i would have to slip the clutch quite a bit longer if i was to start from
2nd in my 03. but it will accelerate... just takes a while to get up to
speed.

 

Yes, they provide the car. It's basically 90 bucks per 1.5 hours. They recommend at least three sessions.

Still, it may be worth it to learn things right and save wear on the clutch.

 

I have done this twice since I got my MCS in January. It makes me cringe and want to crawl under the seat. I learned to drive stick in 60 something Beetle when I was 16 and drove stick until I had two kids in the back of a Honda and needed an extra hand. I am so glad I got the manual tranny.Going through those six speeds in the MINI is such a rush...

 

lol my girlfriend had to drive my MINI home because I never drove stick before that

but within 2 days I was driving 20 miles to work on the interstate - love the manual, dont think i'll ever go back to automatic

 

Add me to the 'not knowing how to drive the thing off the lot' club. I did practice on some dealer cars (without their knowledge ) before I took delivery, and that was um interesting . So when I took delivery I unintentionally burned some serious rubber taking off (my MA just laughed - little did he know...), seriously stalled about 20 times before I got to the highway and those Cincinnati hills certainly didn't help. I was fine once I got to the highway though I continued to stall fairly often for about a week until I got one of my coworkers to give a driving lesson; I haven't stalled in over about 3 weeks, so I think I've got the hang of it

 

All I can say is : Have fun with your new MINI!!

 

Before I got my MINI, my friend let me drive his Mustang for ~2hours. Besides that, I had never driven a manual car before I got my MINI.....but now it's quite easy (I've only had it a month). You'll get the hang of it, and the better you become the more fun it is.

-Cody

 

My MCS is my 5th Manual tranny out of 6 cars I've owned. My last car, an Audi A6 2.7t with a 6-speed, I had no hesitation starting in 2nd, due to the tremendous low-end torque. Having said that, I would never consider starting in 2nd with my MCS. It all depends on the car.

Just my 2 cents. Enjoy what you have... the Mini is an awesome car!

 

It is great that you ordered the 6 spd instead of the auto. I really believe it is more fun to drive and after a week or so, you'll be a pro.

Never stop learning...

Griff

 

The guy who sold me my MCS agreed to come to me because I couldn't get a ride to his house (100 miles away). We met at the DMV and the first thing he did when he got there was hand me the key. I was very embarassed to have to refuse it!

"Don't you want to drive it before you buy it?"
"No.. that's okay.."
(Luckily, my boyfriend's dad had agreed to test drive it for me the week before and told me everything was good).

Finished the transaction without ever being behind the wheel.

From there I waited until a friend got off work (an hour after I had spent all my savings on a car that I was too terrified to drive). He let me take a trip around the block in his junker, and then I just hoped in and took off on the 12 mile trip home..

Worked out fine, and now I love it! Never want a silly automatic again.. this is just too much fun.

 

Hey you manual transmission newbies... your excitement is nearly bringing tears to my eyes.

Trust me on this: Not all manual transmissions are equal nor are they all a joy to operate! The MINI (my opinion, of course) six speed is incredible. Great feel in the clutch pedal, shift linkage is positive and the gear ratios match the engine's capabilities very well.

On the other hand, If you ever have a chance to drive something else, like a '92 Saab 900 w/5 speed... just say No!

 

I belong to this club indeed. I got my MINI in feb '06 and the ONLY time I drove a manual was for about 20 minutes in '03. I was in Germany in my ex-girlfriend's father's car and I was petrified. I didn't do to well at all! The finally was when I went from 4th to 1st, OUCH! I didn't want to go anywhere near a manual again after that.

When I picked up my MINI I never even test drove the car, my dad went with and drove it for me. I had my mom drive my MINI to the parking lot behind my work and I practiced for about a half hour before I had to work. I was working till 11:00 and there are only 6 stop lights in the 47 miles that I drive home. I figured that I would be safe.

