From the first time I saw the mini I so wanted one...and always wanted to drive a manual, it seemed so much fun plus I wanted an S and there was no choice anyways between automatic and manual. Just like you I only have tried driving a manual a few times before but not enough to build confidence. In any case we took the plunge and bought our 03 Mini Cooper S from out of state and decided to drive it back, even though I didn't know much about driving a manual . My husband drove most of our way back in our trip form Ohio to Oregon, but I drove some to help him. We practiced very early in the morning in a parking lot in some mall in Madison, Wisconsin and after a few times driving around the parking lot I was ready enough. I drove mostly in the freeway so it was not a big deal as I didn't really have to change gears much. I was still not confident about driving around town. Once home and as soon as the week end came around we drove to a parking lot in a state park that is usually empty that time of the year and I practiced for hours. We bought some cones so I could practice putting in reverse and parallel parking, and my husband also stayed outside the car and randomly made signals for me to stop or go so I could practice how it would be seating in a traffic light and having to start driving the car on command. We also went into a hilly part of the park and practice in the hills. It took a few weeks before I was totally comfortable driving in the car on my own, but within months I was confident enough to go by myself, I usually drove without the radio so I could hear the car... for some reason that made me feel more comfortable, I could get acquainted on how the car sounded as I was going through the gears and could tell if I was not releasing the clutch enough, or if I need it to be in another gear. As for the hills that took me a little longer to get comfortable, I always had to concentrate on my mind...you are not going to stall...you are not going to stall..I actually have never stall in a hill...but I have plenty of times sitting on flat roads. I don't think you should be scare, practice makes perfect, of course you might make some mistakes along the way but that is all part of learning. Once you learn you will discover how fun is to drive the Mini you might want your own. Good luck!

 

Practice on "your man"..

No seriously, drive him. Have him lie on his back on the floor under a chair you are sitting on. His right foot is the gas pedal, his left foot the clutch (both with appropriate return spring), his right hand the stick. By you working the "gas" and "clutch" and "stick" he should be able to tell what you are doing right/wrong, and how your timing is. If he's good, he can make "vroom, vroom" and "grrrriiiinnnnndddd" noise to match your actions.

If you really want to get an elaborate simulation, take a 3 minute video of a short drive around your neighborhood on your digital camera. Then play it on the TV in front both of you, and you have "drive" him in synch with what you see on the TV.

It just helps to practice the timing of everything before actually beating on the car... also gives him some sense that you do know the theory enough before practicing on beloved "Claire."

If you both get really good at it.... try it without the.... "chair" and then..... try it without your.... clo es

 

I can't stop laughing!!

I like the way you think!

 

I taught (2) teenage sons to drive in my car. One now drives a '97 Chevy Cavalier 5-speed and the other has a '76 VW bug 4-speed. They hate driving my wifes Volvo automatic. My third son, @ 15, has already started asking for lessons.
As others have said, once you get the 'feel' of the car, and you're comfortable with the shift pattern, take it out into traffic. Experience is the best teacher.
Good luck (although you wont need it).

T

 

My wife learned to drive the MINI in a flat parking lot. She just sat there and got the feel for when the clutch began to grab (without pressing the throttle). She would lightly modulate the clutch and as it began to grab, she'd gently release it. Eventually she understood where the foot pedal position was, when the clutch plate began to engage. She did this little repetetive exercise a few times until she felt comfortable.

Then, she did it again while watching the tachometer and seeing the needle begin to dip a little, then release the clutch pedal. She eventually combined that with applying the gas gently until she stalled it or began to go. She got it right in a few tries.

This method is simple. It breaks it all down to one simple excercise at a time. First understand the clutch pedal and it's relative position to when the clutch begins to engage and when it is fully engaged (not slipping at all), then apply the same gentle effort in understanding how much throttle you need to give it, to not stall the car when the clutch engages.

It's a blending excercise at this stage. Keep at it, you'll get it.

 

Save your marriage and your transmission. Spend a few bucks and about 3 hours with a driving school to learn how to do it right. Otherwise, you are just learning how, not necessarily how to do it right.

 

I got my Mini when I was 16. I had no stick shift experience but after a few days I got the hang of it. You atleast have many years of practice with driving[with an auto] so you should get the hang of it faster than I did.

 

I'm glad you specified which limb was the stick

 

Likewise, I had had stick lessons before I got my MINI, so I semi-knew what I was doing, but the day I got it, I was a wreck, and I would constantly stall out in the middle of intersections, parking lots...you name a spot and I stalled there... Coming from a 94 Civic Automatic to an MCS was not a smooth transition.

But, once you drive it for a week, everyday, you will pretty much have the basics down. It's really not that hard...and I got a lot of practice from arcade games such as Crusin World, Daytona USA, and believe it or not, it really did help me when the time came...

1 week you get it, 2 weeks you master it, 3 weeks you know your car, 4 weeks you're on to advanced techniques (double clutching, heel toe, etc.) Don't sweat it, it's really not that hard, and don't worry about the hills, overhyped! Trust me. Just make sure you give it enough gas

Enjoy it, and trust me, once you get a stick, you will never go back to an automatic. EVER. At least I won't...

 

Oh great.... just what we need... 'new' cars at our dealerships to buy that people have used as guinea pigs!

 

I do not think the MCS is a particularly easy stick to drive; everyone who has driven my car has stalled it at least a couple times. It's also rather more difficult than usual to drive smoothly due to the intrusive and slow-responding electronic throttle deciding it knows what to do better than me. Odd that the Audi TT also has electronic throttle and the same Getrag transmission but is much more flexible. The main thing I'd want an electronic throttle to do for me is automatic rev-matching, but it's currently only programmed for idle control and ASC.

A really easy car to learn to drive stick in is the Old Beetle. The flywheel is heavy and the gearing is so low you can just idle away from a stop uphill without giving it gas. When you try this with the MCS, the computer furiously tries to gas it, which is annoying when I'm trying to tiptoe slowly.

But you do get used to it quickly!

 

i learned manual on my MCS too, it's no big deal. i always think, parts can be change(clutch?), why not learn and have fun in a car i love. just my theory, not neccessaries everybody cups of tea.

 

LOL...

Of course! I'm so stupid...why didn't I think of that?!

(as you can tell, the man likes the idea too...)

 

This is a pretty good idea...

Hopefully within the few days I'll get to try it out.

Thanks!

 

Well, at least you have experience with the transition I'm going to make - Civic to a Mini.

We'll see how the training session goes (it may be sometime this weekend - especially after this forum post...he can't wait to get me on the road).

 

My wife taught me to drive manual--and we still stayed married afterwards!!! Don't worry about being perfect. Learn the mechanics of it, and in time when you're comfortable, you'll want to learn "fancier" techniques.

Why, I remember reversing up a hill, and having to turn sharply at the same time in an '86 VW Quantum, it took me about 5 tries....