I'm 31 years old with an over 30 year old girlfriend(about to marry this June).I've read everyone opion about 5sp's vs. auto... Like I said I've had both 95se 5sp. and now 97se auto.I liked them both but now since I think I've hit 30 the auto is much better for my lifestyle...So everyone please tell:Age,Sex(Male or Female),Area living(Big city,small town,ect...)Status(Married,Single,Girlfriend,Boyfr iend and whether they can drive a 5sp or not)Kids(age of Kids)or any information you would like to give to see if their is a distinct difference...

 

i am 21/m/ny (i feel like im on aol)...i own a 98se auto and i wish i had stick for the pure fun of it of course but the resale on stick sucks compared to auto and its a pain in the *** in city and winter driving (my opinion).. of course i would like to be hitting those 0-60 times that the sticks can but i guess its a trade off...when i am older i think i would prefer a auto also though...

 

I am 25/M/live in RI. When I went to buy my Max, I had full intentions of buying an auto. But, for the heck of it, I test drove a 5 speed SE 1997 and fell in love. I bought the same car that night. I have driven an auto and its night and day. The 5 speed is much more fun and you can really rev out the VQ. Granted there are days when I wish I could just put the car in D, drive to the store and come back, but overall I am GLAD I got the 5 speed. Too bad they are so damn rare!

Ed

 

22/m and I live in a small town in northern CA. . . I have a g/f who also drives a 5 spd. I prefer 5 spds because it feels like I have more control over the car. If I was in a town this size all my life then I would probably always drive a 5-spd if it were avail. But if I ever move to SF or someplace like that where I would have to commute everyday, I would go for an auto. . . I have seen too many people limping after a friday night commute from clutching so much.

 

Some of you may have read that this car was the replacement for my family's 1990 Continental. Here is the short of it:
My parents used to own a 1985 Chevy Spectrum 5-speed that I do remember quite a bit of, despite being 19. We had it until 93, when the Continental came into the family. Talk about an upgrade (even though it turned out to be a POS...I have many memories with that car, since I learned to drive on it and such...plus it had that excellent JBL stereo.). But in March of 99, the Continental was diagnosed with bad head gaskets and a failing crankshaft bearing, 137k on the ****ty ford 3.8L (same one that was S/C'ed and put in the XR7 Cougar and Thunderbird SC). So we decided to new-car shop. After checking out several luxury cars (Park Ave, etc.) we decided a 5-speed might be a good addition to the family since my brother was going to be getting his license early that summer. My parents are both 49, I'm 19 and my brother is 17. We all enjoy this car.

BTW, I've been through some LONG stop-and-go with it. Yes, an auto would have been nice. But for the 1% of my driving that is in traffic, is that worth it to me? Hell no. Performing a rev-matched 4-3 downshift is quite satisfying.

Also, I am from northern CT...10 miles north of Hartford.

[Edited by kevm14 on 01-04-2001 at 07:28 PM]

 

22Yrs old, 1996 SE 5-Speed. Its a quick car indeed, but an auto would be great for the traffic commute. Everything is a trade off...

 

Hello I am 24/M I just bought a 995sp a month ago and I sold my 95auto. I am a car nut so of course I like the stick it was one of the main reasons I was looking for a new max. I also autucross in the summer so I wanted the 5sp. I live in Iowa so I get a fair amount of boring highway driving, but in town of course the auto was easier to drive. But it is a small price to pay. I learned to drive on a stick shift and for the near future I prefer to own a stick shift.

 

I am 20, live in cookeville TN. Have an auto, wish I had a 5spd, but I like my car alot anyway. Bought this car from my uncle for cheap, or I would have gotten a 5spd.

 

My whole family is pro stick. My dad rides a 1989 BMW motorcycle, I ride a 1999 Ninja 500 and our family cars are the 1996 SE 5-spd and a 1990 Subaru wagon 5-spd. My brother also has a 1988 RX-7 5-spd (FUN TO DRIVE - revs to 8000).
The only time I have driven an auto is when i took my driver training.
I love the control and power you get with the 5-spd and it is just so much more fun to drive.
Using a cell phone is a pain in the a$$, though. And I don't do a lot of traffic driving, but that would probably get on your nerves after a while.
I think I have MANY more years before I convert to the dark side, though.

 

I personally think this whole debate was rediculous. I mean a Maxima is a Maxima, auto or 5spd. We really shouldn't be debating amongst each other on which one is faster/better. All in all it comes down to what my man Jugsmax said, it's all about preference and lifestyle. So lets please drop the debate. Thanks
Anthony B

 

17/m/NJ

I drive a 5-spd, This max is my first stick car. I caught on to it pretty good, and i find it more fun to drive than auto, but then there are times when auto would be nice. Each has its own pro's and con's which balance out in the end. So i don't really think that their is a true diff. just a preference thing.

 

I agree with most... I'm 21m driving my auto '97 SE is perfect out here in Southern California with the ridiculous traffic. I love stick more than anything else, but having a auto with this kind of car in these conditions just makes more sense...

 

20/m/San Antonio, Tx I remember when I was getting my first car, a 94 Isuzu Rodeo, and my parents told me that I had to get a 5sp because they believed that I needed to learn to drive one in case an emergency situation arose and I needed to be able to drive. I was so angry about that but after 3 months of driving and occassionally doing my share of racing little civics and things and winning, i might add, I fell in love with the 5sp.

As of now I will always buy a 5sp and feel that I will be in one for the rest of my life even when I have to use my cane for down shifts. Some day I will have an auto tahoe or and expedition but the car for me will always be a 5sp and will always be a nissan.

Just my two cents.

p.s. traffic is a hastle but overall driving a 5sp makes you more alert while driving and more in tune with your car in my opinion.

