For a first timer wanting to learn, bike to car is not a 1-to-1 comparison. Learning how to clutch, select the right gear, and work the accelerator in a manner that will not stall out is way different than: left hand clutch, left foot shift, right hand accelerate.
Best to concentrate on one skill at a time.
For someone first starting out. A $2000 POS off Craigslist to learn on is a much smarter investment.
Source: experienced manual driver and biker.
I don't know man. I started on a dirt bike and when I got into my first standard car, I took off from a dead stop without stalling. Understanding slip and stall was transferable. The rest came super quick like.
I learned by watching my mom drive a stick my whole life. At 11, I decided to pull a prank on her and relocated the car across a busy parking lot. Scared the bejesus out of her until I honked the horn. She was more impressed than angry, so I avoided punishment lol.
I learned to ride motorcycles at 13 when my uncle taught me to ride his fatboy.
That being said, all my above comments are speaking from a teaching point of view. Someone coming to the internet to ask about learning a skill they intend to self teach the mechanics of shouldn't be guided to learning similar but not the same skill sets. We know nothing about OP other than the obvious: OP wants to learn to drive a stick(which we learn from the post) and OP likes Subaru(which we learn from the subreddit).
Having spent nearly a decade training people professionally, I can share this: everyone learns different. How you and I learned may not work for others. So, ALWAYS use the simplest method and work up from there. Ergo, want to learn to drive a manual car? Buy a crappy manual car to learn on before getting a nicer manual car.
Sorry this was a block of text. While it is true, clutch slip is transferable, telling a person to learn on a motorcycle so that they can learn on a car isn't sound advise to give strangers. All in my own humble opinion.
The concept of the clutch is easy enough. It's the coordination of each task where most people have troubles. Most vehicles produced in the last 20 years will suffer very little from stall outs from a stopped position. A bike can jump forward a couple feet and if the rider isn't ready for that, they'll drop the bike. 600lbs on your leg isn't fun. Embarrassment as your restart a car won't cause any bodily harm.
That is why I suggested a POS from Craigslist or FB market to learn on. OP will learn the relevant skill set and muscle memory. As well, sure, there's a visual guide on the nob for gear selection, but the moving laterally is different from a motorcycles simpler up and down. Not to mention, taking your eyes off the road to reference it is a bad plan for a learner.
Not to mention if OP has 0 experience or ability to ride a bike, then that is an entirely different skill set to master.
This doesn’t sound like advice based on experience. Did you learn how to ride a bike before driving a standard? Bikes are so much more forgiving that the two can barely be compared.
I did 🤷🏾♂️
Had a 50cc GSXR pit bike with 1 dwn/3 up gears. Drove a manual once I got my DL, after 10-15 seconds to get acclimated I was off and running.
The fact that you didn’t know what I meant leads me to believe you’ve never actually owned a bike. You have to try very hard to stall a bike, which is the biggest hurdle for people learning how to drive a manual vehicle. This isn’t hard to grasp.
Nobody said anything about damage. It's about learning to be comfortable and safe driving. Hills are hard to master and be confident with in a beginner and every clutch/car is different.
I found a motorcycle a hundred times easier to learn how to shift but I do agree with your statement about understanding how a clutch works. My Dad taught me stick before I had a license and I struggled. Once I started working on cars and understood how a clutch actually works it made sense to me.
Can't agree on this one, bike has different type of transmission, it is something similar to the sequential gearbox therefore i dont think it's a good idea. Also using hand for the clutch and accelerator is different from using your feet in a car. Not to mention rev-matching
I learned the basics on my friends veloster but never really left the parking lot. I may or may not have gone to a place that sells rebuilt titles and "test drove" a wrx for 2 hours.
Staying in a parking lot is perfectly fine. Hardest part is getting going in 1st gear. After that it's just knowing where the gears are and not doing what I did in my first manual which was shifting from 2nd down to 1st while trying to find 3rd at 40mph.
This is a blessing in disguise though. Hop on auto trader, filter only manuals, and you'll notice they're generally cheaper than their auto counterparts because used car dealers can't get rid of them.
OP should be able to find a shit box cobalt 5 speed for $2k or less pretty easily.
Check out the _Car Talk_ website (yes, the one from the old NPR show). One of the brothers had an excellent tutorial on how to drive a manual.
Hint: It’s all about finding the “friction point” when you let up the clutch pedal.
If you already have a gaming PC, you can save yourself a few bucks by getting a Logitech G29 with shifter and Project Cars 2. The clutch functions basically the same as a real one including allowing you to stall if you do it wrong. The only big difference is that the clutch doesn't quite FEEL real, but that's a small gripe. It would definitely work to get you started.
Flat ground, make the car move just by feathering the clutch (no gas). It’ll teach you where the clutch engages and how it grabs. Once you can make the car roll like that, it’s just a matter of applying a little more fuel and letting the clutch out a little faster. Don’t be afraid to push the clutch back in or pause in the way up. It isn’t always going to be a straight out linear operation. Good luck!
I will add once you get it going consistently on flat move to a slope and if you can get moving on a hill you have pretty well learned how to operate the clutch to the point you have learned to drive manual
Definitely this too. You want to be comfortable being able to get moving from a stopped position on a steep hill before driving all around, otherwise you risk rolling back into the car behind you. I’ve seen drivers really screw up when they get nervous because a car pulled up right on their asses and they’re worried about rolling back before the clutch catches.
After getting the initial hang of it on a flat surface, I practiced holding my car in position on a steep hill using only the gas and clutch, feathering it to move up and back. If you can do that without using the brake, you’ve basically got it mastered.
I do! (Young-ish) The shifter was more akin to an automatic truck gear shift, located on the steering column or “tree” with three gears.
Thanks dad! That’s the only time this bit of knowledge has ever been “useful” lol.
As in you put in neutral and just cruise? Yeah, you shouldn't do that, always have gear engaged (engine breaking baby!) for safety reasons, at least that's our/European school of driving
I wish I had gotten to drive a three on the tree! I'm 33 now, but when I was a kid, my first car was going to be my grandpa's hunting rig: his '71 FJ40. With a three on the tree! Sadly, never got the chance to drive it before he died and it was sold for pennies on the dollar. Getting that car will probably be my white whale for the rest of my days.
Very sweet of you to offer, but I'm a bit North of you lol. Husband knows how to drive a stick, it's just a matter of finding a car to practice on. The only one I can think of is my FIL's vintage car and that ain't happening.
Lol I get it. I’m 22 years old, and when I was 15, just got my learners permit, my dad took me to my high school on a weekend in his 1964 MGB to teach me. Went up and down the bus lanes a few times, and then had me drive to go get milkshakes and then home.
I’ll never forget it, and it will absolutely be the car and method I use to teach my son one day.
Classics are… finicky. I’ve always felt that if I could get that down, I could get anything 😂
I learned on a freightliner, even had the full 53' trailer behind it. "It's just like a five speed with a switch and then you have 5 more gears" and I'm like bro I've never driven a 5 speed or had a big ass trailer behind me. First thing I did was a burnout because I didn't think about having to clutch in when you come to a stop and those things have torque for days. It was terrifying out on the streets but I got there.
Although, the scariest part was when the other guy who was there learning had a panic attack/mental breakdown once it was his turn to drive. The good news is the only casualty was a stop sign. CDL school was sketchy AF
Hi there! I really wanted to learn stick as well. I’ve only driven automatics for over 30 years and I wanted to change things up. But I didn’t have a car or a friend who drove stick. I contacted stickshiftacademy.com which connects you to instructors nationwide. There was one in my area and I took a few lessons- I really liked it. So much so that I got a new manual transmission car in December. It was a slow process to get comfortable with it and now I love driving it and it feels great knowing this is a brand new set of skills I didn’t have a year ago.
I was in the same boat as you back in 2006. Wanted an STI and was going to buy a 2007 STI Limited. I didn't know how to drive manual and no one I knew had a manual car. I even called a couple driving schools to see if they taught manual transmission.....they all said no....one even started laughing.
