How many like 6MT but cant drive stick?
 

Hey all. I'm still driving my 02' Civic auto. I want to get a base/sports/6MT in black (or red) but i've yet to learn how to drive stick. Anyone else here own or plan on gettin a Z as their first manual transmission car? Are you concerned you'll mess the tranny up? I'd prolly get an auto if it weren't for the syncro rev match lol. Please share your story with me. :)

right now im driving a red 05 rsx base auto and im planning to get a black or white 370z base manual with sport package sometime the end of this year. ive never driven a manual car before but i know how to do it. im not afraid of messing up the tranny. i think i heard somewhere the 370z is probably one of the easiest cars to learn manual. correct me if im wrong haha. i think i might stall out like twice haha. i have friends that let me borrow their cars so i can practice manual. but i dont want to use their cars cause that means ill have to let them use my car and i dont want that. i dont like other people driving my car. im scared they might mess something up or scratch my car or get in an accident haha.

I taught myself on a 96 240sx after years of dirtbikes and 4wheelers. Eventually I got a 350z. I thought this car was very easy to drive. So easy I made my friend who didnt drive manual ever take it out one night with me . He only stalled 2x which I thought was great. Z IMO is a good car to learn on. Dont worry about it, you will be ok.

Do not be afraid. Driving a stick is like anything else: with practice, you will get the hang of it.
Provided, you should have learned to drive a manual before even setting foot in an automatic car's driver's seat :P
I'd try to borrow someone's car (i.e. family member, friend, neighbor you don't like) and practice on their car before dropping 30-40k on something you might not enjoy or be comfortable driving.

Hmm, I'm a huge sportbike enthusiast so I know how to operate a manual transmission but I've only driven a manual transmission car a few times when I was in the desert. :S

I learned manual on my 370z. Your left foot does not have clutch skills at first. Its reflexes that you develop slowly as you go along.

Only way i can really say it is you have to learn how to "caress" the clutch with your left foot.

I have owned the car for a total of 7 Months now, only thing that bothers me still becuase i dont get much practise on is hills. The skill to start slowly up a hill with out jerking foward fast, and then being able to stop smoothly 5 feet after intial movement. I can do it all jerky and jacked up but i want to do it with out rolling or being smooth.

The last thing is, even though I learned how to drive manual, I only know syncro rev. I turn it off and all my shifts are jerky and not smooth. Part of me is saying i should learn with out it, part of me is saying why bother.

Driving a 6spd is not too difficult.I learned years ago on a 5spd, and have never forgotten since. Are you going to track the car, or modify it?

I'm going with th 7spd, because I do a lot of in town driving, and with manuals being so easy these days, its merely a choice of personal preference..

I'm still more for the 6spd for the control, but with autos these days, its getting better for the enthusiast.

I see the next upgrade being DC in future models.

Driving a manual is not difficult once you know what you're doing. Having read how to do it does NOT mean you know how though. The first time you try for real, you'll butcher your car. With time, yes, you'll figure it out. The 370Z isn't the easiest to learn on, but it's doable. An easy car would be a low HP clunker...some kind of budget priced car that comes in a manual solely because it's the cheapest option. Those types of cars will be forgiving with the clutch release and with over-revving. With the 370Z, you can get yourself into some trouble with 332hp and a clumsy pair of feet.

If I had a new 370 and didn't know how to drive manual, I'd go rent a POS manual transmission car for a day and learn on that. 1) it will be cheaper than tranny damage on your 370 and 2) you won't cringe every time you grind a gear or stall.

Learning to drive a stick is really easy IMO. You should pick it up quick. Once you understand the mechanics of it, you just have to do it. I pretty much taught myself on the fly when I borrowed a friends car in highschool lol way back when...

If you do decide to learn to drive stick on the 370z, I would advise doing it with SynchroRev off. Otherwise, its like learning half a skillset for a job...which just won't do.

Not to mention, what will you do if/when you drive a stick car that isn't a 370z? Best to leave the potential embarrassing occurences at home. :p

I learned how to drive manual on my RSX. I remember trying to drive it off the dealer's lot the day I got. Yeah that was a big fail, it was harder than I thought it would be. my dad ended up taking over and showing me the basics. I drove around the block w/ my dad and picked it up decently, or so I thought. The drive home from my dad's was the worst, out of 18 traffic lights 17 of them were red lights... just my luck. I ended up stalling 4-5 times.

