Completely new driver. Need advice

[Sciontissst]

Get a manual!!! My first car was an auto and i regretted it after learning stick. Then traded it in for the same exact car in a manual model. So if you want a manual at all then go with it. Your drive home jerking around will be a fun bonding experience with your car LOL BE SAFE!

[FRSjeff]

Hey man! Congrats on your hard work! I can't think of a better way to reward yourself than buying an FR-S!! You should definitely get the manual; like you said, you'd always wonder what it was like if you "settled" for the automatic. As far as learning, maybe you could purchase additional lessons from a local driving school who offers learning on a manual. Or maybe you could rent a car with a manual and find a good friend to take you out help teach you. Or at least, go ahead and practice on your new FR-S -- just be super gentle until you aren't stalling and/or jerking anymore. Then take it to the biggest parking lots/tracks and give it a whirl!! Good luck man. Congrats, you should be proud of yourself!

[ZmZMWagon]

Originally Posted by PoRco

I've thought of renting a manual as well. The problem is that it's almost impossible to find a rental car company that rents out manuals.

It's as though they KNOW people will use it to learn manual shift and abuse it

Your local UHaul(not sure if Canada has these) usually has manual transmission trucks. Yes, I know it's not a car but it'll still teach you how to drive a manual.....

[luscious]

I'm partial to manual...so I am biased. The AT is a pretty damn fast shifter though...its all your personal preference...but being as you dont drive...period..yuo have no personal preference.

get the manual!

oh there is plenty of fun to be had in the car with the traction control set to on, and set to sport mode. Turning it totally off...I'd wait to one gets a whole lot of practice in the car in a really large vacant parking lot, and learn the limits of the car!

[engee]

Originally Posted by PoRco

Hey guys,

Been creeping around and posting a bit on these forums for a month now :P

I'm 23, a few months from graduating out of university. I've always been spending my money cautiously. Since I've lived relatively close to campus and Ottawa has a good transit system, I've always used the bus system.

Growing up, my parents never had a car. Never got a chance to learn, and when I got into uni I was too focussed on school. And then... I saw the advertisments on the FRS/BRZ. I almost instantly fell in love... I WANTED the car. It pushed me to WANT to learn to drive..for the first time. The past month..I've been learning. Almost finished drivers ed. My friend lets me drive his automatic around town. So I get a lot of practice there too. Doing my drive test in July and planning on getting the FR-s before September for my birthday (as a gift to myself :P worked my ass off the past years to be able to finally afford something :P )


My problem lies in the fact that I want the manual transmission. Since the reason I'm getting this car is mostly because of the hype over the "feel" of the car and how the car is a lot of fun. So I want to try and get the most of the experience. As tempting as it is to go with the automatic... I'm sure I'll always regret it at the back of my head. I've had only 2 hours of training in a manual car and the clutch on my trainers car is VERY sensitive. It's LITERALLY dealing with millimetres when disengaging. I don't stall the car... but I make it rumble sometimes or a jerk a bit.

Would you guys still recommend I get the manual?

Any advice whatsoever will be GREATLY appreciated Thanks

You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders and I think you get what this car is about.

HOWEVER,

I do not think you should get this as your first manual car.

I'm not trying to be mean and just tell you not to get it.

Here are two reasons as to why:

1- I'm glad you brought up the feel of the car. However, being that this is your first manual car, how would you be able to tell the difference? In order to truly be able to differentiate, you need a comparison point. The same is in regard to every other experience you have had. Everyone probably thought their first girlfriend was great, until the next one came.

In addition, you have never pushed any car to the limit. In my opinion, true characteristics of cars are never found from driving on the street. I'm still getting taken to school with this car and I'm coming from a faster car.

2- Factor in maintenance fees. Without a doubt, there will be more stress on the car. This is due to the fact that it is your first manual car. The clutch will probably go faster. The synchros might wear faster. Etc. The list goes on.

My personal recommendation is to buy a dirt cheap manual car to learn on. Drive it, learn it, beat the piss out of it. Whatever. Even if something breaks, it definitely is not as heart wrenching or expensive. Then when you have finally gotten the hang of things, pick up the FR-S. Then, you will truly appreciate all the hype going into this car.

