please give your opinions

[TheMachinist]

im hoping to get your opinions, good or bad, on the altima coupe MT.
im considering buying a used one for my wife to learn to drive a manual. how is the performance, clutch / shifting, braking, handling, steering, dependability, etc. your feedback is greatly appreciated!

also, im sorry if this is a repost. first post dissapeared? or i cant find how to pull it up? im on iphone 4g

[SHIFT_COUPE]

Lets start with which Altima Coupe you are looking at. Will you be getting a 2.5 or 3.5 for your wife?

[TheMachinist]

it would have to be a 3.5 she is spoiled to the maxima, i cant see her giving up too much power lol. sorry i should have mentioned earlier. i drove a few of the 2.5's, but never a 3.5

but actually, 2.5 may be an option. im not getting rid of the maxima. im hoping to find an altima for a bargain. possibly high miles or imperfect body. you know, kind of a beater. something that runs good but isnt nearly new. just a fun knock around car that wont have me too upset if she burns up the clutch lol. i want her to learn the MT, but cant see the point in spending the money if it doesnt give her some exitement. otherwise she may not commit to learning.

[sndtgr08]

IMHO Crappy car to learn manual on. Between the touchy clutch and jerky transmission, I would say not for a novice. I love the car but there way better choices for a NEW stick learner that is waaay more forgiving. Go test drive a toyota/lexus stick. You can park a bus in the transition area of the clutch and you can almost slide the shift gears with one finger. They are nowhere near as fun to drive, but ridiculously smooth tansmissions.

Nissan Owners = Enthusiast
Toyota Owners = Driver


It realy sounds like You want her to get the altima more then she wants it. I am totaly down with that. Woman manipulate men every chance they get. If you have a shot at snagging one of the very few 3.5 MT6's and using her "lerning stick" as the deal-sealer, Jump on it.

[TheMachinist]

haha, your right about manipulation. honestly we never looked into toyota. we need to step outside the world of nissan from time to time i suppose. thanks for the write up!

[hungs]

I agree with getting a cheepo car as a first time learner on MT.
As for the A/c having a touchy clutch and jerky transmission I don't.

I test drove a 2012 2.5 a few months back and it drove as smooth as glass,
not sure how it is for the 3.5's though.

definitely do a few test drives with various cars and manufacturers. Each car has its own unique feel to it.

[TheMachinist]

will definitely do some test driving when i get ready to pull the trigger. i dont want the clutch to be totally unresponsive, but also dont want a tractor clutch lol. just want one where she will be able to distinguish the dead zone from the engaging range. im afraid if she learns on one that is too light, she may have trouble on one a bit heavier. and from what i heard, the MT 370z is somewhat heavy. (mine in a 7AT). im glad i got the auto, i love it, and she loves driving it. but sometimes i think about having MT

[SHIFT_COUPE]

I think she will be fine learning on the Altima. The clutch engages a little high however its not indistinguishable. The gearbox is easy to manipulate and each gear is easy to find. The 3.5 is one fun ride with an MT.

Now go take some test drives!

[RicerX]

I happen to be selling my 3.5 6MT. However, it is far from a beater.

As far as learning to drive manual, the Altima is the easiest manual I have ever driven.

Want to make her a wicked clutch kicker? Go find her a used Kenworth. She will be able to drive anything after that.