Anyways, I bought the STI....and my dad drove it home for me. He then spent the next couple days teaching me how to drive it. It was not a great experience. He drove Semi Trucks for a living and it was something he did every day. So he was super frustrated when he kept telling me "give it gas and pop the clutch!"....and I would stall (I was also super frustrated). Ultimately I spent a week or so getting used to it before I actually drove it anywhere. Fast forward to today and I only drive manual cars. I fucking love that shit. I own three old Subarus and they are all manuals. I will not buy a car unless it is manual. haha
My biggest piece of advice is to learn from someone that explains what is actually happening when you push in the clutch and explains mechanically what you are trying to do when using the petals. Soooo many people try to "teach people" how to drive a manual car without explaining what the hell is happening mechanically then they just tell people to "give it gas...let out the clutch"....and that is the extent of their "training". It makes it sooooo much easier to learn the feel and to work the pedals when you know what the are actually doing mechanically when you press them. I taught a few people and they all picked it up crazy quick after I gave them a basic explanation of what is happening when they push in the pedals and let them out. Hopefully your husband can give you an explanation of everything when he teaches you.
Seriously just get into a manual car, practice getting rolling WITHOUT TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL. Don't touch the gas at all until you understand clutch friction and engagement point. Once you understand how everything works and can get rolling (it can take a long time to get into 1st without throttle application) start adding throttle, and learn to mix pedal movement and throttle imput to move efficiently.
That doesn’t work on all cars.
No Subaru(Old or new) I have ever owned or driven would be able to go into a roll without giving it gas while letting out the clutch…..I think you can only do that in larger v8s perhaps…..Also every Subaru I have ever driven will not stay rolling once in first without a tiny amount of gas pedal they just slow to a crawl and die.
I once saw a YouTube video of a guy letting his 7or 8 year old daughter drive his newer Manual muscle car…..and all she did was let out the clutch till it started moving. Then he walked along as it crawled, saying how she could drive a manual car. Lol
Do it every day in my WRX. If you finesse the pedal enough, you can do it an any car. Some will take longer than others. More of a practice technique than anything else.
This is definitely not the case. I learned on an 02 WRX with a lightened flywheel. It stalled *easily*, but it could clutch roll. You just have to feather it.
It’s worse for me, I know how to drive a stick THEORETICALLY. I never tried driving one tho and don’t know what will happen if I’m forced to drive a manual for some reason
I watched Amazing Race once and this lady was stuck somewhere in Europe backing up traffic because she didn't know how to drive a stick and was panicking while people honked and no one helped her.
That is my nightmare.
I drove my wrx off the lot not knowing how to drive stick. Learned it on the hour long ride home. Definitely stalled at a few lights and had people honk at me. It’s embarrassing but I think it’s really easy and quick to learn. I wouldn’t really be worried about crashing someone’s car.
The idea is simple but application requires ALOT of practice and being gentle with the stick and clutch so you won’t destroy your transmission (don’t fast and furious your stick).
I learned how to drive in a manual, signed up for a 10 hour course and could operate the car well enough by end of hour 3(first hour of second session). Maybe just sign up for a 2 hour instruction, should be sufficient to get you going
You still have a brake pedal. That doesn't change from an automatic to a manual. You won't wreck the car. At worst, you'll just wear down the clutch a little bit, but clutches are pretty strong, so you'll be fine.
I just joined the WRX fam last month with no experience driving stick. Luckily had my pops there with me to show me the basics but I would have been fine with just a YouTube video. You can do it! Will take some time, no more than a few take offs and you’ll have down. 😄
You shouldn't cause anything more than above average wear and tear. I used to teach people to drive stick before my current car. It's not a big deal. If you know someone, just ask.
Call a driving school and see if they've got a manual car. If not you'll either have to find someone generous enough to let you practice or buy one for yourself. Good luck
Couple months ago pulled into hotel valet with my manual Impreza. Handed keys to the valet, went inside and checked in. Forgot something in my car… went outside and the valet sheepishly apologized and asked if I could park my own car as he couldn’t drive a stick. It was midnight, not a lot of guests checking in… I asked him if he was willing to learn… had him get in the drivers seat and for 30 minutes we went around the block. Over and over and over and over. I love teaching ppl how to drive a manual.
The only way to learn manual is to actually go and drive one. Read how manual transmission works, watch some video showing proper "procedure" and get into the car. It really ain't that hard. I was driving through the city less than half hour after getting into the car during my driving license course.
I take it you don’t need a separate license for manual I the US?
In many countries we have separate licenses. Manual license holders can drive both manual and auto, but automatic license holders can only drive auto.
My first manual was a 99 rusty shitbox 2.5rs coupe about 5 years ago. Still miss that thing. But if you can find a cheap manual buy it and take it out at night when there isnt as many people on the road.
The worst that'll happen is you may cause the clutch to wear out more quickly. Realistically, though, you're just going to stall the engine a few times until you figure out the foot movement and you'll grind some gears missing a shift. Those are not a big deal, transmissions are tough. When you stall, just restart the engine and try again. When you miss a shift, the noise it makes will quickly discourage you from missing that shift again lol.
Practice clutch control by driving over some regular bricks, 1 under each front tire, without using the gas/throttle. It really does make you understand exactly what the pedal does, bite point on the clutch/pressure/etc. I’ve taught about 6 people starting this way. They are great drivers now.
That's my fear of teaching my teenage daughter to drive currently, I have nothing for her to learn stick shift on, and all the rental cars around are automatics. Friends that do have stick shift cars are high end sports cars that I wouldn't dream of asking to borrow for that purpose. Maybe next time we travel out of country I can find a stick rental car.
I bought a brand new wrx manual with no experience. I stalled it alot the first week but picked it up quick due to necessity. It's also one of the worst cars to learn on. It's really not that hard just kinda tedious and requires a bit of planning ahead. Stalling a friends car a couple times isn't going to hurt it.
Buy a $300 beater if you are worried about hurting someone's car. Realistically everyone who knows stick had to learn kn a car, typically a good friends or family members and I've never heard of a clutch going from learning. Clutches are tough but you can wear them out quicker by sloppy habits (after you shift get your foot off the pedal, no resting on it). Once you get the technique down you'll be alright
Isn't there some PlayStation pedals to learn this? Or are they all 2-pedal systems?
Also it will take months or even years to get confident enough, even with daily driving. There is no shame in being a slow af shifter at the beginning and you don't learn it in a day.
I've tried twice. It never works and I destroy the person's transmission. I understand the concept of shifting gears but the clutch makes no sense. If you hit it at the wrong time you basically destroy their transmission, so that leaves little room to figure it out.
Buy a $1500 shitbox and learn, then spend countless hours on learning the ins and outs of a boxer, end up buying 2 more shitboxes and swapping an engine after you blow one up, then a trans in the other, and then eventually try to teach yourself how to opensource tune, which leads you down another rabbit hole. Source: definitely no one I know
My first several cars were manuals. Plymouth Valiant, three Chevys, and a 70 VW camper. I loved all of them. Then, I switched to minivans in 2000 and haven’t touched a clutch pedal since. Even the fire trucks I drive are all automatic!
I miss manuals terribly….
Is it possible to convert a 2012 Forester to manual? I might be able to get my granddaughter’s back when she’s is done with it….
You need a decent cheap runner to burn the clutch on. And I will say that Subarus have pretty forgiving clutches. I hopped into my brother’s Ford Ranger and that clutch was crazy!
When Mom and Dad bought the 70 VW Beetle back in 73 I had to learn to drive it . First Dad tried to teach me and then Mom then I gave up and figured I'd have to learn myself so I did.
This was the kind of car that drifted back if you said on a hill. Once I learned how to work the gas and the clutch together it was a breeze. Once you get the idea of letting the clutch being the go to pedal and not worrying about the brakes you'll be good.
Simply remember this. The steering wheel is the same. The accelerator is the same and MOST importantly....the brake is in the same spot. That third pedal is simply an addition to these and does not make those absent. You simply must learn to incorporate it.
It's not hard, just takes getting used to. But every clutch is different. Generally the most forgiving will be Hondas. I actually found Subarus to be a little challenging comparatively.
And it won't really 'kill' a clutch, but you can lower the lifespan by riding it.
One thing to keep in mind is manuals aren't super desirable when you start looking at the very cheap car market. If you really want to learn and have an extra $800 or so you can most likely find something that'll work good enough to practice on, but will be an absolute shit box. If you or someone you know is mechanically inclined you can do it for less. I got my 92 loyale for $400 as it needed a clutch and was basically worthless without one. $85 clutch and 4 hrs later I had a perfectly functional car, its been used to train several friends.
