Any regrets on choice of transmission

TongMan

My sports car gotta be a manual. My luxury car will be an auto. Glad I got my 6mt.

BrickyardZ

I feel that a sports car should be a manual and nothing beats the driver experience of the 6-spd transmission. You feel in control and it's just plain fun to drive a stick. That being said, last week I parked on a hill and a jerk in a s#!$ car tried to see how close he could park to my car - about 1/4 inch, he probably hit me. I had to be very careful giving it gas and feathering the clutch to ensure I didn't roll into him. There was some clutch burn smell after I moved my car. That is the one time I wish I had an AT.

I would like to give the AT a try, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Cmike2780

To answer the OP's question. In the previous car (RX-8) I really regreted not getting the MT. The AT was better in traffic or when you just wanted to sit back. When you wanted to have some fun though, it felt like I was in an arcade game. Its just not the same and this will always be the downside to paddle shifters. You don't feel the gears and clutch when you shift. You can always make the car faster, but absolutely nothing can duplicate that feeling.

I'm not knocking the 370z AT at all. It's a lot easier to live with day to day. It's plenty reliable and shifts are quicker. Unless you've mastered the MT, the AT will be fasters. Just stomp and go.

This is a stupid thing to argue over if you really think about it. Both have flaws and both have rewards. It's like choosing which leg to stand on is better. The answer is their both good

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[09][MB][6-Spd MT][Touring][Stillen Gen III][K&N][Borla CBE][Evo-R]

bleufiend

Sports Car, I prefer the 6mt even though automatics and dual clutch trannys can now shift as fast or faster then I can I still prefer a manual transmission for the connection with the car.

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Z34 owner formerly Z33. OZOC FTW.

3SeventyZ

Nope, no regrets here.

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b1adesofcha0s

Just throwing in my experience here, maybe there are others here like me. I have the 7AT and have never driven a manual. I never had any real opportunity to learn how to drive manual. No one I have known has had a manual that they would be willing to teach me to drive in. When it came to buying my Z (my first sports car) I didn't want to buy a $30k sports car that I couldn't drive. I could have risked buying the 6MT for the fun factor, but that would also mean risking me ruining the clutch. That is something I can't really afford right now. This is why I went for the 7AT. I have driven automatics all my life and this one is so much better than the others. I have fun with my paddle shifters and that is good enough for me. I don't regret my decision at all. For all you guys with the 6MT I wish I could see things from your side.

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Project: b1adeZmobile (2009 370Z) | Uprev Tune by AAM Competition | Berk Exhaust
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StLRedrider

nice write up!!!!

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Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today J.Dean

b1adesofcha0s

Thanks! I get people telling me all the time that I should've gotten in manual. Some people actually go as far as making fun of me for getting an auto. It's always someone with a crappy car so my response is "My auto with the paddle shifters can shift faster than you bro, get back to me when you get a real performance car."

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Project: b1adeZmobile (2009 370Z) | Uprev Tune by AAM Competition | Berk Exhaust
Project: b1adeZmobile 2.0 (2014 C7 Z51) | Corsa Xtreme Exhaust

dad

Those are very valid reasons to go with the automatic! Nissan builds excellent quality automatic trannies!

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We can do without any article of luxury we have never had; but once obtained, it is not in human nature to surrender it voluntary.

toxik

I have a 7AT and I'm completely happy with my choice, yeah sometimes I get a bit of an urge to have a MT instead, but I wouldn't call it regret... I'm happy with my tranny.

oh and a big lol @ the people saying they wouldn't get cars like a GTR because they don't have a manual gearbox. Double clutch ftw.

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Project Pearl Necklace - PW 370z 05/01/2010 - 07/06/2011 (sold)

daisuke149

no no no toxik, dont lol at the people sayingi t, go find a gtr owner and lol at him!

like "HAHAHAH your automatic GTR isnt a sports car like my honda civic SI with the 5 speed manual tranny!"

b1adesofcha0s

The GT-R owner will reply "You're right, my automatic GT-R isn't a sports car...its a supercar FTW!!!"

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Project: b1adeZmobile (2009 370Z) | Uprev Tune by AAM Competition | Berk Exhaust
Project: b1adeZmobile 2.0 (2014 C7 Z51) | Corsa Xtreme Exhaust

tsolin01

I definitely don't regret getting the 6MT. To me it just feels more interactive. If the 7AT was actually a dual clutch type transmission then I would probably want that instead of the conventional automatic but only if the 6MT wasn't offered anymore. Regardless of which one is really faster, the 6MT is just more fun to drive to me.

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SOLD 12/30/2011 2010 370Z Coupe Monterey Blue 6MT/Touring/Sport/Nav
F.I. CBE CF w/ 12" Res | V1 | SecondSkin | Stillen G3 | EVO-R CF B-Pillars | Volk GT-S Ti Gunmetal 19x9.5 +30 F, 19x10.5 +8 R | Swift Spec-R Springs

Filth

Threads like these are like siren's call for ignorant douche bags lol. Thanks for starting this thread, quite an entertaining read for an uneventful Sunday afternoon!

PS - 6mt all the way

LunaZ

I'm old school. It's gotta have a clutch pedal!
Driving a manual is just so much more "involved" than driving an automatic. Are twin-clutch, DSG gearboxes faster than a human being? Sure they are, but you miss out on "feeling" the car as you slip the clutch and manage power delivery to control wheelspin on a launch... and that's just one example of the things that technology takes out of the driving experience.

I know a guy who drives Ferraris and trades up every couple of years. I remember back in 1997 how excited I was to try out his new 355F1 that he traded his manual 355 convertible on. The car with new transmission was novel for a bit, but it didn't feel as magical as moving that lever through the gates in the convertible. Something was missing.

Someday I'll be forced into having an automatic in whatever new sports car I purchase and I'm sure it will be faster at shifting than I am, but I'll be a little hurt that I'm becoming somewhat less necessary in the driving process.


Oh, to answer the OP, no regrets on my decision.

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