I hope you heed my advice and best of luck in whatever you choose.

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Originally Posted by denverizzles

Secondly, dont use fast and furious as an example of how to drive manual.

I can't help but think how inaccurate those movies are, with Vin Diesel talking about double-clutching on upshifts in the first movie, or Tyrese doing the heel-toe backwards (with his heel on the brake pedal and his toes on the gas pedal) in the second movie, or with everyone in Tokyo Drift doing E-brake drifts and clutch kicks.

[NemesisPrime909]

Originally Posted by Asterisked Accolade

Apparently with this car, lesson one is keep the traction systems on. Then just practice with the manual until you get efficient at it.

do this and you'll be fine

[Rossman]

Side benefit to getting a manual transmission is that they are statistically less likely to be stolen

[rcm47]

This is my first manual car. I don't regret it at all.

[Chewie4299]

A lot of people prefer auto if they do a lot of trafficky commuting. I've personally never really minded driving MT in traffic. It's really all personal preference obviously.

I always recommend driving the first couple of times with no shoes on. Barefoot (socks OK) makes it very easy for the car to communicate the behavior of the clutch to you. My very first time I was very afraid of stalling or rolling back on an incline into someone. By driving barefoot I never did either.

Not trying to say I've never stalled but the only time it happened when I was initially learning was when I did it on purpose to see where the limits were.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[celicafan]

another benefit of a manual... you can push start it if the battery dies.

[Rossman]

Originally Posted by celicafan

another benefit of a manual... you can push start it if the battery dies.

Of course, forgot about this! Been a long time since I've had to do that, last time was in a parking lot in New Zealand

[PoRco]

Originally Posted by engee

You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders and I think you get what this car is about.

HOWEVER,

I do not think you should get this as your first manual car.

I'm not trying to be mean and just tell you not to get it.

Here are two reasons as to why:

1- I'm glad you brought up the feel of the car. However, being that this is your first manual car, how would you be able to tell the difference? In order to truly be able to differentiate, you need a comparison point. The same is in regard to every other experience you have had. Everyone probably thought their first girlfriend was great, until the next one came.

In addition, you have never pushed any car to the limit. In my opinion, true characteristics of cars are never found from driving on the street. I'm still getting taken to school with this car and I'm coming from a faster car.

2- Factor in maintenance fees. Without a doubt, there will be more stress on the car. This is due to the fact that it is your first manual car. The clutch will probably go faster. The synchros might wear faster. Etc. The list goes on.

My personal recommendation is to buy a dirt cheap manual car to learn on. Drive it, learn it, beat the piss out of it. Whatever. Even if something breaks, it definitely is not as heart wrenching or expensive. Then when you have finally gotten the hang of things, pick up the FR-S. Then, you will truly appreciate all the hype going into this car.

I hope you heed my advice and best of luck in whatever you choose.

I really appreciate this post, and I'm glad you brought this up. This has been on my mind too. "Should I get a beaten up car to learn in?"

The thing is, I may not enjoy BEING in the car if I do. I have this NEED to enjoy the car I'm in and appreciate the aesthetics. Every single time that I've contemplated buying a cheap used car, I find myself browsing the RX-8's or the Mitsubish Eclipse's that cost anywhere between 10k -22k (used).

And the others... I just don't see myself WANTING to drive them

So yeah, I totally agree with you...and your post was one of the reasons that I posted this thread...to see if the more experienced drivers on this forum would think that I'd be fine having this car.

I need the Ft86club community's seal of approval :P

[PoRco]

Originally Posted by Chewie4299

A lot of people prefer auto if they do a lot of trafficky commuting. I've personally never really minded driving MT in traffic. It's really all personal preference obviously.

I always recommend driving the first couple of times with no shoes on. Barefoot (socks OK) makes it very easy for the car to communicate the behavior of the clutch to you. My very first time I was very afraid of stalling or rolling back on an incline into someone. By driving barefoot I never did either.

Not trying to say I've never stalled but the only time it happened when I was initially learning was when I did it on purpose to see where the limits were.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Yeap, I'm just going to have to deal with the commuting. I've thought a lot about stop and go traffic. Sure... I may hate it...but what I would hate is wondering what the car would have been like if it was a manual. (Considering I've never mastered a manual car)