"Greg" <not_here@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:Q94Ue.9982$iM2.925106@news.xtra.co.nz...
>
> "Seth" <seth_lermanNOSPAM@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:gU3Ue.30484$YC1.20777@fe08.lga...
>> "Greg" <not_here@nospam.com> wrote in message
>> news:Ut3Ue.9965$iM2.924675@news.xtra.co.nz...
>>> "Seth" <seth_lermanNOSPAM@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:K62Ue.6566$cg.4106@news02.roc.ny...
>>>> "Steve" <yeah@right.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:0MSdnShLP6uxB73eRVn-vw@giganews.com...
>>>>> Sally has always been interested in cars. She's 19 and is trading in
>>>>> her 93
>>>>> automatic corolla for a 98 Civic EX coupe. we pick it up on Saturday.
>>>>> She
>>>>> has never driven a stick before. I have owned standards before and
>>>>> grew up
>>>>> driving motorcycles but I haven't had to teach someone to drive stick
>>>>> before.
>>>>> Any suggestions would be appreciated. I read that you should have them
>>>>> try
>>>>> to get the car going without using the gas. Just by slowly letting the
>>>>> clutch out you can feel the transmission engage.
>>>>>
>>>>> Should be an interesting drive home on Saturday...
>>>>
>>>> How about letting her learn from a professional driving instructor?
>>>>
>>> A driving instructor would be a good idea for a first time driver. If
>>> she already has driving experience and road sense, then learning to
>>> operate a manual transmission is the easy part. I agree with the large
>>> carpark suggestion.
>>> Greg.
>>
>> I agree a car park is a good idea.
>>
>> In regards to a driving instructor only being for first time drivers,
>> with that I don't agree. Going from an automatic to a stick is a very
>> different dynamic. Different habits to make or break, different had
>> placement, etc...
>>
> Hand placement and habits will come naturally. The most important parts of
> driving are road sense and the ability to react in a situation. If these
> skills are already learned (from experience or a teacher) then opeartion
> of a clutch and a manual trans. can be learned very quickly just by doing
> it.
> Just my opinion.

And that was my initial opinion as well. But on further thought, like
reacting in a situation, the reaction is different. With an automatic
(driving like one should (not necessarily how most of us do or don't drive))
one has both hands on the wheel and 1 foot on the dead pedal. In a stick
the dynamic is different. We're now removing 1 hand from the wheel, putting
it on a stick and operating a second pedal.

You get cut off in an automatic and have to drop your speed from 60 to 30
all you do is hit the brake. In a stick, you are hitting the brake, hitting
the clutch, downshifting (one less hand on the wheel during this maneuver).

Yes, road sense they should already have, but there's a lot more to driving
than road sense. Also, habits that are already in place are a lot more
difficult to break than new habits that "come naturally". My wife learned
to fly a plane before learning to drive a car. Here she was coming from
something more difficult to do to something easier and it took a lot to get
her able to pass a drivers test.

I would consider going from automatic to stick an increase in difficulty as
opposed to a decrease.

Just my opinion.