how to learn to drive a manual transmission?

41413b · 05-29-2005, 10:02 PM

Hi,

I am going to buy a 325i 2006. But i need to learn to drive a manual trans car first. Then only will I be able to get the car. Ive driven one twice. I dont know anybody that has one, so I dont have one to practice with. Does anybody where to rent one, borrow one? Thanks, I know this post is irrelevant for most of you, but I need some help. thanks

marcus330i · 05-29-2005, 10:17 PM

You have to find a friend's car to practice on unless a rental agency in your area has manuals......and they probably don't. Don't you know someone that has an old Civic or something you can practice on? You can learn the concept on any manual tranny....then put the skill to work on the B-mer. Any racing schools in your area? Texas should have some performance driving schools that you could try for half a day or something.....

E90Newbie · 05-29-2005, 10:21 PM

Look in the classifieds for manual transmission cars for sale... pretend like you're interested in buying it then ask if you could test drive it. When they ask you if you know how to drive a manual, lie and tell them yes. If you happen to stall or mess up, give the excuse that all cars' clutches are different and you just need to get used to this one. You'll get that hang of it soon enough.

Good choice by the way with getting a manual transmission E90... it's just so much funner to drive!!!

Majikthese42 · 05-30-2005, 06:24 AM

Absolutely the best car to learn how to drive stick on is someone else's car!

Local driving schools will teach and it won't be on your car. Check the Yellow Pages in your phone book.

When I took Skip Barber performance driving course they claimed that they could teach anyone to drive stick in 10 minutes. (I really have my doubts, but that's what they claimed!)

The best vehicles to learn on, IMO, are domestic pickup trucks (because of the low gearing) and the old Volvo 240 (because of the forgiving clutch and transmission).

fusionnv · 05-30-2005, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Majikthese42

Absolutely the best car to learn how to drive stick on is someone else's car!

Local driving schools will teach and it won't be on your car. Check the Yellow Pages in your phone book.

When I took Skip Barber performance driving course they claimed that they could teach anyone to drive stick in 10 minutes. (I really have my doubts, but that's what they claimed!)

The best vehicles to learn on, IMO, are domestic pickup trucks (because of the low gearing) and the old Volvo 240 (because of the forgiving clutch and transmission).

I took a 10 min lesson with my friend. I was able to go forward and drive around with a manual car. BUT I still need a lot of work. I can see anybody getting to learn how to get into first gear within 10 mins, I do not know how well you be driving though.

wannabe · 05-30-2005, 12:57 PM

Get a hot chick to teach you how to drive stick on her car. That's how I learned. Not kidding, one of my ex-girlfriends taught me how to drive stick on her '92 Civic. Took a long time because I really didn't want to learn...how stupid was I?

My advice is to go to www.howstuffworks.com and learn how a manual transmission works. Once you understand how it works and what the clutch, shifter, and transmission is doing this will help you understand why you have to step on the clutch when changing gears.

Please don't go looking for used cars with sticks and test drive them just to learn stick. I've had a couple of people do that to me and it's not very nice.

The other thing you can try is if you are really ready to buy a BMW...try asking the dealership if they will teach you. I saw a guy at a Nissan dealership one time getting taught how to drive a stick on a brand new 350Z. They will be pissed though if you don't end up buying the car.

E90Newbie · 05-30-2005, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wannabe

Please don't go looking for used cars with sticks and test drive them just to learn stick. I've had a couple of people do that to me and it's not very nice.

I was only kidding with my post... i agree, that wouldn't be very nice at all.

wannabe, I can't believe people actually did that to you... i wonder if they'd be liable if they damaged your car

abdulh · 05-30-2005, 02:55 PM

i see you yanks have mainly automatic cars, we have mainly manuals

Broken1 · 05-30-2005, 02:59 PM

If you can't drive a manual transmission...why not just buy an auto or smg?

41413b · 05-30-2005, 04:00 PM

Yeah, that is the other option...to just buy an automatic. I cant and dont want to because: I will save a 1000+ grand buying a manual (not to mention gas savings) , Manuals are more fun to drive (so i hear), people that know how to drive manuals look cooler!

