Hey guys,
I'm planning to buy a 04 G35 sometime soon, so I wanted to learn how to drive manual before I buy it so I could get the 6MT. I've never driven a manual before and the closest I got to that was on my Yamaha R6 (600cc sportsbike). What do you think is my best option here? Here's what I was thinking and the pros and cons.

1. I sell/trade in my 2000 Max for a manual version.
If I trade it in, I'm thinking I'd have to pay like a couple thousand more for a car that's the same year. If I sell it, I have to prep the car (clean, wax, etc), advertise it, and then show it around. Takes a lot of time, and I'm kind of busy with school right now.

2. Buy some beater like a 5-spd 89 Acura Integra.
I'm assuming it would cost near a grand, then I'd have to pay for insurance. All this for a car I'd rarely be driving.

3. Learn on the G35.
I think I'd look sheepish jerkin' and rockin' in a new G35. I heard it's not easy to learn in G35, and also, it would suck to be ruining the gears on a new car.

Don't know what to do. What do you guys suggest and what would you guys do in my position? By the way, I'm a college student right now so I don't have a large disposable income, but I'm done in April and I'll be working then.

 

borrow a close close friends manual car and trade for a few days/practice guided sessions.

 

find a rent a car with stick shift, learn on that.

you should drive just fine after a day or two

 

That's a good idea, but do they rent out manuals? I don't think I've ever seen one, but then again, I've never tried looking for one.

 

The trickiest part of driving stick is starting from a stop and going into first gear. Once you learn that everything else is a shoe in. Remember... when starting from a stop, don't rev the engine like crazy... you won't need that much torque, and just feel for the throttle... you'll know what I'm talking about once you start. Good Luck to you man.

 

Get a feel for engaging point of clutch. Without giving any gas and slowly engaging your clutch (depressing clutch), your car should start to move.

 

read this:
http://www.whtc.com/Shared/Auto/tuto...earnstick.html

Then watch these videos:
http://www.bmwm5.com/greg/school/

it will help

 

Definitely rent a car....if you can't find one, buy the absolute cheapest car that has a manual transmission in it, and learn on that. If you know someone with an old car that has a manual transmission that will let you practice in it, even better, and you save money. Drive around in it for a few hours a day and you'll have it down like a pro in less than week. Heed the others' advice in terms of getting into first gear, it's absolutely the steepest part of the learning curve. Best of luck, enjoy your new car

 

i would just get the g35 and learn in it, use the force man ! you can bond and grow with your infiniti

 

I doubt you'd bust gears on the G, but you might wear the clutch while learning. The toughest part for me was that the feel/amount of force for the clutch and acclerator are so different. Plus you roll back fast on hills. You might be able to rent a manual Daewoo, as I heard most of the unsold went to Rental companies, and they therefore got manuals, that they normally don't have. Maybe a driver's ed company would have a 5 speed.

 

if you are getting the G35 for sure...you might as well sell off the Max now and enjoy paying less insurance for the next couple months and get that beater car

you will appreciate the G35 much more after that

 

You say you had an R6 - shifting a manual car is the same, except w/your feet. As the others said, the hardest part is getting out of first, which you know already on the bike. I learned manual on a car first, and then when I got my bike it took about 5 minutes to figure it out. A week of practice and I was golden.
Borrow a friend's car for the day/week.

 

almost the same as a bike... if you can ride a bike, you can drive stick... feel for the friction zone...

 

Just buy the G35 and learn on that. That's what I did with my max. I drove my friend's 1970's datsun pickup stick once, stalled the hell out of it and really hadn't learned. Next time was a test drive at the nissan dealer which was SO much easier. Bought the car the same day. You won't burn out the clutch, just take it easy and you'll be fine.

 

Can't get the videos to work, requires log in

 

Quite frankly, it took a while for me to become "perfect" with my manual driving--3 months or more. The max's relative lack of tune also didn't help (it's become much easier to drive ever since I changed the fuel filter, installed a hyperground network, changed the plugs & coils... MUCH easier to drive), and buying a new pair of shoes didn't help either (changes the feel), but it did take me a while to develop that instinctive "feel". It requires driving in a lot of situations and exposing yourself to a lot of situations to perfect the style. So if you want to buy your G35 driving stick almost perfectly during the break-in period, expect to practice for a long while.

