Dream car as my first MT?
 

I have been shopping around for a while and I am definitely considering buying my first Z. I've wanted one since I was a teenager (the 300z), and now may be the last time in my life that I can afford one. I’ll be grabbing a manual transmission. I want to feel that connection with the car that so many people describe to me - in the 370z.

That being said, I’ve never driven a MT with consistency. I have some experience from about a decade ago with a truck, but it’s much different from a sports car. It’s hard to practice on a MT if you don’t have a buddy who has one, since you can’t rent one. I have taken a recent course in a Chevy Cruze and did well, but I go through a ton of stop and go traffic on a daily basis and I’m worried that I still may not have the experience.

Yet I’ve also heard that driving a MT car with higher torque makes it easier. Is this true? I am pretty decent with the clutch but my problem is I often do not know how much gas to use. I over accelerate (10+ mph) from a stop into turns at intersections in first gear and find myself with high RPM and the engine roaring. Perhaps I also need to learn to shift into second during a turn – or is that too pro? :driving:

I’m not necessarily worried about stalling out, or being slow. That much is bound to happen. I am mostly concerned with damaging the car in some way, or hitting a car in front of me if I over accelerate, since it has much higher horsepower and torque than what most people choose to drive daily. Replacing a clutch may not be so bad, but are there other issues as well?

Also it seems to me that extreme situations of stop and go traffic can be hazardous for learners. For a neophyte of the MT, keeping track of when to shift, clutch and brake as well as learning to feel the speed/rpm of the car and downshift appropriately in hills or slowdowns can be quite a challenge.

What do you think? Is it foolish to buy my dream car as my first MT?

I know there are many question marks in this post, but any input on any of the above is greatly appreciated. There are obviously a lot of knowledgeable people on this forum, and I’m looking to soak some of the excess knowledge up! :excited:

Yeah the manual takes some time to get use to in this particular car, but practice makes perfect, or just buy a 7AT. :tup:

Test drive the auto, you'll love it!

If you plan to go forced induction, go manual

I've test driven around five automatics and it blows me away every time! This thing lives for on-ramps!

I don't plan on modding too much, maybe some audio stuff with nice new head unit.

I have the utmost respect for manuals, but I just think the auto on THIS car is better

That said, focus on sport package vs touring vs sport touring then


The sport package is FOR SURE the best bang for the buck, if you go touring you'll get more back support, (base seats tend to get a LOT of complaints,) but if you go touring it's a bit more of a pain to replace everything (talk to Bigaudiofanat)

Also you got a lot of people in Georgia to point you in the right direction!!!

Hi

Get the AT. MT on this car is not for the uninitiated. Luckily the AT is quite good on this car, which somehow means you get a lot of AT owners laying on the hate (years of bullying from various MT drivers I'd assume)... Yea, just get the AT.

Get the MT. You'll learn it in a day and will be glad you did.

Geez people, driving a manual is not hard.... Like mustang said, it literally takes a full day of driving to get it, about a week to be proficient at it.

You'd absolutely think that. Recent threads make me think otherwise. Be prepared to LEARN.

Long ago I bought my first manual car having never driven manual. I had the dealer drop me off in an empty parking lot and leave me be. I drove home 15 minutes later.

Three pedals til the day I die. :)

Werd.

Was it a relatively expensive sports coupe?

The Z MT is easy. Is it the most graceful clutch/shifter around? Hardly. But MT is MT. If you can drive one you can drive them all. :)

Heavy stop and go traffic in Atlanta.....as much as I enjoy a manual transmission, get the A/T.