Finally drove my first Stick, Boring for many of you, but exciting for me! Options

[solidxsnake]

Ever since I've been looking to drive, I've been hell-bent on getting a stick (being the kind of person I am, there's just no other match).

My dad wasn't too keen on the idea of me getting a stick for my first car. I wasn't too keen on getting a slushbox =_=

He won out luckily enough, because my brother was nice enough to go buy himself a new car and give me his '95 Celica ST (he decided on a brand new '09 Corolla SE). So I'm not going to complain about my first (free) car's transmission.

Still, finally got behind the wheel of my friend's '08 Corolla S 5spd yesterday. It was only for 5 minutes or so just to get the hang of taking-off and shifting (small parking lot, couldn't even get to 3rd), and only stalled it twice. I can see why sticks are so much better just from that. I'm not sure if it's just the ST's auto trans., but it is incredibly sluggish in comparison.

So, excitement for me, annoyance for (most) of you. I just felt the need to share =_=

When did you guys learn to drive stick? When you first started driving, or later? I feel like I'd have been better off learning stick at first, as when I was driving the Corolla yesterday, I had some trouble breaking the habits of driving an auto. I consciously knew about the clutch pedal, but my muscles were a different case.

This post has been edited by solidxsnake: Aug 15, 2009 - 11:30 AM

[njccmd2002]

learned when i was 12, completely despise cars with auto. I have one, but dont like to drive it...

[Rymaster]

Driving stick is never boring!

After all thes years, I still love getting in my car to drive, just cause the fact that it is stick.
I love driving manual cars, even if they are slow =P

Never gets old.

[SwissFerdi]

I wish I had a stick.

I learned in my dad's '04 GLI, not exactly the easiest...but I got it rolling after only stalling once!

[96bluevert]

Learned on my friend's S10, similar to what you did, parking lot only for like 5-10 min, but it is pretty fun to be able to change the gear instead of waiting for the car to do it. I've been looking at cheap manual cars recently, thinking about getting one as a second car to help me get experience with driving a manual.

[95CelicaST]

My dad gave me the keys to a 92 GTI when I was 16 and said, "You learn how to drive it, and it's yours."



And I've never looked back

[dustin15brown]

I bought the celica when I was 15 and had no idea how to drive it..... it sat there for a month before anyone taught me how to drive it.... Now after more than 6 years I doubt I buy another car that isn't a stick. My truck is an auto though and that's alright by me.

[SwissFerdi]

^ That's awesome. My dad used to have a red GTI vert with black BBS'...I was too young to remember it, but I'm sure that thing was sick. I wouldn't mind having a hatchback of that generation.

[Keiri]

Drove my first stick like some of you guys, around a parking lot for about 25 minutes just getting used to clutch and not stalling when changing gears, in my friend's '87 Integra. That was my sophomore year of college (about 3 years go) and I haven't driven one since...unfortunately.

I really need to get my hands on some wheel time with my buddy's Eclipse GT stick before I get Suzuka swapped to 5Spd.

[Tom_SS2]

stick? crazy trans-atlantians, i'm from the UK so i've never owned any thing other than an MT, first learnt when i was a kid not even old enough to hold a licence, i doubt i'd ever go and purchase a car with a lazy box (AT) where's the fun?

[vincent_doggy]

Nothing but stick!!!

[keison2000]

I was very keen to driving and how manual trans missions needed to be shifted. I watch some people drive one, saw a few movies, and got behind the wheel like I was a pro at it. That was 13 years ago and I still love it.

[SwissFerdi]

stick? crazy trans-atlantians, i'm from the UK so i've never owned any thing other than an MT, first learnt when i was a kid not even old enough to hold a licence, i doubt i'd ever go and purchase a car with a lazy box (AT) where's the fun?

I agree. In Switzerland, I NEVER saw an automatic...the first auto I probably rode in was my uncle's Volvo V70, and it was really weird because I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that the car could shift itself...I hadn't heard of it. I think that was when I was 7...

[Cavegod]

do you need another driving test over there for manual transmission? over here in uk you learn in a manual unless you really want an auto, but if you pass the test in an auto you can't drive a manual, but if you pass in a manual you can drive an auto, from my expeirience auto's give less mpg.

[SwissFerdi]

You don't need another driving test for an auto, they're pretty loose here when it comes to letting people drive.