Four months later I think that I am a much better driver than I was on 2/25 and I LOVE driving this car. I do find that after a long day of motoring that I am kind of glad to be done, all that shifting and clutch work. I do like my truck's auto trans and my Studebaker also has an auto. I think that there is a time and place for both.

 

Wow, I used your 'no corners over 2nd gear' rule while driving around this afternoon and it's great! Of course, it seems like I have to stop at a stop sign or red light more often than I go around sharp turns. I'll have to find some more turns

 

I've been driving a stick since I was 16. After I test drove a MCS stick the dealer poushed and pushed for me to try the cool automatic. Then almost convinces me it would be more fun the automatic. I've "only" had it a week but I'm sure I made the right choice of getting a manual. It is a Hoot!!!!

 

i didnt learn how to drive stick until i planned on getting a MINI. My brother took me out in his car (1997 Saab 900) with the worst clutch in history of all clutches. 3 other people had learned on his car, so by the time i got in the clutch is barely hanging together. but learning on that made me feel like i can drive anything, and the MINI was a piece of cake. i will never go back to automatic. my moms old mercedesa is auto and i still go for the clutch sometimes, and in the merc there is the emergency foot brake near the "clutch" pedal.

now my brother has an M3 and ill get to "learn" how to drive that too

 

Hm, I've never had a problem turning a corner while in 3rd; I guess I just taking my corners fast

 

Pancakex, you're my hero! I'm one of those manual holdouts, I've only had automatics in four of the 20+ vehicles I've owned over the years. I taught an 18 year old cycling teammate how to drive manual in my cars over the last year (his first experience was in my E46 M3) and now he drives like a pro. On our team race trip this month, I could turn over the keys to the A3 to him to run errands in the mountainous region and not worry. It's never too early or too late to learn manual, and the MINI is so enjoyable with it.

 

Yeah, I did that this morning and it worked pretty well! It helped that there wasn't anybody in the car to scare

 

Awesome! People like you are great for manual transmission newbies like myself. I am SO grateful that my friend was not only willing to let me learn on his car, but he even let me borrow it while he was out of town!

 

I almost bought the manual...but I chickened out. At the time, I had no one to teach me, so I ordered the automatic. It was my dream to own a MINI and my 30th birthday seemed like a momentus time to go for it.

Do I regret it? Occasionally, but I love my MINI anyway! The CVT with manual mode can be fun too. Learning to drive a stick is still something I want to master, just need to find someone willing to teach me.

 

For what it's worth, when I bought my 1975 MGB, new from the dealer (still have it too), I had never driven a stick in my life. The salesman gave me a few pointers, and I was on my way. Dead easy and mindful of a little coordination.

 

I had the same thought, but I think I figured it out.

The secret is that by being a gear up (lowering the engine rpm for a given wheelspeed), you are essentially sapping power because power output increases as rpm increases (up to a point).

You want to accelerate fast, downshift. You want the opposite, to accelerate more slowly, upshift. If my theory is right, in slippery conditions you'd want to be a gear higher than you would in dry conditions (but not to the point of lugging the engine -- maybe just upshift sooner).

 

You've got it. It's all about power reduction... the less power, the less you'll slip in poor conditions.

 

Add me to the list! I had a stupidjerkfaceautomatic MINI the first time and learned my lesson! I had one friend take pity on me the day before I picked up my 06 and took me out in his 05 MCS and taught me how to stall... oops I mean drive a stick
12,086 miles and 6 months later I'm not doing too badly

 

Well my first MINI was an automatic, but my new one is a manual. I'd had a few lessons, but definitely wouldn't say that I could drive it before I got it. Basically on a Saturday we traded in the MC, on Sunday I learned to drive it, and on Monday I drove it from Jacksonville to Tallahassee where I was on my own. About a month later I did my first autocross in a manual, and about two months later I tested my skills on the dragon. Now I'm trying to manage the hills of Seattle!