hey guys im looking into getting a new car, right now i have a 98 honda accord coupe v6 (no flaming please!) and after a lot of thought ive decided im gonna drop the honda name and go nissan. i had thought about an RSX-S but im really gonna want to stay N/A so i think the g35 is the best option, plus im 6'3" and really want to stay with a coupe and the g35 is larger than the RSX...now this will only be my 2nd car and my honda now is auto...my gf had a mt that she let me play around with every now and then so im not a total noob when it comes to driving stick and ive dirtbiked for a while so i know how to shift and what not...but how is the clutch on the g35? forgiving or will i need a new clutch by the time ive perfected my shifting?

thanks for the help

 

i wouldnt recommend it. I dont think G35 coupe clutches are more forgiving than others when learning how to drive.

Im about 6'1 and I have lots of headroom in this car. youll love it. I think you should learn to drive a manual on a cheaper car in all honesty.

 

G35 clutch is very unforgiving, I practiced on one for a bit and the engage point is very small. From what I hear honda's and VW's are the best to learn on.

 

so i was buying an 05, i had about a week to learn stick, i practiced on a friends scion, but then he got his license taken away for not showing up to court or something (i was driving really slowly and then he said he would drive for a minute, and was showing off alittle bit as to how easy it is to drive stick - that's when he got pulled over). So then i got an echo for like 20 bucks a day, and my dad drove it at first, and he said the clutch was goin already, and then i drove it for a while, until the clutch died and the rentacar place took money off the car and gave me another echo.

Anyway, i was driving the echo really really well, and then i got my brand new g35 and couldn't drive it for sh*t - well at least not dead start on a hill. The new clutch had a sweet spot really low to the ground, the flywheel is heavy as **** and rpms drop really quick. once the clutch broke in, it was a lot easier to drive, but then i also got better at driving it, but other people with experience told me that the car was a lot easier to drive after a while.

Now i drive the car pretty well in day to day situations, but i'm still trying to get the hang of heel toeing. I can rev match fine but holding the brake at the same time is hard for me. I would also like to learn to powershift, but I'm afraid of hurting my baby.

 

its one of the hardest manual's to drive from what i hear. I dont have a lot of cars to compare it to, but my parents cant drive my car and every other car ive ever driven that was stick has been MUCH more forgiving than my car (m3, wrx, modified wrx with new clutch, maxima, civic, and accord are the only ones i can think of)

 

well what do u guys think of the idea of me renting a car for a week or so, i was thinking about that but i wasnt sure if rental places have manuals...and what if i fry the clutch, r they gonna make me pay for it or can i just say it was going already? i mean as long as i can get the hang of getting into first easily (which i feel is the hardest part) i think id be ok

and say i dont get the mt, do u think the g35 is even worth the 30k+ if its not stick?

 

My G was my first manual and I had very little experience with a manual beforehand. I was able to learn the clutch fairly fast and still learning. I dont think you will kill the clutch just from trying to learn it. It is usually the result of driving the car hard, not from trying to learn the clutch. Get the 6MT!!


~Khoa

 

Definately get the 6MT. Especially if that's what you want. If you were to get the AT, I guarantee you will regret it because it's not what you really wanted. As far as the clutch, it's definately not as easy to learn as other cars. It took me a day or so to get used to how high mine grabs. I've had the car for 7 days now and I'm fine. My dad had a hard time with it and he's been driving sticks longer than I have. My last stick was my Camaro SS and that car practically drove itself and it took nothing to get used to it...definately a change when going to this clutch. I don't know if I'd want to learn on the G. I'd probably find another car to learn on, but I don't think you'll hurt it if you do. After a day or two you'll get the hang of it and it won't even be a worry anymore.

 

Get the MT, IMO you cannot under any circumstance have even a remotely sporty car with an auto!

I have pretty much only driven MTs, and the G is very unforgiving. My friends who also drive MTs still have toruble when first trying to shift this car. I would recommend getting a cheap rental car thats MT if you can find one to learn on.

Good luck!

 

i tried callin some local rental places and they all said that they dont rent manual transmissioned cars for the exact reason that i want one (though i didnt say i wanted it for that purpose) so im really not sure what route to take...it seems some of u say it was simple to learn and others say ill hurt the car by getting it without knowing how to drive it...

 

I got my 05 6mt with maybe 2hrs mt experience in my life total ... was driving around without problems after first couple of days, now after 3k miles its second nature. Yea the engagement point is short and this trans may be unforgiving, but it was way easier for me than I thought. Just get it dude ... it aint no big deal ... and since you have some experience driving mts its not going to be hard (Just remember to keep your cool when you first get it and possibly stall). I first got the auto 03 5AT G and I regreted it and got the MT, dont make the same mistake I did! GO 6MT!!

 

i learned on mine in about 24 hrs. I only stalled it once and never again, I havent stalled it in over 2 years. If you understand the concept before you start learning then you should be fine. I personally knew the concept and had taught my sister to drive stick when I was 15 becuase in my head I knew what I was doing. (Ive also had dirtbikes and 4 wheelers). Once you find the engadgement point in the clutch you will be fine.



Matt