Learning to drive manual

[oceania]

My current car is pretty much on its legs so I'll be looking for a another (used) car in the near future...I'm going to see if I can get through the winter. I always said I want my next car to be a manual transmission so I can finally learn how to drive one.

Someone taught me how to drive for a couple of hours but that years ago. I was wondering if it's better to get a older/cheaper car and learn on there first before investing more money on a newer car - I have someone who can teach me and go with me to pickup the car, that's not a problem.

I've also always wanted to get an Acura (I don't know why but I just do) but they generally cost more money than I want to spend.

So in order to fulfill both wants, I was thinking I could get a 1998-2002 Acura and learn on there (I have plenty of people to teach me as well). I was thinking under $5000 range.

I'm not fixed on the idea of buying a Acura but I also thought I'd probably be able to selling more quickly than most other cars in the event I want to go back to automatic. My main goal is to be able to drive standard comfortably and confidently.

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

[vtec4life]

If your a competent person you will learn to drive a stick comfortably in 1-3 days I'd say depending on how much you drive. If you want a cheaper car just because you scared of ruining the tranny in a new car i wouldnt be too worried. whatever car it is im sure it will be able to handle a day or two of abuse.

[Chantastic]

"whatever car it is im sure it will be able to handle a day or two of abuse."

^ The truth

[scat19]

Tones of videos on youtube. Learn from friends. Get different angles, and most important, figure out what is comfortable for you!

They way I tought my brother was teaching him the grabbing point. Put it in first, and SLOWLY release the clutch. You'll feel it grab. If your slow and careful enough you can get the car rolling without any fuel.

Then using my hands I explained to him what the clutch is doing when he pressed the pedal. Once he KNEW what the car was doing when he was doing certain things, took us a couple days and he was off on his way.

Also, play with the gear box. Learn where all the gears are WITHOUT looking! It's second nature to me, but my bro had to look down sometimes.

Have fun! Manual is so much fun.

[oceania]

Thanks for the helpful and quick responses.

So you think it's better to get a newer car instead of settling for 8+ year old car?

Any recommendations on what kind of car? My only "want" is that it's reliable/stable (not prone to breaking down, etc). I'm not interested in any fancy bells or whistles. I also prefer it be German or Japanese (higher resale value in case I want to sell it). I don't want to spend more than $15k.

Any suggestions?

[rockanrepublic]

id say it would defiantly be easier to "learn" on a new car and the car as stated can Handel the first few days of abuse
im not sure about hondas but older toyotas clutches usually have to be grounded to the floor and are a little touchy getting into 5th (5speed) but they can take a beating.
what are you needing the car for? daily driver? sedan or coupe?:dunno:

[wardpr68]

meh.... just find a good teacher. My friends dad tried to teach him for 2 days... i told him to let me teach him for 15 mins and sure enough after our 15 minute parking lot practice he never stalled his car ever again.

[rockanrepublic]

best way to learn i found was to buy the car and practice by yourself or with a good teacher like ^^ said then just go drive don't need a specific destination but you need practice on the streets too.

[oceania]

Originally posted by rockanrepublic
best way to learn i found was to buy the car and practice by yourself or with a good teacher like ^^ said then just go drive don't need a specific destination but you need practice on the streets too.
Precisely!

Now the only question is what kind of car to get.


Originally posted by rockanrepublic
id say it would defiantly be easier to "learn" on a new car and the car as stated can Handel the first few days of abuse
im not sure about hondas but older toyotas clutches usually have to be grounded to the floor and are a little touchy getting into 5th (5speed) but they can take a beating.
what are you needing the car for? daily driver? sedan or coupe?:dunno:
That's good to know. I'm not really fused about sedan or coupe. Honestly, besides the stuff I mentioned my last post, I'm pretty much open to whatever.

The car is my primary mode of transportation but my commute to work is very short (less than 15mins) and I often ride my bike in nice weather. Probably a bit more highway driving than city driving. I put 200,000kms on my current car in 9 years but I did a lot more travelling.

[vtec4life]

There are sooo many choices if you wanna spend 15K

I would say try really hard to find a nice Acura TL for a good price. Even a 2003 + Honda Accord coupe would be nice and comfortable while being good on gas and decently fun to drive especially with a manual tranny.

[davidm_86]

It isn't too hard. Don't worry about learning on a newer car either. As long as you have decent coordination and don't constantly burn clutches or grind gears, you'll do just fine.

