I need some input ... so talk me into it, or out of it ...

I purchased my G approximately 1 month ago. It is a 2005 OB w/ Tan interior which I love.
It is a 5AT with (at the time of purchase) 57000 miles. The car is loaded minus Nav and Driver Position memory. I purchased for 18.5 ...

In the short time I've owned it I have taken it to the track, and a auto-cross event and ... I've been bitten by the mod bug. I have not made any modifications, yet, but I have been educating myself about the options and I have a list of what I'd like to do. It's the common advised mods, bolt-on for phase 1, and perhaps FI later down the road. I'm not likely going to go to crazy to quickly ... however I believe I'd like to consider the mods that will net me the most gains for road course/track performance, so in my thinking that is gains across the whole rev range, thus a supercharger. Vortech is not an option on the AT ... Even turbo is perhaps a fool errand on the AT?

I realize that I'm limited to some extent by my AT. I know that I would gain more control of the driving experience with the MT and it seems that most gains are to be had, even with the DIY/Bolt-on applications, on the MT cars.

So to satisfy my curosity, I did a search on cars.com around my area to see if any 6MT were even available. I expected to find very few ... and indeed I only found 1. But the dilemma is that I found 1 ... This one.

The car is a 2006 LP 6MT with 29.5 miles. Also loaded, minus the Nav. This one however has Graphite interior. I would keep my wheels (see garage) and replace the stock wheels.

My G is my first ... So admittedly there is a bit of emotional tie to this one in black with the vanilla / tan interior which I love. I was only missing the MT and I would have had the options I wanted had I ordered it new.

So here is where I want to be advised...

1.) Is it feasible, to work a deal so soon after purchasing. Assuming the cars are similar enough (apples to apples) is there a way to do a deal like this. The 06 linked above is a a few thousand higher sticker than I paid ... and I'm guessing that may be stickered high (?) and I can negotiate it down a bit.

2.) Is it insane? I'd really like to hear if anyone has a similar story that can related, and tell a little about their experience doing the deal.

3.) Is it worth it? ... which I expect to hear a resounding Yes! from the community It's a MT after all ...

4.) Should I forget this, not be to concerned of the difference in gains by the mods ... do what I can and hold on to my first G ...

... Seriously, I'd like some input. If it's not this 6MT, perhaps another down the road, this dilemma would be the same...

 

All depends on how much you sell your Current G for and how much you can talk them down on the price for the new one.

But i doubt they budge on the price that much to make it worth it.

 

Who said superchargers don't work on ATs?

You can do whatever you want to the car, you're not going to get seconds faster driving an MT over an AT. Maybe .2.....

Do you want to put in another 8 grand? or save that 8 grand and mod your car with it.

 

Lots of build threads over at my350z, here's mine: http://my350z.com/forum/shop-builds/...turbo-g35.html

You can definitely build up the 5AT. Or the 6MT. It is not cheap though and if you really want to run it on the track, the costs are multiplied. Much cheaper to run 300 whp at the track vs. 500-600. Research the threads and see if you can stomach the journey.

 

lol ... I'm laughing at myself because just reading your reply, made me realize I'm sort of splitting hairs here.

I didn't mean to imply the SC wouldn't work, silly me, my last car had one in fact. I was to narrow focused on the Vortech, which seems to be a popular choice if you can spend the money, which is only for MTs. Again splitting hairs there.

And as you said ... it's not likely to be car lengths difference if the race is simply between AT vs MT.

You also make a great point, 8k into the car, or for another ...

 

Impressive, thanks for the post and link. I'll do some more reading on AT builds. If you have, in mind, any other build posts that would be a good read, I'd very much appreciate being pointed to them. And if/when that adventure comes my way, I may look you up if that's cool.

I have a affinity for gadgets too, I saw someone commented on that ... lol ... I may very well have to look for a OEM nav system to put back in!

 

Something else to consider is the 6% sales tax you'll get to pay on the new car. That's about $1400 on top of the purchase price for the new car, $1400 you could spend on an upgraded 5AT. Financially, it makes almost no sense to buy it, but if you can afford it and really must have a 6MT ...

EDIT: OEM Nav is a pain in the a$$. Besides the Nav purchase and install, you need to replace one of the main wiring harnesses to get it to work correctly. Better off buying an aftermarket system.

 

I have to agree with the opinion of those who say keep your current car. It doesn't make sense financially to trade the one you have. Keep the money you would have spent and put it back into your current car.

If you get the urge to control the shifting, just push your shifter to the right and got to town with the manumatic. It's not the same as a true MT, but it still is fun!!

 

Having read the previous posts apparently you already have your answer and agree with their opinions. Now go start modding your G and have fun....
Gary

 

"The car is a 2006 LP 6MT"

What color is this??

 

The cheapest car is the one you own. ANYTIME you trade in or buy at a dealer, you'll lose money. A private sale for both cars is the only way for you to come close to breaking even.

We have essentially the same car. I take mine to the track as much as I can and just use the shiftable auto mode. I've added a plenum spacer and wheels. Short of going FI or adding exhaust, I think those are the best mods for the $$.

 

Yeah my impulsive side has calmed down a bit ... All the points made are spot on and I'm seeing that.


@ OBG3506: LP = Liquid Platinum

 

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=liquid+platinum+G35

 

No problem - anytime. And that's not a stock NAV system. My car came with no NAV. (It's a DigitalWheelz early model touchscreen for use w/ a carPC).

The other option that some have taken is a 6MT conversion if you're dying to go back to a stick shift. I've heard prices range from $6k to $10k depending on location, but you get a top of the line clutch as part of the deal. That said, unless you're drifting, I think it's a step backwards for FI. The 5AT makes it so much easier to manage the power. For road racing, I'd give the nod to the 6MT because the 5AT reliability for that application is not well established. For drag racing, I believe the vast majority of drivers will make better, more consistent times with an automatic. For the street, the 5AT will walk away most every time compared to 6MT cars with more power.

And there's many threads on 6MT failures though I think the latest revision (CD009 I believe) is doing better. Ahhh look, here's one on the first page of threads that is current:

https://g35driver.com/forums/drivetr...nsmission.html (One of the reasons I decided to test drive the 5AT was that I was worried about the 6MT with all the negative press on the 'net in late 04 - and things didn't get better for a couple years after that so be wary of used models).

Oh yes, the Vortech works on the 5AT.

 

Vortech + 5AT works just fine. Just get the valve body upgrade and a tranny cooler and your good to go. Shoot, if you like using the manual mode, get the valve body upgrade now. It feels like a whole new transmission.

I've been boosted with the vortech for almost a year now with no tranny problems.