As long as you have a reasonable idea of how to drive a stick, you cannot permanently damage a new vehicle by being a newblet. Whether you buy a brand new car in a stick and drive it off the lot or just test drive one, you will be fine. If it is a performance car with lots of power, just use very little throttle. In all the vehicles, be very gentle on the clutch. As someone previously mentioned, the clutch is very "analog" and needs to be smoothly and carefully transitioned to produce proper starts and shifts.
You mentioned your dad has an old roadster or something: don't take it out on city streets or anything, but just ask him if you can drive it up and down the driveway or something. You can't break anything if you have a little instruction and are careful. You may not be very smooth, but a couple jerky shifts/starts won't break anything and will give you a wealth of experience to go test drive with.
Just get out and do it man, there's no other way. I too wanted to rent a car or something to learn, but that wasn't available. So with exactly two stick driving experiences under my belt, I picked up my new car and herky-jerkied off the lot. I was not smooth for a while, until a friend gave me some hands-on instruction on how to properly use the clutch. My hinderance wasn't even the difficulty of working the clutch, it was my own stupid preconceived notion that you just push the clutch in and out, when in fact you need to be smooth and at least at first, slow with it.
Good luck!
You mentioned your dad has an old roadster or something: don't take it out on city streets or anything, but just ask him if you can drive it up and down the driveway or something. You can't break anything if you have a little instruction and are careful. You may not be very smooth, but a couple jerky shifts/starts won't break anything and will give you a wealth of experience to go test drive with.
Just get out and do it man, there's no other way. I too wanted to rent a car or something to learn, but that wasn't available. So with exactly two stick driving experiences under my belt, I picked up my new car and herky-jerkied off the lot. I was not smooth for a while, until a friend gave me some hands-on instruction on how to properly use the clutch. My hinderance wasn't even the difficulty of working the clutch, it was my own stupid preconceived notion that you just push the clutch in and out, when in fact you need to be smooth and at least at first, slow with it.
Good luck!
GeekDrew
Diamond Member
- Jun 7, 2000
- 9,099
- 19
- 81
I should probably do the same. lol I've driven tons of manual trucks (dump trucks, older pickup trucks, stuff that jerks like hell even when an "old pro" drives it), but I've never driven a manual car. I'm told that manual cars are much easier to drive than manual trucks and heavy machinery, so I suppose I shouldn't have much of a problem... <shrug>
</rambling & hijacking>
</rambling & hijacking>
As others have said, keep in mind that clutches and shifters will differ wildly between cars/trucks/etc.
95 Ford F-150 - Long, heavy clutch, ramming the four-speed around feels like driving a tank.
98 Sunfire GT - Like stirring a popsicle stick in glue in grade-school arts class, but less fun.
02 Jaguar X-Type - Heavy clutch, but a nice smooth shifter.
05 Civic Reverb - Bloody near put my foot through the floorboard after driving the Jag. Clutch pedal will move if you so much as think about it, never mind actually needing to apply pressure.
- M4H
95 Ford F-150 - Long, heavy clutch, ramming the four-speed around feels like driving a tank.
98 Sunfire GT - Like stirring a popsicle stick in glue in grade-school arts class, but less fun.
02 Jaguar X-Type - Heavy clutch, but a nice smooth shifter.
05 Civic Reverb - Bloody near put my foot through the floorboard after driving the Jag. Clutch pedal will move if you so much as think about it, never mind actually needing to apply pressure.
- M4H
I learned when I bought my new Focus. I had only driven auto previously to that. I worked there at the lot so I saw all the cars. The Focus had everything in it that I wanted and it just happened to be stick, so I walked inside and bought it. Drove it for the first time the next day when I took it home.
JulesMaximus
No Lifer
- Jul 3, 2003
- 74,600
- 1,005
- 126
Not true at all...I rented a Lotus Elise two weeks ago from Enterprise. That car is only available in a manual transmission. Still, they won't rent it to anyone under the age of 25 and you need to have your own insurance...and obviously, a credit card.
purbeast0
No Lifer
- Sep 13, 2001
- 53,753
- 6,631
- 126
This thread is funny heh.