41413b · 05-30-2005, 04:14 PM

actually i practiced for an hour on my friends old civic hatchback in Dallas, but i moved back to Austin to take summer classes. Now i dont know anybody w/ a manual. I want to be pretty confident before i purchase a 30,000 dollar car you know, ill be calling some driving schools tommorrow

E90Fleet · 05-30-2005, 04:59 PM

It amazes me that you can get a drivers licience in a Auto in the USA

dpinto1 · 05-30-2005, 06:34 PM

Drive it off the lot.
My parents and i went to Jersey to pick up my first car. When we were leaving they took off and left me there with a car that i could barely start. They were behind the dealership and followed me home. Took me 2-3 hours to get home but by then i had gotten a hang of it. My parents had fun watching me stall all the way home, they still crack jokes about that horrible experience.

Not good on the car but i learned kinda quick.

I got a 35+K Volvo s70

fusionnv · 05-30-2005, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

It amazes me that you can get a drivers licience in a Auto in the USA

Majority of the car here are auto. I would say out of all the friends that I know that have cars, maybe less than 10% of them have manuals. And in that 10%, maybe only 1/2 of them have that car as a non garage car that isn't driven on a regulaur basis. Unless it is a "sports car" most cars that are manual are special ordered and you have to wait for it. In my case, the dealer which I ordered from said I was probably the first in that dealership that ordered a manual tranny (Apr 30). All the other orders were automatic.

macintoshse · 05-30-2005, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

It amazes me that you can get a drivers licience in a Auto in the USA

75 to 80 percent of the car in the USA are auto. So most people learn to car auto's

wannabe · 05-31-2005, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E90Newbie

wannabe, I can't believe people actually did that to you... i wonder if they'd be liable if they damaged your car

You can tell right away when they go for the test drive and either stall out leaving the driveway or they come back and you can smell the clutch.

I've even had people tell me they wanted to drive my car and that they knew how to drive a manual, but didn't even know how to start the car.

The friends that could "drive" a stick, drove my car all wrong. Over-revving is a big problem for most people. A lot of people don't really know how to downshift correctly either.

Anyway, the best teacher is time. Please don't be afraid to learn...it's a steep learning curve, but well worth it. I can't believe I didn't learn earlier because it truly does change the driving experience. I know that for the rest of my life...I will always have atleast one car that is a stick in my garage.

41413b · 05-31-2005, 05:12 PM

Ive been hearing great things about manual driving and I have my mind made up about it now. after the first time i drove i sort of was on the fence again, but ive only heard good things about drving a manual. Plus i dont want to be considered a pu$$y by all you Europeans and South Africans. j/k

YYdoodle · 05-31-2005, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 41413b

Ive been hearing great things about manual driving and I have my mind made up about it now. after the first time i drove i sort of was on the fence again, but ive only heard good things about drving a manual. Plus i dont want to be considered a pu$$y by all you Europeans and South Africans. j/k

Good choice. It really is one of those skills you'll be able to enjoy the rest of your life. At first it's gonna seem like you'll never learn it and never be able to do it smoothly, and you'll be too nervous and busy thinking about what to do so it may not seem fun at first. But little by little you'll get more comfortable and it'll become second nature, that's when it gets funnn!

silverado · 06-01-2005, 07:23 AM

I agree! I would not have bought my 330i any other way. I got my new baby on Saturday and driving it is sheer joy! Last I drove manual before now was 18 years ago (was a 320i) and been driving automatic since then. The craving never died though and I finally have a real car again!

RGB · 06-02-2005, 05:52 AM

I can´t imagine why you want to fight with old fashioned clutch and stick! You will soon regret it.

YYimports · 06-02-2005, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverado

I agree! I would not have bought my 330i any other way. I got my new baby on Saturday and driving it is sheer joy! Last I drove manual before now was 18 years ago (was a 320i) and been driving automatic since then. The craving never died though and I finally have a real car again!

Welcome back to the fun side!

Gnosis · 06-02-2005, 07:51 AM

BMW makes some of the world's best manual transmissions. It would be a shame to pay more just to not experience it!!!

All serious drivers know that for the ultimate "man/machine" driving experience - nothing beats a stick shift.

The only time I'd consider an auto would be if I lived in a very densely populated area and had to spend a lot of time in traffic jams etc.

