Worried about Buying a Manual
 

I just got back from test driving a few cars so that when the BRZ comes out I'll be ready to buy. I drove an MX-5 Miata, a Mazda Speed 3, a GTI, a Civic Si, and finally a Mini Cooper S. All manual transmissions. I had no problems when driving most of the cars. I am new to driving a stick, but have had a few lessons and some practice. Once I got to the Mini, I had nothing but problems starting it. I was very embarrassed, as the dealer ended up taking over half way through the test drive because I had so many problems:cry:. It seemed that I would either squeal the tiers or stall out on every start. I am worried now that the BRZ will be similar since the transmission is supposed to be very aggressive. Any advice?

Anybody who has driven either a BRZ or FR-S, what is the transmission most similar too?

Thanks in advance...now off to find some one who will let me practice driving more...

Just buy the car, practice a lot, and after the first couple of weeks it will become second nature to you.
No need to worry. Plus you don't want to get the auto and always regret not getting the manual, although all reports are that the auto is very good too.

I bought my WRX without having ever driven a manual before. It doesn't take long to get used to it. Going from one car to another is hard but when you're driving the same car every day you learn it pretty quick. I would never go back to auto now, at least not on a sports car. They have come a long way but it still just isn't as involving.

I don't think I'll go for a auto...it's more that the Miata and GTI felt so damn good...and the Mini frustrated (and embarrassed) me.

The hardest part of driving a manual is finding the point of engagement (where the car stars moving forward) without stalling; once you find that POE it'll be easy to drive. When I first started driving a manual I just kept my foot on the accelerator pedal & kept the revs between 1200-2000rpm. Now it's easy as hell especially on steep roadways.

..just takes practice. When I was 16, I stalled out through an entire green light cycle. I've heard nothing but good things about the clutch throw so even if it does cause you problems, you'll get used to it in no time.

It might be that you're letting the clutch out too fast. I've found that VW clutches are really forgiving, so that's probably why you didn't have trouble there. If you let the clutch out slower it's easier to avoid stalling or jerking the car. You can give it a litle more or less gas as you let out the clutch to hold the rpms steady. You still want to do it as quickly as possible but you can work on doing it faster once you get it right. If you really want to learn fast, learn on an AWD car in Boston. If you don't get it right you'll stall and there will be 10 cabbies honking at you within 3 seconds.

cmspooner: Don't worry about it :-) I'm 40, have been driving manuals for 23+ years - wait, is that right? feck me I'm old - anyways, even now if I jump into a friends car or go for a test drive I'm hardly making super clean shifts from the get go.

If you were ok with the others and only the Mini was a PITA, I would guess it was a really stiff clutch and you just couldn't come to terms with it. No biggy. Get a manual FRS/BRZ and after a few months you'll be feeling fine and not worrying about a thing!

I felt the same way. Im planning on getting the BRZ in manual. I rented a manual for a week and by the 4 day it seemed natural to me. So best advice to give you is rent one or borrow one for a week.

One problem I did have is shifting from first gear to second gear. Everytime I shift, the car was jerky. I shift at 2500-3000rpm. Am I letting go of the clutch to early or fast?

Like everyone else said, don't worry about it. Every car has a different sweet spot where the clutch catches. Some cars have heavier pedals, some grabbier clutches than others. It's all muscle memory; you'll get the hang of it! My Audi catches closer to the top whereas my MR2 catches an inch from the bottom. When I switch cars, it takes a little mental preparation to go from one to the other. I still stall cars sometimes, and I've been driving manual for 8 years!

even after driving a manual for so many years, I still have to adjust slightly to each car's transmission... about 5 mins, lol...

but for a new driver, just practice. Avoid hills until you're more confident, or learn to use the ebrake...

besides all this... I remember first learning to drive manual, and only used it for a few weeks. After I swapped to auto for something, I accident stepped on the brake with my left foot! a few times! lol.... ah, memories...

Every new clutch takes some getting used to. I didn't like the FRS clutch at all. Seemed to stick at the bottom for me and the release point was really high. But its just something you get used to and becomes second nature. Just like all cars brake differently...GL

You're getting good advice from the posters above op. Just buy the manual and get used to it. Then after a while you'll be laughing. Just to share a story with you:

I have a WRX and I needed to replace the clutch. So I bought an aftermarket clutch. It was a stage one and I was assuming that wouldnt be any different from the one I had in already. Dude it took me 5 minutes in the parking lot to figure it out. I was stressing. It just felt different from my original clutch. But I kept on it. But after a while I got the hang of it and now it feels natural. So don't be distracted with your setback on the mini. :burnrubber:

Thank you all for the advice! I will keep practicing and hope that I can get along with the BRZ's transmission. It uses the same Aisin AZ6 that the Miata uses, which is great, because that was the best of the lot (My second choice, if I can reconcile the impracticality of a 2 seater).

