To be honest, what me and my friend was that we went to an auto auction and bought an old junker for $500 bucks and just shit kicked out of that car. Easiest way to learn manual without breaking the bank and kicking yourself everytime you grind that gear or burn that clutch

This is true. I put an N sign on my back when I was learning manual, when I didn't need to have an N sign. It took me a while to shift from 1st to 2nd after a red light and the drivers tailgating me at the back would still think that I was a new driver.

Drove stick daily since I got my drivers license, dont mind the traffic at all. The key statement is "practice makes perfect" and drive as much as possible.

Edit: learning on a hill will speed up the learning process and skip all those bad habits you would pick up while learning on a flat road

I got an automatic car last year as a daily and I miss that third pedal. Till this day I still sometimes get in the car to find myself stomping a missing clutch pedal trying to start the car.

Driving stick is cool B)

Not sure what neighbourhood you live in but there are hills at Robert Burnaby Park that are almost private.

When I teach people, I get them to start from a dead stop, on a level road, without using any throttle. It doesn't kill the clutch, teaches the engagement point and is simpler for learners to only have to focus on 1 pedal.

When I teach people, I show them how to do a burnout first :troll:

Then the rest is easy, LOL.



BTW, I love teaching women how to drive stick. Send me your girlfriends..........I'm the best.

lansdown mall is the best to practice manual

Still quite rusty but this is the way learned the sweet spot on my friends 2013 Jetta GLI. I stalled it over 20x until he finally showed me that you can make the car move just by slowly releasing the clutch.

Might be a myth but is it true that stick German cars are typically tougher to drive?

You have to go manual. I'd hate to be the guy where someone hands you the keys, and you hop in but don't low how to drive. Ha.


Personally, I never thought i'd like an automatic but for my DD in the city I'd do it again.

if your work is across town and its a 9-5 type job, manual is a bitch in traffic.. other then that, its pretty fun...

If its full manual, then you cant really hold your gf/bf hands (or other parts :) )

Stalling from a stop is normal for when you are still trying to hone the skill. The thing about it is if you don't own a manual car, it would be harder to learn. Learning manual is not like a switch where once you can go off from a stop without stalling you become a pro already. Its just like driving any vehicle. The more driving you do the better you become. Once you have "mastered" it though, you will never forget.

Is it me or does OP seem like he wants to learn stick because he "wants to look cool" rather than "enjoying the driving"...

More important than you'd thunk. :woot2:

Go manual, while you're still young.


All the cars I've owned are manual. Now I'm in my 30's and the wife is looking for something automatic, I feel like I can have a 10 year gap or more from manual transmission vechicles and I would still know how to drive 'em.

Ohhh me me me what's yo number? :troll:

First time I ever learned how to drive manual was at an industrial area in Richmond in El bastardo's civic. I could barely go over this mini hill exiting the plaza and was already frustrated.
Then second lesson was in an m3. I stalled it middle of No 3 road and started panicking like crazy.
Then after few mini driving here and there I got a bit better :) didn't take me too long I don't think.

Richmond is pretty good for practice because all the roads are flat and straight. But you do have to be careful of all the c-lai's.

I just learned to drive stick this March after buying a Miata. First couple days I was still stalling from complete stops and slight hills. But then I went to the neighborhoods in New West to practice on hills. It really helped me find the balance of the gas and clutch and where it catches. Since then I have driving without shitting bricks at stop lights and hills :woot2:

I remember the first time I drove manual in traffic it was absolutely terrifying LOL

Stalled on a hill twice at a stop sign the guy behind was laughing so third time just went to 3k and dumped the clutch

Fox body Mustang 5.0

This all depends on what car you are driving and what the condition of the traffic/road.

Just bought my first manual car and will be picking it up saturday. Gonna try to get a few friends to teach me this week so I can drive it home, but will most likely just take lessons to avoid too much stress on the clutch.

I wonder if in countries where driving stick was the norm if people would have such a hard-on and so much pride for it.
Have only owned manual cars and don't regret it, but frankly I don't think about it at all lol it just becomes second nature. I don't hail it as some 'art form' or some mystical lifestyle.

There are some terrible automatic gearboxes out there and the last few cars I've owned I wouldn't even have considered getting the slushbox on ('88 300zx, '90 Miata, '00 Miata, '09 Astra). The BMW 8-speed, VW DSG, and Porsche PDK to name a few though.... well that's a different story. I've driven manual versions of the E90 M3, Mk5/6 GTI, and Porsche 997 and have never left impressed by the gearboxes; the auto-manual debate is very car specific but people talk about it like it HAS to be one way/way of life.

I've driven the E9x M3 and 997 with manuals and did not think there was anything wrong with them. The transmission is not as impressive as an S2000 but they still feel good.

The DCT on the E9x M3 is impressive and I'm sure the PDK on the 997 is too but it just got old really fast and I would leave it in auto 95% of the time. If I leave it in auto all the time then what is the point? Its just another automatic.

lol 95% of the time when you drive manual do you drive like you're in a Fast & Furious remake? Personally 95% of the time when I'm driving stick I'm in autopilot and don't think twice about what my feet/hands are doing. My point being it doesn't really matter and isn't as big of a deal as some people try to make it out to be.

I drive a 6spd and an auto. Both have their pros and cons. I lean towards auto more because im older now and its easier. When I was younger I was all about manual. Now I realize that a nice car is still a nice car regardless of its transmission.

Most of my cars have been manual. Never gets old.