[CelicaST_CALI]

learned to drive stick on the celi when i was 15

[richee3]

My first 2 cars were autos, but my parents wanted me to have a manual. It's a good idea, because when you're a kid just starting out, you want to do all kinds of crap behind the wheel- eating, texting, etc. Their thinking was if you have a manual, it's more difficult to do all of that and I would have to focus on my driving more. So aftermy first 2 cars, I finally got a manual Celi, but I learned how to drive a stick before that in my brother's Dodge Dakota. Of course, now that I'm used to shifting it, I do all the stuff my parents don't want me to anyway

The only reason I would buy an auto.. and there is ONLY one reason... is if it's an automatic Supra. The first mod would be a manual swap

[solidxsnake]

do you need another driving test over there for manual transmission? over here in uk you learn in a manual unless you really want an auto, but if you pass the test in an auto you can't drive a manual, but if you pass in a manual you can drive an auto, from my expeirience auto's give less mpg.

Nope, even worse. You're not allowed to take the road test in a car with a manual transmission, it's an instant fail. At least, it is in Massachusetts.

[lagos]

It's the only way to drive a car. Period.

[tomazws]

It's the only way to drive a car. Period.

Agree.


And I hate when people say driving stick in traffic is hell. It is not, they just need to keep a slightly further distance and you can just glide in one gear.

[mk7celica]

The 1st time I drove and learned it was with a stick at age 12. It was a 3 speed on the colum. After that I could drive anything. All The car I own are sticks and I dont get old. Even if its a slow work truck or swapped celica I like feeling the rpms and controling the engine.

[SwissFerdi]

Agree.


And I hate when people say driving stick in traffic is hell. It is not, they just need to keep a slightly further distance and you can just glide in one gear.

Agreed on that one, I haven't driven in traffic very much but it never bothered me. The only reason I could see it being a problem is if you're in a big city (NYC) and your commute consists of busy traffic every day.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Aug 17, 2009 - 1:00 AM

[tomazws]

Agree.


And I hate when people say driving stick in traffic is hell. It is not, they just need to keep a slightly further distance and you can just glide in one gear.

Agreed on that one, I haven't driven in traffic very much but it never bothered me. The only reason I could see it being a problem is if you're in a big city (NYC) and your commute consists of busy traffic every day.

That's true. I've never drove my car to downtown LA... oh man, I wonder how it is like driving up and down San Francisco hills.

[lagos]

Most of you guys still rockin stockish clutches and pressure plates have nothing to complain about!

[JoKeRkId613]

when i had my celica i thought the auto was great, till i drove a stick and i fell in love. i was determined to get my next car in stick. i chickened out and got an auto tc, supercharged it because i wasnt happy with it, then i was good for a while.

while i had the tc, my gf at the time had a stick corolla so i learned on that and loved it. i'd drive it for long periods of time but it would become very annoying. i'm sorry, maybe fort myers traffic isnt as bad as miami, but it sucks here. call me lazy. back in high school, i hated when the ricer boys with autos would say they dont get stick because of traffic. i thought it was a silly excuse (looking back, it still was because i doubt they had driven one)

then i moved on to my current car, 370z. i test drove the stick (6spd) and the manumatic (7spd). i spent a lot of time in both cars and found that i liked the auto more (really). a lot of people say the manual is more fun, and i get it. i have more fun in the auto. honestly, the feeling is very "manual" minus the clutch part. i know that sounds weird but the feeling, kick in your stomach, sound when shifting, is very manual. it's hard to explain. i find that i use manual mode 20% of the time and the other 80% im cruising in auto. i like the luxury and i guess the flexibility of being able to switch when i want. the paddles shift faster than a human can shift a manual (average people on the z forums swear they can shift faster than 500 milliseconds. i dunno about that... there have been a few articles and reviews showing the auto z running 0-60 .2 seconds faster (4.6 secs) than the manual and .3 secs faster in the 1/4.

anyway, my intentions arent to turn this in a transmission preference war, i just remembered the excitement of driving my first stick and just looking at how far autos have come technologically to the point where they're similar.

This post has been edited by JoKeRkId613: Aug 17, 2009 - 1:55 AM

[SwissFerdi]

Z's are pretty damn nice cars.

[JoKeRkId613]

Thanks. Was never a big fan of the 350 but this is something else. I still enjoy my boys s2k whenever he let's me drive lol

[SlvrCelica09]

learned when i was 12, completely despise cars with auto. I have one, but dont like to drive it...

