when we said it was unforgiving, i think that everyone was more talking about after 1st gear. I agree that this car is INCREIDBLY easy to get moving from a stop and not stall out. I just think that after that the car is very unforgiving and will be a very uncomfortable ride for passengers and yourself. It took me probably a week or so before i wasnt embarrassed to have passengers in the car with me. I stalled out at some stops for about 2-3 days (probably 5 times first day 2 the 2nd and 1-2 the 3rd day).

they are right about the 6mt having incredible amounts of control over the AT. I dont know how to explain it. U can control how much pickup u will have (cruising in 3rd gear at 5k rpm's if u are about to pass someone instead of 5th at 1800rpms). If u have to go about 50 feet before stopping again like in a neighborhood or something... u can keep the car in 1st gear or something and not really have to use ur brakes much. Just little things like that that make u feel you are in control of your car. In an AT it will downshift if u step on it.... but this is delayed a second. In an MT u can actually downshift before u need it if u want... putting u a few seconds ahead of the downshift int he AT...... its also a nice excuse when my mom calls or some girl calls to be able to be like "OMG i gotta shift gears cant talk gotta go." haha i pull that one everytime my mom calls because she talks forever! I dont eat or drink in my car, dont smoke in the car, and only talk on my cell phone a little bit (dont have conversations) while driving..... so its not a big deal for multitasking. It's easy to talk on the phone and drive an MT too really... just holding the phone with ur shoulder and head. My mom made a joke when iw as getting the car that when she drove her MT cars it was kinda a pain for her... she couldnt smoke a cig, drink a beer, and drive at the same time. (it was OBVIOUSLY a joke to her 16 year old son...) she also said she couldnt imagine how i was gonna drink, smoke, and talk on the cell phone. those are the only reasons i wouldnt get an MT tho. Traffic isnt a big deal to me. When im in traffic i just dont keep it in gear.. cause that DOES get annoying. I just take my time and throw it in neutral when im stopping and give me left leg a little rest.

2004 Black on Black g coupe 6spd.... aluminum pedals, clear corners, z tube, and pop charger. soon to have 19" volk gt-c's and PIAA xtreme whites in the clearance and corners
Houston Texas

 

I bought this auto for controle. Control over when I want to shift (MM-mode) and when I don't want to shift (D-mode). The auto can control engine speed just the same. The difference is the clutch and the more direct shift in the manual. I like shifting, I like shifting with a clutch better especially when I am not in rush hour traffic. You should make a choice based on your own personal preference- don't let your decision really be someone elses or you may be unhappy.
I agree though that the G is not a car that I would want to LEARN how to shift in.

2003.5 G35C 5AT
Premium Package
Tire/Wheel Package
K&N Filter, Z-Tube, EGK

 

I grew up on MT and had been forced to drive an AT Audi (wife's hand me down) for a few years. I was quite happy to just hop in my coupe MT (didn't even get to drive one at the dealer in MT form) and get moving without much fan fare. I've driven lots of MT cars (did valet parking in college many years ago) and the G is a breeze compared to many, many cars...try an old porsche where you need over developed left legs to push that clutch in!

There are certainly advantages both ways. The argument is valid I would say that with MT you do have to pay more attention to what the engine is doing, which does focus your attention on what the heck is going on with the car. Whereas with an AT it is far to easy to just concentrate on steering. I'll say this....if you are a chronic cell phone addict DO NOT buy an MT....you'll kill yourself or worse somebody else. If you like the sporting side of driving then consider an MT. If you concentrate more on the cars looks, have more stop and go, and like to drive more casually then consider an AT. Having come back to MT I forgot how much I missed the control...nothing like getting to rev the engine a little at a light to chirp the tires a bit...have to throw it in Neutral with an AT which seems a bit strange just to rev....

Honestly my 1st MT honda civics (82 and 91) were harder to drive than the G MT. I'm impressed with how I can start the car in 3rd gear (yes, even an experienced MT guy has found himself in the wrong gear on occasion) and get rolling just fine. I've had good experience even with bumper to bumper by using either 1st or 2nd, depending on how traffic is flowing. The engine/transmission are surprisingly smooth IMO for using the clutch to get moving from a stop. Just take it slow to start and you practically don't even have to give the engine any gas....it will pull you forward even from idle speed from my experience.

Would I want to learn stick on the G? Well....I could think of plenty of cars that would be worse and the G seems to be more foregiving when I haved stalled in that its not a bucking bronco experience. I'd take the car out to an empty parking lot for an hour and just practice starting/stopping/parking in to a spot/backing up, etc. The key is go slow and don't rush releasing the clutch until you get the feeling of where the release point is on this car.

The best thing you can do is get out and get more experience with an MT. Its only learning that's keeping you from making the choice to go MT IMO. On this car I think the right transmission for sport driving is the MT. The AT is definitely nice but I think some is left on the table since you can't exercise all of the cars abilities IMO.

That's my 3 cents...

3 kids, 1 wife....1 DG/Willow G Coupe.....what more could I need?