Once I got to my apt complex, there's a slight incline at the gate... I stalled the car as soon as I entered in the gate code and I guess I kinda panicked cause I could not get it to move without stalling. At the time I was afraid to give it any gas while the clutch was up so I would pick up the clutch too fast and stall it out (since it would start rolling back). cars behind me started building up and honking lol. luckily my neighbor was one of the cars behind me and saw the paper plates, so he assumed i was just learning how to drive manual. I had to have him drive the car into my complex for me :facepalm:. it was pretty embarassing. that same night I went to an empty parking lot and practiced. Weeks later I had no problems, even on hills. It'll just take a while for your shifts to get smooth once you learn the coordination and feel of the clutch. be patient.

I bought my new Mustang GT without ever having driven stick before. We signed the papers and had the salesman drop me off in a parking lot with the car. I figured it out and drove home. :)

Wow thanks for all the great information guys. I'll definately go with a stick. I recently went for a test drive and brought my mom (luv my mamma!) along with me. I was too nervous to drive a stick Z so I let her take me out for a spin in it lol. First of all, I was shocked she could drive a stick. Secondly, while we took it for a spin around the block we stopped at a couple of red lights. She stalled the thing out twice lol. It made me wonder if stalling the car does any damage to it?

hmm, I been driving auto all my life up until recently bought a 2008 350z fully loaded Manual Trans. Most my friends that live near me drive auto all their life to so no help there. Well, what I did was 2 hrs prior to picking up my car at the dealership. I went on youtube learn how to drive it on there so :driving:. I don't think it really that hard, you may stall your car a few times but you get it. Now i'm driving '09 370z Fully Loaded w/ Nav. just pickup at the dealership wednesday of last week. Good Luck and Happy Manual-ing.

I also plan to buy a 6MT, but have never driven a Manual. None of my family members or friends own one so I have no way to try it.

I don't see an issue learning on a 370z. I do think that the SynchroRev option is a great training wheel, as you don't have jerky downshifts ruining your confidence. So I would probably try to learn manual on the 370 with SR option on, so you get used to how the car should be responding when you downshift. Then go out to a big ol' parking lot or unused stretch of road and practice with SR off.

I wish the US required driving skills tests to be taken in manual cars...

you and I both

Learning stick is easy all you need to do is be dedicated, I learned to drive a manual with my evo and its a hard car to learn stick on. The transmission is notchy the revs goes down really fast because of the AWD and 2nd and 3rd is always jerky unless you slowly let go of the clutch. It took me about a month to get used to it. It's going to be frustrating and embarrasing at first there where days were I wish I bought an automatic, hills is going to be hard at first I suggest get use to the clutch for at least two weeks before you try it out on hills. But man once you learn it you would have so much fun and you won't wanna drive automatics anymore, also suggest that you turn off the synchro rev when you are learning to help you learn how to properly upshift and downshift with the car. Other than that goodluck and don't let anybody bring you down for being a noobie on manual cause everyone has been in your position before.

Stick is all I've ever driven...and what amused me is when I came back from the first test drive the sales manager (not my salesman) actually tried to talk me out of the manual and into an automatic, using the argument that "it was faster". I'm sure the fact that its also more expensive had nothing to do with it.

I learned to drive manual in an 91 S13 240SX coupe. I learned to drive in the parking lot of the used car dealership. I stalled a few times after that, but once I got my SR20det new flywheel and clutch and finished my converstion, I never stalled it again. That car got me HOOKED on MTs...

I'm only 37, but I am amazed at what a foreign concept manual transmissions have become. My father wouldn't let me get my license until I could drive a manual in the city. Of course it used to be possible to get nearly any car on the road with a manual, now they are relegated to some econoboxes and sports cars.

Pretty sure we are twins!

I learned in my SR powered (well it had a KA at the time) '91 S13 in a football stadium parking lot.

for my first car i had a choice of getting a used and somewhat beat up audi a4 auto 1.8t or a very well kept '91 S13 manual. being an idiot, i chose the audi w/ automatic b/c i thought the drive to and from school would be hellish with a manual...goodness how i regret missing out on that s13.

