I know this is probably the biggest noob question of all time but here it goes.

How long would you say it takes to get very good at stick shift? I have driven stick once (in greece in a rental car for 2 days) and I felt very uncomfortable doing it. Does this feeling go away? Is the 6MT that much better than the 5At It would be a daily driven car but not in traffic that often. Also once you do get used to it, does it get annoying and troublesome?

Thanks

 

6mt are more fun to drive and is said to out perform the 5AT..

It will only get annoying and troublesome while in traffic... If u live in an area with traffic i would get a AT.. my .02

 

get what you like. driving a manual is like anything else you want to get good at, it takes practice. the 1-2 shift is the hardest and it takes awhile to get completely smooth. you'll get comfortable with it after a couple months or so depending on your natural ability. it's hard to say exactly when you'll be comfortable. it's only troublesome if you don't have a bluetooth headset for your cell phone or if you're trying to eat or something in the car. and you shouldn't be on the phone anyway while driving, and definitely not eating in the g, maybe in a civic. also the shifter and shifting gets in the way if your gf is trying to give you a bj while you're driving. jk

 

this will prob turn into a battle of guys presenting 0-60 times and saying the 5AT is only .1-.2 seconds slower than the 6mt and that with an auto you have another hand free for other things... ...but honestly..its all about the driving experience you are looking for. I drove an automatic for 4 years before deciding to get the G in stick. I am so glad that I did. Not only do you have complete control over the car, and get the rewarding feeling of being one with the car (vibrating shifter..depressing the clutch..putting the stick into the gate..) it really livened up my driving experience. I had fun driving my car before..but the G in stick just makes it that much more fun to go out and drive. I basically learned to drive stick on the G. it plain out sucked at first..but within 2 weeks you are driving just fine. its now been months and its seriously second nature. Theres really nothing more that brings a smile to my face besides taking the G out and driving very "spirited" and shoving the shifter in gear. It becomes a challenge to see how well you can shift even. Traffic has not bothered me as I dont live in an innercity. I love being able to pop it into neutral and go down hills too.
Do not let the fear of learning stick deter you from getting the G in stick. it will be well worth your while

 

Well said. If you want the FULL driving experience the G35 has to offer, get it in 6MT. You will not regret it one bit once you have mastered a manual transmission.

 

Does the shift shock go away once you get alot better? Another thing I am worried about is that im going to stall it at very bad times and get into an accident.

 

Honestly, I never get the problem in traffic thing. I drive a manual in Houston through rush hour traffic and it doesn't bother me. I guess if you get easily irritated it could be annoying. As far as performance goes, automatic transmissions are way beyond what they used to be; you won't really notice anything except on the track being able to pick your gear better and not dealing with the shifting lag present in the manumatic. I just enjoy driving manual moreso than automatic. It's not hard to learn and you will feel comfortable with it fairly quickly.

Also, smoothness comes with practice.

 

this was my first mt so i know how you feel...i would say give it one week and you won't be uncomfortable driving it...one month and you'll be good...it took

me about one month to start heal toeing (front of foot on brake, heal of foot on gas) when downshifting...i drove my friends 06 g35 AT and i just wanted

to get back into my car...6mt's feel faster, you have total control and you're one with the car...i used to drive my car through bad traffic everyday on l.a.

freeways and it didnt bother me one bit...if i had to make the decision again it would be the same...manual all the way

 

i don't remember how long it takes to get comfortable but it doesn't take long at all. when I drive stick now I don't even think about it unless it's a new car and I'm trying to learn the new ratios and RPMs.

I would recommend get a stick if you like spirited driving and drive more aggressive than the average person. Nothing like grabbing a gear and taking off and not having to wait for the computer to figure out to down shift.

Having said that however if I was limited to one car I would buy an auto. But I wouldn't have bought a G coupe if it was my only car.

 

I live in Los Angeles and have to deal with traffic everyday. it took me awhile, but i ended up going w/ the 5AT, and i still love my car. i just thought that mt would annoy the hell out of me in traffic.
but thats jmo.
if you think it would bother you in traffic, then get the 5AT, otherwise go w/ the 6mt. learning to drive stick is not that hard. i learned in a day, and it wasn't too bad. u just have to get used to it, like all the guys above have already said.

 

I live in LA, and i dont mind driving mt in traffic...
Once you get good, you leanr to judge the traffic and pretty much you use gas and brake, you hardly have to get out of gear while in traffic.

 

Imo...Either you can or cant drive stick.!! Bottom line.Either youre good or you suck.!!! That just mho though..

 

I agree with you 100%!!!
I've been driving stick for about 13 years now! (I started driving when I was 15). I'm 28 years old now and I am originally from Brazil. Automatic cars are EXTREMELY expensive there. Most people that drive automatic cars in Brazil are either handicapped or rich. (I'm serious!)
As it's been said above, either you are good or you suck!! I'm very comfortable driving stick and YES... it is a lot more fun.
However, I drove an automatic g35 sedan a couple of months ago (courtesy dealer car) and I just loved it!!!!!!!! You can put it on "manual" mode and change gears at the desired RPM. I will be very honest with all you guys, the car becomes a lot more responsive and the gear is changed very smoothly. That was my first experience with an automatic car with tiptronic transmission. If I could go back in time, I would have bought a 5at G35 instead of the 6MT. It is not as fun to drive, but the tiptronic transmission is just awesome!!!!!

 

Now, Thats a guy who knows cars. You drive both and judge.
I love MT and went to buy one. I ended buying 5 AT.
The MT on the G35 is not smooth, vibrate, and feels detached IMO.Unlike MT on rx7 or porsche.
Again drive both back to back and go with what you feel right for you.

 

If u have second thoughts that it will get tiring and troublesome then go for 5AT, but if u search a lot of AT drivers are trading in for 6MT and i haven't seen anyone go from 6MT to 5AT yet. U will get good at stickshift in matter of months in terms of smooth shifting, but as far as fast shifting it will take more than a year.