Stick or Automatic

Lemers

Automatics are like training wheels for cars

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2010 Black Cherry Touring/Sport/Nav Now - 2012 Travese LTZ until I leave for Turkey

fullmonty

Mines an auto, its great. Best of both worlds

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nicknick

As I am interested in buying a 370Z, I went and test drove one. It was a 7sp auto. It turned me off. In manual mode it was great, very great. Most of my driving is done in normal auto mode though (if i had an auto). The accelerator pedal felt dead with no feel and very doughy response. Also as I was driving it the warning/hazard ligts starting flashing mysteriously then after approx 5 seconds just turned off. Power/acceleration/handling were all awesome. I will have to again drive the 6sp manaul that I fondly remember and drove sometime late last year.

gumpy

Get the manual before they stop existing... The day of no more manuals is not too far away...

Mt Tam I am

Agreed.

KillerBee370

There's no excuse for laziness.

Vegitto-kun

I wouldnt say that but yeah use some MT cars before you get AT.

I really should ask the dealership if I can have a test drive with their MT roadster

zippin

Follow the simple rule of buying cars. Sport car = manual. All other vehicles = automatic. One of my best friends made a mistake of buying a vette with an automatic. It drove him nutts for 6 months, he know he made a big mistake. Sure enough he traded in his auto for a manual vette after six months, lost a bunch of money and some pride. This question comes up more than what time of oil should i use. I wish the mods would just add a big sticker to the entry page of this site. 370Z is a sports car, so make sure it's a MT.

Jesse_Hunter

Sounds like you are talking more about the effects the "VDC" has on the car, instead of differences between MT & AT.....

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Vegitto-kun

So...all the next lamborghinis wont be sportscars?



I personally find the whole MT=sportscar thing kinda stupid these days.

These arent slow sluggish gearboxes anymore. The only difference these days is that you cant stall(good thing) and that you don't move a stick around but use pedals on the steering wheel/tiptronicish stick(I actually don't know how they call that type of shifting these days).

I personally still prefer MT because of the whole going WOT slam the next gear. It feels awesome. but I then again prefer the downshifting with the AT. I know the syncro does the same but with the AT its so quick.

Especially whenever I get to drive the GT-R now THAT is a proper AT

Jeffblue

Dual Clutch Vs Torque Converter.

Dual Clutch - Lambos, GT-R
Torque Converter - 370z

i wouldn't be surprised if the 2012 Z has dual clutch.

Lug

Some things to note. If you are going for power mods, get the MT due to ease of upgrades. The Auto is as fast or faster. I've personally seen a lot more complaints about MT problems (sycros, grindy, etc) than AT problems even though I think they sell about the same amount of each (someone correct me on this if you know the actual sales #'s of each). In this car, it's simply a very hard choice. there are good reasons to choose either.

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BrianMSmith

I am also 40, and mostly drive to work and back - sort of a waste having a stick. the auto is very tempting, and the manual on this car is tricky, not the easiest to use - I think because of a light flywheel - anyway, I have the manual. At least with the manual, you get to decide what gear you are in. I don't think the manual mode of the auto works very well, but perhaps others have a different opinion.

Jeffblue

^ i thought our flywheel is rather heavy.

rj45

The few times that I've talked myself into buying an automatic car, I've ultimately come away disappointed. After the honeymoon period is over, the lack of involvement, the sluggish response, the slurred shifts, etc. just don't do it for me. For long term enjoyment, I've always needed a manual gearbox. There is that 2% of the time when I'd rather be driving an auto (stuck in heavy traffic or just plain tired), but that's the price you pay by choosing a manual.

Of course, some modern torque converter automatics have become much better - the auto 135i I test drove did shift very well...not quite up to dual-clutch standards, but it had respectably quick, sharp shifts. I haven't owned a dual-clutch car, though I have driven a friend's A3 DSG. I do think I would enjoy that transmission much more, however, I would still want a manual car alongside the dual-clutch car. It's hard giving up a manual trans when you've been using one for 30 years.

I do realize that those not skilled at using a manual probably wouldn't want one, especially when buying a sports car. While learning to drive one from A-to-B isn't difficult, driving one well does take time...i.e., being able to extract the car's performance. There's not much sense in buying a manual performance car if you can't get the car to perform to its ability. In that case, an auto does make more sense and will likely yield more long term enjoyment.