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  • Trying to learn how to drive stick

    I suddenly have the ambition to learn how to drive a manual tranmission. I don't know if its for the sporty feel, or to save gas, or even if its to get a better car (which is in the back burner) but I'm willing to learn - in someone else's car. My Dad's truck died, so that was the only manual transmission vehicle in the family, and from what I can remember, no one outside the immediate family drives with a manual. I read a few howtos online, but I need to have the object infront of me.

    Can anyone be patient enough to teach this 21 year old to drive a stick?
    How'd I get so white and nerdy?

  • #2
    Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

    Originally posted by doc1456 View Post
    I suddenly have the ambition to learn how to drive a manual tranmission. I don't know if its for the sporty feel, or to save gas, or even if its to get a better car (which is in the back burner) but I'm willing to learn - in someone else's car. My Dad's truck died, so that was the only manual transmission vehicle in the family, and from what I can remember, no one outside the immediate family drives with a manual. I read a few howtos online, but I need to have the object infront of me.

    Can anyone be patient enough to teach this 21 year old to drive a stick?
    OMG....FLASHBACK...I remember learning how to drive a stick shift when I was 18.....my friend had a cute little VW Karmann Ghia (sp?) convertible and one evening when we were out cruising, she decided that she didn't want to drive any more that night and made me get in the driver's seat. I got a VERY quick lesson (after a few gear grindings and stalling on a hill) on how to drive a stick shift. Since then, I've had a few stick shift cars but no more. Sorry.
    The stop and go traffic in town makes stick shifts more pain than pleasure. Good luck!!

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    • #3
      Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

      Hah, I had a good way to make myself learn when I did -- I bought a brand new Civic with manual transmission. There were a few moments here and there... kinda freaky. But I got it.

      Unfortunately my wife didn't have quite the patience or perhaps exuberance that I did for it, so we ended up selling that car... I thought it was great fun to drive though. Except in stop and go traffic, got that part right!

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      • #4
        Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

        Originally posted by doc1456 View Post
        I suddenly have the ambition to learn how to drive a manual tranmission. I don't know if its for the sporty feel, or to save gas, or even if its to get a better car (which is in the back burner) but I'm willing to learn - in someone else's car. My Dad's truck died, so that was the only manual transmission vehicle in the family, and from what I can remember, no one outside the immediate family drives with a manual. I read a few howtos online, but I need to have the object infront of me.

        Can anyone be patient enough to teach this 21 year old to drive a stick?
        Sure thing. And just to make it interesting, fly over here and we'll do it on the freeway. Seriously, if I get there anytime soon we can grind the rental to dust.
        “First we fought the preliminary round for the k***s and now we’re gonna fight the main event for the n*****s."
        http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/review...=416&printer=1

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        • #5
          Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

          At my first job, while accompanying a manager on a pick up, she was suprised that I didnt know how to drive stick. I was 16 at the time. She bade me to get in and proceeded to teach me. First crack I stalled the car. I think her exact words were 'get out'.
          Years later I learned how on a friends car, it wasnt that hard.
          Aquaponics in Paradise !

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          • #6
            Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

            Originally posted by Hellbent View Post
            First crack I stalled the car. I think her exact words were 'get out'.
            Well, that's my biggest fear. The salesperson at a dealer said that I can't break a car from learning, but I think he was trying to comfort me in someway. I don't want to ruin anyones car.
            How'd I get so white and nerdy?

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            • #7
              Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

              You might want to try one of the vehicles equipped with an automatic switchable to "manual" transmission before driving a real stick-shift vehicle.

              While driving a vehicle, like a VW Jetta, some which have the transmission which can be switched from automatic to "standard shift", doesn't quite replicate actually driving a stick, at least by driving one, you'll get an idea of at what point you need to shift gears..you'll get a feel for the shift points without the fear of damaging a vehicle.

              Now, like I said, these vehicles aren't true stick-shift transmissions; they don't have a clutch, which of course, one must learn to use in balance with the accelerator. And they automatically downshift back in 1st when you come to a stop, so you won't learn how to shift from a high speed to a stop without killing the engine, like you will have to when a traffic light changes from green to red at an intersection, or say, a child unexpectantly runs into the path of your oncoming vehicle.

              In a way, I find these pick-your-shift preference transmission vehicles more gimmacky than useful, but they might be something to look into before you jump into a real stick-shift vehicle equipped with a clutch.

