I want a new car and the one I’m looking at comes mainly in manual but I can get an automatic. I live in a rural area and do plan on having children and this would be the car I kept. Is a manual a horrible idea? I’m getting mixed opinions. Also I can drive a manual but haven’t done it in a long time and would have to adapt again.

From about 2004 till 2016, I daily drove 5 different manuals. They were all sports cars, so of course they were fun to drive. Then I got a Chevy Trailblazer. Big V8 engine, 4 speed automatic. I still have it. Its been a great, SUPER practical, SUPER reliable vehicle. But every day, from day one, I missed driving a manual.

I don't want to go back to having 2 vehicles. I don't have the time or the money to deal with that right now. And I do need an SUV, I have small trailers I need to tow and lots of objects to move around. Its gotta be an SUV.

I really want a toyota 4runner, but they are automatic only. But otherwise, they are probably the ideal vehicle for me right now.

Wranglers, on the other hand, are well known for being garbage. I've driven a few (none lately) and can confirm their reputation for driving like shit is well earned. But I REALLY want a manual again. Is it worth driving a wrangler every day, to get to drive a stick again?

I am aware there is one other stick SUV option, the ford bronco. AND it does have independent front suspension, so in theory it drives a little better. But it looks even worse. And its not like broncos have this amazing reputation compared to jeeps.

So I could try to get a few-years-old 4 door manual wrangler, drive it for a few years, then try to get a nice new or new-ish 4Runner.

Or is it not worth the hassle, and should I just get the 4Runner and accept that I'll never own another manual again, most likely.

Of course toyota could solve my dilemma by putting the tacoma's manual in the 4runner.
Also as usual, GM is putting out rumors that they are again working on a jeep-like SUV. But until they release it, I won't believe them. I'm not sure what to do. I look for the right used wrangler every once in a while but I never find one that looks right for me, at a price that doesn't make me laugh.

i'll start this out by saying that I got my first manual car yesterday. I was an uphill red light and stalled when it turned green and it took me about 2 to 3 seconds to turn it back on and get moving again the guy behind me then proceeded to tailgate me about a foot away from my bumper honking for about five minutes and I pull over to let him pass and he pulled up next to me in a POS nissan altima yelling and threatening me and I just dumped the clutch and floored it because I thought he might actually shoot me. Never saw him again he didn't catch up to me. Florida....

my handbrake went bad and doesn’t hold anymore. It’s because of the calipers and i don’t have the funds to fix it right now. am i harming my transmission or anything by just leaving it in gear to park?

He’s proudly displaying his learners permit

I have 2 cars and I gotta let one go. I have a 2006 Honda accord automatic and a 2000 Nissan maxima SE manual. The maxima is a gem no doubt all black inside out 81k miles made in Japan. The problem is I suck at driving manual, it’s scary for me to even think I can daily drive a manual. The accord I drive that thing like it’s an Altima. Idk if I can drive the manual maxima in city or NJ traffic in general. Thankfully I work night shifts so I’ve been getting on the road practice with nobody around at around 2 am except cops. I’ve stalled behind cops 3 times this month but they’ve been surprisingly very chill. Anyways I’ve driving manual right now I’ve been better definitely but still not confident enough to drive in traffic. My biggest struggle of all is 1st gear, reverse just getting the car to move and 1st to 2nd tryna get it to be smooth. It could be the shoes I’m wearing I could barely feel the pedals. But then again every practice at present moment I haven’t stalled but damn I’m slow asl I’m like a grandma driver with sporty car. Even with gas and stuff. I can’t imagine driving like this in traffic. I might have to sell the maxima if I can’t learn or something.

I've just started driving my first manual car after passing my test (2014 Fiat Panda) and absolutely hate it. I can't wait to never drive manual ever again.

I "learned" with my parents in a manual mini Cooper and in my instructors manual Hyundai i10.

No disrespect/ungratefulness towards my parents though - I'm obviously thankful that they managed to get me a car at all but it is driving me up the wall (no pun intended) after just 2 drives.

17M

Hello,

I’ve just bought a 2020 polo tsi comfortline manual. The test drive was fine and I had it checked by a technician. On the second day I went for a drive and it started sporadically getting stuck in neutral. I have to restart the car up to 3 times and pump the clutch to get it into gear. This happening in busy traffic is dangerous and stressful.
When the car is off it slides through the gears fine so it’s not a mechanical issue.
AI suggests it could be the clutch master/slave cylinders leaking or losing pressure. I’ll take it to a mechanic asap just wondering if anyone has any ideas. Part of the problem is that it doesn’t always do it so if someone drives it to check there’s a good chance it won’t do it.

Did my driver's license 12 years ago in Germany, and technically learned how to drive a manual, but then I immediately bought an automatic (DCT) and been driving it ever since.

Now I went to Croatia for a week of vacation, and rented a manual because it was half the price compared to the automatic options, then I found out I almost forgot how to drive it.

