The thread about the point where the clutch engages has inspired me to post this question to NAM. My spouse has never driven a car with a manual transmission. We couldn't order an MCS without one. So it's time for her to learn. I have no doubt that she'll be great at it, but it sure would be nice to learn on something that isn't quite as nice as our new car.

Anyone know how we might get our hands on a manual transmission car for a day or two? It's hard to ask a friend to loan you their car to practice because yours is too nice to mess up. Can you rent one? Any tricks to how we might do this?

 

Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.

Family....it is harder for them to say no.

 

You can rent them, but not from the Hertz/Avis people, at least in the US. In other countries, it's more common. Very common, if not all you can get in some places.

You'd have to go higher-dollar specialty rentals, I think.

Another option would be to buy a clunker.

 

I've been looking for the same thing. I called all the major car rental places about getting a stick, and one guy actually laughed. I don't know anyone that owns a manual, so it is nearly impossible for me to find one. I just hope I'm not too rough on my new car and all goes well.

 

Hey, Just teach her just like my Dad did, on a back road, with no traffic, a few times a week. Buy her a lollypop if she's good.!!

 

There is a very easy way to do this in a car that you don't have to worry about.

It's called a "test drive".

 

Why not teach a person to drive a stick on the car (with a stick) that they will be driving? Nobody was born knowing how to drive or drive stick. You can't mess up a clutch or transmission just by poor shifting or killing it a few times. With modern synchronized transmissions and hydraulic clutches, it's not that hard to teach or learn the stickshift.

Try this:
1) Adjust driver seat properly so that you can reach and press the clutch all the way down. See! You're already done with step 1!
2) With the MINI turned off and the parking brake set, press the clutch in and out to get the feel of it. Do this without looking at the clutch.
3) With the car still off, practice shifting from 1st to 2nd, to 3rd, etc. Find "neutral" and get familiar with the shift pattern printed on the ****. Look at the **** once, then do it without looking (look out the windscreen, like you're driving). You can even hum the MINI motor's sound while you're at it.
4) Put the car in neutral (parking brake still set) and start the car. This is no different from starting an automatic transmission in "park".
5) Push in the clutch, shift to 1st (keep the clutch in), then release the parking brake. Press the accelerator a bit as you slowly let out the clutch. Practice this step a few times.
6) Take it slow and easy on a level, deserted road or large parking lot. Setup a few cones or paper cups to use as start/stop (and reverse) points. Do what you do in any car: start, stop, backup, slow down, speed up, etc.

Teacher: add a few ounces of patience (you weren't born knowing how to drive or drive a stick). Put the student in your shoes (figuratively) and help them understand when to shift up, down, etc.

Student: practice, practice, practice. You won't hurt the MINI or any other car if you mess up a few times. Make up excuses to "practice" driving.

Sorry for the rant, but I've heard "I can't drive a stick" from way too many people.

 

Yeah, I agree, she might as well learn on the car she'll be driving - besides a good manual is easier to learn on then a crappy one.

Just avoid hills in your new car until she has it down

 

I think one thing that would be helpful would be to eliminate as many stress factors as possible. Do this on a quiet dead-end street, long driveway, or deserted parking lot. Spend a lot of time doing a gentle start 0 to 5 mph, and then repeat. Over and over and over and over... until it is second nature.

Then start on a 1st to 2nd shift. Do that until it is very comfortable.

Next you may have to go to a street where you can get more speed up for a 2nd to 3rd, but try to stay away from traffic. That way there wont be distractions.

Having all the time in the world to do it makes it much easier.

I ended up with a car before I could get my license. So, the only place I could drive it was on a private dead-end road where the speed bumps keep it below 15 mph. It was perfect. I could learn how to use the clutch in a very relaxed situation.

 

Oh, and it might be good to have a teacher other than a spouse. In fact it might be best if the spouse is kept miles away during learning sessions.

 

I think it's ok to learn in the new car you're buying -- I learned to drive stick on my last car and it was brand new back then. No damage (besides my pride) to the car from learning on it. The only thing I did was since I wasn't confident about learning to drive it right off the lot, I brought my friend with me to drive it home for me.

 

Thanks for all of the advice. I'm glad to hear that it will be hard to hurt the car when learning. We're lucky to live in the middle of nowhere with plenty of empty roads - fewer than 5000 people in the county and not a single stop light. Unfortunately, we're also in the mountains so there will be hills to start on. Maybe we'll take out the F250 diesel we have at work...

 

Teach her to pilot an ocean liner. Then give her a cigar boat.

 

I think the auto transmission had a later start of production, but you should be able to order one now or very soon.

