As a daily, would you go for a manual trans or the Nismo auto?

[Peteyboii]

For lexus / toyo - i would wait for the is500 replacement and/or the supra replacement. For bmw - M3 or 4 built in germany. back when the Z was being marked up MSRP+$10,000, i was looking at the m2 w/ MT until i found out it was built in mexico - a deal breaker.

Wow I had no idea and dunno how you'd get a Germany built one other then importation

I've heard from the dealer just now many Z's are being built In America too

 

[thesilverbullet]

Wow I had no idea and dunno how you'd get a Germany built one other then importation

I've heard from the dealer just now many Z's are being built In America too

BMW german built cars are sold in the US. In fact, every import is prepped (corrects assembly errors) by the US assembly plant before landing at a dealer. its about 30min. away and i have toured it several times over the years.

all nissan Z’s are built in Japan…. The BMW Z4 was built in the US plant, but that is no longer the case, only SUVs are currently built in the US plant.

 

[FSUZ33]

Manual In my book.
If you enjoy driving a manual more than an auto, then go manual.
Even if you enjoy it more, if there’s a tiny chance you feel you’ll get tired of it, go with auto.
Those that say a manual is a pain to daily haven’t driven a manual enough, and/or don’t appreciate the connection like others do. Nothing wrong with that. It just…is what it is.

 

[aknoz]

Buy what you feel most comfortable with, not based on other people's opinions.

Opinions are like a-holes, everybody has one.

You are footing the bill here other opinions should not matter!

 

[Gadgetech]

I assumed all Zs are built in Japan. The dealer I purchased from specified that mine was built in Japan. I asked, some aren’t? He said some are built in US.

I don’t really care and didn’t look into it further but now that I’ve heard this twice…I’m curious where this info is coming from?

 

[Dan in Austin]

Basically the title.
I don't find myself in traffic all that often, but I think it will increase as my work hours and location requirements are predicted to also go up

I love / want MT cause I've never had mt and when I test drove it I found it much more fun and engaging but feel the stock car handles like absolute Garbo

Went and drove a modded suspension one which felt great and more like what I'm used to with my lowered Accord Euro

Then I realised the Nismo likely does what I need in the suspension department but doesn't void any warranties

However if anything tells me about my last / curent car in life it's that I like modifying things... So it's not a question of what but when for me
With that in mind it's semi frustrating buying a new car which needs almost immediate work done to it in my opinion in 2026 lol (tyres suspension swaybars?)

I can get a used one Im pretty sure it was beat on, no warranty, less then 8k km's and used for practicing tuning with a whole bunch of parts I think I'd use myself to the car anyway but of course that has zero warranty and Id say carries inherint risk within itself (the owner does tune on cars tho in general) has a bov also

Or just get an auto nismo forget the manual dream bcoz it's a daily driver and try to retain all warranty by just adding an exhuast and maybe a jb4 / box to the Nismo for a lil bump if I think it needs it?

Thoughts and opinions are appreciated, I feel this car needs a manual but doesn't mean auto can't be fun? (Tho I think I see myself getting bored faster after getting used to the power)

Fwiw In my country I can get a M trans perf model for 80ish K new or, 63k used unmodded, nismos sit at 95k or higher, and finaly the used perf models with mods sit around 75k but fluctuates but yeah between the range of the two..

Thanks

I had a 2014 Honda Accord Coupe V6 MT since it was new. A few months ago I bought a 25 Z Performance with the Auto. I had test driven some used Caymans - found the clutch too stiff (I was spoiled by the soft Honda), and when driving the auto Cayman it felt pretty awesome.

At this point I wish I had bought the manual Z. As others have said, once you drive a manual for a while it becomes second nature and you don't even notice it (I have a really short commute so maybe it's less of an issue for me). But I really don't like the way the Z auto trans behaves. Sometimes from a stop it's kind of hesitant, especially if there's an incline, and once I overcome the initial hesitation it is trying to take off like a rocket. Other times it seems to shift when I don't want it to. I'm sure some of this is me being used to the control of a manual, but I don't have those issues when I drive my wife's auto Audi. I'm sure part of it is that this is a sports car and it's designed to take off - if I were mashing the pedal all the time it would be awesome and I wouldn't be complaining about anything.

 

[Midz10]

Weekend car or low power = manual.
Daily or high power 600whp+ = auto.

 

[Tranzor Z]

Anyone saying these cars handle bad has never driven before. I've owned a boatload of cars and this car is a dream compared to my 2024 mustang.

Manual for the win always.

 

[TheRoyalStig]

Yea no one can answer this but you. There is no right or better answer.

My Z is my daily and an MT. I got it specifically because i wanted another MT daily. I actually hate AT for daily because it makes driving less engaging so id just be bored more often.

But that doesn't mean anything is wrong with someone preferring AT themselves in any situation.

 

[FSUZ33]

I assumed all Zs are built in Japan. The dealer I purchased from specified that mine was built in Japan. I asked, some aren’t? He said some are built in US.

I don’t really care and didn’t look into it further but now that I’ve heard this twice…I’m curious where this info is coming from?

Every Z-car from 1969 has been built in Japan.
A note on the window sticker confuses some people. Mine said "Final Assembly: Brunswick, Georgia." Others have said California. This is the port they hit when they get here. There are some options that are added there, like racing stripes, floor mats, etc... Not sure if anything is technically installed or just thrown in for the dealer to install. There is no real 'assembly' going on after they leave Japan.

 

[ZillaZ]

Personal preference of course.

I drove a 1995 Infiniti G20 manual as my daily going 60+ miles a day for many years. I hated it in traffic but with no traffic it was a really fun little car. Very solid vehicle.

 

[thehunter699]

I got the Nismo auto because at the time the Nismo didn't have a manual.

I personally had a 370z Nismo before this in a manual. Switching to an auto was nice at first, but it's quite boring. Not to mention the Nismo Z unless you're in sport + mode it will try and be as fuel efficient as possible by staying in the highest gear. This is quite annoying when you go into corners or roundabouts because it almost always downshifts in the corner or going out of it.

I'd trade my auto in for a manual if I wasn't going to lose so much money lol

 

[FSUZ33]

Same here. Got mine April 5, so ~9 months ago. Got a pretty good discount, so it would be quite the premium to switch to the new MT. Do wish it was a manual, but I'm happy with the AT.

 

[CPerdomo]

I got the Nismo auto because at the time the Nismo didn't have a manual.

I personally had a 370z Nismo before this in a manual. Switching to an auto was nice at first, but it's quite boring. Not to mention the Nismo Z unless you're in sport + mode it will try and be as fuel efficient as possible by staying in the highest gear. This is quite annoying when you go into corners or roundabouts because it almost always downshifts in the corner or going out of it.

I'd trade my auto in for a manual if I wasn't going to lose so much money lol

My situation exactly....

 

[Gadgetech]

Every Z-car from 1969 has been built in Japan.
A note on the window sticker confuses some people. Mine said "Final Assembly: Brunswick, Georgia." Others have said California. This is the port they hit when they get here. There are some options that are added there, like racing stripes, floor mats, etc... Not sure if anything is technically installed or just thrown in for the dealer to install. There is no real 'assembly' going on after they leave Japan.

I can see where uninformed folks might get production and final assembly confused, I suppose.

And no doubt, a dealer would use that as a sales tool if they thought it would benefit them.