[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Lakitu

This is my first manual car, and first RWD. What do your cars do when you change gears? Is there any noise?

Also, one other thing, if I have air, I notice that when I have the AC running, I can smell some kind of strange smell, its almost like... best I can describe, a light scent of "old waterlogged cabin wood" coming through the vents only when switching from 1st to 2nd gear. This can't be the clutch, right? Not sure if it's still just related to needing to keep breaking it in. I figure the car must be fine, it's way too soon to be having problems! I don't know why, I'm just worried for no reason probably.

As said it is just the drivetrain taking up the slack in the lower gears. Perfectly normal. If you are burning the clutch you will have no doubt. It smells horrid.
Relax and drive. You will get used to the weird noises a lightly soundproofed RWD MT car makes. Then when it stops making the noise you will start to worry!