by Shankrabbit:
I did the same thing with a 3-series loaner car a couple months ago! Wahoo!!! what a wake-up call at 70 mph! Thank my lucky stars that there was no traffic behind me.

 

When my Dad was teaching me he explained how everything worked. I've always been a "how does that work?" kind of girl, and his mechanical explanation really helped me understand what each action was actually doing. I thought that helped a lot, along with recognizing what the clutch engagement actually felt like. I also found that I was much calmer and did better when no one was in the car with me. I "learned" how to drive manual a few years ago and never really drove one in the real world until I got my MINI about 6 weeks ago. Having no access to anything but a manual vehicle will make you learn in a hurry!

Ask her what she is comfortable with, and if she'd rather tackle it alone for a while in a big empty parking lot, it might help. Most of all, she has to want to learn. Patience is key!

 

Another advantage, (OK, there are only a few), to being really old like me is that most cars were stick shifts when I learned to drive. Automatics were the exception rather than the rule. Some folks wouldn't buy one because they though it was just a fad that wouldn't last.

I learned how in a 55 Chevy, driving it on dirt country roads by myself.

 

I gave my wife a few lessons on a 'stick' on my '78 Fiesta and she could in an emergency get from point A to point B but then wanted nothing more to do with driving a stick ...and even now does not want to drive my MINI but LOVES riding in it ....but I taught my daughter and four of her friends (after each of their fathers gave up on them) on my prevous car, a '94 Neon, and my clutch was still going strong at 125,000 mi when I sold it and got my MINI

 

Well, you had plenty of replies, here is my two cents.
Use a different car than the MINI. An old beater would be great. Maybe an old 79 Rabbit. I had one that I taught several people to drive manual, because it was just a really easy car to learn on. It was light, and almost wouldn't stall. And it was almost worthless, so the "risk" was nill. That is KEY. Don't teach anyone, especially your wife, on your beloved MINI.
I taught my wife to drive stick on her very first new car, an 81 Subaru Wagon 5 speed. The clutch lasted 125K miles. I guess she caught on
My policy it to teach my kids to drive stick first. No automatic transmissions for them. Anybody who can drive manual can manage an automatic, but if you've never driven a manual before, it could be a bad situation if you suddenly find yourself needing to be the designated driver for a drunken date, or need to borrow somebody's truck to help a friend move, etc. So at the same time that my kids are learning the rules of the road, they also are having to drive a manual. I figure they are highly motivated to learn at that point in time, they have vehicles that most of their friends CAN'T drive so less temptation to swap cars.
As far as the technique to teach, I think it is critical to get people to feel the clutch engagement point, and be able to stop momentarily at that point so they can gently add a little gas before easing out the clutch further. The new driver wants to POP the clutch as soon as they feel the car move, and the necessary teaching point is to get them to understand that engagement point and pause there. Even for upshifts when driving, I try to get my kids to ease out the clutch after shifts and get just a little delay in clutch pedal release at that point of engagement. It makes for smooth shifting and happy students (and instructors).
Good luck, but don't wreck your marriage over it. It is probably cheaper to buy an automatic than hire a divorce lawyer...

 

Been there, done that. I've never seen my Dad and Sister's heads jerk forward so fast. Followed by a few "What the HELL are you doing!?!?!?!" 's

I guess Toyota Landcruisers have really sensitive brake pedals.... Good lesson.

 

MiNiMaC, Advice only. Have someone else teach her or you might not be bf/gf much longer.

 

This lady was driving a manual by age 9 around the ranch/farm. Yes, EVERYONE should learn to drive a manual. And I'd like to point out that this is not a ladies problem. Anyone who has never driven a manual has a learning period, gender has nothing to do with their ability to, or speed of learning.

 

You are 100% correct, pottermom. This has nothing to do with female or male sex. It is very handy to be able to drive a stick. Maybe like shooting a gun, or starting a fire, etc, even if you aren't going to use it again, it's a handy skill to have.
Where do you make pottery? I live near the sandhills of NC, known for their pottery.

 

Yikes!!! When I saw this thread I thought we were suddenly going all Victorian!!!

 

shankrabbit, I know how you felt slamming the "clutch" with your left foot and locking the brakes on that automatic. OOPS.
I test drove a Toyota Spyder SMT (sequential manual transmission.) They have a shift lever like a manual, and they have up/down shift buttons on the steering wheel. With salesman as copilot, I accelerated out of the lot in first then pull down to second. I was OK with the thought of no clutch pedal because it was fresh in my mind this was a SMT, but when we were going maybe 25, it was time for third so I instinctively pushed back up on the shift lever (like I've done for the past 30 some years) only to shift back into first. OOPS. That wasn't comfortable, even if Toyota's computer said it was capable and allowed. I felt like a dummy to say the least. After that, I figured out I could do much better using the buttons on the steering wheel instead of that "shift lever" which looked and felt much like normal but acted completely differently.
Enough thread drift. Back on topic. When the motioins of shifting become second nature, they're no more difficult than driving an automatic.
My karate instructor used to say you had to do something (like a punch or kick) a thousand times before you learned it. He was talking about training your brain. After one thousand starts, you get pretty good at clutch control.

 

Bid empty parking lot and a blindfold. That's the way I learned. Thats also the way I almost ran over my dad. Funny story.

 

Of all these posts, this is BY FAR the best answer.

If you want to keep your GF, DO NOT teach her. Send her to a Driving School or let someone else teach her and DO NOT hang around when they do.

As to those saying not to use the MINI ... BS. MINIs are very easy to drive. Clutch is very soft. Transmission is smooth. Power comes on way up in the RPM band and little low end torque. The car is very tiny ... she doesn't have to worry about other things in driving because its so small. Easy to learn to match RPMs to gears. IMO its about perfect for teaching.

