Hey Veeky Forums,
I'm thinking of picking up an older used car from Craigslist for learning to drive manual. Unforunately, the only person I know that drives manual isn't around at the time.
I've done my homework, and at least know how to drive manual. I've just never actually done it. Will I have a hard time driving the car home ~20 miles on the highway?
Also manual protips thread.
Yes. I wouldn't do that long of a trip if never driven one, maybe if it was the middle of the night but not in traffic.
I'm constantly driving different cars with manual that I'm not familiar with. Here's my best tip for not stalling a manual, very simple.
>let clutch out to where you feel it grab
>hold clutch there, add gas
>let off clutch
If you stall you didn't have enough gas. Don't just instantly let off the clutch either or you'll jerk. Ease off it.
You'll get it.
Only true way to learn is to practice in real traffic.
It's like learning how to swim.
Ride or die, sink or swim.
You'll be able to do it! Just careful with the clutch bite. Once you're going it'll be just fine. You can practice in a parking lot if you'd like.
Have you driven a dirt bike or motorcycle before? Same concept generally but swap your hands and feet. Buy a shitbox to practice on. I taught myself when I was 17.
>Will I have a hard time driving the car home ~20 miles on the highway?
No, once you get onto the highway it's really no different from driving an automatic. You'll probably have the most trouble starting in first gear, but it's ok to stall a bit before you get the hang of it
i would maybe practice a little bit in the manual on the side streets before hitting roads with heavy traffic
Not really, once you're going you'll be fine.
Practice taking off, stopping and shifting in a quiet area before you set off though.
>protip: don't try and force the shifter into gear, let it do it's own thing
>clutch ALL the way in when you change gear or else SCRCHCHCHCHCHCH
>slow is better, don't try to rush shift or letting the clutch out
>feed the throttle in a little as you let the clutch out
>use the handbrake on hills, it's easier
if your highway trip is bumper to bumper traffic, don't bother. otherwise, you'll be fine
make sure to pick up your clutch foot rather than planting your heel on the ground, it helps when starting out.
everything else has been said afaik. good luck
and also, don't assume you know how to drive manual through watching youtube videos. you'll know what i mean when you start driving
Most forgiving clutch for beginners, best transmission
miata?
I'm kinda in the same boat as OP, I drove a stick Mustang back in high school but autos ever since. I'm 32 now. I'm about to take drilvery on a new WRX and km not 100 percent confident in my stick skills. Im worried im gonna make an ass of myself trying onto get the car home.
no
It's a some kind of weird WATER DAMAGE with a bodykit.
Be sure it's in first and not third when you're putting it in gear. Easy mistake to make when you don't know what you're doing
Probably will. I'd put the hazards on. When I got my manual golf tdi I rode with hazards on for a week. Helps people expect it when you stall into oncoming traffic lol
Granted that car loved to stall like crazy. I drive a manual mustang now and it is probably 5x more forgiving.
Yeah, my Mustang was a 5.0 and it was flat out hard to stall. I drove it like 2 hrs home from where I bought it and it was the first stick I ever drove. My uncle explained to me the concept of how to drive one and that all I needed
>you'll never experience the hektikness of driving home a car you don't know how to drive again
PATHETIC AMERICAN RETARD
Every little girl in europe knows how to drive with a fucking h-pattern your burger-morons! It's unbelievable.
What I would do is, once you've checked it all out and the sale is in order, have the owner drop it off with you in a big empty parking lot somewhere. Give yourself a lot of time (like a couple hours, even though it's way more than you need), and practice stopping and starting and then shifting in the lot until you've got it down and then you can drive it home. If you're not in a hurry to get back, you won't be stressed and making mistakes.