Honda Car Forum

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...


TIA


Steve

"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?

Steve wrote:
>
> Should be an interesting drive home on Saturday...

I suggest starting out in a large, empty parking lot before going on the
road with other vehicles.

Eric

"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.

"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...

"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.
Greg

"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.

Steve wrote:
> 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...
>
As several already suggested, an empty parking lot is great.

When I taught my daughter, I brought larger boxes and put them where
normally cars are parked. This way she can practice parking, pulling
out, etc.

After the first lesson, all boxes were pretty much flat and run over
She's been driving for five years now - no accidents - so those boxes
were a cheap investment

Remco

On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 15:55:31 -0700, Eric <say.no@spam.now> wrote:

>Steve wrote:
>>
>> Should be an interesting drive home on Saturday...
>
>I suggest starting out in a large, empty parking lot before going on the
>road with other vehicles.
>
>Eric

Just you and her in the car, no other distractions.

After the parking lot bucking bronco ride smoothens out, let her ouf
of the corral.

Take her on your best, local country road, where you have the
flexibility to go thru all the gears: up and down. Make a circuit out
of it, so you can have her do that stretch 10 times or so over and
over, all the time moitoring her action.

The sooner she gets comfortable with the stick, the sooner she won't
be a concern when she goes out on the hiway. Make her laugh.

..

The best preventive medicine is to have her carry by herself the costs of
buying and owning this very nice car.

Then, unless she's a total airhead, she'll decide on her own to practice
extensively in a vacant parking lot, preferably with a small slope, whence
she points the car downward, before going out on the streets.

Once she gets the basic idea down, practice is all that's necessary. Daddy
should get out of the car unless he can stay quiet and offer moral support.
Girl needs to concentrate.

"Steve" <yeah@right.com> wrote
> 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...