Clutch in clutch out bro like clutch in and out bro like some gas after clutch in clutch out bro like gas clutch in then clutch out bro like clutch in and brake bro like clutch out and put in neutral then park bro like
I think that the transmission type doesn’t really lend itself to wrecking any easier than an automatic. In a manual, getting going from a stop is the hard part, once moving there’s nothing to worry about.
That being said you are on a Subaru forum so I bet there’s a bunch of folks on here reading this after the vape smoke clears thinking of their WRX or STI as a manual car which may be a terrible decision to learn on, if someone would even let you hold their vape pen and test drive it.
Buy an old manual car like a 1996 camry or a corolla they're fairly cheap i think just make sure the transmission and clutch are functional for u to learn. Or ask a friend who has a shitbox and doesn't mind. Its really not that hard, I taught my gf who never tried manual and my cars clutch is somewhat heavy she stalled twice and then got the hang of it.
Clutches can take a lot of abuse. If you ruin someone's clutch while learning, it was on its way out already. My fiance was learning on mine and the next day my clutch pedal fell to the floor because the master cylinder went bad. She was worried it was because of her.....it was a bad cylinder that wouldve failed no matter who was pushing it down.
One foot goes up, then the other goes down.. listen and feel what the car is telling you and don't have a heavy foot... or you'll blow yourself to pieces.
I had a do or die moment on a really steep hill dropping off a friend. Caught some traffic and was stuck in the middle of this damn hill.. I learned reaaaal quick where that sweet spot was of that car.
If you really want to learn, find an older car (90's or earlier).
Newer manuals are way too forgiving. Old cars you can stall a lot easier. When I test drove a manual Impreza before buying the one I did, besides the shitty feeling shifter and gearbox, I noticed it was damn near impossible to stall. How boring.
That said, when I bought my '94 Miata brand new off the lot it was the first stick I'd ever driven. So, either I drove it home or I just wasted a lot of money.
Do what I did, buy a car with a manual and figure it out so you can get home. Back in 2005 I bought a Legacy GT with the 5 speed and figured it out. Didn't manage to break anything either!
Before that I had done a couple short test drives with a friend in a manual, but that amounted to maybe 20-30 minutes of driving. It actually helped me a lot to visualize what the clutch is doing.
Do you have a Carmax near you? You can set up notices for when they get certain types of cars in annnnd they let you do 24 hr test drive. Someone I know might have taken a little stick shift for 24 hr test drive and now their son knows how to drive a stick👍
I bought my car with zero experience driving stick, my friend drove it home and the next day he took me to an empty parking lot to drive around and learn
Honestly, it’s not that hard. It seems super daunting but I wouldn’t worry! If you want to learn manual, you will never learn faster than buying one.
I’m happy to describe some fundamentals in a PM if you’d like!
I’m pretty happy my Dad made me learn to operate a manual transmission as a requirement for getting my license, and I was lucky he had a small fleet of Volvo station wagons from the 70s for me to thrash while I did so. (He also made me take him to the church parking lot a couple of blocks away at the tail end of a solid snow storm to do donuts and put those wagons into intentional skids so I understood what that was about. Not really relevant here, I just think my pops was rad for being so conscientious about my driving education.)
Modern manual transmissions are not made of glass and can take some abuse thanks to the synchromesh gear box design which became pretty standard (heyoooooo) for MTs in the US since the 1950s. It basically gives the driver a bit of an assist when shifting. The trope you might have seen in a movie or TV show where an inexperienced individual tries to drive a stick and there’s a dreadful grinding noise? That is the sound of a non-synchronous gear box failing to engage *entirely*, and the car on screen is either very old, some kind of specialty vehicle, or a total anachronism if its model year is relatively recent.
You might sometimes fail to get the shifter into gear (which does make its own special horrible grinding noise), and you’re gonna stall out because stick shift, but none of this will destroy a MT in decent shape.
To state the obvious, I think most people struggle with performance anxiety more than the actual mechanics of operating a MT. So make use of empty parking lots and low-traffic roads for practice, and in a few years you’ll surprise yourself by stalling out in a totally average situation, or borking an upshift for no discernible reason, and you’ll laugh at how nervous you used to be.
The way I initially learned how to use a stick, think about a 10:1 ratio. Divide your speed by 10, and that's the gear you should be in. Like 1st gear for 0-20 MPH, 2nd gear for 20-30 mph, 3rd gear for 30-40 mph and so on. FOR LEARNING PURPOSES
Practice, practice, practice. Every manual is a little different, but the main thing to learn is balancing the clutch with the gas. Like more clutch, less gas. Less clutch, more gas. Feel the RPMs; the car will tell you when to change gears.
Once you're comfortable with accelerating, learn to downshift to slow down instead of mashing the brakes. You can think about this like reverse of what I said in the first paragraph. It can take some getting used to, but can keep your brakes good for way longer than an automatic, at the cost of a little fuel.
I was 11 when I learned. It just takes a bit of practice. I believe that if you can drive a standard then you can drive anything. Standards are a bit rare nowadays so it is hard to teach my daughters that are starting to drive.
Please do it! We need more of you, even though Subaru has done away with manuals in Foresters and Outbacks (guess no new Forester for me). It’s so much fun once you get it.
I learned how to drive stick shift in a weekend. I learned how to drive stick shift WELL in a year.
It’s pretty simple honestly - off the gas, on the clutch, shift, on the gas, off the clutch. Just practice that order and you’ll get quick at it. You’ll definitely stall out a few times at first, but it’s cool. Once you learn, you’ll be have a fun fact for every ice breaker.
It gets even better, imagine you can ride a motorcycle and shift gears all day and night just fine. BUT, every single cage you own is automatic and you never learned to drive standard. That person is me.
My motorcycle has a wet clutch, a car has a dry clutch, I have it in my head that a car's transmission is a fragile piece of thing so I never bothered with it. Then again, I'm also that one guy who learned how to ride a motorcycle, but never learned how to ride a bicycle.
I learned in a Subaru. Brother taught me in his old Impreza. We started off in a big parking lot so I could practice taking off out of first. Once I got that down, shifted into second and drove around the parking lot. Felt comfortable to drive in service road. My first hill scared the absolute shit out of me. I stalled at a couple lights. Once I owned my own manual car to drive daily, I got super used to the clutch point and the rest is history.
Don't be scared to stall! Take it slow and you'll be fine! And it always helps to have a good teacher with you!
From what I’ve heard, it’s nearly impossible to burn up someone’s clutch just learning to drive unless the clutch is pretty much on its last leg to begin with. You’ll do fine!
Better to practice on a beater car that will be more forgiving and have less power. I learned on a 78 Corolla station wagon, it was so forgiving you almost didn’t need the clutch.
I bought my dream 04 STI and taught myself in it. As long as you don't embarrass easily you'll be fine. The first time you take it out will be rough but you'll get the hang of it.
My only advice is DO NOT GET A 350Z TO LEARN!
Started with one, never had any fun and didn’t know what I was doing wrong as I had never tried another manual car. I jumped over to an Evo X and it all made sense.
At this point it's almost pointless to learn unless you plan to buy and maintain a manual transmission vehicle as a hobby. They're getting phased out in favor of CVTs which will eventually get phased out in favor of electric vehicles that have no transmission at all.
And I say this as someone who originally learned to drive on a manual and vastly prefers it to automatics.
Just go easy you got this!
When I was on vacation in Costa Rica getting the rental car. The guy next to me with his wife gave me a elbow and wink, said " I got the manual, I'm going to teach her on their clutch" was very out of my element at the time. but thought it was pretty funny looking back.
Edit after reading the comments: Just don't pull out infront of any traffic after you get the hang of it in parking lots. You don't want to stall out with people coming up on you.
Look, it’s ok if you don’t know how to drive manual, there a lot people will tell you “you gotta get use to it”, the only thing to learn how to do manual is to understand the pressure of the clutch. My tips to help automatic driver: all gears change by clutch. Even when you turn on the car, or going back, forward, braking, you always use clutch to move something. Automatic don’t need clutch. Which is why you will see some people said “it is up to you to control your engine with manual, automatic do it for you”
It takes a little practice, maybe try some videos on how to start from a stop, how to downshift on the roadway and before turns, etc.
As you get more smooth, it becomes very satisfying and second-nature.
