, NYC
3 - I hit a lot of traffic, and I have a second car for rainy/snowy weather (which is automatic also)
4 - But, I've noticed so far that I can drive stick fine in traffic while sipping coffee, talking on my cell, or holding my girl's hand (I make her row the pattern, my hand on top of hers)

So, in conclusion, stick is very livable. Its not a pain in the ass once ya get used to the super touchy clutch a new Z will have. In my opinion, the 350z's gearbox has got to be up there with porsche MT's and the like, it has been described as "notchy" by many journalists, but I prefer the term "crisp". There is no slop what-so-ever. There are no energy absorbing bushings. Your right hand feels as it is directly connected to the transmission. If I were to make the decision again, I'd choose the 6MT..... twice.

 

[smoothz]

Go stick, you'll never regret it. Go auto and you'll be doing :banghead: after a while.

I have no problems driving a stick in any kind of traffic. Of course, I don't live in a congested area, but when I drive into a traffic jam, it's not so bad. I don't do it everyday.

 

[zlegend]

[/quote]

I don't drive in traffic anything like New York, but I have been in a few jams, I never had any problems. When I got m first MT back in the day I thought there would be sometimes where it would get annoying, but after 8 years there have been no times when I've said, "I wish I had an auto." In fact it the oppisite, I've driven other cars and thought, I wish I had MT.

Since I got my first one, I've refused to buy an auto. I won't even take one for a test drive. When I was looking for my Z, I told the dealership if they try to sell me an auto I'm going somehere else. And when I get a winter beater, that will be MT as well.

 

[hazade]

I'm gonna vote for the manual. Even if you don't know how to drive one properly, you can pick it up pretty quickly. You will be glad you did in the long run. I just find automatic trannys boring.

 

[JTS2005]

as everyone has said go manual!! much more fun to drive IMO

 

[Fleshrot]

A sportscar isn't a sportscar without MT.

 

[Jebus]

wish i had a MT, but then again i can drive without using my hands with auto one foot on the wheel, one foot on the pedals

 

[Iwanna350z]

Thanks a ton for your input ...We are going to check some out tomorrow , but theres one that in the paper says its a 03 - Silver Auto w\ 18K miles ..17500 Thats great price ...i dont know if its a typo or what ?

There are some other 03s and 04s for 24K and around there...tell me you think about this ?

03 350z enthusiast 6 spd for 22999 ?

 

[jetpilot718]

[/quote]


If you can get an 03 with 18k on the clock for $17.5, do it. Driving stick isnt worth the extra $8k you'll normally spend. Or, you can just buy it, and sell it for like 20K easy. Then, buy the manual tranny z you want for $3k. Get my drift?

 

[DiRN]

My honest opinion: the automatic transmission in Zs is pretty sh!tty.

 

[Iwanna350z]

We called them up about the 03 that was 17.5 and they said it had been ran through a barb wire fence. Just the thought made me pretty sick haha , and there were some scratches and things that had been repaired . It needed new tires which he said he was willing to take off of the 17.5. But it also had a rebuild title. So i dont know if that means much . We just said we are going to keep looking because I think we can find something better.

I say some nice 03's today, one with 25K miles, GPS , Touring , MT, for 26 thousand. It was the daytona blue, it looked nice.

Then saw some other ones for 24 thousand in silver, white and red, these were also 03s ...they were sweet too

 

[lionkiller]

I don't regret having an auto tranny...but I 'tour' in my car, so comfort & ease of use are factors. It's fun enough mashing around with the auto...

I have toys in the shop, if I want to bang gears...

 

[stl 350]

Manual is the only way to go IMO. A friend of mine bought a 350 after riding in mine and she had only driven a stick a couple of times before that. And she would not even thing of getting an automatic. She has had it a couple of months now and is glad she has the manual.

 

[KShep]

Test drive both....get the one you prefer.

 

[jetpilot718]

[/quote]


Probably the best advice in this whole post.. +1. :doh:

 

[steve350z]

welcome to the forum :cheers: as for MT or AT, depends on how experienced you are with a MT to begin with. but like was said, test drive both

 

[nismokid]

Stick for street use
Auto for drag use
F1 for track use

I'd suggest auto only if you live in NYC, SF, or other places with a lot of hills and traffic.