Does anyone know how many 07 and 08s were sold with 6MT? Just curious.

It's a shame the Q50 isn't offered with the manual transmission(at least not in the US.)

 

hummm ... I thought the percentage of 6MT are low ... maybe 5%?

 

^^ Yep, IIRC when I ordered my '07, the guy who processed the actual order for the dealership told me that the 6MT's only accounted for 4-5% of G35 sales nationwide.

I see more and more car makers are completely phasing out manual transmissions in the future. I plan to keep my 6MT for a good long time, as there may not be a ready replacement available when I want to upgrade.

 

sad that new Ferrari, Porsche GT3, or the Turbo only offers with dual clutch

(not that I am going to own any of them .. LOL)

 

i wouldn't call it sad..it's faster and better. People need to get with the program lol

 

And I'm going to take a wild guess that you are under 30 years of age . . . am I right?

 

Faster doesn't always mean better. Though with the G35's clutch engagement it didn't help win people over.

 

I think 6MTs in a little roadster will always be around or atelast offered. IMO in a car like that, it makes more sense than any other type of vehicle.. super cars are all about numbers, and those numbers just cant be made with a manual.

 

I don't know how many were sold, but I know they are hard to find used and I had to drive 2 states or 300 miles to get mine simply because it was the closest one to me (and it seemed to be what I was looking for). I remember the days when I drove a 1975 Pontiac LeMans (350 2 barrel automatic). I think it boils down to convenience. In an auto you only have to put it in gear, hit the gas, brakes, and steer. Nowadays people use cell phones and drink sodas, smoke cigarettes and otherwise don't really "engage in driving" nor have the hands to do so. While I was shopping, there was literally only a handful 6mt 07-08 sedans available within a 500 mile radius. To narrow it down to an 07 vs 08, or to choose a color or option package wasn't going to happen. To this day I only see a couple available within a 300 mile radius (one still for sale when I was shopping 6 months ago). How many auto's are out there? A whole lot! I actually narrowed down to wanting a G35 due to the "luxury/sport" mix. I ignored most of the GM products strictly because they didn't offer a manual (charger, challenger, 300, etc..). The mustang was an exception with this option that looked good but the ones I was looking at were 30k+. The CTS was just not for me and, in my opinion, a Cadillac represents actual luxury (convenience, automatic), and not a sports car. This G reminds me of my beloved LeMans with the big hood, RWD, and HP/Torque, except it's a much sought after manual transmission and it's not falling apart. I think I'm mildly obsessed with it. I just turned 30 years old.

 

vq FWIW I'm 50 and agree with him. Manuals are slowly disappearing and will represent a tiny portion of the cars on the road in the future. Sad for the driving enthusiasts though as no automatic can capture the true driving experience of rowing through the gears.

 

Precisely, and that is something I think a lot of younger folks never really got a chance, or WILL get the chance now, to appreciate. Sad all around.

And it's not that I can't apreciate the new technology, it's more that I begrudge the elimination of old, but still good, as a result. To call new tech "better" is highly subjective. I can get a shop manual and have fair chance at overhauling my 6MT in my garage. I doubt many people, myself included would ever attempt that with a rev-matching, dual-clutch, 8-speed, wizzbang automatic. So is that really "better"?

 

Good point, obviously better is a highly subjective and personal term.