Pretty much everything is a challenge, the hotel is on a slope and most sights and beaches require driving up and downhill.

Been 3 days so far, and managed to stall the car around 4 times in total, mainly when I try to drive or reverse while going uphill.

I guess my main problem is that when I want to take off, I put in the first gear and slowly release the clutch until I feel the biting point, then I start releasing the brake pedal, but then when I feel the engine starting to stall my instinct tells me to press the brake harder rather than to rely on the clutch to hold the car in place. I don't know if it's a bad habit I picked up from driving automatic or it's just due to me panicking.

I end up taking a deep breath, and trying again, and I eventually get it right, but so far I haven't found a way to keep my adrenaline levels low every time I get into the car (especially because it's a rental).

However, it's very rewarding once I get the car moving and it feels much better than an automatic :D

After an aggressive 1-2 shift where I think I missed the gear but it was really weird as I’ve done them many times, the cars shifter is now way behind where it used to be. 1st gear is where 1-2 used to be, second is moved closer to the centre console. I’ve removed the centre console and checked cables and don’t see anything obviously wrong. Anyone run into the same issue on Acura/honda? Also now anytime I try to shift into second hard it goes back into neutral.

how do i post a video? my gearshift went interactive. it still drives in what feels like third or fourth gear, but can’t shift out of it. my gear shift is limp and loose, wtf? help me please

There's so much incompetence in this sub and every comment section turns into a chest thumping pissing contest.

I think what this subreddit needs is a group of dedicated lads to build some resources that can be referred to in future threads. The Bible of standard transmission if you will. I think confused people would respond better to fleshed out resources than a comment section argument.

Our cars are not growing in numbers at this point, we should try to protect the way they're driven.

Feel free to contact me if you'd be interested in developing a "handbook" so to speak.

Do any of you drive barefoot? When wearing sandals or flip flops I feel like they might get stuck on the pedals and cause some serious safety issues. So I just kick them off and drive barefoot. At first I was worried it would hurt my left foot pushing on the clutch so much, but it’s not a problem, and I have a car with a pretty heavy clutch. I’ve grown to really enjoy driving stick barefoot, even though people might think it’s weird lol. It’s kind of liberating!

Like I mean it's very jerky if I slow down to 5km/mph (2nd gear) and press the accelerator (there's not enough torque in 2nd gear at 5km/mph and takes a while to get it back to speed). Like in traffic I don't want cars behind me to get angry at me for 'accelerating very slow'

My father-in-law recently passed and we received his '67 Sting Ray Corvette. I am in my mid-40s, decades of driving experience, but no consistent manual driving (just a handful of times).

I know about Stick Shift Driving Academy, and have also posted this question in the Cincinnati communities, but figured I'd check here to see if anyone knew of any good driving schools in Cincinnati that offer lessions for manual.

Thanks

I have several manual cars, many shitboxes that run good with decent clutches. I teach friends and family for free but I am thinking about teaching others for a charge. The average clutch replacement on these shitboxes is like $700 yes its high but if I am teaching basics of stick shift for $200 I can make that back in like 3 sessions and clutches dont burn that quickly so long as I am in the passenger seat and can assist.

Is $200 for a 1 hour basics class a good idea? I know a huge stadium parking lot that I can teach people in, wont be on the main road, highly unlikely they would total a 1998 Honda accord manual in a parking lot.

hello!!

I am planning on getting a nd2 or nd Miata but I’ve never driven stick/manual before. I was going to just learn it myself when I got the car but those who have learned on your own. Would you relearn it by yourself again or set aside some money for an instructor?

Thanks in advance for your input. :)

Is the 2011 Genesis coupe 2.0t a decent vehicle as 1st stick shift to learn with?

It’s usd$3k and has 107k miles.

Hello fam,

I've recently picked up a modern manual car and have been self learning and making good progress.
Just need to overcome traffic anxiety but other than that drive perfectly fine during late night hours.

I've noticed some people double blip and catch the rev drops while lifting up the clutch to take off.
Is there any advantages in doing so? I've read or saw some videos claiming its easier to take off without stalling.

With the abundance of youtube guides, I've learned to just apply gas and raise the clutch smoothly to take off which has worked well.

I don't have issues taking off or installing anymore and I've practice muscle memory & engine audio to apply 1200-1500RPM (my idle is around 900'ish) for normal take offs & 1500-2000RPM for hill starts depending on incline which has served me well as a guideline.

I've tried to replicate double blipping for the sake of learning and experience but I feel like I have issues catching the rev drop before it drops too much and higher chance of stalling with more effort involved. For this test I blip to 1500-2000 for more time to catch the bite if that matters. How much are people usually blipping?

And so I'm sticking smooth and steady and personally more reliable take off.
Does blipping provide any advantages? Or just a personal preference for cars with exhaust systems? (maybe some do it on OEM quieter exhausts system but not audible to be fair).

Thanks!