M/T in Austin, TX

aaxh

I plan on purchasing a 370Z in the next week or so and am stumped on the transmission. I've read through forums and magazine articles to get as informed about each option as possible, yet I have concluded that there are times when I will want the 6spd and times when I want the 7AT. I'm a student at UT Austin and will be using it around campus and in the Austin area, which tends to be a bit hilly. Also, I've never owned a manual before so I have a bit of anxiety driving such a nice coupe without too much experience.

Regardless, I learn fast and will surely adapt to the 6MT if I purchase it, but I just wanted the opinion of you guys. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

shadoquad

I say test drive both and buy the one you're happier with.

7AT's seem to be faster at the limit usually. But I prefer the control offered in a 6MT personally.

Several Z owners have bought this as their first manual car. Just make sure that if you go that route, you have a nice secluded spot in which to learn

phelan

oooh...the road to driftwood is awesome, you'll love having the Z out there

tbh, you'll be fine with the 6MT in austin, it's not as bad as...say, san francisco? just practice in the parking lots for a while and you'll be alright. just watch for potholes. seems like austin roads are littered with potholes the size of caverns!

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凛 ('Rin') - 2009 Nissan 370Z
With silence comes peace. With peace comes freedom. With freedom comes silence.

Forrest

I learned on the 370z. It's is easy to learn on, if you have syncro rev match.
I practiced at night at around 3 am when nobody was on the streets.
Took me a good month to get things down. Another 6 months to feel confident and at a year I forgot I was even driving manual.

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oleg

I would say if you go with a 6mt than don't get mad when you are learning. This wasn't my first mt car so I already knew how to drive but when I was learning how to I seriously regretted getting it in mt. Now any time I drive auto it just feels very dull to me so I would say just go for 6mt you'll be glad you did later on.

aaxh

Exactly haha, Austin roads are narrow and pretty rough, I was just concerned about having to worry about shifting while also navigating around the many potholes there.

I see so many 350s around campus, but I can't wait to bring a 370 up there
Final question, have any of you guys had carbon powder coating done on your Rays? I am blacking the car out but can't decide between swapping the Rays for AM wheels or just powder coating them

kidkotic2001

Go for what ever you like, I have an 7AT decided for that because I do not have the patience to teach my wife to drive MT. But my next Z will definitely be MT as my old 350z

cfweber

not sure what I envy the most

hmm

young guy

brand new Z

Austin

sigh

EazyD

it was my first mt car. Get the sport package with synchro rev match.

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Pearl White 2010 370Z Sport, Stillen CBE, tint, K&N drop-in filters, GT-R start button, Kenwood DNX-6980 with backup cam, LED bulbs, Raceseng shift knob.

batman_4

once you get the hang of shifting you will never thing of it as a "task." it will come natural so your only focus would be avoiding the pot holes.

also once you are comfortable with it you will love the country roads outside of austin....went up to plenty of meets and cruises in atx while i still lived in san antonio.

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'09 6spd. Touring: Eibach / SPC / Motordyne / Berk / Z1 / Oneighty / Mines / SSR / Stillen / CFE

christian370z

I concur with many of the above, I love my 6MT in almost every way as it is a much more visceral and direct driving experience in my opinion. It makes your drive more engaging since it requires you to be deliberate in selecting gears depending on driving conditions and style, plus it can handle more horsepower that the 7AT if you choose to go forced induction down the road.

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-320whp / 259wftlbs-
SP Rays -- RE-11s -- SpecialtyZ Tune -- Swift Springs -- Stillen 25R Oil Cooler -- Stillen G3 Intakes -- Berk HFCs -- F.I. 12" CBE -- Stillen Sway Bars -- Es14 Spring -- INGS+1 lip -- CF Spoiler -- GTR Start Button -- VLED Parking Lights -- PWJDM V2 shift knob

Chriz

A bit off topic, but you should Join the car club here at UT. I'm the president

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PW 7AT w/Sports Pkg
Hook Em!

cossie1600

The AT owners won't agree with me here, but the AT feels completely *insert r word* to me. The shifts are slow and harsh and it suffers from the throttle lag too, it just doesn't feel good. If the Z came with a real SMG, I think I might have gone for it.

Econ

i have an AT, and i agree, that many of the shifts lag. It does get annoying sometimes, however most of the time it works just fine.

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2014 Triumph Thruxton 900
2013 Fiat 500 Abarth
2009 Nissan 370z

aaxh

I've been reading all the reviews online and there seems to be a mixed reaction to the AT. Some people praise it for its improvement over traditional AT's, but then other critics take the stance that it is not worth owning the AT with the MT option being so much more desirable in several ways. The parents are advising against the MT and their advice to a certain extent has been pretty solid, so we'll see. Either way, there's a sick ride in my near future

Haha, thanks for the responses guys. I'm pumped to be officially inducted into the community.