I got my new car Saturday and it's stick, and I've never driven stick, so I'm learning as I go right now. I'm getting the hang of it, but I still don't have the confidence to drive it everywhere.
The main problem I had was that I would let the clutch out too fast the stall out. But once you get moving it's pretty easy.
I've heard mixed things about how it's bad to learn on your new car cause you will wear the clutch out and it's bad for your engine and stuff. But if my clutch goes a few thousand miles earlier than it would if I had known how to drive stick before I got it, it's not that big of a deal to me.
I got my new car Saturday and it's stick, and I've never driven stick, so I'm learning as I go right now. I'm getting the hang of it, but I still don't have the confidence to drive it everywhere.
The main problem I had was that I would let the clutch out too fast the stall out. But once you get moving it's pretty easy.
I've heard mixed things about how it's bad to learn on your new car cause you will wear the clutch out and it's bad for your engine and stuff. But if my clutch goes a few thousand miles earlier than it would if I had known how to drive stick before I got it, it's not that big of a deal to me.
iamwiz82
Lifer
- Jan 10, 2001
- 30,772
- 13
- 81
I had about 30 min of training before purchasing our first manual transmission car. Nothing is a better teacher than rush hour traffic 
My advice for those learning is to get the hang of getting the car rolling without using the gas at all, only the clutch. Once I figured that out it was a piece of cake.
My advice for those learning is to get the hang of getting the car rolling without using the gas at all, only the clutch. Once I figured that out it was a piece of cake.
JulesMaximus
No Lifer
- Jul 3, 2003
- 74,600
- 1,005
- 126
purbeast0
No Lifer
- Sep 13, 2001
- 53,753
- 6,631
- 126
I got that advice from a friend who also has the type of car I got, 2 times after I had taken it out to practice. After he told me that, it then just "clicked" much more than before. I learned just how slowly I have to remove my foot from the clutch after he said this.
I'm still not 100% on getting into gear, but I'm about 90%.
- Sep 7, 2006
- 2,314
- 16
- 81
Wow, seriously guys, thanks for all the honest answers. I totally thought this would turn into a flame-fest.
So it looks like the concensus is to just suck it up and learn on a car I buy. This probably wouldn't be until the spring, and I could probably squeeze a test drive in on my Pops' car when he takes it out of storage.
And like I said, I understand, from a mechanical standpoint, how a manual works, and I'm a pretty fast learner, so I guess I will give it a shot. Thanks for the boost of confidence!
So it looks like the concensus is to just suck it up and learn on a car I buy. This probably wouldn't be until the spring, and I could probably squeeze a test drive in on my Pops' car when he takes it out of storage.
And like I said, I understand, from a mechanical standpoint, how a manual works, and I'm a pretty fast learner, so I guess I will give it a shot. Thanks for the boost of confidence!
Don't give up on the dealership option just yet. Go with someone else, and leave the car your drove there with on the lot. Get a 2-seater. When I went with my roommate and his mother to check out cars, we just parked our van and traded keys for their car. Not all dealerships will be this way. Just be reasonable, choose their cheapest/most beat up car, and go with someone who knows how to drive a stick. I wouldn't go and buy a stick without having at least one experience under my belt.
Just remember that a half-way depressed clutch is your best friend and that's all you need to know.
Please ignore nub drivers number 4 advice. When coming from a standing start, gently release the clutch. Let it sit at half way for a second or two untill you get the car rolling. With more practice you will get faster at controlling the clutch.
At the same rate you the ease off the clutch as you press on the gas. So one goes out while the other goes in at the same time.
Originally posted by: chuckywang
I learned when I bought my car, a 2002 Subaru WRX Wagon.
When did you buy your car?
Buy a Logitech G25 and play some GT Legends. Sure it's not the same thing, but it's heaps of fun!
This is good advice and most dealerships are okay with you driving a stick the first time, as long as they think you are going to buy. I stopped at a dealer to check out a particular GTO's color, the guy asked if I wanted to take it for a drive, and I said sure but I've only driven a stick once before. He was really cool about it, even through all the jerking of me dumping the clutch
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