The 1st time I drove and learned it was with a stick at age 12. It was a 3 speed on the colum. After that I could drive anything. All The car I own are sticks and I dont get old. Even if its a slow work truck or swapped celica I like feeling the rpms and controling the engine.

Wheres the BS flag when you need it...

This post has been edited by SlvrCelica09: Aug 17, 2009 - 1:33 PM

[lagos]

when i had my celica i thought the auto was great, till i drove a stick and i fell in love. i was determined to get my next car in stick. i chickened out and got an auto tc, supercharged it because i wasnt happy with it, then i was good for a while.

while i had the tc, my gf at the time had a stick corolla so i learned on that and loved it. i'd drive it for long periods of time but it would become very annoying. i'm sorry, maybe fort myers traffic isnt as bad as miami, but it sucks here. call me lazy. back in high school, i hated when the ricer boys with autos would say they dont get stick because of traffic. i thought it was a silly excuse (looking back, it still was because i doubt they had driven one)

then i moved on to my current car, 370z. i test drove the stick (6spd) and the manumatic (7spd). i spent a lot of time in both cars and found that i liked the auto more (really). a lot of people say the manual is more fun, and i get it. i have more fun in the auto. honestly, the feeling is very "manual" minus the clutch part. i know that sounds weird but the feeling, kick in your stomach, sound when shifting, is very manual. it's hard to explain. i find that i use manual mode 20% of the time and the other 80% im cruising in auto. i like the luxury and i guess the flexibility of being able to switch when i want. the paddles shift faster than a human can shift a manual (average people on the z forums swear they can shift faster than 500 milliseconds. i dunno about that... there have been a few articles and reviews showing the auto z running 0-60 .2 seconds faster (4.6 secs) than the manual and .3 secs faster in the 1/4.

anyway, my intentions arent to turn this in a transmission preference war, i just remembered the excitement of driving my first stick and just looking at how far autos have come technologically to the point where they're similar.

If you found a manual trans to be annoying than it just means that you only drove it a handful of times and never quite got good at it.
Once you've owned one for a few months/years it becomes second nature and something that you dont even think about doing. Its as silly as someone saying they dont like automatics because they have to press the gas and the break from time to time.

Its also not about how fast a auto can shift through the gears vs a manual. Automatics generally add a lot more weight to the car, have more of a drive train loss and have totally different gearing. Go put your automatic on a dyno and compare it to the same car with a manual and you'll see what I mean.

[nics]

learned when i was 12, completely despise cars with auto. I have one, but dont like to drive it...

learned it at the same age. started by just moving cars in and out of the garage.. then a few lessons from my dad which is annoying and then taking my uncle's corolla at night w/ my friends w/o license with i do not encourage...

It's the only way to drive a car. Period.

Agree.


And I hate when people say driving stick in traffic is hell. It is not, they just need to keep a slightly further distance and you can just glide in one gear.

Its not bad driving in traffic.. its more getting used to it. but some cases are exceptional like my cousin's accord which had the stiffest/hardest clutch i've driven. He's used to it but eventually change the clutch because its just too damn hard

[JoKeRkId613]

when i had my celica i thought the auto was great, till i drove a stick and i fell in love. i was determined to get my next car in stick. i chickened out and got an auto tc, supercharged it because i wasnt happy with it, then i was good for a while.

while i had the tc, my gf at the time had a stick corolla so i learned on that and loved it. i'd drive it for long periods of time but it would become very annoying. i'm sorry, maybe fort myers traffic isnt as bad as miami, but it sucks here. call me lazy. back in high school, i hated when the ricer boys with autos would say they dont get stick because of traffic. i thought it was a silly excuse (looking back, it still was because i doubt they had driven one)

then i moved on to my current car, 370z. i test drove the stick (6spd) and the manumatic (7spd). i spent a lot of time in both cars and found that i liked the auto more (really). a lot of people say the manual is more fun, and i get it. i have more fun in the auto. honestly, the feeling is very "manual" minus the clutch part. i know that sounds weird but the feeling, kick in your stomach, sound when shifting, is very manual. it's hard to explain. i find that i use manual mode 20% of the time and the other 80% im cruising in auto. i like the luxury and i guess the flexibility of being able to switch when i want. the paddles shift faster than a human can shift a manual (average people on the z forums swear they can shift faster than 500 milliseconds. i dunno about that... there have been a few articles and reviews showing the auto z running 0-60 .2 seconds faster (4.6 secs) than the manual and .3 secs faster in the 1/4.

anyway, my intentions arent to turn this in a transmission preference war, i just remembered the excitement of driving my first stick and just looking at how far autos have come technologically to the point where they're similar.

