How long did it take you to learn to drive a standard?

[Darkwing]

Someday i will learn to drive a standard.


But not today!!!

[gdalton]

The first time I drove a stick it was my dads truck, one day I wanted to barrow it because my car was broke and he asked if I knew how to drive a stick and of course I said yes, about ten stalls and fifteen minutes later I had made it out of my apartment complex. It took me about a day or two to get going with out stalling or jolting the car and a couple of months to get real smooth at it. Now I would never buy an automatic its to much fun with a manual.

[gang$tarr]

both me and my dad hate auto..... he told me that he would never buy me an auto car and i'm glad he won't
he taught me how to drive stick when i was 14, it took me about a day to learn.. changing gears was no problem, it's just the starting you have to master... which i did in the following days

[Cavallino]

I learned in about a week, then stopped driving completly for about five months, and retaught myself in about two days. I cant ever go back to auto. It's so boring. When i drive my moms car my foots always searching for a clutch (hers is an auto) and more than once i've hit the e-brake looking and... yeah, it wasnt pretty.

[Rich]

As a side note...since you can find practically anything on the internet, I am just wondering if anyone knows a site that outlines the proper procedure for driving / shifting a standard, and if there are any neat things like double-clutching, id love to read how this works so that when I do try to learn standard again, I will atleast know how to do it properly, even tho it may be harder putting it into practise. Most likely ill have to start driving a standard within the next couple of months (VW Jetta) cause the caprice needs an engine rebuild bad. I need to learn and soon, cause the Jetta will be the daily driver.

[SkylinesKillAll]

took me about a day. learned to drive in my moms jeep. its kinda different compared to a car but i drive my friends corrado all the time with no prob. i love it. i wish i could get rid of my car for a stick.

[Twist]

I love driving a manual so much b/c it gives you so much control over the car. For example, instead of wearing out the brake, you can put the car in a lower gear and let the engine slow you down. A manual can be a pain, though. Driving (or should I say parking?) in rush hour traffic can be leg numbing.

[gang$tarr]

everyone always compains about driving a manual in heavy traffic.... for me it really isn't that big a deal. You just keep your foot on the clutch at the "release point" so all you really do is press the gas to inch forward, you don't even change any gears just keep it in first. It's just putting your left foot on the clutch instead of on the floor of the car, same thing just your foot in a different place. doesn't bother me much, plus it'll keep me from falling asleep in heavy traffic

[F20C]

Originally posted by Hudson


Just curious, but why would the car being FWD, AWD or RWD have anything to do with how long it took you to "master" driving a stick shift?

The cars itself behaves differently.

[Jay!]

It took about a week to get all the details ironed out.

[olds88]

i tought my self in about 30 min when i got my new job at the subaru mazda dealer the first car they gave me to work on was a 6 speed miata (luckely still in warenty ) besides it needed a clutch anyways

[YogsVR4]

I picked it up pretty quick. Like several people here, I learned young. 13 or 14 years old. Learned on my dads subaru under his supervision.

[F20C]

My first experience with manual came from the age of 8. I would help my dad shift to whatever gear he told me.

[primera man]

People that learn to drive should only be allowed to drive a stick and not a auto when they sit there licence. Gives you a good feel for the car and makes you think harder when driving

[V.S.]

The first time I drove standard was after my parents had bought my car('95 I4 Camry) this past summer. It took me 3 or 4 45 minute sessions of driving around an empty parking lot, with uphill starts and rapid gear changes, before I could feel comfortable w/it. Stalled about a dozen times when I was beginning, but thats it. Never had any problems with grinding my gears, and only a little bit of that bumpyness you get when you release the clutch too quickly. After a few months of practice I'm pretty smooth, keeping up with traffic and keeping my rpm's below 2k w/o any bumps(except maybe a small one on the 1->2 shift).