I'm looking to get a new 2003 Maxima SE only because they finally brought out the color I want, which is Sheer Silver, as opposed to getting a 2002 in Sterling Mist. I'd like to get the 6-speed manual, but my experience in driving stick is very limited....say, 2 days. I learned off my friend's 2000 Solara and because I've been so accustomed to driving auto, it was almost like I had to learn how to drive again, but it wasn't bad.

My question to everyone here, since alot of you guys speak from experience, is 1st off: Has anyone here bought a new car in manual and learned how to drive off that, or did you learn through driving other cars previously, which wasn't as new at the time? Also, I don't know if its just me being hesitant or insecure about driving stick in a new car, but I'm thinking to myself "Godd, I'm laying out about $25K for a new car here, and if god-forbid I blow a clutch or anything......"

While I clearly understand the mechanics of knowing how to drive stick(with 1st gear always being the roughest to get out of) I have also heard that with any inexperienced driver in stick will come a little more clutch wear. Is this something I should be concerned about, or are clutches in cars these days a lot more stronger then they use to be? My friend who taught me how to drive stick in his Solara was telling me that I will have alot more fun in it then driving auto, plus "just think about the 255 ponies you have available." As he also said, it does take a little practice to learn, but everyone picks it up fairly quickly. But again, it also boils down to personal preference.

I guess without being biased towards auto or manual, I'm asking what everyones take and opinions would be if you were in my shoes? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

 

stick, Stick, STICK!!!

In all seriousness, the ONLY issue I would have used had I decided against the manual tranny was traffic...in bad traffic a stick sucks. Other than that, they are great.

I guess it also depends on if you eat and drink in the car, are on the phone alot (you really should be using a handsfree set anyway), or have one of those romantic handholding relationships (it comes in handy having a GF who drives a stick too, they understand much more).

 

my new maxima was the first manual car i haver ever owned. i knew HOW to drive stick from friends letting me drive their cars but i still wasnt very good at it when i got this car.

apparently the clutch in the new maximas is very strong according to a post i read yesterday.

my honest opinion is that you get the 6-speed and in a few weeks you'll have it down. from my experience, i feel like someone can never really how to drive a manual car very well if you just do it a couple times a month. the only way to learn it well is to do it everyday. i say get the 6-speed.

 

Well, for me it has to be an automagic. I drive on the capital beltway A LOT, and traffic here is major suck -- stop and go. I wish I could get a stick and have better control, more power etc, but I would just get so frustrated in traffic that the trade off is not worth it to me. If you live in an area where traffic isn't much of an issue, then I would recommend the stick, otherwise save yourself the hassle and get an auto tranny.

 

6-SPEED

 

From where I need to go which is to and from work, to and from the gym, traffic isn't bad and its really short distances. But I have a relative I visit in the city who's about an hour's away, and that would probably mean driving in some heavier traffic once a week. Other than that, I'm single, don't use a cell phone, and don't eat or drink in the car. I do have a tendency to flip the radio stations alot, and/or switch CD's.

 

That being the case, go STICK!

Anyway, as for flipping stations...that is they joy of wheel mounted controls!

 

I'm curious to know if you test-drove your maxima at the dealership? Are the sales people hesitant about letting people who somewhat know how to drive stick test drive a new car? Do they walk you through the steps on how to do it? And when you finally bought the car and took it home, did you drive it, or did someone else drive it home for you? My friend said he'd drive the car home for me, but my response to that was "its my car, and I want to be able to drive a new car out of the dealership myself, or I'm not getting it"

 

6-Speed

Hey, you've got 5yrs/60K miles to learn how to drive stick right?

Actually, more like 1yr/12K miles, but you'll find that out later.

 

I had a 99 SE 5-speed and traded that in for 01 AE/SE auto. The only advantage the 99 was more control of the vehicle. The only problem with the 01 AE/SE is the low end torque. If I was single than I would get 6-speed. Traffic and wife equal to an auto.