If you found a manual trans to be annoying than it just means that you only drove it a handful of times and never quite got good at it.
Once you've owned one for a few months/years it becomes second nature and something that you dont even think about doing. Its as silly as someone saying they dont like automatics because they have to press the gas and the break from time to time.

Its also not about how fast a auto can shift through the gears vs a manual. Automatics generally add a lot more weight to the car, have more of a drive train loss and have totally different gearing. Go put your automatic on a dyno and compare it to the same car with a manual and you'll see what I mean.

you're absolutely right. i'm sure if i was born and raised driving a manual, i'd feel differently. i guess i'm just lazy. consciously or unconsciously, i'd rather not have to push a clutch pedal. i know shift speed isn't the only factor there but they certainly make it seem that way in the articles. i have yet to put my car on a dyno but it's nice to know that in a real-world race, it would take the manual z - as it should imo, i paid an extra grand for the upgrade.

[Ruroniarc]

I learned to drive stick when I was 17. Learned on my brother's 95 Accord, perfected it on my Celica. Driving stick never does get boring. I just took my car for a 1,868 mile trip and after 800 miles and a little bit of rest, I was eager to get back into my car and start driving again. Even after of 4 hours of stop and go traffic the day before. Seriously stop and go. 6 miles in 4 hours. It was hell.

[TRD_Ian]

i learned how to drive stick buy buying my nissan 200sx and driving it home. i drove 3 hrs to go get it, fell in love with it and had to drive it home, and thats how i learned, then i bought my 6thgen and it had to be a stick also....i will never go back to an auto, first car was an auto 4dr tercel....glad i moved on

[Superaison]

My dad was NUTS about me getting a stick. He wanted me to get a automatic 4 door granny car. But I wwas like, no dad.. No.... I want a 2 door 5 speed, it's my money, your gonna have to live with it. Eventually I talked him in to letting me get the Celica that I am currently selling I don't want to, but I have to. I taught myself how to drive it. I'm pretty good imo.

[that-one-girl]

I got my celica when I was 15... and as much as I hate to admit it, I was completely terrified to drive it because it was a stick. So being the coward that I was, I let it sit in the garage while I drove my mom's hideously enormous 98 concord, haha. Thankfully, I was tricked into driving my car by a guy I was dating (he asked if he could drive it one afternoon, then took me across town and refused to drive it home). To my surprise, I actually LOVED driving it... even though I went through the awkward "stall out in front of everyone" phase. Now I wouldn't trade a stick for anything... every time I have to drive an auto I find myself so bored that I keep trying to push the invisible clutch and reaching for something to downshift. When I took my husband's SUV on an extended trip a couple of months ago I was so ready to be back in a 5spd that I jumped in my car the second I got home... even though I had already driven 10 hours that day. So long story short... I guess I'd say that I was glad I got the basics of driving down in an auto (cause lets face it, as a 15 year old blond girl it was probably a good thing that I learned on the simplest platform, haha) but IMO everyone should learn to drive a stick as soon as they have the opportunity. I've never met anyone who thinks its a waste of time. Besides, who wants to go to a car lot and fall in love with something just to realize its a stick and they can't even test drive it?

Oh and I had a bunch of people tell me I would hate it in traffic, but really after you get through the awkward learning stage you don't even notice. I've driven in some extremely heavy stop and go traffic, and I've never thought "gee this would be so much less annoying if I didn't have to push the clutch..." The only time I even notice it is when I drive something with a super stiff clutch. But even then I think you'd get used to it if you drove it everyday.

[DEATH]

learned when i was 12, completely despise cars with auto. I have one, but dont like to drive it...

x2 - I always end up bored, sleepy then I smash the "clutch" which as it turns out is just an oversized brake pedal that makes everyone in the car lurch forward - autotragic is FTMFL

Most of you guys still rockin stockish clutches and pressure plates have nothing to complain about!

LOL - for real

This post has been edited by DEATH: Aug 21, 2009 - 12:36 AM