StrongRedHead Why does applying to grad school have to cost so much?
My mom is supposed to teach me so that when we go on trips I can drive… without having to take my car everywhere!
How I did it: I decided to learn stick shift because I know that automatic cars are much easier to learn when I know how to drive manual cars. So I first enrolled to one a driving school to learn some of the basics. It was worth while just because there are some etiquettes and information that you will not know if your just going to study on your own or if you ask somebody to teach you. Obviously most of what you will learn can be used when you start d… Read how I did it…
Seafolly3 is a Creative Revinventing Traveller
How I did it: My dad thought that it was absolutely essential that his daughters learn how to drive a stick shift. He took us to the school parking lot on the weekend and drove us around in circles in his old train station car. Then onto the backroads, which was unnerving and finally main road and highway driving. It was years before it became fluid, but now I actually prefer manuals to automatics! Read how I did it…
How I did it: I had a friend who owned a stick shift in high school and we used to go to a large abandon parking lot late at night and I would try and drive around. Once I could do that, I moved up to neighborhood streets (also late at night), then finally real streets--with lights and traffic and everything! When I bought my first car at 16, it was a stick shift as well. In fact, every car I have ever owned is a stick shift. Read how I did it…
How I did it: I bought a car that was stick shift and I couldn't drive it, so I had to learn really quickly. Sometimes it's best just to throw yourself into impossible situations :) Read how I did it…
StrongRedHead Why does applying to grad school have to cost so much?
My mom is supposed to teach me so that when we go on trips I can drive… without having to take my car everywhere!
HalfASmalli is going home in two weeks
I drove a stickshift car for the first time a few weeks ago. When I would ask them when to shift gears, all they kept telling me was “you have to feel for it.” I have no idea what that is supposed to mean, and it would drive me crazy. The second day after about 30 minutes I felt like I kind of knew what they were talking about, and I could shift from 1st to second almost every time. I never went fast enough to shift into 3rd or 4th though. Too much traffic. I don’t know when I’m going to practice again.
MtnKayaker Self-Knowing Reinventing Self-Improver
Is it mostly us chicks in here? I want a Jeep Wrangler for graduation (I’m buying it myself, people) and there is no way on God’s green earth I am gonna buy a Wrangler with auto transmission. Therefore… so I gotta get my brother on this.
I learned how to drive a stick when I was 17. It took me two weeks to get it right, but it’s a skill i won’t forget. And I’m glad to know it, it can be quite useful. My teacher was the best though, he was extremely patient. It was hard finding that balance between letting go of the break and depressing the clutch AND the gas; I felt like I needed 3 legs. It was very frustrating, but my advice is to stick to it, you will learn.
HalfASmalli is going home in two weeks
If I want to drive while I´m abroad in a foreign country I´m gonna have to figure it out because most of the cars have manual transmission. Sooooo….
to learn. I know how to take off but when I get to the stop sign a block away I kill it. =/ And that was 2 months ago…the marines took my teacher away. He better finish my lesson when he comes home! i’ll have a special treat for him when he does ;)
I’m learning how to drive stick. I got it down for the most part. It’s fun. I now need a car that I can play with.
aswedishlime is relaxed and happy.
...but automatic makes it soooo easy!
It’s not like I haven’t tried to learn. But traffic scares me. Forget about merging onto the highway! I seem to stall out, right when I think I’m getting the hang of it. I have no rhythm to the whole clutch-brake dance. Ugh.
In a lot of ways I think this is going to be like learning how to snowboard. It’s about subtle muscle memory that with practice, you just start doing and you don’t know how it’s happening. But just like with snowboarding where I’m not anxious to keep banging my head against the mountain every 3 minutes because my edge keeps catching, I’m also not anxious to keep stalling out with lots of angry cars behind me…
I’m keeping this goal up here, because of course, my fiance drives standard. And if there are two cars in one family, a person needs to be able to drive both. So, I’ll keep trying.
the hardest thing for me was learning when it engages and not popping it. but after time and trying masny different approaches and methods of basically trial and error i got it down. oh and just remember to put the clutch in when braking. that takes a bit to remember
I learned stick shift on my new car in about 40 minutes flat! It was way easier than I thought it would be, and I love it so much more than automatic!