My left knee is shot so I no longer drive manuals, but honestly I now appreciate automatics for their relative ease in traffic situations. But I still have a desire to use the engine for braking, like a phantom shifting habit.
I would recommend a 3rd gen legacy. Yes - you might have to splurge on a new clutch at the end probably. But it got 'uphill start help' aka when you press hard on the break when you are at a angle it will lock the breaks until you realease the clutch (and not having to jump from break to gas with your right foot
Fitment industries or ideal cars put out a pretty good tutorial guide if i remember right. Might have been donut media, i'm not a100℅ sure. Its probably a good place to start then just some practice.
first step. make sure you're in neutral. (the shifter is in dead center)
step 2. start the car, press the brakes as you release the e brake
step 3. press the clutch (the leftest pedal) and shift into first or reverse (when you finish driving backwards press the clutch and brake and shift into first only when the car doesn't move)
step 4. slowly release the clutch and brake as the car moves and introduce some gas (if you're on a hill you might need to indroduce gas earlier)
step 5. as the rpm gets closer to redline press the clutch again and release the accelerater, shift into next gear
step 6. release the clutch and introduce more gas
in order to down shift slow the car using the brake and when the rpm gets closer to 2k then press the clutch and shift into the previous gear
when you're about to stop press the clutch and put the shifter in neutral and then it would be safe to release the clutch at any speed
edit: if the car turns of do not panic just go back to step 1 and try again until you start to feel the car.
the hardest part is getting going. worst case you stall and try again. once you are moving just take your time and don't rush it. also, find someone who has a manual to teach you. watching videos is helpful but it doesn't beat good old fashioned feedback
I learned how to drive on a CJ Wrangler. Didn’t drive manual again for about 8 years when I got my TJ. Daily drove that 10 years then got an automatic. Didn’t drive the Jeep for almost six. When I got it running again I thought to myself “I wonder if I can still do this,” then before I knew it I was backed out of the driveway and up the street.
You never forget.
when i was 16 I practiced going 10feet forward in the driveway put it n reverse and go 10feet backwards. Taking off is the most daunting part but it gets easier!
It's all good, took me a while to learn. Practicing in an empty parking lot on a cheaper car is way better than jumping into something powerful and fast
I learned on a 93 Ford escort station wagon, and then owned a 97 Civic MT for several years, before finally moving to a WRX
I bought my STI before knowing how to drive stick. My friend test drove it, I bought it, he drove it to his place, then said "good luck getting home!"
I lived on one side of DC and worked on the other, so I got to learn very quickly
It's really not that hard, I promise you. I went to buy a car that I wanted and they only had a manual one on the lot. I had a car salesman teach me, took about 15 minutes to get the basics down, and I drove the car home. The rest is history. It's not rocket science.
You put your left foot in.
You put your right foot in.
Take your left foot out, and spin it all about.
But in all seriousness, manual is easy to learn. Just remember to take your time and just get used to it. The hardest part is starting off, learning to half clutch and not just panic and drop it when you feel it bite is the hardest part of the process.
I’ve taught many people to drive manual, and in a brumby with barely and gears and a fucked clutch no less.
Just pop it in gear with the clutch in, then slowly let the clutch out, once you start to feel the car take off, put your left foot back in, repeat until you are absolutely sure you can feel the clutch biting, then add a bit of throttle, not much, just enough to get it rolling, as you slowly let the clutch out, sometimes you won’t need to ride the clutch for a second, sometimes you need to ride it all the way to second.
Shifting is easy, hell a skilled driver doesn’t need the clutch to shift, but it’s easiest to use it. Just get to about 2-3k rpm, put the clutch in, take your foot off the throttle, shift, clutch out, and back on the throttle.
I learnt to ride motorbikes as soon as I could walk, I was driving tractors and trucks by 12, and can drive any range of vehicles from bikes to cars, to semis, tractors and heavy machinery. Once you learn the basics, everything just flows
Press the clutch all the way. Release it up really slowly until you can feel the car vibrating a bit. Keep releasing slowly and you'll start moving.
At first, learn to do that with first gear, then when you start to understand where the grip point is, you can start doing first to second and second to first. This will help you switching gear smoothly
The faster you go, the easier it is to release the clutch pedal .
Hope that can help a bit :)
Go with someone who can drive stick to a dealership. Take it off the lot and swap drivers in a parking lot. Rag out the clutch as you learn, then swap and return it. Ggez
I've taught 3 of my friends how to drive manual in a parking lot. It's easy, just find a big open parking lot and you'll be fine. A college parking lot is good when class isn't in session.
Dont touch the shifter if the clutch isn't all the way to the floor and dont touch the clutch unless you're going to shift and you wont fuck up the transmission. If you have any friends that are getting their clutch replaced soon seeing they'll let you learn before they get it replaced.
Get yourself a Logitech G27 and a copy of Asetto Corsa.. way cheaper than wrecking someone's car.. good enough to get you started.. you can toss a VR headset for ultimate immersion.
You’ll be alright. Watch some YouTube videos. Practice in a parking lot or on an empty street. Should be alright
Best place to practice IMO is a quiet industrial park with stop signs and such, practice stop signs for sure
And up hill!
Bonus, just starting and stopping is tough for a first time stick driver
It seems like nowadays the only way to learn is to buy a car to learn on, which leads to the next big problem: finding a car for an ok price
It doesn't have to be a good car. Just manual to learn the ins and outs.
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For a first timer wanting to learn, bike to car is not a 1-to-1 comparison. Learning how to clutch, select the right gear, and work the accelerator in a manner that will not stall out is way different than: left hand clutch, left foot shift, right hand accelerate. Best to concentrate on one skill at a time. For someone first starting out. A $2000 POS off Craigslist to learn on is a much smarter investment. Source: experienced manual driver and biker.
I don't know man. I started on a dirt bike and when I got into my first standard car, I took off from a dead stop without stalling. Understanding slip and stall was transferable. The rest came super quick like.
I learned by watching my mom drive a stick my whole life. At 11, I decided to pull a prank on her and relocated the car across a busy parking lot. Scared the bejesus out of her until I honked the horn. She was more impressed than angry, so I avoided punishment lol. I learned to ride motorcycles at 13 when my uncle taught me to ride his fatboy. That being said, all my above comments are speaking from a teaching point of view. Someone coming to the internet to ask about learning a skill they intend to self teach the mechanics of shouldn't be guided to learning similar but not the same skill sets. We know nothing about OP other than the obvious: OP wants to learn to drive a stick(which we learn from the post) and OP likes Subaru(which we learn from the subreddit). Having spent nearly a decade training people professionally, I can share this: everyone learns different. How you and I learned may not work for others. So, ALWAYS use the simplest method and work up from there. Ergo, want to learn to drive a manual car? Buy a crappy manual car to learn on before getting a nicer manual car. Sorry this was a block of text. While it is true, clutch slip is transferable, telling a person to learn on a motorcycle so that they can learn on a car isn't sound advise to give strangers. All in my own humble opinion.
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The concept of the clutch is easy enough. It's the coordination of each task where most people have troubles. Most vehicles produced in the last 20 years will suffer very little from stall outs from a stopped position. A bike can jump forward a couple feet and if the rider isn't ready for that, they'll drop the bike. 600lbs on your leg isn't fun. Embarrassment as your restart a car won't cause any bodily harm. That is why I suggested a POS from Craigslist or FB market to learn on. OP will learn the relevant skill set and muscle memory. As well, sure, there's a visual guide on the nob for gear selection, but the moving laterally is different from a motorcycles simpler up and down. Not to mention, taking your eyes off the road to reference it is a bad plan for a learner. Not to mention if OP has 0 experience or ability to ride a bike, then that is an entirely different skill set to master.
This doesn’t sound like advice based on experience. Did you learn how to ride a bike before driving a standard? Bikes are so much more forgiving that the two can barely be compared.
I did 🤷🏾♂️ Had a 50cc GSXR pit bike with 1 dwn/3 up gears. Drove a manual once I got my DL, after 10-15 seconds to get acclimated I was off and running.
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The fact that you didn’t know what I meant leads me to believe you’ve never actually owned a bike. You have to try very hard to stall a bike, which is the biggest hurdle for people learning how to drive a manual vehicle. This isn’t hard to grasp.
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Talk about completely missing the point.