 

I think they can be ordered now. But let me clarify - we couldn't order an MCS with auto because we didn't want to. We are buying a sporty car and we want to be able to drive it.

 

Cool! I didn't learn to drive manual until I was about 30 years old, and never looked back. The early sessions may feel anxious and then it is just a matter of seat time and repetition for the technique to become natural. You have a big advantage if as you say, you live in the middle of nowhere with plenty of empty roads.

 

Learning to use a stick involves the clutch. Beginners can ruin a clutch in a few hundred miles. Warranties rarely cover clutches. Try a driving school for a few lessons. Here in Seattle there are several schools with sticks, plus you have a professional doing the teaching. A lot less stress.

 

I taught my wife how to drive a 5 speed manual new Honda Civic in a parking lot many years ago.

I taught my daughter to drive my manual MCS in a parking lot two years ago.

Driving in the car you will drive is a plus. Just be careful and explain everything. Be patient and pick a good place to learn- not in traffic.

A clear and closed parking lot afterhours will work. School or business (costco) parking lot on a sunday or early evening. If there are slight downhill slopes that is the best place to try starting going straight from a stop since the car will roll easier. Going uphill slightly makes for difficult shifting.

Then lots of regular practice. It's not that hard to do once you get the hang of the clutch, gas and brakes are like on any car.

A driving school with instructor and car would be ideal but cost more. Might be a wise choice if you have any in your area.

 

These are all very good, gentle suggestions. Let us know how it goes.

 

Me too. Until the bulls ran us off. Then we went on a weekend down to a flat area of town that has very little weekend traffic. (SoDo area of Seattle -- she had great hill training)

Some newbie tips:

• You will stall often at first.
• Don't be afraid to give it a bit more gas if it feels like you're stalling.
• Remember when you're crusing that you're in a car with a manual. It's easy to forget and then when you come to a stop, accidentally forget to put in the clutch. if the car's lurching like a cat throwing up a hairball, you're in too high a gear. If you're in first, you need to put in the clutch.
• After you've acclimated to a manual, when you're back in a car with an automatic and you're crusing, remember it's an automatic. It's easy to forget and then when you come to a stop, accidentally put your left foot up on the brake thinking it's a clutch.

 

I learned to drive a stick the first day I picked up my Celica GT Liftback from the dealer. As was said above, she can't ruin it. Even a few days of riding the clutch a lot will not harm it. When I first learned, I found slight uphills to be much harder than the obvious steep climbs. One thing that can really help stress-wise is to get one of those magnetic "Student driver" signs to put on the rear. That should help cut down on people blasting their horns when/if she stalls.

 

This description has me ROFL! Fortunately I haven't experienced that, even though I'm a relatively new manual driver.

I think that if you really inform the student of how a manual transmission works, you will drastically lessen the chances of any kind of damage.

My father taught me the basics on his brand new commuter car about 8 years ago. Yeah, I stalled it a lot, had a heck of a time starting in first, but he's still driving it around today and the clutch is just fine. In fact, he also attempted to teach my sister to drive on it as well.

When I went to go test drive the MINI for the first time, my MA asked if I knew how to drive a manual, which I did - but I'd never driven much. He asked me if he needed to teach me, and I said, well, I know what I have to do, I just have to do it. He had another customer that he was working with when I arrived, so he just threw me the keys and said have fun . I freaked, but I did it, and surprisingly, the MINI seemed very forgiving for a novice like myself!

When I actually got my MINI, I just drove it as much as I could, remembering all the things my father taught me about the clutch and what is bad for it. I practiced in empty parking lots a bunch. Within about a month, I was not stalling at all, and I caught on to the hill starts pretty quick.

Talk to your MA, maybe if you tell him/her that your spouse would like to test drive the manual before you get it, but doesn't know how, perhaps he/she will offer a lesson. My MA told me that he spent a Saturday teaching someone to drive a new car so they could take it home!

 

Another possible tip from my experience learning how to drive a manual -- wear comfortable shoes! Preferably a flexible pair without too much material in the sole so that you can really get a feel for the clutch. I made the mistake of wearing a pair of Timberlands when my cousin taught me, needless to say, I was making my way down the street like a bucking bronco :/

 

Be sure to tell your wife that her left leg will feel a bit shaky after practicing for a bit. No one told me that I wobbled out of the car like my legs were made of spaghetti.

 

I try to keep my left foot firmly planted on the footrest when I drive automatics for that reason. The worst part is that more effort is required to depress the clutch pedal than the brake pedal, so if my left leg ever thinks it needs to press something when driving an automatic, the only thing that happens is a VERY quick stop...