Joined Aug 2010
B!tch Please
Forum Thread
How hard is it to learn to drive a manual car?
March 12, 2013 at
03:54 AM
in
Autos
How hard is it to learn to drive a car with a manual transmission? I'm looking to pick up a beater for less than $2,000. I've been looking around lately on the internet and it seems that manuals are always cheaper because most people can't drive them and as a result there's less demand. Also I would assume that manual cars are in better condition than automatics because their owners usually take better care of them. Realistically speaking, how quick would I be able to learn the basics in order to drive it home if I bought one?
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The first 3 cars I drove were manuals.
One was a 3 speed on the column, and that wasn't as
easy as a 4 on the floor
the linkage got jammed up, and I would have to pop
the hood, fix the linkage, get back in and start driving
again
in spite of that, by the end of the 3 two hr sessions i was at least competent. i'm sure if i had been a good driver before i started that i would have been even better by the end. if you can't find someone you know to teach you, you could probably find a driving school to take a lesson from.
Another reason manual transmission cars are generally cheaper is when they were new, you had to pay extra to get an automatic. If I had gotten an automatic in my new Dodge Dart, it would have cost an extra $1,100.
As for manual drivers taking care of their cars better, I think the opposite may be true. It is much more fun driving a manual fast. Automatics tend to keep people out of trouble by preventing high revs and missed shifts.
Not that I'd abuse my car though.
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/relevant question
/relevant question
Took me about 20 mins to move successfully then I had to get home. Douche move but later that week said no faster way to teach someone than making it so they have no choice but learn to get home lol.
Drove it like a champ a few days later. Of course you become more proficient over time, not shifting but learning how to really drive a manual and utilizing gears the right way.
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Most of the advice here, I agree with so I'm just gonna put my two cents in on how much I loooooooove driving stick and that it's lotsa fun once you get the hang of it!