As much as the car seems like a nice smooth start is impossible you will figure it out in short order. My test drive was down right embarassing, but now days if I am in town I can easily drive smoothly..

On a freeway ramp, hang on because I need to get up to speed and all bets are off on how smooth this will be.

auto is smooth as butter. i use it to shift from 1 to 2 from standstill then pop it in M, and when i come to a light I let it down shift for me for smoothness. 95% of the time I'm in M

... lot more than you realize. 7 speed paddle shifting is fun :tup:

A manual can't shift smoother and faster than an auto.

The clutch feel of the Z is not the best: if you read the threads there is a spring modification that helps for some. I did it on mine and it made the clutch a bit more progressive but still nothing as smooth as any of my other cars I have owned (200SX, Integra, WRX, SI hatch, Cayman) nor the other cars I have driven such as BMWs and such.

That said, I hop between the Z, WRX and Cayman weekly and it just takes some getting used to and its quite driveable. Don't rush the 1-2 is my suggestion.

The 7sp auto is a very good tranny for a slushbox style auto, nothing wrong with driving one of those at all. Me, I prefer my sports cars with a manual. I prefer all my cars with a manual unless I have a horrible traffic filled commute...then there is the commuter :)

The miata is a well balanced roadster: power is nothing without control. Something to be said for being 500+ lb lighter. If you can't go fast with 90 HP...900 HP won't help.

- b

I have one of each and know exactl;y what you're saying. I solved the problem by buying a 370Z with automatic transmission. It's much more comfortable and I still enjoy driving the 5 spd manual Miata, too!

:iagree:

After removing the clutch helper spring assembly entirely I fell in love with driving the car again. That spring causes nothing but problems.

Removing the spring altogether gives you so much pedal feedback and actually makes driving the 6MT effortless. When I removed mine and took it for a spin it was similar to driving my old Civic Si. The clutch operation with the gearing felt so much better.

I need to buy this spring thing!

Give the Auto a try
 

Before making a final decision, test drive the Auto.

I drove Manuals my whole life, and when I decided to get a Z, I naturally assumed I would get a Manual. Test drove the Auto and loved it. When I jump on it, the Auto will redline before shifting so I get plenty of acceleration.

Every once in awhile I play around with the paddle shifters. if I want to pretend I am driving in a video game:icon17:

Whatever you decide, dont let the salesman push you into a vehicle you dont want. Of course he wanted to sell you that car, it was the one he had on the lot.

Don't even buy the spring. Just take the OEM spring out and give it a try. You'll probably find that you love it and will end up saving yourself $15 or so for a new spring.

A friend gave me a spring for free... yes, it is a lot better than stock... but no spring at all is best. Verify you like it, then remove the entire assembly.

Don't be surprised if you shed a tear or two, especially when you realize you could have spent the last 4 years with clutch feel if you did it right when you bought the car.

Every bit of this. My spring was removed 36 hours after I bought it. Night and day difference. Don't let that be the reason you don't buy the car, or buy the auto if you really want the manual.

I think while the Z manual fulfills the habitual void of needing to drive the manual.
The auto in manual mode actually provides the performance expectations you'd exprect from the manual without the clutch.
While manual is the rush to gearbox for most enthusiasts... From my test drives of the manual, I think Nissan got it backward on the Z. The auto responds better. :tiphat:

But you can always try mustangs solution as well

Wait, you can be in 2nd at a standstill? At the risk of hijacking someone else's thread, pray tell how this magic occurs, because I want this!

(This is *one* reason I prefer my older car in the winter, because I can bump it up to 2nd at a standstill.)

With the helper spring removed the transmission actually feels good. Since you can feel the pressure plate operation you can work the transmission correctly and consistently. With the OEM helper spring it's really clunky and cumbersome, but I think that can be attributed to the total lack of feel from the clutch. There's a lot of guessing involved so shifts and starts are almost always rough and never consistent.

With the helper spring removed, however, transmission operation is delightful. It's not as smooth and sweet as an S2000, but it is, dare I say, a pretty good transmission. Nissan just went and f*cked it up by adding a completely unnecessary helper spring.