For example. I bought a new MS3 and didn't know how to drive stick. Went to pick it up and my dad drove it home while I followed in my truck. We got home, he handed me the keys, gave me a 2 minute instruction lesson from standing outside the car, and I was off. Kinda ;)

Took me the morning to figure it out. I stalled a ton, but I was on really quiet side streets so it didn't matter. Within a few days I was comfortable driving around all city streets. Steep hill starts made me nervous still because the muscle memory wasn't fully set in for the friction point, but I never rolled into anyone ;)

Best thing I did was drive to the Chinook center parking lot EARLY Sunday morning. Way before anyone even shows up. (I took the back roads there just in case I stalled.) I spent the entire morning working on gentle starts and smooth 1-2nd shifts. I also practiced reversing into stalls. It was great having an entire parking lot to yourself without having to worry about anyone suddenly coming up behind you. And there are no cars to hit in case you really screw something up. :)

[95teetee]

before I bought my Stealth, I had a '90 Laser RS-T. I knew how to drive a standard, just never had a reason to get good at it (as all my previous cars were automatics). Like others have said, the best way to learn is just by practicing. Also like the others have said, don't be afraid to learn on the new car. It will come pretty quickly (at least getting good enough to be functional with it, anyway).

the only problem I have after 15 years or so driving stick regularly is when I get in something that has a light clutch -I did a windshield repair on some newer VW a year or so ago, and the clutch was like pushing in a pedal that wasn't attached to anything. I hated it. Oddly enough, I'm glad the clutch in my Stealth is like doing leg presses at the gym lol.

[Gorden Caloger]

.At first you will forget to shift from 4th to 5th at 45 to 55 mph. But you will get used to it. I like being able to go from 5th to 3rd when you have to brake instantly to keep from hitting the guy in front of you. Just remember, manual has more option and gear range to choose in bad weather. And manuals if driven well get better gas mielage. 5th gear is not for pulling uphill. 4th is. Even at 60+ mph.

[sexualbanana]

Most trannies should be able to handle the day or so of abuse. But if you're that intimidated, you might be better suited to convincing a friend to let you take their car out for awhile and learning that way before you buy a car.

[Supa Dexta]

I've taken out random people from this site to let them try.. I'm not available right now though, so mabey someone else would step up.. 20 mins in a parking lot with someone to explain what to do, is even a big help.

[BrknFngrs]

As long as you understand the "concept" of driving standard well, then learning buy yourself isn't too bad and you won't do any real damage.

As dumb as it sounds, I'd suggest that you run through the process for a few minutes in a chair at home; just try and wrap your mind around what each foot/hand needs to do at each time. If you put real thought into this part you'll understand the process thoroughly and should pick up the actual shifting really easily.

[D'z Nutz]

My only suggestion is to avoid uphills until you get the hang of starting. If you're stopped at the top of a hill and need to get going, you might start to panic as the car rolls back. The last thing you want is to roll back into someone behind you.

I agree with the good teacher suggestion. I taught my sisters and my cousin how to drive stick in less than 10 minutes. It took me longer because my dad was in the passenger seat screaming at how I was doing it wrong, how I was going to burn out the clutch, and how much it was going to cost to replace. :rolleyes:

[revelations]

* trick for hill starts*

e-brake

It takes a bit of coordination (one hand on wheel, one on e-brake, one foot on clutch and one on the gas) but when done right, you will be able to start on the steepest of hills without rolling back and inch.

The trick is to modulate power with the clutch and the gas while easing off on the e-brake simultaneously.



* skip shifting *

Sometimes when youre in no hurry, or your heading downhill, you can shift from 1-3, 2-4 etc. Saves on using the clutch :nut:

[rojhero]

I'm actually doing this right now. I bought a 96 Honda Civic two days ago and have practiced for about four hours. I still stall the car especially up hills and am having a tough time driving smooth. I'm sure it will come with time though.

My best advice is to always use your hazards as quickly as possible whenever you stall at a light. Sometimes when people are approaching quickly from behind and the light turns green they don't slow down when they see your brake light has turned off. I've stalled at a light about five times and quickly put on my hazards. I've got some funny looks but never any honks. I think most people are very understanding in (Alberta at least).

Also, I would recommend starting out in the the largest parking lot (like an empty mall) you can find. I settled for a medium sized lot and I wasted a lot of time turning.

[TorqueDog]

I taught a 20 year old girl how to drive stick in an 04 Jeep TJ Rubicon.

The Jeep TJ (preferably with the I-6) is quite possibly the easiest vehicle to learn stick on - evar. There's enough torque to be reasonably forgiving when letting out the clutch, the shifter is long and notchy enough to let you know when you're in gear and which gear it is, and the seating position makes easing out the clutch easier when you're normally accustomed to having to do SFA with your left foot in a vehicle.

I had her competently driving the thing after 20 minutes practice in an empty parking lot.

[reiRei]

I learned on a rental car.... I got it in the south (chinook) and drove it up to Falconridge (deep NE). Rush hour traffic + first time driving stick = omg, learn fast.

[FiveFreshFish]

Practice downshifting because it's something that many manual transmission drivers never learn how to do properly. This isn't as intuitive as the other skills so it's best to have someone show you.

