Ok so I'm still waiting - my friend has been going to the auctions twice a week for the last month and a half looking for an 00 SE 5 speed. I'm waitting for that perfect car, all the options and color that I want.

But he has not seen a SINGLE five speed in al of the auctions hes gone to. So I'm thinking of settling for an automatic.

I had an auto 96, it was ok but at times I wished I had a 5 speed. However was using a 5 speed Saturn coupe (granted its a Saturn) and it got really annoying as I drove around town. I have to drive about 30K a year for my job, so the right car is very important to me.

So do you automatic owners like your cars? Do you have any regrets? Do you wish you'd gone with a five speed?

 

Yeah I wish I had gotten 5-speed. If you really want the Five speed wait until you find that car! Don't settle for the automatic if you don't want it.

 

wait for your special car. thats what i did. I wanted a 5-speed and woudln't settle for anything else. finally after waiting, one of my local nissan dealers had a SE Black 5 speed that met all the criteria. I love it. My patience paid off.

 

i wish i had a 5 speed...oh..wait..i do have a 5 speed~~

 

IMHO, the 5spd is the way to go. But, the wife doesn't drive manual. So, well, I have an auto. Still a great car!

 

You had an auto the first time around. Wait for the car that you want, which seems to be a 5-speed.
BTW- There is no comparison between a Saturn and a Maxima.

 

For the amount of road racing I do, and the actual opportunity to open it up, a 5-sp would annoy me.

It seems like you want a 5-sp so I would wait for the car I wanted.

Manuals bring out the beast in me when I drive, ooooh sound of the engine when I downshift and the instant reaction woooah!! before I know it I have busted 100+ then someone ruins the party.

I could see myself driving both, and living with the trade-off and be equally happy.

 

I love my automagic. I don't like to shift gears and watch tv at the same time With an automagic I just kick back, relax and watch some tv.

 

Have a 2000 SE with an auto and it is a decent car. It doesn't shift as quickly as a Honda and sometimes it'll think you're in a different driving mood than what you want. It's great in heavy traffic....it pulls well for an auto and will outpace most other autos on the road and alot of the 5spds too. I too sometimes wish I had a 5spd......but I'm thankful I have an auto Friday at 5:15.

 

I wish I had a TV in my car now

 

Automagic!! thats awesome man, im gonna use that ****! lol

 

Either way I'm going to be ****ed


1) I buy an automajic. Everytime I'm in a driving mood I'll be ****ed that i'm driving a boring sedan that I can't even shift.

2) I buy a 5 speed. I don't even find one for 9 more months and when I do, I regret it every Friday at 5:15



What do I do??????????

 

There's no doubt that not only is the 5-speed faster but more fun to drive at the limits.

But I love my automatic. Sometimes I wish I had a 5-speed, but if I had a 5-speed I'm sure that sometimes I'd wish I had an auto. Go figure. The auto is very smooth, but sometimes doesn't downshift like I want...a little frustrating, but worth it.

Another question for all you 5-speed owners out there: Do you have to downshift on mountain pass roads? I drive over these frequently enough and it's really annoying when you set the cruise control for 70 mph (or whatever) and then have to downshift to 4th on a steep road. The automatic just does it for you.

Tony

 

Well, my Accord V6 only came in an automatic, and even if it did come with a 5spd I still probably would have gotten an automatic because I wanted my almost-fiance to be able to drive the car.

My last car was a 90 Camry 5spd, and although it wasn't fast at all (115 HP), it was much more fun to drive than my Accord V6, even though my Accord is worlds faster. Torque converters on automatics just zap all of the fun out of a car when they take away the responsiveness and driver involvement that you get with a stick shift.

I don't regret getting an automatic at all, as its served its purpose very well (gf/fiance driveability ), but now that she's about to either get her own car (which will be auto) I'm probably going to trade in mine, and it will definitely be stick shift. I need to get back to my stick shift roots before I get too lazy and can't go back!

If your life involves driving through heavy amounts of traffic (stop and go or not) on an every day basis for extended periods (you know what I mean if you live in the MD/VA/DC area - esp. Paul6speed!) then I would seriously consider getting an automatic and just be happy with it. You'd never have a chance to exploit a manual tranny fully anyways.

But if you're just worried about Friday @ 5:15p traffic, get a stick. If you appreciate the added responsiveness, performance, and driver involvement of a stick shift then a little traffic and stop and go once in awhile is a small price to pay for a car that will make you happier.

Manual-Auto's? Nah. Just a gimmick. I can manually shift my automatic too, even though it's not a "SportShift" or whatever, and it's still an automatic. Automatic-Manual?? You can only get these in a few very pricey cars like the new M3 and such. These have a true "auto-clutch" setup and don't have a torque converter, but you still lose driver involvement which takes some of the fun out of it, IMHO.

If you're still split like you drive in heavy traffic but want a stick but not for a daily driver then just get two different cars. A Maxima/auto for daily driving, but then you could get like a cheap used Civic 5spd for a couple grand and swap a B16A into it (160 HP) and have some serious fun on weekends :-D

So anyways, my next car will be stick. I don't have to drive in much traffic now so it wouldn't be a problem, but even if I did have to start driving in heavy traffic there are many strategies and tips that can make driving a stick in such conditions only minimally painful and still very enjoyable.