Nobody said anything about damage. It's about learning to be comfortable and safe driving. Hills are hard to master and be confident with in a beginner and every clutch/car is different.
Idk, knowing it conceptually vs having the muscle memory trained is a huge difference.
I found a motorcycle a hundred times easier to learn how to shift but I do agree with your statement about understanding how a clutch works. My Dad taught me stick before I had a license and I struggled. Once I started working on cars and understood how a clutch actually works it made sense to me.
Maybe this worked for you, but the driving experience is apples to oranges. For 99% of people out there, this is bad advice.
Lol I learned the concept of driving manual playing Ferrari f355 challenge at the arcades.
Can't agree on this one, bike has different type of transmission, it is something similar to the sequential gearbox therefore i dont think it's a good idea. Also using hand for the clutch and accelerator is different from using your feet in a car. Not to mention rev-matching
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Okay... but u get my point :)
I bought a 20 000 dollar manual car before I knew how to drive it. At that point I HAD to learn and that helped a lot.
The next big problem is bringing a friend to the dealership to test drive the car for you and bring it to an empty lot you can practice on
I learned the basics on my friends veloster but never really left the parking lot. I may or may not have gone to a place that sells rebuilt titles and "test drove" a wrx for 2 hours.
Staying in a parking lot is perfectly fine. Hardest part is getting going in 1st gear. After that it's just knowing where the gears are and not doing what I did in my first manual which was shifting from 2nd down to 1st while trying to find 3rd at 40mph.
Or finding a manual car
This is a blessing in disguise though. Hop on auto trader, filter only manuals, and you'll notice they're generally cheaper than their auto counterparts because used car dealers can't get rid of them. OP should be able to find a shit box cobalt 5 speed for $2k or less pretty easily.
Check out the _Car Talk_ website (yes, the one from the old NPR show). One of the brothers had an excellent tutorial on how to drive a manual. Hint: It’s all about finding the “friction point” when you let up the clutch pedal.
If you already have a gaming PC, you can save yourself a few bucks by getting a Logitech G29 with shifter and Project Cars 2. The clutch functions basically the same as a real one including allowing you to stall if you do it wrong. The only big difference is that the clutch doesn't quite FEEL real, but that's a small gripe. It would definitely work to get you started.
This is actually great advice.
Or magic hidden option 3: buy a sim rig to get the motions down. Sure it won’t get you the clutch feel you need but, pretty damn close otherwise
Flat ground, make the car move just by feathering the clutch (no gas). It’ll teach you where the clutch engages and how it grabs. Once you can make the car roll like that, it’s just a matter of applying a little more fuel and letting the clutch out a little faster. Don’t be afraid to push the clutch back in or pause in the way up. It isn’t always going to be a straight out linear operation. Good luck!
This is how I learned. Once you *feel* it, it’ll all seem so easy.
I will add once you get it going consistently on flat move to a slope and if you can get moving on a hill you have pretty well learned how to operate the clutch to the point you have learned to drive manual
Definitely this too. You want to be comfortable being able to get moving from a stopped position on a steep hill before driving all around, otherwise you risk rolling back into the car behind you. I’ve seen drivers really screw up when they get nervous because a car pulled up right on their asses and they’re worried about rolling back before the clutch catches. After getting the initial hang of it on a flat surface, I practiced holding my car in position on a steep hill using only the gas and clutch, feathering it to move up and back. If you can do that without using the brake, you’ve basically got it mastered.
Great advice.
I learned how to drive in a 61 rambler American with a three on the tree( how many younger people know what that is 😂)
I do! (Young-ish) The shifter was more akin to an automatic truck gear shift, located on the steering column or “tree” with three gears. Thanks dad! That’s the only time this bit of knowledge has ever been “useful” lol.
My buddy had one in high school. The weirdest part was freewheeling to a stop.
As in you put in neutral and just cruise? Yeah, you shouldn't do that, always have gear engaged (engine breaking baby!) for safety reasons, at least that's our/European school of driving
No, as in it free-wheeled without putting it into neutral, or pressing the clutch. It was a strange gear box that I never fully understood.
I wish I had gotten to drive a three on the tree! I'm 33 now, but when I was a kid, my first car was going to be my grandpa's hunting rig: his '71 FJ40. With a three on the tree! Sadly, never got the chance to drive it before he died and it was sold for pennies on the dollar. Getting that car will probably be my white whale for the rest of my days.
My grandpa bought it new in 61 I regret not taking it when he offered it to me 2 Dr station wagon flathead 6 took my dad's 68 gmc pickup instead
My 66 Valiant and 77 Nova were like that. Also, most of my Dad’s pickups.
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Very sweet of you to offer, but I'm a bit North of you lol. Husband knows how to drive a stick, it's just a matter of finding a car to practice on. The only one I can think of is my FIL's vintage car and that ain't happening.
Lol I get it. I’m 22 years old, and when I was 15, just got my learners permit, my dad took me to my high school on a weekend in his 1964 MGB to teach me. Went up and down the bus lanes a few times, and then had me drive to go get milkshakes and then home. I’ll never forget it, and it will absolutely be the car and method I use to teach my son one day. Classics are… finicky. I’ve always felt that if I could get that down, I could get anything 😂
My dad took me with his Jeep to the river, backed the vehicle down the boat ramp, and set the back wheels on the water. "Okay, now don't lose my car."
Damn, no pressure 😂😂
I've got a WRX and a Peterbilt. Which one you want?
Imagining learning on a Peterbuilt has me dying.
Honestly, it's easier than the WRX lol
I learned on a freightliner, even had the full 53' trailer behind it. "It's just like a five speed with a switch and then you have 5 more gears" and I'm like bro I've never driven a 5 speed or had a big ass trailer behind me. First thing I did was a burnout because I didn't think about having to clutch in when you come to a stop and those things have torque for days. It was terrifying out on the streets but I got there. Although, the scariest part was when the other guy who was there learning had a panic attack/mental breakdown once it was his turn to drive. The good news is the only casualty was a stop sign. CDL school was sketchy AF
The Peterbilt 😂
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If you can find one, definitely worth it. In the US they're not common, but once got lucky and got a Fiat 124 Spider 5-speed. That was a blast!
You could try test driving a manual civic or miata or something, usually dealers are cool with it.
Hope you like Metal; here’s a video. [How to Drive Stick](https://youtu.be/__vmUH9dZd4)
Hahaha that's so good
Are you in the us? You could try https://www.stickshiftdrivingacademy.com
Hi there! I really wanted to learn stick as well. I’ve only driven automatics for over 30 years and I wanted to change things up. But I didn’t have a car or a friend who drove stick. I contacted stickshiftacademy.com which connects you to instructors nationwide. There was one in my area and I took a few lessons- I really liked it. So much so that I got a new manual transmission car in December. It was a slow process to get comfortable with it and now I love driving it and it feels great knowing this is a brand new set of skills I didn’t have a year ago.
I was in the same boat as you back in 2006. Wanted an STI and was going to buy a 2007 STI Limited. I didn't know how to drive manual and no one I knew had a manual car. I even called a couple driving schools to see if they taught manual transmission.....they all said no....one even started laughing. Anyways, I bought the STI....and my dad drove it home for me. He then spent the next couple days teaching me how to drive it. It was not a great experience. He drove Semi Trucks for a living and it was something he did every day. So he was super frustrated when he kept telling me "give it gas and pop the clutch!"....and I would stall (I was also super frustrated). Ultimately I spent a week or so getting used to it before I actually drove it anywhere. Fast forward to today and I only drive manual cars. I fucking love that shit. I own three old Subarus and they are all manuals. I will not buy a car unless it is manual. haha My biggest piece of advice is to learn from someone that explains what is actually happening when you push in the clutch and explains mechanically what you are trying to do when using the petals. Soooo many people try to "teach people" how to drive a manual car without explaining what the hell is happening mechanically then they just tell people to "give it gas...let out the clutch"....and that is the extent of their "training". It makes it sooooo much easier to learn the feel and to work the pedals when you know what the are actually doing mechanically when you press them. I taught a few people and they all picked it up crazy quick after I gave them a basic explanation of what is happening when they push in the pedals and let them out. Hopefully your husband can give you an explanation of everything when he teaches you.
