GTS25t Manual or Automatic Transmission

[AdKal]

Hello everyone,

I'm thinking seriously about buying a 1996 GTS25t Skyline coupe but I'm not so sure if I should take the manual or automatic transmission.
A friend of mine (who drives a 1995 GTS25t automatic) told me that the manual transmission gives a lot of problems especially problems with the clutch plate which has to be replaced every 2-3 months. This is very expensive according to him so i should go for the automatic tranny.
Does anyone know if this is true?
I personally find it hard to beleive that one of the best cars ever built has such weak parts.
I plan to use the car as my daily ride in addition to my normal sedan; so no heavy mods; an exhaust and intake would be enough. Personally I'd go for the manual but I'm almost every day in a traffic jam and if it really gives that much problems the automatic tranny would be fine also.
Thanks in advance

[RazorGTR]

Originally Posted by AdKal

Hello everyone,

I'm thinking seriously about buying a 1996 GTS25t Skyline coupe but I'm not so sure if I should take the manual or automatic transmission.
A friend of mine (who drives a 1995 GTS25t automatic) told me that the manual transmission gives a lot of problems especially problems with the clutch plate which has to be replaced every 2-3 months. This is very expensive according to him so i should go for the automatic tranny.
Does anyone know if this is true?
I personally find it hard to beleive that one of the best cars ever built has such weak parts.
I plan to use the car as my daily ride in addition to my normal sedan; so no heavy mods; an exhaust and intake would be enough. Personally I'd go for the manual but I'm almost every day in a traffic jam and if it really gives that much problems the automatic tranny would be fine also.
Thanks in advance

Simply put I think your friend hasn't got a clue.

The manuals are three times as strong without a doubt. Yes if you drive it like it is a race car and you are launching, dumping the clutch all the time, ridding it you will kill it. I know of quite a few hardly modded ones that have gotten nearly 100,000 k's out of a factory clutch.
They do however NOT like to be flat/power/ shifted. None of the Skyline manual boxes have very good syncros in them. A constant diet of quick shifting will glaze the syncros over and you will get grinding of the teeth. It seems to be a common problem through out the Skyline manual boxes and not limited to one particular box.

The Autoboxes are weak as. They need a lot of attention especially in the turbo models. It is highly reckomended to get an aftermarket trans cooler fitted for the slush boxes. They are also EXTREMELY expensive to fix if they shit themselves. The do NOT like even mild mods and overheat quickly if pushed hard at all.

Choice is yours.

[lambchops]

Originally Posted by RazorGTR

Simply put I think your friend hasn't got a clue.

I think you summed it up rather well !

Can you imagine how many MANUAL Skyline drivers there would be if they had to fork out $AUD850-$AUD1200 for a used twin plate clutch every 2-3 months ???

[tazdev]

your friend obviously shouldn't drive a manual if he has to replace them that often

[AdKal]

Thanks guys, you really cleared up everything for me. I think I'll go for the manual transmission (seems that there are almost only manual Skylines on the auto auctions in japan)