SMG is nice for a while but you grow tired of it quickly. Auto is the ultimate in comfort and manual is the ultimate in feel. SMG is just middle of the road in this respect (ok - if you want to drive REALLY quick (like on a track) and don't care about feel then the SMG is good because you can focus on other things than shifting. But I wouldn't choose it anyway - in my world the point of being on a track is still to have fun!)

05-29-2005, 10:02 PM	#1
41413b New Member 1 Rep 5 Posts Drives: Future 2006 325i Join Date: May 2005 Location: TX iTrader: (0)	how to learn to drive a manual transmission? Hi, I am going to buy a 325i 2006. But i need to learn to drive a manual trans car first. Then only will I be able to get the car. Ive driven one twice. I dont know anybody that has one, so I dont have one to practice with. Does anybody where to rent one, borrow one? Thanks, I know this post is irrelevant for most of you, but I need some help. thanks
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05-29-2005, 10:17 PM	#2
marcus330i Lieutenant 42 Rep 524 Posts Drives: 2006 330i 6spd Join Date: May 2005 Location: Point Loma, California iTrader: (0)	You have to find a friend's car to practice on unless a rental agency in your area has manuals......and they probably don't. Don't you know someone that has an old Civic or something you can practice on? You can learn the concept on any manual tranny....then put the skill to work on the B-mer. Any racing schools in your area? Texas should have some performance driving schools that you could try for half a day or something..... __________________ Realtor Mobile: 6spd / Sport / Prem / Navi / ED 3-30-06 73 3.0s/84 528e/90 525i/97 M3 4dr/99 M3 Conv/2001 330i/2004 545i ED/2006 330i ED June 05 You're in control...is there anywhere you want to go ? -------------------------
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05-29-2005, 10:21 PM	#3
E90Newbie Private First Class 20 Rep 132 Posts Drives: 330i ZSP Join Date: May 2005 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (0)	Look in the classifieds for manual transmission cars for sale... pretend like you're interested in buying it then ask if you could test drive it. When they ask you if you know how to drive a manual, lie and tell them yes. If you happen to stall or mess up, give the excuse that all cars' clutches are different and you just need to get used to this one. You'll get that hang of it soon enough. Good choice by the way with getting a manual transmission E90... it's just so much funner to drive!!! __________________ /* '06 330i \| ZSP \| Blk Sapphire/Blk 'ette/Alum \| 6MT \| 35% tint / / RAYS Lexion 105 19x8.5 (F) 19x10 (R) wrapped in General Exclaim UHP 235/35/19 (F) 265/30/19 (R) / Contemplating*: Blacklines, H&R sport springs, M3 steering wheel, M-sport shift knob + e-brake handle, CDV delete
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05-30-2005, 06:24 AM	#4
Majikthese42 Philosopher-king 20 Rep 1,113 Posts Drives: 2008 E91 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: People's Republic of New Jersey iTrader: (0)	Absolutely the best car to learn how to drive stick on is someone else's car! Local driving schools will teach and it won't be on your car. Check the Yellow Pages in your phone book. When I took Skip Barber performance driving course they claimed that they could teach anyone to drive stick in 10 minutes. (I really have my doubts, but that's what they claimed!) The best vehicles to learn on, IMO, are domestic pickup trucks (because of the low gearing) and the old Volvo 240 (because of the forgiving clutch and transmission).
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05-30-2005, 12:57 PM	#6
wannabe Second Lieutenant 12 Rep 204 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 335i e93 6MT Join Date: May 2005 Location: Az iTrader: (0)	Get a hot chick to teach you how to drive stick on her car. That's how I learned. Not kidding, one of my ex-girlfriends taught me how to drive stick on her '92 Civic. Took a long time because I really didn't want to learn...how stupid was I? My advice is to go to www.howstuffworks.com and learn how a manual transmission works. Once you understand how it works and what the clutch, shifter, and transmission is doing this will help you understand why you have to step on the clutch when changing gears. Please don't go looking for used cars with sticks and test drive them just to learn stick. I've had a couple of people do that to me and it's not very nice. The other thing you can try is if you are really ready to buy a BMW...try asking the dealership if they will teach you. I saw a guy at a Nissan dealership one time getting taught how to drive a stick on a brand new 350Z. They will be pissed though if you don't end up buying the car.
