Black exterior and interior (with aluminum trim), manual transmission, RWD, 18” wheels with all-season run-flat tires, and all of the features I wanted: heated seats, heated steering wheel, sunroof, premium sound system, etc. I got more for my 2010 Nissan 370Z than I expected (yay!), and I paid the balance with a personal check. No car payments!
I’ve already transferred/updated my SiriusXM and EZPass accounts, and I had the dealership transfer my tags, so all I have left to do is call Allstate (planned for tomorrow).
I just bought my first new car, a '20 Hoda Civic Sport sedan. My one absolute non-negotiable feature was a manual transmission, and since I wanted a cheap commuter car that would also haul my teenage boys around my options were limited. I’m making payments on it, but I need to build my credit so this will help.
I know what you mean! I wanted a 2-door with a manual transmission and decent horsepower for less than $60K, and I was surprised to discover there were only a few options. By the time I’m ready to replace this, I expect sticks to only be available in high-end sports cars.
Thanks! I’ve taken three trips since I got it, and each time I’ve been just so happy with how it drives. I’m actually looking forward to my 17-mile commute tomorrow morning…I almost wish it were longer. Almost.
Nice car. I’m a big fan of the BMW. I tool around in an '89 e30, and every time I drive it, I think its the greatest car ever made. Love that straight six!
May I ask what you meant by “Save the Manuals”? I ask because I got a vision of a car that had no paper User Guides or Manuals but all instructions were on some Display. Was it about saving the trees? Or was that a reference to a manual transmission instead of an automatic?
I bought a car about a year ago and I decided to buy a used car because I wanted one that had many luxuries and decided it would be so much better to spend $20K when I really couldn’t afford $80K to get my dream car.
I got one that was in wonderful condition and I’ve never been happier with any car before. No car payments was just about the best feature of all!
Sounds great! Have you signed up for your first FATT yet? (Inside reference that Misnomer or I may clarify later. :D)
The latter. As the OP states, it’s harder to get regular cars with manual transmission. Even sports cars these days are more likely to have paddle shifters that don’t require using the clutch. Or dont even have a clutch. Regular or occasional track drivers, like the OP (and me, many years ago) generally insist on manual transmissions in their cars.
I’ll go ahead and clarify: Friday At The Track (FATT) is high-speed-driving instruction offered at Summit Point raceway in West Virginia. You take your daily driver on the track (with an instructor), and also get skid pad time with one of the track’s cars. I did FATT with both my 2002 Nissan Sentra and my 2008 Mazda RX-8. It is SO. MUCH. FUN. (Even with the Sentra!) I never did track the 370Z (I was afraid of the oil overheating; I still have an oil cooler sitting in my laundry room that I never got installed…I guess I should try to sell that now), so it’s been several years since I’ve gone to one.
My 18-yo nephew just got his license and a car, but he’s not big on driving yet: when he’s more comfortable behind the wheel, I would love to take him to a FATT. In addition to being fun, you learn a lot about how to drive your car (and how to drive, period). I’m targeting next summer for the two of us to go together.
Misnomer and I met at FATT many years ago when I was an instructor there. Do you remember the date of your first FATT? At the end of the linked thread, we were talking about late 2006. Was I your instructor for the first one, or a later time? You remember my copper-colored 350Z?
Since he’s a newbie driver, you and he might want to consider this Summit Point class: Accident Avoidance. Although it’s open to drivers of all ages, it’s especially useful for younger drivers to acquaint them with the kinds of unexpected situations that can arise on the road. It covers some of the same kinds of techniques as FATT, but with more of a real-world orientation.
As you said, FATT is most worthwhile after someone has been driving for at least a year or two, because it assumes that all of the ordinary driving skills are already second nature. A new driver with less than a year of experience may not be quite there yet.
I took two of my “nieces” (daughters of a family friend) to the AA class shortly after they got their licenses, and they loved it. So I guarantee that your nephew will have as much fun at the AA class as you did in your first FATT, and it will help prepare him for FATT if he wants to try that a little later.
I don’t remember, but it must have been 2006 or 2007. And you might have been my first instructor! My first FATT was with my 2002 Nissan Sentra sedan…if you remember us being passed by E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E, that was probably it. I spent nearly the whole time with my arm out the window, signaling other cars to go ahead and pass me. Heh.
I do! You took me for a spin around the track during one of the “no newbies allowed” sessions. My positive impression of that car influenced my eventual 370Z ownership.
I didn’t know that was a thing! Thank you!! I’m still going to wait, though, for him to become more of a regular driver. I feel like the lessons won’t mean much if he’s never on the road. He pretty much never drives right now, and hasn’t even driven his car alone yet (he’s had it for 3 months). Some of it is nerves, but I think a lot of it is that he and his friends just don’t *need *to drive the way my friends and I did in the '80s.
The AA course does presume you have *some *experience driving, although not as much as FATT. So a complete newbie would probably be a little overwhelmed by AA. You might want to call them and ask what they consider the minimum amount of experience for the class. (The website doesn’t seem to say.)
Assuming he gets a few hundred to a thousand miles under his belt, he may be ready for AA in the summer. But as you can see, they offer it pretty much all year round.
Manual transmission, though more and more cars don’t come with a user manual either. My current car ('18 Civic SI) didn’t have one, but you could order it for free.
Honestly, I think that’s partially to save them money, but also partially to save on weight.
Same thing with no spare tire. I remember, way back when, if you said your car didn’t come with a spare tire, you were implying that it came with a donut. This is my first car to just come with a small pump, some fix-a-flat and the number for Honda’s roadside assistance. Same with the manual. It came with IIRC, a small book, about 20 pages with the very basics, and then a phone number to call Honda or Honda Roadside assistance for just about everything else.
I can’t imagine how much they must be saving, both in what they’re removing from the car and the increased MPG, considering they’re giving you roadside assistance to make up for it all.
Save the Manuals
