First 6MT. Questions on driving stick...

[AlphaSnacks]

Hey guys,

I'll hopefully be the owner of a fully loaded 2010 Black Cherry next week. It'll be my first manual. I've driven stick here and there before, though never in a good amount of traffic, so I'm not extremely confident yet and so forgive me for my stupid questions. But here they are:

1) I drove one 370Z where the clutch grabbed more than half-way up (6K miles), and another 370Z where the clutch grabbed maybe about 1/4 up (40 miles). I have a feeling the 6K mile car was abused. But I'm still curious around where is the clutch supposed to grab when it's totally new?

2) When driving in traffic where I'll be averaging about 10MPH and frequently stopping and then immediately going again, is it okay to be in first gear as I'm about to stop with my clutch all the way down? I've been told as long as the clutch is fully depressed, it's not creating any wear. Is this correct?

2a) I know a lot of people throw the car into neutral immediately, but isn't that pointless since 3 seconds later it has to go back into gear? And instead of neutral you could've used the brakes with the clutch depressed, allowing you to get back on the throttle and ease off the clutch as soon as you need to start going again?

3) We don't have many hills here in NYC, but when I get to one, is it okay to have the clutch at the grabbing point as the light is about to turn green, that way I can get on the gas without rolling back? I know this does create a bit of extra wear, but I'm literally talking about a few seconds where I anticipate the turn of a light, lift my foot to the grabbing point to prepare the clutch, and then throttle as soon as I see green. Is this okay?