Over the last two weeks I have been totally satisfied with my new '06 5AT with the sport package, but today I made a big mistake and went car shopping with my dad. He and I went to the local Porsche dealer and test drove a Cayman S.

That car was absolutely amazing. I have never driven a car that stirred my senses quit as much a the Porsche. My G feels very disconnected in comparison. The saving graces of the G are that it will carry my two small boys and I didn't have to get a second job to make the payments.

In reality i'm still very happy with my Infiniti. It offered the best bang for the buck for me in the sport sedan class. I'm sure the G will keep putting a smile on my face for a long time.

On a another positive note it looks like my dad is going to buy the Porsche. He is also considering the Corvette ZO6, but I think the Porsche just fit him better.

Kevin

 

No doubt the Cayman S is an awesome car...but it's a crying shame about the lack of LSD (yeah yeah, I've heard all the reasons).

Are there any aftermarket LSD options yet?

 

If you would have bought the 6MT g35 you wouldn't be saying you're bored. I have driven a few AT loaners and they are quite tame by comparison

 

Next to the Cayman S, I quite disagree (you would still feel bored).....It's all relative. I love my G, but it's going up for sale to make room for a Charger SRT8. Drive one of those back to back with the MT G and tell me if your opinion is still the same.......you'll have a whole new respect for autos

 

Got to stick up for those of us living in traffic hell driving a 5AT....your assertions are not bourne out on the track where the AT's clearly keep up or exceed 9 out of 10 times. And we don't deal with broken tranny's and sucky clutches either.

 

Too expensive for me. If I have $60k, I would go for BMW 550i.

 

Not married a week and already lookin' at pr0n... Shame, Shame...

 

I originally planned on buying the 6MT, but after test driving it back to back with the 5AT I changed my mind. The biggest reason was lack of foot room in the 6MT. I could not find a comfortable place for my left foot to rest due to the shape of the clutch arm. Also, with the local traffic issues the AT seemed like a more logical choice. I would never consider the Cayman S for a daily driver, but it would make an awesome second car.

Kevin

 

considering that the cayman is $35,000 more than my sedan it better be thrilling. As for the charger, nice car if you only drive in strait lines. Now granted I have not driven a Charger but I have driven a 300c SRT. the acceleration is great but it's a huge heavy car and you really feel that when you hit the twisties. The Charger SRT is going to sell for at least 10K more than a G which would buy you quite a few goodies for G

Traffic is a non issue with the 6MT. I commute almost 30 miles a day in heavy traffic and don't mind the 6mt, if fact I feel morein control. one thing I hate about the AT is that it shifts into second right about the time traffic slows down cuasing me to have to hit the brakes again.

DaveB always complains about the reliability of the tranny. I have 32K hard mile on mine with no problems. I rarely hear about blown trannies. if it was truly a problem, then you would be hearing about them grenading left and right

 

Well, not to argue, cause I like the G a lot. But here was my rational....I wanted to do some serious upgrades to the G (and I was close). Due to the limited mods available to our car, the only two that would give me the power I was looking for were FI and nitrous. So 7K right off the bat. Upgraded wheels and tires about 3K. Upgraded stereo and nav add 2k (nothing crazy here). Big brakes on all four corners about 5K. And even if I went FI, I'm not too sure I could have achieved the SRT's 425 stock hp. Then, of course, toss in the warranty issue.

Oh, and FWIW, the SRT will do more than beat a G straight line. It will also out slalom and out brake it as well. So you may not be used to the weight difference, but that's a driver thing. Once you learn it, the SRT is faster in the twisties, not slower.

I leave the G with nothing but praise. But it turns out, for me, to come up a little short of the performance that I was hoping for. That's all.

 

Not in manual mode. Engine braking is excellent and you can creep along in second without having to worry about a clutch.

It isn't just DaveB. The majority of gripes you read about here (from 6MT owners themselves) reference the faults of the clutch connecting the 6MT to the driver. Burnt clutches, stuck clutches, worn clutches, noisy clutches, vibrating clutches - name it. I think there are two or three threads (same old same old) about this going right now.

Granted, most of the folks bring problems on themselves, but there are a few self-proclaimed 'experts' that admit the clutch ain't the greatest. I drove the 6MT and weighed it against the daily grind it would be living in, then considered the countless 'crappy clutch' threads I'd read here. Factor in a wife that can drive a manual just fine but really didn't want to in this car, and I went 5AT. I don't regret it.

What I don't understand is the attitude of the 6MT guys (not all - just a few) that swear that:

1 - they can put bus lengths on a 5AT when in fact the difference between the two cars usually comes down to who is behind the wheel
2 - they are more of an enthusiast because they bought a 6MT without considering the experience or other cars the 5AT may own or have owned

Both are great cars. On the dragstrip with equal drivers the 6MT will likely win the majority of the races. On the track, it could go either way. Being 'connected' to the car is relative to the driver. Just because someone doesn't agree doesn't make them wrong or you right, or vice versa.

With the extra 20HP in the 05s, you'd think the performance difference would be more significant.

 

I agree w/ you GeeWillikers.... gotta love when people pull the "mine is bigger than yours". First it the coupe owners saying their car is superior than us sedan owners............now it's the 6MT's are better than the 5 AT's..........whatever. We all chose our car for many reasons. I used to drive a manual car, but knowing my wife doesn't drive stick, I went w/ the 5AT & am very happy with it due to the manumatic mode. If there were no manumatic, maybe it'd be a different story...but I sure don't miss driving stick one bit.

And Shodog, I highly doubt that he'd be thinking otherwise if he owned a 6MT....I mean...come on.......... are you serious?

 

I (we) got a MT just because it's fun. We haven't had a stick in many years. I don't abuse them and it will last a long time. I'll get better mileage too. But, when it comes to the "nut cuttin'", it was the fun factor for us.

 

The Charger and the G35 are very different cars. The SRT is more of a 4 door muscle car and the G35 is more of a entry level sport sedan. I'll take the comfort, reliability and resale value of the G35. I also think the G35 is the better looking car from any angle, the SRT is a bit over the top for my taste as a daily driver. I've thought about picking up a 05/06 Mustang in a few years for about half the sticker price as a second car...unless gas prices continue to rise.

Were you the member looking at the SRT Jeep a few weeks back? If so, I can't imagine you'll have your G much longer. It seems the need for more muscle will never leave you happy in the G35.

 

Wow. It's amazing how a thread about a Cayman can very quickly degenerate into an AT vs. manual thread. Funnier still is how EVERY f-cking car forum has these exact same auto vs. manual threads repeating the exact same b-llsh!t.

The auto vs. manual debate is almost as pointless as Cabinetman's point about the Cayman making his G seem boring. It damn well should considering it's a $60K mid-engine sports car!

Cabinetman, if you really expected your G would somehow be similar to or be able to hold its own vs. the Cayman in terms of performance, your expectations were simply unrealistic. However, I have a solution for you. Go test drive a Ford Club Wagon full size van. When you come back to your G sedan, it'll feel like you're driving a Carrera GT!