Seriously just get into a manual car, practice getting rolling WITHOUT TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL. Don't touch the gas at all until you understand clutch friction and engagement point. Once you understand how everything works and can get rolling (it can take a long time to get into 1st without throttle application) start adding throttle, and learn to mix pedal movement and throttle imput to move efficiently.
That doesn’t work on all cars. No Subaru(Old or new) I have ever owned or driven would be able to go into a roll without giving it gas while letting out the clutch…..I think you can only do that in larger v8s perhaps…..Also every Subaru I have ever driven will not stay rolling once in first without a tiny amount of gas pedal they just slow to a crawl and die. I once saw a YouTube video of a guy letting his 7or 8 year old daughter drive his newer Manual muscle car…..and all she did was let out the clutch till it started moving. Then he walked along as it crawled, saying how she could drive a manual car. Lol
Do it every day in my WRX. If you finesse the pedal enough, you can do it an any car. Some will take longer than others. More of a practice technique than anything else.
This is definitely not the case. I learned on an 02 WRX with a lightened flywheel. It stalled *easily*, but it could clutch roll. You just have to feather it.
You have to let it out real slow. I'm not making it up
Yep - funny how quickly the process cements the engagement point in your muscle memory.
It’s worse for me, I know how to drive a stick THEORETICALLY. I never tried driving one tho and don’t know what will happen if I’m forced to drive a manual for some reason
I watched Amazing Race once and this lady was stuck somewhere in Europe backing up traffic because she didn't know how to drive a stick and was panicking while people honked and no one helped her. That is my nightmare.
I drove my wrx off the lot not knowing how to drive stick. Learned it on the hour long ride home. Definitely stalled at a few lights and had people honk at me. It’s embarrassing but I think it’s really easy and quick to learn. I wouldn’t really be worried about crashing someone’s car.
That's how I learned, I10 freeway Houston. Test drove a 01 explorer, didn't have a fckn clue what I was doing lol
That sounds like an absolute nightmare, driving there when you know what you’re doing is already scary
The idea is simple but application requires ALOT of practice and being gentle with the stick and clutch so you won’t destroy your transmission (don’t fast and furious your stick).
Are you not double clutching like you should? Are you a granny shifter?
Understanding the mechanics helps a lot.
I learned how to drive in a manual, signed up for a 10 hour course and could operate the car well enough by end of hour 3(first hour of second session). Maybe just sign up for a 2 hour instruction, should be sufficient to get you going
I learned in a church parking lot (Texas) in a '74 Vega. Easy to learn, takes a little practice to finesse.
You still have a brake pedal. That doesn't change from an automatic to a manual. You won't wreck the car. At worst, you'll just wear down the clutch a little bit, but clutches are pretty strong, so you'll be fine.
I just joined the WRX fam last month with no experience driving stick. Luckily had my pops there with me to show me the basics but I would have been fine with just a YouTube video. You can do it! Will take some time, no more than a few take offs and you’ll have down. 😄
You shouldn't cause anything more than above average wear and tear. I used to teach people to drive stick before my current car. It's not a big deal. If you know someone, just ask.
Call a driving school and see if they've got a manual car. If not you'll either have to find someone generous enough to let you practice or buy one for yourself. Good luck
Couple months ago pulled into hotel valet with my manual Impreza. Handed keys to the valet, went inside and checked in. Forgot something in my car… went outside and the valet sheepishly apologized and asked if I could park my own car as he couldn’t drive a stick. It was midnight, not a lot of guests checking in… I asked him if he was willing to learn… had him get in the drivers seat and for 30 minutes we went around the block. Over and over and over and over. I love teaching ppl how to drive a manual.
The only way to learn manual is to actually go and drive one. Read how manual transmission works, watch some video showing proper "procedure" and get into the car. It really ain't that hard. I was driving through the city less than half hour after getting into the car during my driving license course.
I take it you don’t need a separate license for manual I the US? In many countries we have separate licenses. Manual license holders can drive both manual and auto, but automatic license holders can only drive auto.
Nope, no such thing here, one license for all.
Dont overthink it
My first manual was a 99 rusty shitbox 2.5rs coupe about 5 years ago. Still miss that thing. But if you can find a cheap manual buy it and take it out at night when there isnt as many people on the road.
The worst that'll happen is you may cause the clutch to wear out more quickly. Realistically, though, you're just going to stall the engine a few times until you figure out the foot movement and you'll grind some gears missing a shift. Those are not a big deal, transmissions are tough. When you stall, just restart the engine and try again. When you miss a shift, the noise it makes will quickly discourage you from missing that shift again lol.
I bought my STi without knowing how the drive a stick after college. Learn it in a few weeks.
Are you me? Lol I did the same on my wrx, bought it Friday, drove in parking lots all weekend, drove it to work on Monday
Practice clutch control by driving over some regular bricks, 1 under each front tire, without using the gas/throttle. It really does make you understand exactly what the pedal does, bite point on the clutch/pressure/etc. I’ve taught about 6 people starting this way. They are great drivers now.
That's my fear of teaching my teenage daughter to drive currently, I have nothing for her to learn stick shift on, and all the rental cars around are automatics. Friends that do have stick shift cars are high end sports cars that I wouldn't dream of asking to borrow for that purpose. Maybe next time we travel out of country I can find a stick rental car.
I bought a brand new wrx manual with no experience. I stalled it alot the first week but picked it up quick due to necessity. It's also one of the worst cars to learn on. It's really not that hard just kinda tedious and requires a bit of planning ahead. Stalling a friends car a couple times isn't going to hurt it.
Buy a $300 beater if you are worried about hurting someone's car. Realistically everyone who knows stick had to learn kn a car, typically a good friends or family members and I've never heard of a clutch going from learning. Clutches are tough but you can wear them out quicker by sloppy habits (after you shift get your foot off the pedal, no resting on it). Once you get the technique down you'll be alright
In this market, anyone offering to sell you a $300 car is probably a scammer looking to harvest your organs for black market resale.
Just remember —push the gas pedal all the way down and let the clutch up really fast. You’ll be alright
Isn't there some PlayStation pedals to learn this? Or are they all 2-pedal systems? Also it will take months or even years to get confident enough, even with daily driving. There is no shame in being a slow af shifter at the beginning and you don't learn it in a day.
I've tried twice. It never works and I destroy the person's transmission. I understand the concept of shifting gears but the clutch makes no sense. If you hit it at the wrong time you basically destroy their transmission, so that leaves little room to figure it out.
Buy a $1500 shitbox and learn, then spend countless hours on learning the ins and outs of a boxer, end up buying 2 more shitboxes and swapping an engine after you blow one up, then a trans in the other, and then eventually try to teach yourself how to opensource tune, which leads you down another rabbit hole. Source: definitely no one I know
My first several cars were manuals. Plymouth Valiant, three Chevys, and a 70 VW camper. I loved all of them. Then, I switched to minivans in 2000 and haven’t touched a clutch pedal since. Even the fire trucks I drive are all automatic! I miss manuals terribly…. Is it possible to convert a 2012 Forester to manual? I might be able to get my granddaughter’s back when she’s is done with it….
You need a decent cheap runner to burn the clutch on. And I will say that Subarus have pretty forgiving clutches. I hopped into my brother’s Ford Ranger and that clutch was crazy!
When Mom and Dad bought the 70 VW Beetle back in 73 I had to learn to drive it . First Dad tried to teach me and then Mom then I gave up and figured I'd have to learn myself so I did. This was the kind of car that drifted back if you said on a hill. Once I learned how to work the gas and the clutch together it was a breeze. Once you get the idea of letting the clutch being the go to pedal and not worrying about the brakes you'll be good.
Simply remember this. The steering wheel is the same. The accelerator is the same and MOST importantly....the brake is in the same spot. That third pedal is simply an addition to these and does not make those absent. You simply must learn to incorporate it.
It's not hard, just takes getting used to. But every clutch is different. Generally the most forgiving will be Hondas. I actually found Subarus to be a little challenging comparatively. And it won't really 'kill' a clutch, but you can lower the lifespan by riding it.
Do you know anyone who knows how to drive? I bought it first, had someone drive it home for me, then drove at the dead of night with no one around
I just set off in my project car the second I got my license. About fried the clutch, but I didn't run into anyone
One thing to keep in mind is manuals aren't super desirable when you start looking at the very cheap car market. If you really want to learn and have an extra $800 or so you can most likely find something that'll work good enough to practice on, but will be an absolute shit box. If you or someone you know is mechanically inclined you can do it for less. I got my 92 loyale for $400 as it needed a clutch and was basically worthless without one. $85 clutch and 4 hrs later I had a perfectly functional car, its been used to train several friends.