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              • #8
                Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

                Find somebody with an old beater VW bug (the old kind, not the new gussied-up Beetles); those engines and transmissions absolutely could not be broken.

                A college friend bought a brand-new bug in 1970, and it had an automatic shift! I couldn't believe it. My uncle in Phoenix had a 1962 convertible bug which I learned on; it was a snap.
                http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/

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                • #9
                  Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

                  Originally posted by doc1456 View Post
                  Well, that's my biggest fear. The salesperson at a dealer said that I can't break a car from learning, but I think he was trying to comfort me in someway. I don't want to ruin anyones car.
                  You can always buy yourself a beater, learn to drive on it, and resell. I had a friend in high school who spent $300 on an old Civic CVCC, owned it for like 6 months and learned stick, then resold it on the market for $300. Nothing like stalling at the intersection of Kapiolani and Kalakaua, fun!!!

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                  • #10
                    Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

                    Originally posted by joshuatree View Post
                    You can always buy yourself a beater, learn to drive on it, and resell. I had a friend in high school who spent $300 on an old Civic CVCC, owned it for like 6 months and learned stick, then resold it on the market for $300. Nothing like stalling at the intersection of Kapiolani and Kalakaua, fun!!!
                    I'm sure its fun, but we don't have room in the car port. Its already filled with six cars, and it'll be hard to make room for the upcoming holiday parties at our house (I had to park a few houses away because other neighbors took our usual parking spots).
                    How'd I get so white and nerdy?

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                    • #11
                      Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

                      I learned by taking a lesson in a friend's car the night before I was to pick up a used car (with stick) I had just bought. My brother-in-law test drove it. He also took me out to pick it up, and followed me back. Smooth sailing from Hawaii Kai to University - a nice flat drive. It took a while to not break into a panic on steep hills, though.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

                        Adrian:
                        Stick with the automatic shift car. You're doing mostly intown driving (or if on the freeway, stop and go). Yeah, driving a 5-speed can be fun on long stretches of road (all of my cars---and I've owned 6 new cars so far--- have been 5-speed except for the Murano), but when you're caught in stop and go traffic, it's a pain to have to be shifting gears all the time.

                        Plus, if you're going to be listening to music or yakking on your cellphone at the same time, having to worry about shifting gears quickly is just going to make it more dangerous for you and other drivers. For resale, people like buying automatics more than standard shift cars, too.

                        Miulang
                        "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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                        • #13
                          Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

                          I learned the way Bard did. Bought a Honda Civic and got the hang of it. I had lessons prior to that (all of 30 minutes in a friend's car years before). Still, it didn't take long before it became second nature.

                          Someone I know was asked to drive a manual-shift car as a favor when one of our co-workers went on a trip. The person who had to babysit the car couldn't admit not knowing how to use a manual shift (macho syndrome) and accepted the task anyway.

                          So he asked to teach him how to use a manual shift. The first lesson was to back the car out of the stall. Instead of milking the clutch to ease the car out, he dumped it... and honked the horn with his head.

                          I couldn't stop laughing. End of lesson.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

                            Originally posted by Miulang View Post
                            Adrian:
                            Stick with the automatic shift car. You're doing mostly intown driving (or if on the freeway, stop and go). Yeah, driving a 5-speed can be fun on long stretches of road (all of my cars---and I've owned 6 new cars so far--- have been 5-speed except for the Murano), but when you're caught in stop and go traffic, it's a pain to have to be shifting gears all the time.

                            Plus, if you're going to be listening to music or yakking on your cellphone at the same time, having to worry about shifting gears quickly is just going to make it more dangerous for you and other drivers. For resale, people like buying automatics more than standard shift cars, too.

                            Miulang
                            Hey, the guy's young! He might want to drive a sports car someday!

                            The first car I owned was a 1962 Ford Falcon 3-speed on the column; the next one was an MG Midget, and the one after that was a Triumph Spitfire. All of those were driven here on Oahu, too. It wasn't till I was 36 that I owned a car with an automatic transmission.
                            http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/

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                            • #15
                              Re: Trying to learn how to drive stick

                              Originally posted by doc1456 View Post
                              I'm sure its fun, but we don't have room in the car port. Its already filled with six cars, and it'll be hard to make room for the upcoming holiday parties at our house (I had to park a few houses away because other neighbors took our usual parking spots).
                              Whoa...six cars. I hope there's like at least six people living under the same roof. Otherwise, you got too many cars.

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