 

I don't know I learned in one day but I was always watching my dad drive stick. I just took my friends car for a day and drive stick perfect.

 

learn from a cheap rental car for the first few attempts.
Then go for a G35 Test Drive (manual).
and go for ANOTHER G35 Test Drive.
and go for A N O T H E R G35 Test Drive, until you feel somewhat comfy with the manual tranny.

 

For what it's worth, my Infiniti dealer insisted on a test/orientation drive before releasing the car to me. You may be embarrassed if you can't yet drive a 6MT.

 

Although I think it would ideal to learn on a beater to avoid the initial wear, I think you'll be fine learning on the G.
Check this out: My friend bought a 5-speed WRX. I drove it home for him (he didn't know how to drive stick) and spent about an hour teaching him the fundamentals.
Now he drives better than I do and is one of the smoothest drivers I know.

 

i messed up my friend's clutch on his 91 civic hatch with b16a2 swapped 5-spd. i was actually having trouble getting into first gear cuz i don't know how to depressed the clutch and press the pedal correctly. i had no problem going into 2nd, 3rd, or downshifting.

if i rent a car and mess up their clutch...that would suck. but i really wanna learn how to drive a stick....

 

works fine for me. Just click on the link, it goes to the webpage. Videos are on the bottom, right click save as

 

The best way to learn how to drive a stick is probably to simply rent a car with a manual tranny. The next best would be to purchase a very inexpensive car with a manual tranny. Trust me, Infiniti manual transmissions aren't too hard to get a hold of, you'll be fine with not even a day of practice. Contact me if you're looking for an Infiniti, I'll get you a great deal. Good luck buddy.

 

i learned in 5 minutes, i just read the "how to's" and ask my friends questions whenever i get a ride with him. then finally he let me drive is car wasnt that hard...
now how good my driving is another story...

 

i'd say just learn on the g35, you aren't gonna burn out the clutch in just two days of bad driving, i learned on my max without first gear for the first three weeks i had it, and the clutch hasn't given me any problems.

 

I gotta say, that is a PIMP house!

 

Me too bro.

 

Before I bought my 03, I posted a similar question about this, so I know the feeling. If you're uncomfortable with the idea of learning stick on a new $30K+ car, and possibly wearing out the clutch fast, try finding a 5-speed to rent, or look thru the classifieds for a used one. As some members have stated, 1st gear is the roughest, with reverse being right behind it. I regret not getting the 6-speed, but you also want to know if you'll really be happy driving stick, or if you are better off staying auto.

To balance things out a bit, I ended up buying a used 94 Camry 5-speed 3 months ago, and while its no 6-speed G35 or Max, it does come in handy when I don't wanna take the max out to places where I might get my HID's stolen and still fit 4 people.

 

I say buy a beater, learn on that, sell the max while using the beater, and then use the maxima $ as down payment for the G35. You'll get less on a trade-in vs. selling it outright. Plus, you can get used to a stick before getting into a $35k vehicle that you don't know how to drive....just an idea.

I bought an eclipse 5sp to beat on for $500. It's a good thing to have. I get to learn a stick and have a beater for those nights out where I'm afraid to take my maxima.

 

Yeah this is also an issue with me. In the future I plan to buy a 2002+ Max but with a 6-spd. Im auto now and I have drivin a Stick ONe time and that was in a 2002 Hundai Elantra. After 1st, everything else was eazy. I couldnt quite get out of 1st smoothly at ALL, but then again, I only learned to drive it for about 30 minutes. I remember once I tried to let go of the clutch and push the gas and the car jerked so had I banged my head into the top of the viser and the car shut off. HAHAH I was so embaressed man, knowing it was my X girls car and she was in the car with me lol. But I drove it home from a school a mile away from my house and go there fine. But I still wanna learn some more, Id try and find a beater also.

So I can move to Manual and quit gettin hated on

Nick