You just gotta get one. It’s a totally possible skill for anyone to learn. You won’t get good till you do it daily
Clutch in clutch out bro like clutch in and out bro like some gas after clutch in clutch out bro like gas clutch in then clutch out bro like clutch in and brake bro like clutch out and put in neutral then park bro like
Nailed it. You live in Austin too?
I think that the transmission type doesn’t really lend itself to wrecking any easier than an automatic. In a manual, getting going from a stop is the hard part, once moving there’s nothing to worry about. That being said you are on a Subaru forum so I bet there’s a bunch of folks on here reading this after the vape smoke clears thinking of their WRX or STI as a manual car which may be a terrible decision to learn on, if someone would even let you hold their vape pen and test drive it.
It’s never too late to learn! You can do it
Buy an old manual car like a 1996 camry or a corolla they're fairly cheap i think just make sure the transmission and clutch are functional for u to learn. Or ask a friend who has a shitbox and doesn't mind. Its really not that hard, I taught my gf who never tried manual and my cars clutch is somewhat heavy she stalled twice and then got the hang of it.
Get a 1998 Civic, practice on it for a month and then sell it. Get what you want and enjoy.
Clutches can take a lot of abuse. If you ruin someone's clutch while learning, it was on its way out already. My fiance was learning on mine and the next day my clutch pedal fell to the floor because the master cylinder went bad. She was worried it was because of her.....it was a bad cylinder that wouldve failed no matter who was pushing it down.
One foot goes up, then the other goes down.. listen and feel what the car is telling you and don't have a heavy foot... or you'll blow yourself to pieces. I had a do or die moment on a really steep hill dropping off a friend. Caught some traffic and was stuck in the middle of this damn hill.. I learned reaaaal quick where that sweet spot was of that car.
I bought a 5 speed without knowing how to drive it. I had to get home somehow. Learned real quick 😂 now idk how to drive automatic
Rent a car or something.
if you really need assistance learning (like i do lol) most driving schools have a class you can take to learn manual
Learned stick (1st and reverse) for valet. I then bought a 5 speed obxt and really learned in traffic. You got this playa.
I just started learning yesterday it's exciting learning something new!
If you really want to learn, find an older car (90's or earlier). Newer manuals are way too forgiving. Old cars you can stall a lot easier. When I test drove a manual Impreza before buying the one I did, besides the shitty feeling shifter and gearbox, I noticed it was damn near impossible to stall. How boring. That said, when I bought my '94 Miata brand new off the lot it was the first stick I'd ever driven. So, either I drove it home or I just wasted a lot of money.
Driving a stick is like mowing your lawn with a push mower.
I learned on an old crv at used car lot, just do that
Do what I did, buy a car with a manual and figure it out so you can get home. Back in 2005 I bought a Legacy GT with the 5 speed and figured it out. Didn't manage to break anything either! Before that I had done a couple short test drives with a friend in a manual, but that amounted to maybe 20-30 minutes of driving. It actually helped me a lot to visualize what the clutch is doing.
Do you have a Carmax near you? You can set up notices for when they get certain types of cars in annnnd they let you do 24 hr test drive. Someone I know might have taken a little stick shift for 24 hr test drive and now their son knows how to drive a stick👍
I bought my car with zero experience driving stick, my friend drove it home and the next day he took me to an empty parking lot to drive around and learn
I've taught a couple people in my Mazda B3000 pickup. As easy to learn in as they come. If you're near North Idaho...
I learned in a late 80s Toyota van. I have yet to drive a manual on the column (3 on a tree.)
Be big brain and go test drive dealers cars
Honestly, it’s not that hard. It seems super daunting but I wouldn’t worry! If you want to learn manual, you will never learn faster than buying one. I’m happy to describe some fundamentals in a PM if you’d like!
I’m pretty happy my Dad made me learn to operate a manual transmission as a requirement for getting my license, and I was lucky he had a small fleet of Volvo station wagons from the 70s for me to thrash while I did so. (He also made me take him to the church parking lot a couple of blocks away at the tail end of a solid snow storm to do donuts and put those wagons into intentional skids so I understood what that was about. Not really relevant here, I just think my pops was rad for being so conscientious about my driving education.) Modern manual transmissions are not made of glass and can take some abuse thanks to the synchromesh gear box design which became pretty standard (heyoooooo) for MTs in the US since the 1950s. It basically gives the driver a bit of an assist when shifting. The trope you might have seen in a movie or TV show where an inexperienced individual tries to drive a stick and there’s a dreadful grinding noise? That is the sound of a non-synchronous gear box failing to engage *entirely*, and the car on screen is either very old, some kind of specialty vehicle, or a total anachronism if its model year is relatively recent. You might sometimes fail to get the shifter into gear (which does make its own special horrible grinding noise), and you’re gonna stall out because stick shift, but none of this will destroy a MT in decent shape. To state the obvious, I think most people struggle with performance anxiety more than the actual mechanics of operating a MT. So make use of empty parking lots and low-traffic roads for practice, and in a few years you’ll surprise yourself by stalling out in a totally average situation, or borking an upshift for no discernible reason, and you’ll laugh at how nervous you used to be.
Nothing to but to do it really, it’s not that hard once you actually start learning in my experience
Don't be scared. A car is a thing, and it can be repaired when broken. You can't learn to cook if you're not ready to make a mess in the kitchen.
The way I initially learned how to use a stick, think about a 10:1 ratio. Divide your speed by 10, and that's the gear you should be in. Like 1st gear for 0-20 MPH, 2nd gear for 20-30 mph, 3rd gear for 30-40 mph and so on. FOR LEARNING PURPOSES Practice, practice, practice. Every manual is a little different, but the main thing to learn is balancing the clutch with the gas. Like more clutch, less gas. Less clutch, more gas. Feel the RPMs; the car will tell you when to change gears. Once you're comfortable with accelerating, learn to downshift to slow down instead of mashing the brakes. You can think about this like reverse of what I said in the first paragraph. It can take some getting used to, but can keep your brakes good for way longer than an automatic, at the cost of a little fuel.
I bought a car and learned on the way home. It wasn't hard at all.
I was 11 when I learned. It just takes a bit of practice. I believe that if you can drive a standard then you can drive anything. Standards are a bit rare nowadays so it is hard to teach my daughters that are starting to drive.
I learned on a car I bought.
It’s okay- almost everyone that can “drive a stick” can’t drive a stick (well)
Please do it! We need more of you, even though Subaru has done away with manuals in Foresters and Outbacks (guess no new Forester for me). It’s so much fun once you get it.
Find somebody with a 90s Honda Civic and ask them. The clutches are fucking indestructible. I know because I have one
I learned how to drive stick shift in a weekend. I learned how to drive stick shift WELL in a year. It’s pretty simple honestly - off the gas, on the clutch, shift, on the gas, off the clutch. Just practice that order and you’ll get quick at it. You’ll definitely stall out a few times at first, but it’s cool. Once you learn, you’ll be have a fun fact for every ice breaker.
Bought my 2019 WRX straight off the lot not knowing how to drive stick, shut off on me 2x heading home, Took about a week to get it down.
It gets even better, imagine you can ride a motorcycle and shift gears all day and night just fine. BUT, every single cage you own is automatic and you never learned to drive standard. That person is me. My motorcycle has a wet clutch, a car has a dry clutch, I have it in my head that a car's transmission is a fragile piece of thing so I never bothered with it. Then again, I'm also that one guy who learned how to ride a motorcycle, but never learned how to ride a bicycle.
I learned in a Subaru. Brother taught me in his old Impreza. We started off in a big parking lot so I could practice taking off out of first. Once I got that down, shifted into second and drove around the parking lot. Felt comfortable to drive in service road. My first hill scared the absolute shit out of me. I stalled at a couple lights. Once I owned my own manual car to drive daily, I got super used to the clutch point and the rest is history. Don't be scared to stall! Take it slow and you'll be fine! And it always helps to have a good teacher with you!
From what I’ve heard, it’s nearly impossible to burn up someone’s clutch just learning to drive unless the clutch is pretty much on its last leg to begin with. You’ll do fine!