 

The Maxima manual transmission is pretty forgiving. The clutch is fairly light as well. Its not very hard to drive. When I first learned how to drive a stick at 16, the key was relaxing. Be very subtle. At first I was so nervous that I would always rev really high and burn the clutch up (it was my uncles 87 Spectrum.... ). The Maxima has a good bit of torque to get you rolling so it just takes a deft foot and a little patience. That being said, I'm still adjusting to the lightness of the clutch. It takes me about a month to become totally accustomed to a new car. From the correct seating positions, to the handling, to the clutch. Just be patient, and oh yeah...........

GET THE FREAKING 6 SPEED!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I got the automatic because the dealer claimed he could not find a stick the way I wanted it at the time and I was to impatient to wait. So,I went ahead and took the Auto since I take car of my mothers car maintanence and it would be easier for me to just leave her my car and I take hers when I get service done on it. I still wish I waited for the 6 speed, but the auto is not lacking in power so I'm satisfied for now.
However, my other car is manual and the dealer taught me how to drive it enough to get it home and I taught myself the rest, and this is a 1995 Dodge Avenger and I never had clutch/tranny problems. The more modern the car usually the easier it is to drive the manual. You will probably choke off a few times at first but it will eventually become second nature. I still find my self trying to press the clutch and shift the gears on my Max and I've had it 3 months. So, just get what you really want.

 

I just got a 2002 Majestic Blue 6 speed last night. Before that, my manual experience consisted of a 5 minute drive in a 4 cylinder Chevy S-10 and a 2 minute drive in a Mistubishi Mirage. That's it. When I finally got behind the wheel of my 2002 last night for the first time, I stalled it twice just getting out of the parking lot. I was extremely nervous but the Maxima handled it rather well.

Important things to remember.
Clutch has a lot of travel
Clutch engagement is high
Synch of throttle and clutch can take some time
Remember to use the parking brake
Remember to release the parking brake.

For my lunch break today at work, I drove to my fiance's office. Nice and smooth. I only have 270 miles on it so I can't run it hard yet but I have taken it up to 4 and 5K and the power is awesome. The auto didn't respond anything like this. I know that I will continue to be nervous but each time I drive it the more I learn and the more fun it becomes. Driving out of the dealership, I was kicking myself saying what the Fuuck was I thinking. Today is a different story and tomorrow will only be better.

 

I know how to drive stick and if my car was a stick it would have premature wear. I drive hard when I'm in a car with a stick as most do here. If you're going to be doing that kind of driving it will negate any "damage" done during the learning curve. Plus, it won't take you more than a week to become a pro. It's like the time when I went to China and I had never used chopsticks before and after 2 days I was a pro. You are forced to learn. GET THE 6 SPEED, I regret my auto purchase every day (Except when I remote start it on these 110+ days)

 

Definitely. You will learn quickly.

 

Or then again, something like these could be installed...

http://www.powercallsirens.com/designtech.shtml

http://www.seco-larm.com/SR5208.htm

http://www.stevenscarcare.com/main/starter.htm

 

IMHO
If you want the low end torque and plan on pushing it, don't need to worry if the wife (or friends) can drive it, don't mind having to constantly use that left foot in traffic, get the 6 speed.

However, the 2K2 Max has very good power (6 speed or auto) so except when you need that extra .5 sec for the 1/4, it still can drop the ricers. It's a good sleeper. It's my 3rd - I gave up the manuals in '96.

I like the Auto because I don't have to worry about shifting. The auto tranny in the Max's is really good in comparison with the way things used to be. It winds up pretty good (almost to the peak shift RPM) but you won't get 2nd gear bark. I'm in traffic most of my time in the car and I wouldn't trade for the 6 speed, but it really is a personal preference. I bought the car to be luxurious, quick and superb looking. If I just wanted fast, there were many other first choices for the money.

Just my 2/100

Shaydz

 

when i test drove a car at the dealer (this was after i had already placed an order for my car) the salesman let me take it out without him and with 3 of my friends. he never asked about my manual driving skills. i guess he just assumed. i COULD drive stick before i got my car but i wasnt very good at it. so yes i drove the car home myself. if you know the basics then you'll be fine driving it home yourself.

