kevinmalec

I was taught how to drive a 5 speed on my buddy's Fathers 87 Toyota Celica. I started off driving around a gravel parking lot, before hitting the neighborhood streets. My suggestion is to be calm/patient and expect to stall out several times your first attempt. Once you get the hang of it, practice starting on small hills and then bigger hills as you become more comfortable. Good luck!

allenmaty

I love my '12 6 speed, But I learned to drive, well partial stick, on my dads '69 'Automatic Stickshift' VW Bug when I was 15. No clutch, but I did have to shift... Anybody remember those?
I later learned how to clutch on my moms '83 toyota corola 5 speed. My first car was a '71 SuperBeetle with the regular 4 speed. Those were the days...

dcarlinf1

Overkill if you ask me. If it stalls, push in the clutch, start the engine and try again. No need for e-brake or neutral unless you just feel more comfortable that way.

When I was teaching my daughter I watched some videos where they said to use the e-brake until the moment you are ready to start moving. I did not learn that way and never even heard of that technique until I had been driving and shifting for 30 years. Makes sense for a teenager just getting started though. Once you know what you're doing the e-brake is not necessary.

steev

It is overkill, yes, but it keeps the car in control. If your coordination needs training (which it does when learning to drive) it just helps to stop you rolling without being fully in control. In fact, you won't fail your driving test in the UK if you stall. You will fail if you just keep it in gear, put the clutch in and start up the car again.

Although the road test here isn't really to see if we can drive or deal with different situations, it's just to make sure we can stop, turn, park and stay under the speed limit.

Not saying that I'm a great driver, (far from it, I feel like there's plenty to learn about driving still, even my dad who was a driving instructor and now a police response driver that thinks he can learn still) just what I've noticed. If it were up to me, we'd have to take and pass a day course to learn what losing control of a car feels like and then how to correct the car from it, the UK driving test, while harder than here, still doesn't cover enough.

moosestang

Starting from a stop is the hardest part. You just have to slip it, slip it, slip it, then nail the gas and let the clutch pedal fly! just before redline smash the clutch pedal to the floor and slam it into second and let the clutch pedal fly once more. It feels like you are moving in slow motion, but it only takes a split second to do it all.


That's my spec 3+, the stock clutch is so easy to drive ime.

Gary Ugarek

You want him to crash?

DRAGUL

Taught my wife how to drive standard in a mall parking lot, the best place to learn. She thought it was the greatest thing when I taught her how to catch second. Once you learn you will never forget, like riding a bike.

moosestang

Sometimes I forget that sarcasm doesn't come over too well on the internet.

moosestang

When you catch it just right it is the greatest thing. The 1-2 is my favorite.

Diabolical!

There are easier cars to learn on than an S197 GT, but it still isn't an extremely difficult car to learn on. I learned on a '99 Mustang the day I bought it. My dad came to co sign the loan for me (I was 17) and told me, "If you buy it, it's up to you to get it home." He gave me a 5 minute lesson in the dealership parking lot and from then on I was on my own. Must have stalled 50 times in the 30 mile drive home. Best way to learn in my opinion, lol.