Nissan 370Z Forum - Soon to be car owner question..?

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Originally Posted by whoady4shoady (Post 1833463)

^^^what the hell is hill assist? Never heard of it.

That is when we fire everyone on Capital Hill and start over..:tiphat:

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Originally Posted by Bucketlist2012 (Post 1833614)

That is when we fire everyone on Capital Hill and start over..:tiphat:

:tup:

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Originally Posted by fxroar (Post 1833444)

I purchased my first 370z (bare bones - no options) when I was 19. After a few years, I traded it in for the 40th anniversary. Both MT. Aside from the Z, the only other manual car I've driven was a long bed '99 Dodge Dakota pick up. I had 2 jobs at the time. One was paying $15/hr while the other $9/hr. I was also paying for college fees, books and rent. I had barely any money to spare for food as I had cell phone bills and car insurance to pay.

I understand that you will be supported by your parents, but please do understand there's a lot more to just paying the monthly on a sports car. Gas and maintenance will be expensive. I wouldn't want for you to suffer through what I have gone through (although circumstances are different). Theoritacally speaking, with current income I can purchase a Porsche Turbo 911. Can I afford to keep it? Absolutely not. Why? Because maintenance will be hell and it would be highly impractical for what I need daily. Do I enjoy driving my Z? Hell yes. It's what my budget can comfortably afford without getting myself in a hole incase of an emergency. You'll be going to college. Honestly, as much as I would like to tell you "HELL YES GET Z ITS KICKAZZ".. Get a more practical car for your purpose. Maybe a 4 seater (good on carrying books, dirty clothes and all other crap you'll have while in hs/college)and very good on gas?

Anyways.. back to topic

If you pay attention to the engagement point of your clutch everytime while taking off (that's where it matters anyways since manual cars are harder to stall while already in motion), you shouldn't have any problem. This car has a very "savage" clutch engagement point. It's never on the same spot. There will be times where its pretty darn high, then there will be times where engagement point is very close to the floor.

Remember to use your hand brake if moving from a stop going uphill. Our cars do not have hill assist like others. Hell.. even my girls prius has hill assist. lol. Anyways, keep the hand brake engaged until you feel the car starts moving forwards then you can just immediately disengage it. Does no hard if done properly.

Soon you won't need any of these little tricks because you'll be good enough to drive a manual car and think you're a pro. ;)

I apologize for the long write up but whichever path you may choose to go, please do understand what you're in for.

Best of luck and appreciate what you have.

I think Manual will be much better as long as I get the Sport Package because I'd want to have the Rev Matching as a handicap until I can Heel Toe. Or maybe Ill just keep it on forever. lol

And thanks for the tips.

Well.. I call it hill assist lol. The current prius has this feature. While parked on an inclined hill/lot you press the brake pedal all the way down. There will be a light on the dashboard indicating you have activated the feature. Gives you roughly 3 seconds to move your foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator without the car rolling forward or backward. I believe some subarus have this feature as well :)

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Originally Posted by fxroar (Post 1833444)

FX i totally relate to your story. I purchased a dodge charger new in february of 2008 when i was 19 and making $13 an hour it was $30k out the door 7 year loan(I was young, greedy and doing it alone so I was taken advantage of) So as we all know, the economy crashed later that year and I was literally starving trying to keep the payments going. My parents were in the same boat so I was on my own. I finally got through that and after a year of saving a "in case ****" fund from a new career that pays very well and is safe, I purchased my 40th. Which was only a month ago. Sometimes kids have to learn the hard way like you and I did. It was a struggle and I was so pissed but I definitely learned my lesson.

I know this is the very last thing he wants to hear but it had to be said to at least say we tried to help this kid. Who knows if Mom will need help with that GI bill money in the next few years. He is at least 4 years away from making any money as an xray technologist.

Anyway, I have a 40th which is a touring with sports package, have to say its sooo fun to drive and I don't see it getting old any time soon. that rev matching downshift is sweeeeet

oh and I also average 18MPG which is not so sweeeeeet.

This is a no brainer since its your first car. Get the manual. You need and want to learn manual before you ever get into an automatic so you can have full understanding and control of the car. Once you have done that. (Approx 3-5 years behind a manual). If you want to drive autos or or manuals or whatever? Be my guest.
I drive the A7, there's a lot of control with this kind of automatic. Quicker shifts and better use of the cars power under acceleration. But having manual control is a superior gift to earn than speed.

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Originally Posted by KingRon (Post 1832677)

Why do I feel like you are jealous when you said whats in the bold.
My mom is paying the first 3 payments then I'm taking over.
And of course im going to drive fast, but unlike other guys my age, i know when to do it and when not to....You make it seem like I am going to go 120 on Example Ave.

I seriously doubt he's "jealous" that you're getting a Z. He has one. :ugh2:

Get the manual. Look at it this way...

If you learn to drive stick now, with your first sports car, you will be learning a skill that you will have for life. When you are old and gray, in your 30s like me lol, you will be one hell of a manual driver.

I learned on my 5 speed Nissan Sentra when I was 19, and have owned nothing but manual cars since. Just be careful out there. The 370z is tons of fun to drive, but it can get you in a lot of trouble fast. IF you don't know your limits, or aren't paying attention, you can kill yourself or someone else pretty easily.

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Originally Posted by vermithrax (Post 1835959)

:iagree:gotta respect the power....

Someone needs to pull up that picture of the wrecked Z that was doing 150 and hit a small rock in the road. Scary ****.

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Originally Posted by dmhenderson (Post 1832298)

17.
Z for graduation present...
High school graduation present.

when you get it ask them to hard wire the VDC to stay on at all times.........

Absolutely get the stick. Driving a stick is a fantastic skill that you will keep for life. It's also more personal than an auto. You will get to know your car better because you'll learn how it feels. Tough to describe but you'll understand later. I do suggest you rent a car with a stick first and learn on that as it will save your clutch much abuse. :driving:

Good luck with all this I won't preach practicality to you because it never worked on me either :tiphat:

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Originally Posted by sonic370 (Post 1836080)

when you get it ask them to hard wire the VDC to stay on at all times.........

What does this do?

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Originally Posted by NuffZed (Post 1836306)

Your name is legit. lol :tup:
And i actually think my friends brother is going to teach me in his honda so I will have experience under my belt before actually getting the Z.

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Originally Posted by KingRon (Post 1836345)

What does this do?

sonic is messing with you...basically he's saying dont end up like a few people that have turned VDC off and didnt know how to control the car with it off.