So my girlfriend wanted to learn how to drive manual but my MINI is the only car that has a manual transmission both in her family and my family. I'm 18 but I've been driving manual since I was 14 and she's 17 but never driven a car with manual transmission before. Would you guys trust your girlfriend to drive your MINI for the first time? Just a thought because she mentioned it. I mean she could really care less if I want to or not since I always drive anyway. So what do you guys think?

 

If you love her the answer is "yes".

Chances are it will all be fine. Besides, clutches are replaceable while the experience of showing her the ropes on your car is not. Worst case, she crashes it into something and you have a great story to tell years from now.

 

Not on your life, nobody drives my MINI but me. This does cause a problem for my wife, which causes a problem for me, but no way.

 

On most cars...a clutch is $800 ish.....
On a mini it is about $2000 ish....
And it is a bit undersized for the car...
A low hp car...like an old honda is perfect for learning stick....a mini s...no so much...
A non S ....might be OK....but comes down to can you live with each other if you need a clutch in a few weeks...

 

i've taught plenty of people to drive stick and i've never ever once needed to replace a clutch afterwards. unless you just don't pay attention and let them ride the clutch for three hours straight this is really a non-issue.

teach her to drive. while we all love our cars, in the end it's just car. a relationship is, and always will be, more important.

 

Good point! I agree!

 

I enjoy teaching others the joy of shifting. And I enjoy letting others experience my car. To me, that's part of the fun. My cars serve me, not the other way around. (Maybe I'm on the wrong forum?)

 

My wife is learning to drive mine, and she finds it easier to get going in 1st with Sport mode ON - probably because you err on the side of giving it a little extra gas rather than than too little.

 

Dudes.... take my word for it. Best way to keep the other half from driving your MINI: Buy her one of her own.

 

That's what I did...

What's hers is hers and what's mine is mine!

 

Most of the time, what's hers is hers and what's yours is hers. But yes, when it comes to MINIs, you are right.

 

I learned to drive stick in my Mini and it still rides fine. It'll be alright.

 

Just rent a car with a stick for a few days. Until she gets the hang of using the clutch.

 

 

my gf can barely drive her automatic 3 series. i've tried to teach her four times, the first two times she stopped prematurely because she couldnt handle my reactions whenever she stalled, and the latter two times she stopped because her left leg was getting tired and argued that i do all the driving anyways whether it be her car or mine.

 

sure in a big parking lot with no cars around

 

This. I taught my gf (now fiance), and a couple of my cousins to drive stick in my MCS, but the first step was always finding a large open parking lot with no other cars in it. After that the steps went as follows:

1) practice holding the engine at a set rpm (the rpm you want them to launch at is ideal), and have them repeat it untill they can do it quickly every time (it's amazing how many people can't do this)

2) practice letting out the clutch slowly enough that the car moves without stalling. This will help with reverse later on as well as being able to move that car around at idle speed

3) combine the two and have them repeat until they are taking off with confidence pretty much every time.

4) add in the 1-2 shift so they can get a fell for how it works once they are moving.

Once they could do these things fairly confidently I had them drive around the neighborhood a bit since that usually pretty low traffic, but still lets them put it all together with some practical application. The biggest thing for both of you to remember is to relax, getting worked up is only going to make them stall more and make the experience frustrating and not something they want to do ever again.

 

I'd do what's in the best interest of your relationship, not what's necessarily in the best interest of your MINI: have someone else teach her to drive a manual. Same strategy for golf and skiing.

 

Depends, is she hot?

 

A lot of people seem to think 1 or 2 sessions of a lesson will ruin your clutch beyond normal wear. I tried teaching my fiancee but she doesn't want to so I luck out there, but in the end if she wanted to learn I wouldn't hesitate to say yes. It's a clutch in a MINI for god's sake, not a Lambo Countach geez...

 

Mine is the opposite, she thinks learning to drive stick is a waste of time. I constantly show her articles and snippets about the joy of rowing your own gears but I secretly think she just doesn't want to share in the responsibility of parking here in NYC and thus is avoiding learning.

 

I have never been able to do that in the US. When traveling overseas, it's hard to find an automatic. In this country, I have yet to actually be able to rent a manual. I thought I had one once, but they told me "the selection is not a guarantee of availability" and stuck me in a slush-box anyway.

(It was a "Cadavalier", so I think we can agree that particular one was a slush-box. )

 

The GF or Mini?

 

really she's right. the vast majority of people today go through life never learning to drive a stick, and the need never arises. however, in your case she probably should learn simply because you have a manual. if something happens and you cannot drive (too much to drink, ill, too tired, whatever) the two of you will be stuck if she cannot drive the car.

parking in the city isn't really a big deal and i highly doubt that's the reason she doesn't want to learn. if it really is, please let me know what car she drives so i can stay as far away as possible from someone who can't handle a simple parking job.

 

This is excellent advice.