First off I personally think a manual is well worth it especially in a sports car. Stop and Go traffic kinda sucks but its tolerable.

I bought my 280ZX with a manual five speed and didn't know how to drive it so my friend picked it up for me and I practiced by myself for a while. I picked it up pretty quick.

My 280ZX was stollen eight years ago and I hadn't driven a stick for eight years so I felt like I was gonna be starting all over again. I didn't even consider the A7 when I bought the 370Z but I was sweating bullets when I picked her up not having driven stick for eight years. Its like riding a bike though. Drove very cautiously that day and stalled it once on a very steep hill. The next couple of days I was dieing to get through the break in so I could drive it harder. Doesn't take long to get used to driving a stick.

i'm actually planning on leaving for work early when i do finally get a Z. This way i can how to drive stick and avoid the stop and go traffic. The Z will be my daily driver. I commute East on Route 66 every morning so i'll prolly be driving 40miles round trip every day.

^^ You will pick it up quickly, but keep in mind you will not master it by next week...

Probably half of the peeps on here are veteran MT drivers but still learn small things or show minor improvements daily. (I know I am one and have been driving a MT for 7 yrs now)

i must be old,everyone learned manual trans when i was a kid:ughdance:taught my daughter last year,no problem.

If you get nervous on hill takeoffs, just pull up the handbrake, hold the button in, and get your takeoff going and drop the handle. Keeps you from rolling backwards. You'll figure it out :D

or you can reverse heel toe w/ the brake - kinda more risky but do-able LOL

What's up my twin!?!? LOVE the SR!!

You give me hope.. I like this attitude, I hope there are more like yours and manuals will survive in the future.

Syncro rev is way cool, but when you master heel toeing on your own it's also fun and rewarding. You may find you like it doing it without the syncro rev. That is what makes this feature so brilliant.

:iagree: Unless you're loaded with money of course...

Right now my fear is when i shift with out syncro rev its horrible. Honestly i learned how to drive manual rather smoothly, i suspect with out any damage on the transmission. So far i did a total of 2 grinds while attempting to go in reverse up hill, other then that i have been extra nice to the gear box. My fear right now is i will cause damage to my gears trying to shift with out syncro rev.

I need to do alot of research on heel and toe and get the concept down. I want to lean it due to if i get in another manual car i will look real bad lol.

I learned to heal and toe on my Mustangs, which was a PITA with that pedal setup, but I got it down very well. I still know how to do it, but I'd MUCH rather let the computer take care of it. Letting synchro-rev work it's magic allows me to focus on other things and the experience is just as enjoyable.

well with my nismo i did not know how to drive stick but after 4 days and 120 miles later i can drive stick lol

Why?

It's all a matter of preference in this day and age. The automatic will consistently outperform the manual on a day-to-day basis; no one I know can shift up or down faster than the Z's 7-speed automatic. Hell, I don't think Michael Schumacher can do it as smoothly, either.

Don't let anyone talk you into getting one or the other. Get what you want, or you will not be 100% satisfied in the long run. The so-called 'fun-factor' is non-existent for me in a manual transmission car. There's only so much more fun you can get out of rowing through gears. I'd much rather have both hands on the steering wheel and the pedal to the floor.

Oh, and definitely don't listen to those who need to row through gears to justify their manhood; they've already lost. Also, don't listen to those who say that real sports car have sticks. They obviously haven't spoken to F1 racers, Le Mans racers or even the Porsche or BMW auto-x'ers.

Also, I don't understand those that say people should learn to drive in manual transmission cars (or it being required). Matter-of-factly, ten or so years from now - with the evolution of dry-clutch automated manual trannies - manual cars will be a special-order at-cost option, at best. Ford PowerShift in the $15,000 Fiesta is only the beginning. SRM is effectively the beginning of the end for conventional manual transmissions.

The primitive need to row through gears is one that dies in the mid-thirties, believe me. By then, the need for a manual transmission car will be purely economical, not fun-based.

Umm i dont know what you are talking about - mid thirties - I will want to shift for EVER!!!

I dont think i can ever own a car that isnt stick...

On a different note, Girls that can drive stick is a turn-on.

girls that drive a 6mt Z is a turn on, get wood just thinkin bout it, yep.