However, be warned, what's more important. Her learning or your relationship

 

I am so thankful that I learned to drive a manual at 16 yrs. old and I've never driven anything since. You have so much more control over the car. But the Mini is tough, I stalled her on the test drive, haven't stalled a car in 25 years. Good luck..she will hate it or love it...I love a manual transmission.

 

I've got my 06 MCS' original clutch on a shelf in my room, im never letting my sister try and drive my car again

 

I would not teach someone to drive a manual in my new car. Don't care if it's a MINI or not. If you don't have another manual "beater" available, guess they'll just have to enjoy being a passenger.

My daughter learned to drive using a stick. I didn't have the patience but my wife did (though it was my 12 year old Prelude.) Six months later, we went to the "Dragon" and my daughter did awsome!!

 

I think I drove my first stick shift when I was about 10. I was on my great uncle's farm in my dad's Integra. I was scared to death of it! Once I turned 16 I was able to actually practice a lot on my dad's 328.

 

As to those saying not to use the MINI ... BS. MINIs are very easy to drive.

Hey chow, you must just be a much better driver than the rest of us
I've been driving manual transmission vehicles for 39 years, started when I was eight with a 4 speed Binelli mini-cycle with a clutch. I've driven all sorts of vehicles from tractors to old trucks that didn't even have synchronized gears and required double clutching to shift. My opinion that the MINI isn't easy to learn is just my opinion (MINI S, I should clarify) and my wife's, and my kids', and probably some other, too. It is one of the most fun vehicles to drive,

I had a friend who was into nice cars. He sold is NSX and bought a BMW 540 6 speed. He'd been driving manual for years and years. He traded the BMW on a Mercedes in a year, because he said he just couldn't shift that car smoothly. There was no lack of power! No difficult handling. Some cars are easier than others, plain and simple.

I've got an 86 Celica GTS out in the driveway that is a great beater for learning. 178K miles, ugly as sin, and easy to drive. And not worth anything, except to us as a barn vehicle, dog hauler, etc, to save the wear and tear on the MINI. But my wife already vetoed my suggestion to let this tread starter borrow the Celica for shifting lessons. Oh well.

 

In my garage. (In Houston, TX)

 

No way would I teach anyone how to drive a stick in my Mini. New Dealer-installed Mini clutch=$1600 (& that's no BS )

I think the best way to learn to drive a stick is ALONE. That way you don't have to be self conscious about the way you shift/jerk when you learn. When I learned (at 16, my 1st car was a manual) my dad told me the basics of shifting. Then I practiced with no one in the car but me down some back roads near my house. In under an hour I had shifting down pat & picked my dad up to show him.

The basics of shifting take no time to learn but the tougher elements like taking off from a stop sign on a steep uphill slopetake awhile to master

 

I found taking off in the MINI (non-s) easy to master, but 1-2 shifts were a b....! Took me about 2 months to get 100% of my 1-2 shift smooth.

I spent an hour learning how to drive stick in my uncle's 88 camry. That thing was a POS and hard to get into gear. After that I've only test drove a couple of manual tranny cars. But I did a LOT of practicing in driving simulation called Live For Speed (not need for speed!) with a H gate shifter (6spd) with clutch pedal. That really helped my shift timing and I could practice launching on a hill for hours on end w/o burning up anything

So after about 2 hours of real world manual driving, I was able to drive the MINI home absolutely no problem.

 

Send her a thousand miles + away... alone to pick up a manual MINI. By the time she gets home, she'll know what she's doing
It worked for me... even if I did crash along the way

And I have to agree... teach her in a MINI... its a much easier tranny to learn on!

 

2 hours in a parking lot with partents giving advice, but not really teaching me anything I didn't already know; that was while I had my permit, got my lisence, another 15 min. with parent in the car residential streets, again not much help just a little more wheel time, and that night I had to drive my self 20 miles home in a manual not help coaching or anything. Took me a few months to get it all smooth, and then maybe anothermonth to the point I didn't have to think about it anymore. In the three subsequent years I've had well over 100k miles in a manual, and frankly have no desire to ever drive an auto again. Parking lot, keys and time. I've tought my brother; prepared him for what its like and gently stalled the car intentionally a few times, and had him watch my feet, calmly talked him through it and in 15 min he was easily taking 1st and 2nd without hesitation. And it was the first time he had ever been behind the wheel. I find it helps confidence when in doubt put the clutch in and let the engine rev, instead of stalling (plus when learning hearing the engine pop up like that put a on my face, I don't know why

 

Well...the MINI was my first adventure in the standard world of driving.

Before Rex arrived my husband took me out to a parkig lot with his 911 to let me try to learn. Bad idea - TOTALLY different shifting transmission and needless to say by the end of our lesson I was ready to call the MINI dealer and see if it was too late to go for the auto (glad I didn't!)! Using a different car is maybe not such a good idea.

What worked for me was when Rex arrived I went ALONE tooting around the neighborhood. If you're by yourself no one hears you grind a gear, lugg it in 3rd when you though you were in 1st or stall at the stop signs. I learned VERY fast this was because I wasn't stressing about what I was doing. Parking lots are good but I found using side roads around our place much better since I could start/stop lots and get some good speed too!

Think about sending her alone. Don't worry your car will come back in one piece.

 

I agree with this. I learned how to drive a stick when I bought a vehicle (Geo Tracker) that had a stick. My BF at the time test drove it for me, but I was sure I wanted to buy it because I needed a cheap 4WD, and it was about the cheapest I could find. I was forced to drive it, and I learned how to drive a manual FAST! I also think the MINI is one of the easier manuals to drive - my Jetta was tricky, and it was like I had to re-learn how to drive a manual tranny when I got that car.