Is the manual hard to learn?????
02-21-2006, 07:21 PM
#5
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 316
RE: Is the manual hard to learn?????
If you want a manual, you need to drive with someone who knows what they're doing. You could learn in a few hours as long as you understand what/why you need to shift before hopping in.
Just remember to move off the clutch at the same rate as you move onto the gas when getting into first, and the rest is simple!
Just remember to move off the clutch at the same rate as you move onto the gas when getting into first, and the rest is simple!
02-21-2006, 08:06 PM
#6
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 315
RE: Is the manual hard to learn?????
I love stick. In my opinion, it's the only way to drive! I learned to drive stick on a '79 "Rustang" Cobra with a burnt clutch and a hole in the floor that would swallow your foot if you missed the clutch (which I used more for "effect" than function).
I've taught others to drive stick in the 2002 ZX2 I had before the Mustang, and I have to say that if I were teaching someone now, I'd prefer to teach them on that car. The linkage and clutch are a lot more "forgiving" than the Mustang, which is quite precise.
It's not that hard to learn if, as was said above, your coordination is decent. The person I taught in the Escort was in the parking lot (the best place for 1st/reverse practice, the two toughest gears) for maybe a half hour before we went on some main (but not busy) roads, and once we were on the road, he didn't have any real problems, save for a couple of jerky starts in first gear (but he didn't stall). As the others said, make sure your teacher knows what they're doing with the stick. Second, first and reverse are the two hardest to get, so those are the ones you should practice the most before you go on the road--the rest is all syncronization. Finally, take joy in knowing that you are one of the very few who could step in just about any car and drive it, not having to worry about weather it's slush box or a real car.
I've taught others to drive stick in the 2002 ZX2 I had before the Mustang, and I have to say that if I were teaching someone now, I'd prefer to teach them on that car. The linkage and clutch are a lot more "forgiving" than the Mustang, which is quite precise.
It's not that hard to learn if, as was said above, your coordination is decent. The person I taught in the Escort was in the parking lot (the best place for 1st/reverse practice, the two toughest gears) for maybe a half hour before we went on some main (but not busy) roads, and once we were on the road, he didn't have any real problems, save for a couple of jerky starts in first gear (but he didn't stall). As the others said, make sure your teacher knows what they're doing with the stick. Second, first and reverse are the two hardest to get, so those are the ones you should practice the most before you go on the road--the rest is all syncronization. Finally, take joy in knowing that you are one of the very few who could step in just about any car and drive it, not having to worry about weather it's slush box or a real car.
02-21-2006, 09:13 PM
#7
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location:
Posts: 2,486
RE: Is the manual hard to learn?????
i picked it up in about 10 minutes... learning how to do just about everything you need to know... its very easy- granted i'm a quick learner AND have great hand/eye (foot) coordination
02-21-2006, 10:14 PM
#9
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Zimbabwe
Posts: 1,925
RE: Is the manual hard to learn?????
Yes and No....
No, because the first time I drove stick was when I was test driving a used Mustang GT. The salesman was desperate and let me hop in and held my hand through the process. Picked it up really quick... then I drove onto a hill.....
Yes, because when I tried to drive my girlfriend's Civic Si, I couldn't get very far without stalling or missing a gear. [:@]
No, because the first time I drove stick was when I was test driving a used Mustang GT. The salesman was desperate and let me hop in and held my hand through the process. Picked it up really quick... then I drove onto a hill.....
Yes, because when I tried to drive my girlfriend's Civic Si, I couldn't get very far without stalling or missing a gear. [:@]
02-21-2006, 10:18 PM
#10
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location:
Posts: 248
RE: Is the manual hard to learn?????
My mustang is the first manual car I've ever owned, and I absolutely LOVE it.
It took me a few practice runs in a friend's car before I was ready to go to the dealership and test drive the stang (note: be sure you tell them you're still learning to drive stick BEFORE you get in the driver's seat!), but the car responded so smoothly from my first drive that I knew I had to get it.
I would definitely recommend bugging a friend (a good one) with an older car to teach you how to drive stick before you take out your new pony. In my first weeks with the mustang, I had a couple scary moments stopped in traffic on hills. I definitely could smell the clutch burning after some of my jerky starts... fortunately by now I go pretty easy on her!
All in all, though, driving manual is a sublime experience -- the feeling of connection to the car and control over its behavior is so much more intimate than any automatic I've driven before.
Ok, now I'm starting to sound like Bo Duke: "Nah, Luke, I'm not gonna make love in this car -- I'm gonna make love TO it!"
Whatever your choice, enjoy.
Tim
It took me a few practice runs in a friend's car before I was ready to go to the dealership and test drive the stang (note: be sure you tell them you're still learning to drive stick BEFORE you get in the driver's seat!), but the car responded so smoothly from my first drive that I knew I had to get it.
I would definitely recommend bugging a friend (a good one) with an older car to teach you how to drive stick before you take out your new pony. In my first weeks with the mustang, I had a couple scary moments stopped in traffic on hills. I definitely could smell the clutch burning after some of my jerky starts... fortunately by now I go pretty easy on her!
All in all, though, driving manual is a sublime experience -- the feeling of connection to the car and control over its behavior is so much more intimate than any automatic I've driven before.
Ok, now I'm starting to sound like Bo Duke: "Nah, Luke, I'm not gonna make love in this car -- I'm gonna make love TO it!"
Whatever your choice, enjoy.
Tim