 

just check my sig to see what i think

btw, i had to get a auto, i'm not the only one driving the car, however, i don't think i need a stick cause i don't race or anything, the max with an auto is plenty fast for me.

 

i said "plenty fast for me", heck, a friend of mine drives a stock 2000 civic LX auto, and he thinks its quick, to each his own i guess.

 

I like may automagic. I have always wanted a 5spd, but I got a crazy deal on this car. It depends on where you live I guess, if you live in a suburban or rural area. An automatic will always shift faster than any person, but are a little slower due to the power loses in the tranny. But you can add some serious mods to it (S/C and/or N2O, or a turbo) and beat many 5spds. It's all up to you.

 

I have a 2000 Automatic...I wish I had a 5 speed. Nissan built a great engine in the Maxima... but the auto tranny just SUCKS. Mine is in the shop right now, it's getting a brand new transmission put in it because the one I had in there was torn up to the point that they can not fix it. I had an Altima before this and it was messed up in the tranny too... so if you really want the 5 speed you should wait for it! I bought my Max when they first came out and was not patient enough to wait for a 5 speed and now I regret it(and I live in Houston w/ all the crappy traffic here).

 

I have a 2k2 Auto. At times I really want a 5sp but I drive in traffic alot...Houston! So those two times a month I am lucky enough to find someone to run, it is not worth it to me. Besides, once I get my y-pipe and hiflow cat, I will feel a little better! Good luck.

 

Whats that

 

I have the auto and wish everyday I had the 5-speed. Not only is the auto not fun, but it upshifts way too early and way too slow!

 

Word to the *****.

 

I got an auto and am plain loving it. My previous car was a 2000 Accord V6 Coupe, you guessed it, also an auto. My next car wil definitely be a stick(M3, 350Z or 6spd. Max). If you know how to drive a stick well and don't drive in lots of traffic, wait for the 5spd. If you are going to have someone else driving the car, go with an auto(not everyone knows how to drive a stick. Either way you go, I personally guarantee, you will enjoy the car. Here in Dallas, some org. members and I met a while back and tested our cars. One of the guys had a Supercharged Auto., very modded, he was still slower than a stock 5spd. Anyway, welcome to the forum, happy motoring.

 

i like the A/T cause that way i dont need to change gears and disturb the girl, whos head is checking out my leather seat

and i always have the option to put in a remote start, since it's freaking - 20 wind chill BURRRRRRRRRRR

 

Yeah I had remote start on my 96, it was great!

What to do, what to do????

I can only wait so long - I have already waited for over a month. Auctions ended last week and don't start again until next year.


Auto wouldn't be that bad - hell I should just settle for one.

WAIT, what am I saying? I had an auto for two years and hated it!

But I need a car, I should buy an auto tomorrow!

Somebody help me!

 

why say no, when it feels so good to say yes

 

The AT is great, but...

When the temperature gets near 10 degrees, my transmission is always acting up, slow shifting 1-2 and the it hesitates and slams into gear on the 2-3. The crappy selenoids sometimes gives a "slip" feeling is 2nd gear like it doesn't catch and finally does when I give it more gas. This is with new selenoids. It shifts fine other times though, and that I give credit for. Downshifts are quick but I wish it shifted by itself at redline. Its a fine transmission, but if you want to row or own gears, manual is the way to go. Sometimes you can get wheelspin or a chirp from the tires when the tranmission downshifts into 1st on a roll

Someone mentioned that our AT shifts slower than a Honda AT? Just which Honda are you referring too? My Bro-in-law's 00 Accord V6 shifts slower than mine and it always slams into gears. It sometimes stumbles when it downshifts. Also, it never starts out in 2nd gear after you take a corner. It always starts out in 3rd and then slams into 2nd gear giving you whiplash.

Steve, does yours do what I just described? I asked my him to have it checked by the dealer, but all he says is, if it breaks, he's got a warranty.

 

I drive alot as you do, about 30-40K a year and have an automatic. No regrets as this is my second auto Maxima - last one was a 96'. I used to only drive sticks but driving as much as I do the auto is the to go for me. Between the cell phone, coffee, a cigarette, and writing notes, shifting becomes a pain in traffic. But YOU have to drive it, get what makes you happy.

 

if you get an auto, i'm sure there will be lots of times when you wish you had a stick, and if you get the stick, there will be lots of times when you wish you had an auto--pretend you have an auto for a day and then pretend you have a 5sp. for a day and see which day was better--i love my auto 2k2

 

Auto 2k2's are fast enough, they're only like .2 seconds off the 1/4 time of a 6sp! Either this is because 6sp drivers are terrible, or don't want to wreck their new cars like auto peeps do

 

its magical...

 

shut it...

 

 

 

[adding this to my no no list...]

 

should have already been there....


BTW, nice rims

 

have an automatic 2001 SE..i'm 27 yrs old and had 2 grand ams..they were POS, but they got me through school. anyways, after repairs and repairs, rough rides..i wanted to relax in my auto..no regrets. but if i had money, i would have gotten 1 auto and 1 manual!

 

I like my automgic.

 

I tend to drive my automatic like an automagic now...obviously I would prefer stick.

However, if I had a 2k2..I'd take it in auto -- 3.5L and 255 is big stuff!

 

thx.