 

Well... I am in the same situation as many. I picked up my G MT a couple days ago and I learned how to drive stick about a week prior to pick up. As you guess, I stalled like crazy. Four the first day... highway only with some stop lights and signs. Second day, nine times, in local roads. Third day was significantly less but I rode the clutch more... has a small burnt smell but you can barely notice it. The car has it's disadvantages and advantages. Like what G35C2B said, you can move on idle. Just release clutch till slippage and it'll move. I tried doing that on a Civic SI, and 96 Maxima... it doesn't do so. But the disadvantages are that, it's hard to shift from gear to gear without having the car jerk. I am still having a lil trouble with releasing the clutch smoothly and gassing at the same time. Still used to driving a damn auto. Anyways, that's my story... now time to go out and drive on some hills to practice =)

'04 <font color=white>Ivory Pearl</font color=white> G35 coupe 6MT Fully Loaded /w Navigation
Brooklyn, NY

 

my G was the first MT car I've owned and I had no practice driving a MT prior to the purchase in November last year.
I think it was the worst during the first week....stalling a few times and jerky ride....I was always self-conscious about my driving and felt embarrassed whenever I had a noticeably rough shifting/driving.
for about a month or so, there had been quite a few times I had regrets buying a MT instead of an AT.
my commute is usually a little more than an hour from Anaheim to Pasadena (about 42 miles each direction) and it's typically bumper-to-bumper....not pretty at all.
I sweated a lot in my hands while driving because I was almost always nervous and busy trying to figure out what needed to be done next.
but you know what....it was alright.
it wasn't something impossible.
I used to avoid hills and traffic lights, but it was all doable.
in fact, I was always too much concerned about messing up the trans or burning the clutch, so I tried too much to avoid driving aggressively....and that didn't help me much because I couldn't try different things to get the feel for the MT and get used to it.
now several months have passed and I'm alright to drive my G.
I even give a good run against other nice cars (330's, is300's, 540's, A4 3.0's...) at times.
by the way, I don't think those cars are slow like some people say....it's usually a few car length difference....doesn't seem to be a blow out IMO, but it can be subjective.
what I'm trying to say is that I'm pretty much happy with the decision I made for a MT.
even if this is your very first MT car without having any prior experiences driving one, you'll pick it up in time.
just be smart and cautious about driving too aggressively just because you're driving an awesome car.
if you can manage yourself to get used to the normal driving first and then try the cool stuff later, I think you and your G will be just fine.
hope this helped.

'04 G35 Coupe DG/G 6MT
Prem & Aero Pkgs

 

I've driven manual for years, and I think the enjoyment driving without traffic more than makes up for the stop and go work commutes that most of us have to endure. The clutch is heavy compared to other cars that I have driven, but there is nothing wrong with doing one legged presses while stuck in traffic Get a beater or rent a car with manual transmission to get the hang of it. Don't expect to be able to drive the G without stalling it a couple of times the first day - I did. Even though the engine is powerful, the clutch grabs early and quickly. Just pause at the friction point and apply a bit of gas - and off you go.


04 G35 Coupe Silver M6 - stock for now ...

 

Question.... at what RPM's do you guys keep the car at (static... keeping the needle there with gas as RPM's drop) when shifting into first. I keep burning the damn clutch. I smell it, it's horrid. I try different things but it's jerky, maybe my clutch release isn't as smooth on the RPM's higher than 1k.... *shrugs. But only when I burn it, does it go smoothly into first. I got the timing on the gear shifts from 2-6... the instant right before it catches... just add a little gas. Timing is a lil off though someitmes when I'm not paying attention. Anyways, a tip would be nice! Thanks =)

'04 <font color=white>Ivory Pearl</font color=white> G35 coupe 6MT Fully Loaded /w Navigation
Brooklyn, NY

 

Let the clutch up just enough for it to begin grabbing and then pause - add a bit of gas < 1K, and then let the clutch up the rest of the way. Should result in a smooth launch that is also easy on the clutch.

04 G35 Coupe Silver M6 - stock for now ...

 

one other great thing about MT is that they tend to stay fun longer, imho. i maybe biased cause of 7 cars i have owned, 6 were MT. the reason i say this tho is that even after driving any car for a while and getting a bit bored with them, it never failed to make me smile when hitting it hard, downshifting to 2nd, taking a right hand corner hard, and pounding the gas. ))

2004 TB Coupe 6MT

 

one of the hardest things initially was to put the right amount of gas when launching.
if a little too much gas was applied, then the RPM gauge would shoot up.
if a bit too little gas was applied, then the car would shudder.
you just need to practice and get used to apply the right amount of gas....it's not as forgiving as an AT.
good luck!

Beegoi....you keep the RPM under 1k at launch?

'04 G35 Coupe DG/G 6MT
Prem & Aero Pkgs<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by maruchi on 07/19/04 05:14 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

Great! Thanks for the tip, I'll make sure to try it first thing tomorrow

'04 <font color=white>Ivory Pearl</font color=white> G35 coupe 6MT Fully Loaded /w Navigation
Brooklyn, NY

 

I can keep it 1K or below most of the time. My car's idle rpm barely reads on the tach.

04 G35 Coupe Silver M6 - stock for now ...

 

I'm right there with you, only a few steps ahead. Got my 6MT on Friday afternoon. Only drove about 20 min in my friend's 300zx. Do I suck, yeah. But am I getting better, yeah. Only 137 miles on her. And it is fun as hell. Still affraid of those hills though.

My advice to you is if you don't have traffic to deal, and I'm lucky enough not to, then there is no question. But if you do, then it's a matter of how easily annoyed you are.

Either way you go, you'll love the looks you get drivin' around in one of the sweetest cars around.

6MT DG/DG, aero, nav, premium = hotness

 

it depends on what your daily drive is. i go to two offices. one office, it is hit or miss whether i am in stop and go highway traffic. other office it is a pleasurable highway drive.

your call.

04 6mtC, DG - possibly most babied G on the board.