1st Time buyer advice

Matthew

The persimmon was a must for me but when I was buying my dealer could only find 2 and they where very far away. So I got a base sport and had a local shop put leather in it for me. In the end it wound up being cheaper. This might help find what you are looking for. I have pics in my album.

__________________

UNKNOWN_370

Sorry in advance for the long post. Just being detailed on 7at performance as much as words can express so you can understand without actually driving it. But I do recommend driving BOTH.

If this car drove like a rx8,genesis coupe, camaroor mustang v6. I would say get the manual hands down. But the Z auto is sick, it feels way closer to dual clutch. You can hardly tell the difference. Only the occasional slight torque converter drone reminds you its not dct.

The ecu is so good at predicting our drive style, without even going in manual mode. The Z will predict you from your foot. You will notice in auto mode alone you can control gear changes between 2800,3800,4400,5200,6,000 and 6800 rpm. Most other auto trannies give you 2 or 3 modes on the peddle. The Z auto gives you 6. (Maybe more?)

In manual mode you get thousands of gear ratios preselected by the ecu depending on your drive style patterns. The cvt also has 2overdrive modes for better fuel economy and power deliery DRM that works on upshift as well like SRM. Its really not disappointing at all. In traffic. Put it in D and you're chillin. Road opens up... you open up on gears.

The paddle shift gives a supersmooth race car shift that's so seemless and crisp its marvel, yet when you use the stick to shift, the car feels like a 1970 240z, its slightly unrefined and mildly slower to shift. The car jerks a little when you shift on the floor. It takes you back to when notchy slower shifting was the norm as far as feel. So the auto is a lot more fun than some make it out to be. It gives you the best of both worlds. Only thing you can't burnout in the auto. Just make it chirp the tires.

If you plan on tracking often for sport. Depending on what type of racing you do? I recommend manual. If your left leg has a mind of its own and forces you to try clutching when in front of a steering wheel. Drive manual. Lol
Honestly more than tranny choice. Aftermarket exhaust or much smaller/no resonators would be my priority. The Z needs a sound boost.

That's just my opinion and like a$$holes... everybody's got one. Happy hunting and good luck.

cossie1600

Since when did the Z come with a CVT?

yaheard

No I am not looking for a genesis. Both my parents have new hyundais and I drove the Genesis coupe for giggles when I took my moms Sante Fe for an oil change, but I must say they do make very nice quality cars. Nor am I looking for a Mustang. The Challenger RT is my backup plan.

I dont plan on tracking the car at all, just look forward to driving around some country roads here on the weekends and then to work. I have my truck also to drive atm so I am not without wheels. I was just getting discouraged at not finding one with the options I want coupled with being antsy to buy. I finally found a PG with sport, stick and persimmon in SC but it had higher miles than I wanted (30K) and somebody changed the Rays wheels out with some weird shiny chrome ones that still have a nissan center but not sure what they are. Again just a few things short. Also the dealer wants too much for it and wont come down more than 500 bucks. I guess I shall just continue on the wild goose chase for my perfect match.

TonyD

I used a search feature on the Nissan website with good results. I was able to look for the car I wanted (6sp vert) and find out what dealers had an hour drive in any direction. I then called a few to verify they still had them on the lot and then spent the day test driving. I bought the car in 1 day. Of course this was new, so maybe more choices than used.

yaheard

Update: I came across a really nice deal and its pretty loaded and has some mods on it. All the mods that I would do in the potential future. Its in my price range and all, only thing holding me back is its a auto. I know the autos are all good but I kind of wanted to get a stick. Id buy it yesterday if it were a stick and the same deal. Its local luckily and I'm going to drive it this Saturday to get a feel for the auto and see how I like it and if I can pass on the stick. Any thoughts? I know I need to do what's best for e, but just seeing what youd do in my shoes.

sboden

We can't make that decision for you. I settled for auto in one of my cars but I just love sticks even if the autos are faster now a days. I couldn't stand not shifting myself and took a loss on the car with auto.

yaheard

Yeah that's why I hope when I drive it ill get a good idea of whether it'll work or not.

kree

Don't buy it if it is not what you truly want.

kenchan

^^ this.

absolutey true for the transmission. sorry to compare our cars to my old HondaFit but i had a MT (sold) and still have the AT which my wife uses. I HATE the AT Fit. the MT Fit was pretty fun to drive.

basically the same car except for the transmission. the fun factor is like nigth and day difference. i would absolutely vote against buying the AT if you wanted MT. the paddle excitement will wear off very quickly and you will want that clutch pedal and the 6 gates.

now if you wanted AT, that's a whole different story.

Brutal 370Z

I got my G37 in auto and although I had fun with the paddles, I have regretted the decision for 4 years!!!!!!!!! That's why I'm so anxious to get my Z.

__________________
Stillen G3/CBE/HFC, Nismo S-tune Front Chin Spoiler, 20% tint, Password JDM V2 Shift Knob

yaheard

You guys are killing me lol. I think I gotta grab a stick. Ill still drive it this Saturday to see how I feel, but well see what happens. Good looking out guys!

Brutal 370Z

Don't let the excitement of driving the Z suck you in to buying it in auto just to get your hands on it right away. That's what happened to me. I also really liked the paddle (it had just come out in 2007 when I got the car) because it was race-car like....got tired of it fast.

Trust me, be mindful of the temptation when you test drive it lol

__________________
Stillen G3/CBE/HFC, Nismo S-tune Front Chin Spoiler, 20% tint, Password JDM V2 Shift Knob

cossie1600

Could we see a thread in the future. "How do I change my auto into 6 spd"

kenchan

that would be dejavu.