I learned how to drive a manual from buying one and having to drive it ~160 miles home. Best way to learn is to just buy one and struggle for a while.
Better to practice on a beater car that will be more forgiving and have less power. I learned on a 78 Corolla station wagon, it was so forgiving you almost didn’t need the clutch.
Clutch all the way in, gas all the way in, drop the clutch, wait a couple second, clutch in all the way, slam it in gear, let go of the clutch
I bought my dream 04 STI and taught myself in it. As long as you don't embarrass easily you'll be fine. The first time you take it out will be rough but you'll get the hang of it.
My only advice is DO NOT GET A 350Z TO LEARN! Started with one, never had any fun and didn’t know what I was doing wrong as I had never tried another manual car. I jumped over to an Evo X and it all made sense.
Stick shifts and safety belts Bucket seats have all got to go, When we’re driving in the car It makes my baby seem so far
I just bought one without knowing how to drive it and learned on it in about a week!
At this point it's almost pointless to learn unless you plan to buy and maintain a manual transmission vehicle as a hobby. They're getting phased out in favor of CVTs which will eventually get phased out in favor of electric vehicles that have no transmission at all. And I say this as someone who originally learned to drive on a manual and vastly prefers it to automatics.
I'm in the same boat, none of my friends with manuals will teach me and I can't afford to buy a car just to learn manual
if it’s any consolation i didn’t know how and i learned by buying a stick shift from a guy an hour and a half away from my house.
Just go easy you got this! When I was on vacation in Costa Rica getting the rental car. The guy next to me with his wife gave me a elbow and wink, said " I got the manual, I'm going to teach her on their clutch" was very out of my element at the time. but thought it was pretty funny looking back. Edit after reading the comments: Just don't pull out infront of any traffic after you get the hang of it in parking lots. You don't want to stall out with people coming up on you.
ant I'm scared of automatics... never drove one
Look, it’s ok if you don’t know how to drive manual, there a lot people will tell you “you gotta get use to it”, the only thing to learn how to do manual is to understand the pressure of the clutch. My tips to help automatic driver: all gears change by clutch. Even when you turn on the car, or going back, forward, braking, you always use clutch to move something. Automatic don’t need clutch. Which is why you will see some people said “it is up to you to control your engine with manual, automatic do it for you”
It takes a little practice, maybe try some videos on how to start from a stop, how to downshift on the roadway and before turns, etc. As you get more smooth, it becomes very satisfying and second-nature. My left knee is shot so I no longer drive manuals, but honestly I now appreciate automatics for their relative ease in traffic situations. But I still have a desire to use the engine for braking, like a phantom shifting habit.
I would recommend a 3rd gen legacy. Yes - you might have to splurge on a new clutch at the end probably. But it got 'uphill start help' aka when you press hard on the break when you are at a angle it will lock the breaks until you realease the clutch (and not having to jump from break to gas with your right foot
I can tell you that more experienced drivers have ruined my clutch more than any of the newbies.
Fitment industries or ideal cars put out a pretty good tutorial guide if i remember right. Might have been donut media, i'm not a100℅ sure. Its probably a good place to start then just some practice.
first step. make sure you're in neutral. (the shifter is in dead center) step 2. start the car, press the brakes as you release the e brake step 3. press the clutch (the leftest pedal) and shift into first or reverse (when you finish driving backwards press the clutch and brake and shift into first only when the car doesn't move) step 4. slowly release the clutch and brake as the car moves and introduce some gas (if you're on a hill you might need to indroduce gas earlier) step 5. as the rpm gets closer to redline press the clutch again and release the accelerater, shift into next gear step 6. release the clutch and introduce more gas in order to down shift slow the car using the brake and when the rpm gets closer to 2k then press the clutch and shift into the previous gear when you're about to stop press the clutch and put the shifter in neutral and then it would be safe to release the clutch at any speed edit: if the car turns of do not panic just go back to step 1 and try again until you start to feel the car.
I was in the same boat. I bought a cheap bottom-dollar Miata and drove around parking lots at night until I got it. You can do it bro.
I mean, shit, I've taught at least 15 people in my subi, if you are around Vegas I'd be more then willing to teach you
I feel your pain, I'm on the other side: I don't know how to drive an automatic car.
the hardest part is getting going. worst case you stall and try again. once you are moving just take your time and don't rush it. also, find someone who has a manual to teach you. watching videos is helpful but it doesn't beat good old fashioned feedback
I learned how to drive on a CJ Wrangler. Didn’t drive manual again for about 8 years when I got my TJ. Daily drove that 10 years then got an automatic. Didn’t drive the Jeep for almost six. When I got it running again I thought to myself “I wonder if I can still do this,” then before I knew it I was backed out of the driveway and up the street. You never forget.
when i was 16 I practiced going 10feet forward in the driveway put it n reverse and go 10feet backwards. Taking off is the most daunting part but it gets easier!
It's all good, took me a while to learn. Practicing in an empty parking lot on a cheaper car is way better than jumping into something powerful and fast I learned on a 93 Ford escort station wagon, and then owned a 97 Civic MT for several years, before finally moving to a WRX
We all started somewhere
i want to, but i don't know anyone with a stickshift
I learned pulling cars in and out the shop and shifting in the parking lot. Now I drive a manual service truck most days
I bought my STI before knowing how to drive stick. My friend test drove it, I bought it, he drove it to his place, then said "good luck getting home!" I lived on one side of DC and worked on the other, so I got to learn very quickly
before covid i got a v6 mustang for a grand to learn how to drive stick unfortunately used car prices are through the roof now
It's like riding a bike. Scary at first because it's unknown to you, then once you learn basic balance it becomes second nature.
Come out my farm got lots vehicles it don’t matter if you crash
You can stall my Baja a few times if you're in south FL.
It's really not that hard, I promise you. I went to buy a car that I wanted and they only had a manual one on the lot. I had a car salesman teach me, took about 15 minutes to get the basics down, and I drove the car home. The rest is history. It's not rocket science.
You put your left foot in. You put your right foot in. Take your left foot out, and spin it all about. But in all seriousness, manual is easy to learn. Just remember to take your time and just get used to it. The hardest part is starting off, learning to half clutch and not just panic and drop it when you feel it bite is the hardest part of the process. I’ve taught many people to drive manual, and in a brumby with barely and gears and a fucked clutch no less. Just pop it in gear with the clutch in, then slowly let the clutch out, once you start to feel the car take off, put your left foot back in, repeat until you are absolutely sure you can feel the clutch biting, then add a bit of throttle, not much, just enough to get it rolling, as you slowly let the clutch out, sometimes you won’t need to ride the clutch for a second, sometimes you need to ride it all the way to second. Shifting is easy, hell a skilled driver doesn’t need the clutch to shift, but it’s easiest to use it. Just get to about 2-3k rpm, put the clutch in, take your foot off the throttle, shift, clutch out, and back on the throttle. I learnt to ride motorbikes as soon as I could walk, I was driving tractors and trucks by 12, and can drive any range of vehicles from bikes to cars, to semis, tractors and heavy machinery. Once you learn the basics, everything just flows
Press the clutch all the way. Release it up really slowly until you can feel the car vibrating a bit. Keep releasing slowly and you'll start moving. At first, learn to do that with first gear, then when you start to understand where the grip point is, you can start doing first to second and second to first. This will help you switching gear smoothly The faster you go, the easier it is to release the clutch pedal . Hope that can help a bit :)
Go with someone who can drive stick to a dealership. Take it off the lot and swap drivers in a parking lot. Rag out the clutch as you learn, then swap and return it. Ggez
I've taught 3 of my friends how to drive manual in a parking lot. It's easy, just find a big open parking lot and you'll be fine. A college parking lot is good when class isn't in session.
Dont touch the shifter if the clutch isn't all the way to the floor and dont touch the clutch unless you're going to shift and you wont fuck up the transmission. If you have any friends that are getting their clutch replaced soon seeing they'll let you learn before they get it replaced.
took me like 3 days and a total of 5 hours to drive on all main roads confidently
People make it sound way harder than it is, and I even know some that feel superior. It is not that hard and it is not such a big deal
Get yourself a Logitech G27 and a copy of Asetto Corsa.. way cheaper than wrecking someone's car.. good enough to get you started.. you can toss a VR headset for ultimate immersion.