 

Auto for the commute, carpal tunnels, and the early stages of arthritis. Manual so the wife cannot drive your car.

 

Male/26/almost divorced/Yes I can drive a stick and do enjoy it/ Laurel, MD (DC/Baltimore metro area)/2 kids 2&6 years old (Try feeding a baby or fetch a dropped toy in the back seat while driving a stick. Almost impossible!!)/ Drive the car 200+ miles daily for work. The auto fits my lifestyle right now...

 

31 Yr old, Male, married, two kids, nobody drives my car except ME Have a 98 lincoln Navigator for the bad days, and city drives.

This car really loves to be DRIVEN...

5 Speed, one regret out of 30 happy days of ownership is nothing.

If only Nissan got into a tiptronic program like AUDI, then i might consider it. The S4 with tiptronic my friend has ROCKS... Never drove the 6 speed.

Peace

 

23/m/College Station Texas
I prefer manual not only cause of the sporty-ness of driving, but also for safety. You can always pop that clutch. Another factor is less trouble out of manual, and better launch times if you know what your doing.

 

19/m/Los Angeles (where we have LOTS of traffic).

This is my third car, second stick shift.

96 Corrolla - Auto (no fun)
94 Integra GSR - Stick (fun, fast, but stolen)
97 Maxima SE - Stick (fun, luxurious, roomy, fast)

I'm buying a 91-95 Lotus Esprit SE / S4s at the end of 2001 and they don't even make an auto cause they know what's up!

 

20/m Suffolk county NY...LOVE THE AUTO specially when you got your girl in the car, you can put your hand around her and and dont have to worry about changing gears...when you roll up on a light, you have the option to play like a stick using 1st and 2nd...and its easier to get h**d while driving an auto!!...LOL...

 

21/m/Oklahoma City. I am single, and I drive a 96 GXE 5-spd. I drove all over the State trying to find a 5-spd with dark grey interior. This one dealer asked me if they made me a good enough deal, would I buy their auto Max. I told them that if they sold it to me for 6k, that I would buy it to sell it. It was a Green 96 SE auto with beige interior. They were asking 15,900 for it, so I knew it was a very low offer. I finally found my baby. 42k miles, lease trade, Pearl White, not a door ding, scratch or stain on the interior! No its my baby! I don't think I will ever drive another auto unless my left leg gets to weak to push in the clutch

 

18/M/Mass
I have a 98 Auto. It wasn't my choice when my dad got the car. He believes that when you drive a car you shouldn't be worrying about changing gears and all that stuff plus my mom needs to use it once in a awhile. Sometimes I wish my dad got a stick because I want to at least own a 5-speed while I'm young. I hate it when you want it to shift but it doesn't happen but oh well. Maybe after I finish college then I'll get my hands on the new Z if it lives up to the hype

 

I drove a 01 Se AE with automatic last month for the fun of it, and I couldn't wait to get back in my 97 Se 5spd. My wife drives the Maxima to work and I drive an automatic Chevy Silverado every day. It can get very boring by the end of the day. Having a stick just makes driving so much more fun, and it doesn't really bother me when I drive in heavy traffic. Oh yeah I'm 23/m/Salt Lake City Ut

 

42/Married/2kids 97SE 5spd,
I have always owned 5spds, just more fun to drive. A Big part of the reason I bought the max was that you could get it with a stick. No regrets at all (Well yesterdays drive home from work on the LIE for 4 hrs in B2B traffic tested my resolve)

 

The Max is my daily driver, I think the only solution is a automanual. Yes I sometimes wish it was a 5-speed but that what my RX-7 is for.
As far as buying a car most of my girls could drive either auto or manual transmissions so it wouldn't make a difference.
Adding one more thing nobody mentioned tranny failures. How many of you with 5-speeds had to replace a clutch? Not me, I honestly do not know how you all drive, but my rex still has the original engine and clutch with over 200k miles, and I mean driven hard.

 

32 male, married. Also, my 32 year old wife prefers the stick. Both my parents, 58 and 60, both drive sticks. My mother, learned to drive a car when she was 40 - learned on a stick.

 

29M Did lots research and decided on the Max because it was the best 5spd V6 Sedan in my price range. I only wanted a 5spd. Found my car on the dealers lot in August of 98 after a week of looking. The wife ,27, drives and auto Mazda 626. She loves to drive my car. She wants a standard on her next vehicle. I'm trying to talk her into a 1.8t VW Passat wagon, room for the kids...

 

I have an auto, never even thought about getting stick shift, just went ahead and got the auto, then the auto died and I was 1,200$ poorer. Then I found out about 3rd gen maxima auto trannies being pieces of ****. Then I was regretting getting the auto. However, I live in NYC, 90% of my driving takes place inside NYC, there is stop and go traffic virtually everywhere, I can see how a stick would suck now. If I lived in a suburb or a small town, i'd love to have a manual.
Some say 5 speeds are cheaper to fix and more durable, thats another reason i want an auto, because I do some hard driving a lot of the time, auto tranny sucks because it can die faster.

City driving = Auto

 

24/M/Single/any chicks out there? / Cincinnati

I had to turn in my '98 Corolla so I bought my dream car (within reason of course). A '98 SE 5sp. It was a b*&ch to find this thing. I was constantly doing 200 mile searches of Cincinnati on autotrader.com with no luck. Sticks are hard to come by (at least around here). Finding a used SE stick with leather is about impossible. Anyway, I do a lot of highway driving...in rush hour, so it might as well be city driving. My foot does get tired sometimes, but overall, I wouldn't part with it. A stick is just so much fun. You'd be surprised how many dudes now don't even know how to drive stick...pathetic. Anyways, that's just my $0.02

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