I had the same concerns before deciding upon the BRZ. I was originally going to settle for an auto or possibly get a used auto A4 or 328i. After I learned that my 5' female friend learned to drive a stickshift Jeep in a week, I decided to man up and pre-order a manual BRZ. Everyone says it's just a matter of 1-2 weeks of practice before you'll be comfortable driving on the road, so it shouldn't be an issue for either of us. :)

Why was this car released in auto anyways.. I feel it shoulda stayed only in manual like the S2k and other cars

Don't sweat it, I had an 02 WRX as my first manual and ordered having never driven one. It took a little while but you'll have te hang of it before you know it.

I'm pretty much in the same position and I am just now learning how to drive a manual. I want to enjoy this car as much as I possibly can though and with at least a month to hone my skills I know it will be worth it. :thumbup:

Stick with it. I barely had a few hours of practice before I got my first manual car. I didn't even test drive it (because I had test driven an auto prior) and drove my new purchase off the lot stalling then chirping the tires (embarassing). And stalled a few times in my stop-n-go freeway commute the first week or two. But I stuck it through and was so glad I chose a manual in the end.
I think the paddles follow the driver-centric focus particularly on the track. Freeing up your right hand and left foot allows for more focus on entry speed, braking, weight transfers, and apexes. That's one reason high performance machines have it nowadays (LFA, Italia 458). But for everyday street use, manual is for me. :burnrubber:

If you drove the other cars without any issues it may be that the clutch set-up on the Mini was odd. Fortunatly on most manual cars you can adjust the take up of your clutch. It's a simple adjustment nut right up behind the clutch pedal. I hope that helps.

I didn't know that! Thank you. Actually, thanks to all that replied...this might be the least flame filled thread I have seen. I appreciate all the support, and can't wait to try the BRZ.:thanks:

Yeah, you'll get used to it. I noticed that with my car, in order to make it smooth, I pretty much have to dip the clutch back in just a bit after the initial engagement.

Except, while you "learn" on your car, you're destroying it.

Might want to consider buying a beater, first.

Maybe if you're a really slow learner... It took me about five minutes to learn and the rest was just fine tuning the clutch to make it as smooth as possible. As long as you always remember the basics of pushing the clutch all the way in when shifting and slowly easing it out when in the proper gear, you won't do much of any damage to it.

:word: I think it's just people get nervous thinking about learning but it will literally take 30 mins top to learn. I don't think I'll ever drive an automatic again unless it's someone else's car.

Also good point here.... It is a brand spanking new car.

The clutch, brake, and gas pedals are gonna be different from a beater as well, so going from beater to BRZ is still going to be weird for some.

But everyone is different. I taught my cousin n he learned to drive stick in a day. Next day we started a 10 road trip which he drove half of. But me, I couldn't drive it more than 2 hrs a day for a week before I was comfortable to drive it daily.... It was too stressful stalling n chirping... And I did this in parking lots and behind plazas...

I probably taught a dozen people to drive manuals, and half of them prefer it now that they learned...

I am aware of that, unfortunately my apartment complex only allows 2 cars per unit (one for me, one for the wife). I figure that when the clutch goes I'll upgrade it.

Yeah, I learned on my Celica with 10 miles on the odo then taught my brother on it at 60k miles and let a couple friends try to learn (but I didn't let them finish) throughout the years. When I sold it at 74k miles the original clutch was still good.

Come on man, just borrow someones manual..it shouldn't take that long to master or you probably shouldn't be driving a sports car. Hondas are super easy clutches to figure out if you haven't had much experience.

I think this might be a touch of an exaggeration. Truly, clutches are wear items. You won't be "destroying" your car.

OP, you may be going through the clutch a little quicker than those of us that have driven manuals for years. But, for an item designed to last tens of thousands of miles, is a few days of a little clutch slippage while you're learning really a big deal? You'll certainly be easier on the clutch as a newbie than someone who "knows what they are doing" slipping the clutch repeatedly for launching.

The first car I bought was a manual, and I had recently learned on my brother's car with only a few miles of driving. I stalled several times on the way home from the dealer. I traded it 50,000 miles later with the original clutch.

If you're hard on your brakes or tires, is it considered destroying your car?

