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How hard is it to learn how to drive a stick?

N

nightowl

Golden Member
I am going to be getting a new car within the next couple months and if I feel comfortable learning how to drive a stick I could buy my uncle's Honda Civic. He wants to get a new car soon so he is giving me the chance to buy it before he decides to sell it.
 
I figured that it was not too hard to learn. I just do want to ruin the transmission before I even get to really drive. Yes, I know how to drive, I am 18. This is just the first car that I will own.
 
Heh heh... leaving in 10 minutes to practice on my brother's car. He's in Vancouver and his car is garaged with me. 🙂
 
if you can drive a car without a stick then you'll pick up driving one with a stick pretty quickly, it's just a bit different. Practice alone a few side roads a bit and you'll get used to it pretty quickly.
 
If my sister can learn to drive a stick shift, no self-respecting geek should have a problem! 🙂

Seriously, my sister is not a good driver even with automatic (she got her license on the 3rd try :Q) and she hardly ever drives...I dunno if she has in the last few years really. But now she is starting to learn to drive her boyfriend's Subaru Forrester (w/ stick)- they live together so it's easier if she could drive too. 😛

Btw, shhhh...don't tell her I said this. 😉
 
I just got back from a crash lesson (no physical crash) lesson is stick driving in the the snow with a car unsuited for the conditions. You learn fast when you have to.
 
I think that its easy to drive a stick myself. (Of course, I live in the country and grew up driving tractors.) First time I drove a stick was last winter. Icy conditions:Q. We were out of feed for the cattle, and dad was at work. I got the privilege of driving my grandma to the feed mill to get more feed. It was a Ford F250 Pickup. Love that one. Drives easier than most automatics do, IMHO.

However, I have a ton more practice at driving than most city people do, even if they are years older than me. I turned 16 last December. If you learn how to drive a stick, please learn the right way. The general public will thank you 🙂
 
i learned to drive on a stick only...eh, year and a half ago...its just a feel you have to develop but now i dont even notice im shifting, except when i stomp for the clutch in an automatic 😱
 
I taught my girlfriend... man, that was a scary experience. She's good at it now but i will never teach someone how to drive standard again. All you can do is learn how everything interacts and then go with the flow.
 
It doesn't take much time to learn manual transmission driving. It's actually pretty easy. The only thing that will make you scared to drive manual however, are those cRaZy sTeEp hills. But you'll get used to it after a month or so to the point where you'll never want to go back to automatic cause it's for the 'lazys'. 😉
 
see if your uncle will let you learn on his civic...

i learned on a civic, which is the one i drive now, i heard that civics are "loose" on the clutch or something...don't really know what that means since i've never driven another stickshift car...but everyone told me its easier to learn on a civic than any other car...
 
it's not difficult. just some getting used to. you would surely find it more fun to drive than an automatic
 
It really isn't that hard, I had to learn to drive stick when my parents bought me my new car, after you learn it all you have to do is get comfortable with the way that you car drives. Its a piece of cake.

Schola
 
If you know how to drive already then driving stick is no problem. As long as there is someone there to help you out for 10 mins. After 30 mins driving local streets you are an expert. Find a hill, stop on the hill the start again. Make sure you're car is pointing uphill.


Everyone should know how to drive a stick. You never know when it'll come in handy. Also it will teach you a bit more about how a car really works.


Have a blast
 
its not hard but its a hastle! I learned to drive one yesturday when I was looking to buy cars. It was pretty easy because I played alot of arcade games, took me like 5 min. I f'ed up a cuple times. Release gas stomp on clutch shift up, brake, clutch, neutral, cluch, gear, gas. Automatic is a breeze compared to 5 speed. I live in Los angeles and that motion would be very irratating for me.

Like the others said practice in a deserted area, unit you get the hang of it.
 
it depends on the vehicle.. Old 70's cars and trucks the clutch was stiff and would be hard to learn on, Cars like Honda Civic's are great you barely even touch the thing and it's in.
 
I've been driving a stick for 3-4 weeks. It took me a good week and a half to get the basics down. I remember getting laughed at a lot when I stalled out about 4 times when I tried to parallel park it once.
 
Here's something my dad taught me when I was learning to drive a stick:

Go in a flat parking lot, and get the car moving just by letting up the clutch. Do not press the gas pedal at all. You will probably kill the car a few times, but if you can get it going wihtout any extra gas, it will help you a lot.
 
Thanatopsis' advice is good.

Hondas have perhaps the best and easiest-to-actuate shifters and clutches in the business - you can't find a better vehicle on which to learn than a Civic. Once you are up-to-speed you may not want to go back - I know I actively dislike automatic trannies myself. On a smaller, fairly low-powered, low-torque car like a Civic, only a manual transmission will offer any real driving fun (and a Civic with a stick really is a pretty fun car to drive).
 
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