 

wanna trade? although i love my max, i wish i had bought an auto....i honestly don't think the max is that fun to drive in a stick. i drove a stick integra for 5 years and the max is not nearly as easy to handle. the clutch has the longest travel, i swear i am building muscles in my left leg that i didn't know i had; also since i'm short my left leg is never really "at rest" since the clutch is so high. anyways, my bf much prefers the max stick over the integra so i think if this is your first stick car, you'll be zipping around in one week without even thinking about it. good luck!

 

Stick! More enjoyable to drive if you enjoy driving.

The stories about sticks being bad in traffic is an old wive's tale. Once you learn how to 'accordion' with the traffic it's easy, even easier than an automatic. Just let the people in front stretch out a bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah... "In (insert your town name here) everyone will cut you off if you leave more than a hair between bumpers" 1) Who cares, you can't race in traffic. 2) as people get out of one lane into another, the other lane speed up and people get back into it. Hopping lanes is like trying to time the stock market, it just doesn't work.

I acutally prefer a stick in traffic. The higher compression-braking means less time on the brakes. Just watch the guy in the automatic in front of you, brake-on, brake-off, brake-on, brake-off,brake-on, brake-off,brake-on, brake-off.... Drives me nuts! What do I do? gas-on, gas-off (let it stretch a bit), gas-on.

If your girlfriend / wife / mistress... doesn't drive manual, all the more reason to get a manual!

 

Out of curiousity, how quick would you rate the 2k2 auto at, for say a 0-60 time? And have you beaten other ricers driving manual or auto?

 

VQ:

Like yourself, I had only a few hours of STD experience and wanted to buy a standard car. I bought my very first car (VW GTI) and drove it home across town from the dealer. It was pretty scary at the time since I was 45 minutes in stop and go rush hour traffic. It was OK. I then took it out on successive nights to get used to it.
Since then all my cars have been standard (including our 99 Max SE and present 2003 Max SE). I have also taught my wife, her sisters and a couple my friends to drive standard. That was scarier than driving the car home as a stick-newbee!

As other posters have mentioned earlier, if you are concerned about rush hour convenience then go auto: if you are a total performance guy (and who are you kidding, you're buying a Maxima) then go standard. I drove both auto and std at the dealer, and for me there is no comparison: stick with the stick.

 

If you have LONG legs such as myself and not as long of arms, your clutch leg hits the back of the steering wheel. I didn't test drive my Maxima before I bought it, so I had to adapt my clutching style.

It's annoying to angle my foot/leg sometimes in traffic for long perionds of time, but that's pretty rare around here.

A telescoping steering wheel will be a requirment in my next vehicle or at least a clutch with less travel.

 

ok, I see alotta "PRO's" on stick here, but I did expect it!

So the question I asked Shaydz earlier about how quick he rated the auto, and anyone else who owns an auto, please feel free to add their 2 cents in, the stick-guys, don't FLAME me for asking. Just need to know for myself.

 

Without a G-Tech and a slip, the butt dyno would throw about a 6.8 - 7.1 for 0-60 (others out there that know for sure, please correct me).
I've taken Acura's 3.2's, Fart-can Civics and an older Mustang.
Most of the time, I just feather off to avoid spin and run it out, but if it looks like it might be close or I'm it looks like I'm going to get my butt handed to me, I'll shift up manually to 3rd (around 5800).

Sometimes I've bitten off more than I can chew. I'm never scared of the civics but some of those guys can really run (Never had one nitro me though - be a different story then).

Shaydz

 

http://forums.maxima.org/forumdisplay.php?forumid=46

 

I second that motion!!!

 

Get the stick. Take posession of your car on a Friday afterrnoon. Get your most experienced stick driving buddy to spend several hours on Friday with you in a fairly deserted area. Just drive it. Saturday spend as many hours as possible practicing. Sunday afternnon after all of that driving, get on the org and tell us how happy you now are. You don't have to thank us at that time, just tell us how happy you are. Standard cars have more HP than we Autotragic drivers. Happy motoring.