I was going to get an automatic, but with everyone here attesting to how easy and little time it takes to pick up driving a manual, I'm on the fence! Three reasons I want(ed) an auto: 1) I've only driven automatics. 2) Living in LA, I figured an automatic would be more practical. 3) If most reviews can be trusted, the auto is pretty good in this car.

What should I do??

I hate to say it, but this forum isn't exactly unbias (especially if it revolves around transmission...). Personally, I think it truly depends on what you want to do with the car. I am not really a track person, and I plan to use the car more for a daily driver. I am keen on the idea that it has great handling characteristics and its nimble. I'm fond of its chasis and overall look and I don't exactly transport people so a 2+2 is just fine. I live in the SF bay area, so I do get annoyed by traffic (I'm pretty sure the traffic here is better than SoCal, but still). I want to enjoy this car as more of an adventure car especially traveling up and down the Great Highway. I'm looking towards the automatic mainly since I like the idea of paddles and I honestly have very little experience with the clutch (the few times I actually used the clutch, I wasn't too fond of it. But hey, what do I know?).

I wouldn't mind learning how to use a manual but as of this time, none of my friends are car people and none have a manual for me to ask to use. Only one family member has one, and he's not even remotely close so that's useless. I just want a new car since my older one is slowly becoming less and less reliable and I really don't have much time to mess around. Oh well, my post is rambly and probably offtopic by now, but I think the main thing is that you have to figure out what you want from the car; your purpose, needs, etc. should all be considered. Also, I think it depends on your own ego and sense of mind. Some people will probably call you out and claim that its unmanly and other misogynistic phrases. For me, it sounds inane to even bother to listen to these people. Its how you live your life, not what others dictate, just make sure that what you do suits your own purpose.

Ah, he won't be just going through the clutch... he'll be lugging and stalling the engine, damaging the transmission from missed shifts, shocking the differential and driveshaft because he won't know how to shift smoothly... basically, every component in the drivetrain is going to feel it to some degree, and you can't tell me it won't.

Why the hell would want to do that to a brand new car? And it's not just any car... it's a finely tuned sport car - something built with precision in mind, and not some cookie cutter sloppy econo shitbox.

It's stupid to do that. It won't be the same car once he's done "learning".

The way he drives long term can have a much more significant effect on those components. Launching/dumping the clutch a few times can do more damage than total wear due to the entire learning process.

The OP has had more prior experience than I did when I drove my first new manual car off the lot. I and a few other people learned to drive manual on mine (of course, I was extra careful learning myself and in selecting who could learn) and by 74k miles no components had any problems. :iono: Plus the OP has expressed his concern. That kind of concern shows he won't beat on it as he learns because... well... it's his new car. His car will probably stay in better condition than that of many seasoned stick shift drivers. He doesn't need a beater IMHO.

They have springs and bushings to compensate for the extra vibrations. It's not like he's driving a race car with a triple plate clutch, solid bushings, and 700 hp. You can definitely get away with some slopiness in these cars. So as long as he's not an idiot and forgets to push in the clutch while trying to force it in gear or downshift into 1st at 60mph, then it should be perfectly fine. Modern manual transmissions are more or less fool-proof. Of course, if he forms some really bad habits like always slipping or dropping the clutch and drives it like that for a few years, then we're looking at problems. But surely anyone would realize that's not how it should feel and compensate properly.

You need to decide for your self, but I would at least get a few lessons before buying (or even test driving) a manual. If you have a friend that can let you learn on their car then do that, if not see if you can get driving lessons on a manual around you. I have had roughly 5 hours of experience on 8 different cars (2 friend/relative cars) 6 test drives, and I still managed to completely embarrass my self on a test drive.

I'm surprised you're worried. I only practiced a couple hours in my uncle's 1983 BMW 3 then test drove a new 2005 tC at the dealer for 20 minutes (my 1st time driving stick on the freeway). Then got my Celica and winged it lol

If you haven't driven a manual and want one, this is the car to get it on. It's has a great shifter and a great clutch. I had the privilege of test driving a brz as only my second manual car driven and it was fairly easy.

To the OP, get the manual without worry. Like I'm telling this guy, I drove one manual before I drove the brz. I didn't drive the brz perfectly but I did fine and didn't stall once. The car seems to have a forgiving clutch to say the least.

I wasn't worried until this miserable experience in the Mini:sigh:. The other test drives before it went fine, but having the Mini one become a complete fail has shaken my confidence. I think I just need to relax. On the other hand this thread has been really nice with lots of good info.:w00t:

YAY! :thumbup: This is the info I was hoping for....now if Subaru would just get these things into dealerships I could stop worrying and just drive the damn car away!