3hunnaZX

I have my eyes set on a few 1988 nissan 300zxs with turbo. This would be my first car so I want it to be a good buy. I have roughly $5,000 to spend and I have found a few cars in my budget. I have one main problem though; I don't know whether I want my Z to be manual or not. Im pretty set on the turbo because I like speed, but if I like speed shouldn't the obvious pick for me be manual? But im worried. At first i was all for the manual, all for having that extra control of power. Now, after talking to my dad he thinks I might get tired of the manual and begin to dread it. Mind you this will be my everyday car

Which takes me to my other point; Nissans are well made cars, but this manual Im looking at has 120,000 miles on it. It starts to make me worry that if I go manual I'll work her too hard and ruin my engine. I dont have bands of cash to dump into this car if it breaks down.

On the other hand I found an automatic with a turbo, at the same price, by a private seller with 80,000 miles. This seems like it would be more reliable and potentially a better buy, the seller is more negotiable with the price as well.



What do you think I should go with?
Is the manual worth it for the power?
Or is it a good idea I dont work it hard anyway and I should go with the manual.
What are the benefits for each?
Give me some insight; any
Thanks,
-3HunnaZX

smj999smj

It's really a matter of personal preferance. The automatic will rob some performance and fuel mileage. If you are going to be "working" the stick hard enough to damage the engine, then you'll likely do as much damage to the automatic transmission and engine if you go that route. I think this has a lot to do with your ability do drive a manual transmission vehicle and your personal driving habits as opposed to which transmission you pick. One thing to consider is if you live in an area where there's a lot of traffic congestion. If you'll see a lot of stop and go driving at slow speeds, you'll be a lot happier with an automatic. If it's performance you want, though, go with the stick.

i r teh noobz

Its a sports car. Get the stick. The car won't be "faster" but it will be much more fun. A stick won't blow up the engine unless you don't ever shift out of first gear. And if you get the car bug and start a quest for more power, the stick won't require a rebuild.

If you don't have some money laying around, you may not want to buy a 25 year old sports car as your sole means of transportation.

smj999smj

Should also keep in mind that parts for these cars can be expensive and gas mileage wasn't the greatest. When they were new, they only got a combined gas mileage of 18mpg and that was if you weren't too heavy on the gas pedal. If you do a lot of driving around town, the mileage will drop to around 15-16 mpg. I get the same gas mileage out of my 2006 Pathfinder!