manual transmissions

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Mar 19, 2003 | 08:06 PM

infox

Guest

Posts: n/a

manual transmissions

I'm not really sure if I should of posted this here or in the off topic forum but I'm going to be getting my first car here pretty soon (probably a cheap prelude) but I have never driven a manual before in my life and I really want my first car to be a manual... However no one I know has a car with manual transmission so I'm kinda stuck here since I have nothing to pratice on before I get a car. My question is, would you guys recommend I get a car with a manual and just sort of learn on my own or what? I have the basic knowledge of starting the car from a stop and up/down shifting etc but I've never been able to pratice it at all. So I'd take any advice you guys have to offer, thanks.

Mar 20, 2003 | 11:55 AM

Zoeb2s

I <3 White Girls

iTrader: (38)

Joined: Nov 2002

Posts: 26,491

From: Danville, CA

Car Info: E92 M3, E70, F32, E21

buy it in a manual...there is nothing like a manual tranmission...automatics are boring IMO, I learned by myself on an 87 Legend, its not that hard to get used to at all...buy the manual, you WILL NOT regret it...

Mar 20, 2003 | 10:45 PM

BeoWulf73

Registered User

Joined: Mar 2003

Posts: 64

From: WV

Car Info: 2002 Impreza RS 2.5

YES, I was just like you. I have to get a manual b/c of the $. I did not know how to work a manual. The frist time was coming home from subaru with my new 02 RS. I did not think i was going to get the car home. I did and i work on it for 2 week. Now i love my manual. It is a lot of fun, but do not drive it home for the frst time

Mar 21, 2003 | 04:04 PM

igorshos

Guest

Posts: n/a

Go to a driving school. Some of them teach how to drive manual. It will probably take you three-four lessons to be comfortable with it, plus they will show you how to start uphill etc.

I don't think you want to burn the clutch on your new car, better do it on somebody else's even if it costs a little more money - you'll save in the end :-)

If you decide to learn it yourself after all, find somebody who can drive a manual transmission and ask him/her to take you to an empty parking lot so you can practice. I think it is really unsafe to drive a stickshift on a public road if you don't know how.

Last edited by igorshos; Mar 21, 2003 at 04:08 PM.

Mar 21, 2003 | 08:12 PM

infox

Guest

Posts: n/a

Yeah, I was just thinking of asking my cousin to come along with me when I do get my car... but unfortuneatley I am not aware of any type of driving schools in the area (Tacoma, WA) that teach driving a manual.

Mar 23, 2003 | 02:40 PM

N/A

Guest

Posts: n/a

Find out where in the pedal travel that the clutch starts to engage so you know when you have to ease into the gas. Somewhere somebody posted a link to a site that had the info you need. Something like howthingswork.com or something like that. Anyways theres been a link posted before that had a good list of things to keep in mind and ways of learning easier.

Mar 23, 2003 | 02:41 PM

N/A

Guest

Posts: n/a

http://store.learn2.com/basket/compaq/drv_stck.asp

Mar 23, 2003 | 10:23 PM

infox

Guest

Posts: n/a

thanks for the url, most of the sites I've looked at didnt really cover as much as that one article did.

Mar 24, 2003 | 07:19 AM

N/A

Guest

Posts: n/a

No problem. That links usually posted whenever there is a thread where somebody who's never driven a M/T car asks about learning how to do it. Hopefully it will make it into Alex's faq thread.