transmission swap

[ekkustoms]

hey everyone new to the forum trying to get some info i have a alitma 3.5 and would like to swap the trans to a stick. It is very hard to find ne info on this swap though. If anyone has any info it would help thank you everyone

[bembol]

I've seen this question asked from various Car Forums and most say...

Just sell the car and buy a Standard because it's just TOO MUCH work and the cost isn't worth it.

[SHIFT_COUPE]

I don't want to discourage you from your project but a transmission swap doesn't come at a cheap price. I unfortunately don't know enough about a manual swap to point you in the right direction. Do you have any other plans with the car? Is that why you are interested in a swap?

[SHIFT_2.5S]

Way too costly, too much work, and even after all is said and done, it's still not a true manual. Not to mention the risk of mechanical problems which will just maker matters worst.

Honest advice - do not do it.

[zenki07]

With this model altima being so new, it's not worth it.

You'd have to find a wrecked 3.5 6spd in the junkyard, get the transmission, mounts, pedal assembly, hydraulic clutch assembly, fluid lines, shifter cover, hand brake assembly and possibly the ECU, etc. Now that being said, who knows how much that's going to be, cause there's no way you're gonna buy everything new. Let's say for argument sake, $8k. Now, to do the swap, seems like you're not planning to do it yourself and would take it to a transmission shop. Labor-wise, let's just say it's around 12 hours book time and @ $75 an hour; that's $900. Now everything I've guesstimated is on the low side, you're already @ $8,900 for the swap.

You'd be better off selling your current 3.5 auto privately to get the most money out of it and THEN buying a manual one, DO NOT TRADE IN.

Guarantee you won't be out of the pocket anywhere close to $8900 and most definitely no headaches and the entire vehicle will be under full warranty.

My pricing is not in any way exact; I'll leave it up to you to do all the research in pricing out everything if you're still serious about doing the swap. But in my opinion, not worth it at all. Hope this helped.

[GreyZone]

Listen to the zen master...ditto on everything he said.

Also, the CVT is a great car, can you find a way to like it? Use the manual shift, have fun, enjoy it. Its still a fantastic car. Also (and I hate to admit this) the CVT is one of the best rated transmissions on the market, the manual really isn't a great quality manual transmission...fairly notchy shifting, etc. Dont get me wrong, Im not trashing the MT, and I LOVE MY CAR, but maybe you could, well, learn to love your CVT....its really one awesome car with an exceptional transmission. Give it a chance.

[SHIFT_2.5S]

I assume the OP isn't very inclined to do this, seeing as he did not respond since his initial post.

I don't know why he got an auto when he could've purchased a manual to begin with (assuming he purchased the car voluntarily and such).

[zenki07]

Possibly experiencing buyer's remorse; he loved the auto when he bought it but now regrets not getting the MT cause he wants to drive more "agressively".

That's the only asumption I can make; sorry if I'm wrong ekkustoms.

[mcheddadi]

once you taste 6MT you can never go back lol

[GreyZone]

hahahaha, ummmmmmmm

[SHIFT_2.5S]

once you taste 6MT you can never go back lol

I agree. Since I first drove a manual in Europe when I was 16, I've been dying to go back. But in this silly country of ours, automatics outnumber manuals approximately 20 to 1. If my dealer had a 2.5 with manual on the lot, I would have taken it in a heartbeat. I needed the car asap and couldn't wait 6-8 weeks. In LA traffic though, the automatic is a bit more relaxed. When I move to Europe in the future, I'm definitely getting a manual.