Learning to use a stick with a brand new MT

They aren't that fragile. I learned on a 1988 Chev Corsica with 300,000+ KM's on the clock...sold the car with 389,000KM's and to this day it still runs and shifts strong. Even a seasoned pro grinds the gear with a mis-shift here and there...it's okay. I say if after a week of solid driving you don't understand how to operate the vehicle, get someone who knows how to show you.

I learned manual on my uncle's Toyota Tercel hatch. That car just wouldn't die...

But I didn't really get into driving manuals until I took over my dad's '92 Accord EX when he got tired of driving manuals. I sold that car with 146K miles on the original clutch with not even a single hint of slippage.

Maybe it is different between cars, because I have heard people doing a new clutch ever 75K miles.

That said, it is generally a Bad Thing (tm) when you put undue stress on the engine or transmission. So just be careful with it. Stalling isn't that big of a deal, but lurching and sudden clutch engagements should be avoided.

I've never owned anything other than a manual and have taught
many people how to drive one on MY cars. It can be rough
on ANY car let alone a brand new one. But for sure- it is
recommended that for the first 2000 kms you do not go
over 4000 rpms if anything else. I would say you learn on
some other car if nothing else. Better safe than sorry!

it is
recommended that for the first 2000 kms you do not go
over 4000 rpms if anything else.

Click to expand...

Don't race the engine, but DO run the car through it's RPM ranges - 3 dealerships and 2 mechanics have all told me more or less the same thing.

LOL whoops. I pretty much learned how to drive a stick on my brand new 93 MX-6 LS. At the time, I basically "theorized" how to drive a standard transmission from watching TV and stuff. I had thought that since there were 5 speeds, you divided the odometer up into 5 sections where you shift. So... with a 240 KPH speedometer divided into 5, that would be first gear for 0 to 50 KPH, second gear for 50 to 100, etc. Yeah, so I drove home in third gear for about half an hour on a car that had 11 km's on the odometer.

I was wondering why the check engine light turned on nearing home! LOL big oops! Anyhow, yeah yeah I was young and stupid and all that jazz, but I'm still driving with my original clutch at 330 000 kms so yes I would agree that the clutch and transmission are designed quite ruggedly for all types of drivers.

You know, you don't have to lose a lot of money on a beater. I know a couple of people who bought $500-$700 old beaters, one was a '90 Subaru Justy, and learned to use a stick on them. Then they sold them for about $100 less than they paid for them.

i learned on a dune buggy
5 speed with a vw bug engine in it
just relax and do it
it took me 5 minutes to learn on my very first try

Learned on my 93 Z28. Pretty easy as the engine torque made going from a stop easy. I learned on my car and not a beater, but learn on a beater if possible, it's just easier mentally.

If you can't learn on a beater, tranny might get some extra synchro and clutch wear, but nothing too bad.

Bombadil said:

You know, you don't have to lose a lot of money on a beater. I know a couple of people who bought $500-$700 old beaters, one was a '90 Subaru Justy, and learned to use a stick on them. Then they sold them for about $100 less than they paid for them.

Click to expand...

Exactly. If you're selling a beater at a "huge loss", you're buying the wrong beater.

I learned to drive manual on my new 3. I had only driven my friends VW Golf for a couple hours a few weeks before I bought my car and I was far from being flawless driving it... so yeah, I stalled it alot, lurched forward a few times, spun the tires a few times, all that stuff. But that was all expected, I don't feel as if I did any damage to my car, and it still runs perfectly.

My first manual experience was when I was 16 and my boss needed me to drive a UHAUL truck. I jumped in and saw that it was a manual. I told him I didnt know how and he said you better learn. Never even stalled it once. I then didnt drive another manual for about 5 years when I had to drive my buddies RT Neon home after the bar cause he was hammered. A few months later picked up my WRX 5 sp. manual and havent looked back since, I love it.

The only reason I would tell you to get a beater is because you might not like driving a manual, not everyone does. Plus, some people just cant get it down. You dont want to buy a brand new car if you arent going to enjoy it. Just something to think about.