 

When I bought my 6spd, I had never driven a stick before in my life. The first time ever was my test drive and the dealer didn't ask whether or not I knew how. In fact, when I stalled it, he made up excuses for me, guess he really wanted the sale. In any case, I bought a 6spd that day and drove it home. I'm sure you'll be able to do the same. As long as you know the basics of a manual, which it seems you do, there really shouldn't be a problem.

 

do airbags activated when the car is parked and off?

 

Rubman, I like your plan!

Funny thing is, when we were looking for a new car recently, I was considering another make with a manumatic, and my wife (who I taught to drive standard) said ABSOLUTELY NOT to any type of auto. VQ, unless you have a wife like mine, I am sure you'll be happy with your choice no matter which Maxi you get.

 

I got my Max about 2 weeks ago and I bought the 6 speed not knowing how to drive stick at all....I had the dealer take me around the parking lot for like 20 minutes showing how to drive the damn thing....after stalling a few times and having the car jerk like hell I finally got the hang of it

Bottom line get the 6 speed, u won't regret it!!!

 

Bent, you can even quote me on this, unless your wife is in agreement to a 6spd., it's not worth it. A car purchase is definitely a big one, he didn't mention in his original post to be married, if he is , I say, get the auto. Other than that, even though I have the Auto tragic, the stick is much more fun to open up. My next car will definitely be a stick.

 

i learned how to drive a stick in my 2002. my only 2 previous experiences with a stick were in my friends' vw jetta and ford festiva. get the manual, its just like playing a video game (unless you always use the auto setting). 6 speed!!!

 

My $.02, I learned how to drive a stick with a 240SX that I had as a rental car for almost a week (drove it for hours every night). This helped a lot but I basically still ended up learning on my 89SE. The 89 clutch/MT lasted me to well over 110K miles. Certainly experience level will impact a clutch but chances are that it won't be significant.

However, some car companies build autos that last forever, and some build MT's that don't last very long. In general, repairing a MT is usually significantly less than an auto. My experience bears that up. General maintenance on a MT is easier as well. Simply drain and replace the fluid, whereas auto's require replacing filters as well. I feel Nissan builds quality MT's although lately I've noticed a noise problem with mine that may indicate a new clutch (which will be under warranty).

I personally love having a MT. It gives me control of the car's torque (automatics shift down and take time to spin up before you get the torque you want). You go as fast as you want, when you want. This is much harder to do with an auto but it is possible. This can also translate into better gas mileage. But since I have a lead foot, gas mileage is rarely meaningful.

The downsides of a MT are traffic and hills. If you regularly spend time in traffic you might want to go with an auto. Aside from the obvious wear on the clutch, its simply tiring to constantly shift in and out for traffic. Hills are another thing. I don't care how good you get, some hills can be daunting. There are several major hills in san fran that I just plain avoid. I've been told by friends/coworkers in Germany that their driver's test requires you to back up hill around a corner and parallel park. I can't imagine what that would be like.

 

SURE

 

I had the same delima and based on everyones (EXCEPT MY WIFE) opinion, I bout the 6 speed. I don't regret it and I love it. Get the stick. There is nothing like a good 1-2 shift and chirping the tires.

 

I'm not married, so that's not a problem. I think its more or less my insecurity and confidence in driving a brand new car in stick, knowing full well you made a big purchase as you mentioned, but always having that "what if this goes wrong" thing in the back of your mind. When my friend showed me how to drive on his Solara, he basically said, much like everyone else here that it takes a little bit of time, but once you get the hang of it, its like second nature. And you really can't do anything wrong or damage if you understand the concept. Other than that, traffic's not bad here, but its not great either.

 

waddup.
i bought my six speed in march and i had to learn how to drive stick in it.
i was worried bout grinding the clutch, or blowing the tranny also, but if you know the basics, and u've practiced a bit in your friends car, get the 6 speed.
as for me, yeah...i stalled out alot, but the cars fine.
in the long run, u'll appreciate getting the 6 speed also.

payce
~eddie