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05-30-2005, 02:55 PM	#8
abdulh Enlisted Member 6 Rep 49 Posts Drives: E90 320iSE Join Date: May 2005 Location: London UK iTrader: (0)	i see you yanks have mainly automatic cars, we have mainly manuals
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05-30-2005, 02:59 PM	#9
Broken1 Addict 203 Rep 2,074 Posts Drives: 2024 X5 40i M-Sport Join Date: May 2005 Location: Ontario iTrader: (0)	If you can't drive a manual transmission...why not just buy an auto or smg?
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05-30-2005, 04:00 PM	#10
41413b New Member 1 Rep 5 Posts Drives: Future 2006 325i Join Date: May 2005 Location: TX iTrader: (0)	Yeah, that is the other option...to just buy an automatic. I cant and dont want to because: I will save a 1000+ grand buying a manual (not to mention gas savings) , Manuals are more fun to drive (so i hear), people that know how to drive manuals look cooler!
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05-30-2005, 04:14 PM	#11
41413b New Member 1 Rep 5 Posts Drives: Future 2006 325i Join Date: May 2005 Location: TX iTrader: (0)	actually i practiced for an hour on my friends old civic hatchback in Dallas, but i moved back to Austin to take summer classes. Now i dont know anybody w/ a manual. I want to be pretty confident before i purchase a 30,000 dollar car you know, ill be calling some driving schools tommorrow
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05-30-2005, 04:59 PM	#12
E90Fleet Lieutenant General 1311 Rep 10,185 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: South Africa iTrader: (0)	It amazes me that you can get a drivers licience in a Auto in the USA
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05-30-2005, 06:34 PM	#13
dpinto1 New Member 0 Rep 9 Posts Drives: 04 Volvo R Join Date: May 2005 Location: White Plains, iTrader: (0)	Learning to drive a manual. Drive it off the lot. My parents and i went to Jersey to pick up my first car. When we were leaving they took off and left me there with a car that i could barely start. They were behind the dealership and followed me home. Took me 2-3 hours to get home but by then i had gotten a hang of it. My parents had fun watching me stall all the way home, they still crack jokes about that horrible experience. Not good on the car but i learned kinda quick. I got a 35+K Volvo s70
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05-31-2005, 05:12 PM	#17
41413b New Member 1 Rep 5 Posts Drives: Future 2006 325i Join Date: May 2005 Location: TX iTrader: (0)	Ive been hearing great things about manual driving and I have my mind made up about it now. after the first time i drove i sort of was on the fence again, but ive only heard good things about drving a manual. Plus i dont want to be considered a pu$$y by all you Europeans and South Africans. j/k
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06-01-2005, 07:23 AM	#19
silverado Captain 288 Rep 874 Posts Drives: 2018 M2 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Boston iTrader: (0)	I agree! I would not have bought my 330i any other way. I got my new baby on Saturday and driving it is sheer joy! Last I drove manual before now was 18 years ago (was a 320i) and been driving automatic since then. The craving never died though and I finally have a real car again!
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06-02-2005, 05:52 AM	#20
RGB Private First Class 8 Rep 178 Posts Drives: 325i Auto.Active Steering Join Date: May 2005 Location: Sevilla Spain iTrader: (0)	I can´t imagine why you want to fight with old fashioned clutch and stick! You will soon regret it.
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06-02-2005, 07:51 AM	#22
Gnosis Private 21 Rep 90 Posts Drives: 330i on order :-) Join Date: May 2005 Location: Earth iTrader: (0)	BMW makes some of the world's best manual transmissions. It would be a shame to pay more just to not experience it!!! All serious drivers know that for the ultimate "man/machine" driving experience - nothing beats a stick shift. The only time I'd consider an auto would be if I lived in a very densely populated area and had to spend a lot of time in traffic jams etc. SMG is nice for a while but you grow tired of it quickly. Auto is the ultimate in comfort and manual is the ultimate in feel. SMG is just middle of the road in this respect (ok - if you want to drive REALLY quick (like on a track) and don't care about feel then the SMG is good because you can focus on other things than shifting. But I wouldn't choose it anyway - in my world the point of being on a track is still to have fun!)
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