Ok well I want to learn how to drive manual but I don't want to **** up anyone's car doing it. Any thoughts?

 

You don't have much choice but to risk it with someone's car. Not many rental cars these days are manual, and you'd get told to stop after about a block if you tried it during a test drive. So you have two options . . .

Forage your local papers and bargain car lots for a manual tranny car that you can buy cheap as hell, drive the **** out of it, and sell it to a scrapyard or if there's anything left, to another private party. You can easily find a whole running car for $300 or so, maybe slightly more, maybe even less. I almost bought an '85 RX-7 for $300 and everything worked on it, wipers, sunroof, flip-up lights, everything. I wanted it just to have a car that I could not give a damn about, beat it until it wouldn't move another inch, then just leave it where it died.

Or just drive a friend's/family member's car. As a precaution, just remember one thing. Slipping the clutch too much is what screws them up, so err on the side of caution and clutch quickly to start with. It might feel jerky and you might stall the car a few times, but that doesn't damage anything. Slipping too long to try to be super-smooth the first time out is what damages them.

 

You could do what a lot of people do and learn the basic concept on a motorcycle/scooter. In a car you will be releasing the clutch with your foot rather than your hand, but the concept is the same and you will quickly adapt. I knew how to drive a stick when I first drove a manual at 14 because I had been riding a motorcycle for years already. I'm not saying that I never stalled it on a hill at first or anything, but it wasn't a big learning curve or anything because of the time on bikes.

 

pturbo thats not such a bad idea i never thought about that, i use to ride bikes and my first car was a stick, i picked ip up fast and by the end of the second week driving the car around it felt natural.. thats good advise..

but buying a junk box for a few hundred dollars is a good idea if you have a nice car you dont want to mess up.. this way if you hit something its not a big deal.. take your plates and leave it..

 

Screw taking the plates. If you drive it like a $300 car is supposed to be driven, you won't even have it long enough to get it registered.

There is no curb to high nor lake to deep for a cheap beater car. Ever wondered if a 1980 Caprice Classic will make it up a 4x4 hill-climb? Can a 1980 280Z jump 10 feet in the air and drive away? Ever considered how far a 1982 S-10 Blazer's front bumper will drag one of those big orange construction barrels down the highway? Do old VW Bugs really float like the urban legend says? Now is your chance to answer those questions and more!

 

like pturbo said, i learned on dirtbikes at first years before i got my lisence... it really does help, i got right in the car and knew how to do it and it took maby a day to 2 days to feel pretty good with it and get my hill starts smooth without stalling

 

My easy method way to teach someone stick is to get on a flat surface, in a parking lot or something, push the clutch in and leave it in first gear, start from a standing stop and just slowly let the clutch out without killing the engine, driving a stick is more about actuating the clutch more than anything else, gradually start integrating the gas with your easy letting out of the clutch, and so and so forth

 

Haha I was trying to teach this girl to drive standard yesterday in my car... She gave up after two stalls! [:'(]

It was a big step to let somebody drive my car... let alone somebody who couldn't drive standard! But she said she'd try it again sometime... my clutch is somewhat screwed up anyhow -- lots of clutch left, but release bearing is making noise... so I've been considering that RA4 clutch for quite some time, but I wouldn't buy that unless I was committed to the big turbo upgrade in the near future. But yes... my point is, I'm letting her kill my clutch if it means she'll learn. I just park her on a flat surface... and tell her to let the clutch out slowly (with the brake on) until the car starts to shake a bit... then let off the brake, ease into the gas as she slowly slips out the clutch. Pretty much exactly what silverseven said would destroy the clutch the quickest. I wanted to teach her on my Z28 before it sold... but yeah, never got around to it. :P

 

I learned to drive a stick when I drove my GTI VR6 off the lot. Once you buy it, you will learn how to drive it and you aren't going to jack up your own ride. It's a natural thing for a guy. I never had one problem with it. The only time I stalled is when I took it to practice on hills because I live in an area with a lot of them and had to learn eventually. It's not hard at all. Within a week, I was a freakin pro. Tried to teach my g/f too and it was a lost cause... LOL.

I can't drive stick now because of my knee. I've had 4 reconstructive surgeries on it and hurts to drive stick but I miss it sometimes.

 

I use the same method, except, I try to find a gentle uphill road or LARGE parking lot, devoid of fender-crushing items. Once you can get it rolling up a slight uphill, WITHOUT using the gas pedal, add the other foot and do it with the gas pedal iinvolved. Once your're confortable with that, find a steeper hill and come to a DEAD STOP pointed up hill... Apply what you learned on teh gentle slope... Do that a few times then practice holding it in one spot, pointed uphill, of course, balancing on teh clutch and gas. You more of less hafta (gently) push one in as you let the other one out. Do this until you pick up the distinct odor of burning transmission fluid...

Next, while you've got teh clutch all warmed up an erreethang... Rev it up to about 5000-6000rpm and DROP THE CLUTCH!!! TryN chirp teh tires in the first-to-second shift, too, while you're at it[sm=gears.gif]