Master this and then you'll be good.

[revelations]

Best time to learn to drive stick, in snow :poosie:

[Drsuce]

go rent a mustang gt for a weekend... they have enough torque that you dont even need to worry about the gas pedal... :)

[Hatchback Hero]

Originally posted by rockanrepublic
im not sure about hondas but older toyotas clutches usually have to be grounded to the floor and are a little touchy getting into 5th (5speed) but they can take a beating.

All the Hondas I've ever driven including mine with its fancy after market transmission parts. Usually engage a little high up.

I'm a firm in trying before you buy. Every time I get in a different manual car there is a very short learning curve. Just to get the feel of how to best run the car. I'd be glad to drag out the haggard old Honda Hatch and let you rip it up in the parking lots. You can try your best to grind gears and burn the clutch, this wee car is almost invincible... As long as you avoid any parked cars or peds.

[HRD2PLZ]

I learned the basics back when I was 16 on some friends cars. I owned a couple manuals myself over the years. Haven't owned one for 5 or 6 years now and even now when I get the chance to drive one now and again there's a slight learning curve, depending on the vehicle. I won't profess to be awesome, the ride can be a little rough sometimes :burnout:

Easiest manuals I can remember driving was the Honda Civic & Accord, Mazda3 & 6. I drove a buddies '09 335xi last weekend and it was awesome. Much easier clutch and gearbox than I was expecting. Having said that, I don't recommend you learn how to drive a manual on a BMW :rofl:

[2EFNFAST]

While we're talking about noobs & manuals, I have a noob clutch question - is it good/bad/indifferent if your RPMs drops like a rock when you clutch in?

What I mean by this is, for example, in my z06 (stock clutch), if I'm driving in 3rd at 3000RPM, if I clutch in it takes roughly 3seconds for the RPMs to fall from 3000 to 1000ish - watching the tach needle, it makes a steady and controlled descent (i.e., not too fast or slow)

In my cobra (18lb superlite racing quartermaster clutch), if I'm in 3rd at 3000RPM and i clutch in, the RPMs just dive; it takes like 1/2second to go from 3000RPM to 1000RPM - it's like somebody smacks the tach needle with a hammer and it just drops.

Is the second scenario "bad" (e.g., causes more wear), or is it just the difference between a street clutch and a racing clutch?

[Supa Dexta]

Could be clutch, compression, or a number of other factors. Every engine is going to be different.

[rp_guy]

Originally posted by 2EFNFAST
While we're talking about noobs & manuals, I have a noob clutch question - is it good/bad/indifferent if your RPMs drops like a rock when you clutch in?

What I mean by this is, for example, in my z06 (stock clutch), if I'm driving in 3rd at 3000RPM, if I clutch in it takes roughly 3seconds for the RPMs to fall from 3000 to 1000ish - watching the tach needle, it makes a steady and controlled descent (i.e., not too fast or slow)

In my cobra (18lb superlite racing quartermaster clutch), if I'm in 3rd at 3000RPM and i clutch in, the RPMs just dive; it takes like 1/2second to go from 3000RPM to 1000RPM - it's like somebody smacks the tach needle with a hammer and it just drops.

Is the second scenario "bad" (e.g., causes more wear), or is it just the difference between a street clutch and a racing clutch?


ideally you want to be entirely off the clutch at the correct RPM for your speed and gear. this will reduce the load/wear on your synchros, which is why your mustang lightweight clutch is better for quick shifting, although it may be harder to modulate vs. an OEM clutch.

[Hatchback Hero]

Originally posted by 2EFNFAST
While we're talking about noobs & manuals, I have a noob clutch question - is it good/bad/indifferent if your RPMs drops like a rock when you clutch in?

What I mean by this is, for example, in my z06 (stock clutch), if I'm driving in 3rd at 3000RPM, if I clutch in it takes roughly 3seconds for the RPMs to fall from 3000 to 1000ish - watching the tach needle, it makes a steady and controlled descent (i.e., not too fast or slow)

In my cobra (18lb superlite racing quartermaster clutch), if I'm in 3rd at 3000RPM and i clutch in, the RPMs just dive; it takes like 1/2second to go from 3000RPM to 1000RPM - it's like somebody smacks the tach needle with a hammer and it just drops.

Is the second scenario "bad" (e.g., causes more wear), or is it just the difference between a street clutch and a racing clutch?

It could be quite normal. A Cobra usually isn't an aluminum four cylinder. I'm no expert but I am rather sure RPM is measured off the crank shaft. The clutch is just a piece of work to connect the motor to the transmission.

[sandy.tang35]

Don't worry u will be able to handle any car not a big deal in it.

[rockanrepublic]

^^ you bumped a 4 month old thread...

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by rockanrepublic
^^ you bumped a 4 month old thread...

he/she/it has been doing nohting but that......