Embarrassing....I need practice driving a manual. Anyone local? (Sutherland) :(

falconboy · 02-12-2008, 06:58 PM

Oh well, I guess embarrassment doesn't kill so I might as well admit it.....

Being in the process of looking for a replacement Ford, theres been a few manual XR6/XR8's around at not bad prices, and I'm not against owning one, as a matter of fact I think it would be good to drive a 'real' car for a change,

but I've been hesitant in looking at them since I've only driven a manual twice, for about 10 min each, and that was about 15 years ago. I also think its a good idea to be confident enough to drive one in an emergency. Theres no way I'd want to jump in a car I was looking to buy, on roads I'm not familiar with, with lots of traffic and unknown road conditions with a manual. Not because I'd crash it, but because I'd stall it, roll back too much on hills, p*** off other drivers, stress out and my heart rate would make my chest explode.

I'm hoping theres someone over the southside of Sydney (I'm in Sutherland), that would be interested and is available to give me a 'driving lesson' or 2 during the day on a weekday, either near me at Sutherland (I'm near Jannali High and the surrounding streets are flat and pretty quiet, I'd be game around here), or near their place if the same conditions.

Hopefully in a E series of some sort, EF/EL would be great.

I've been driving for 15 years and I'm not a nervous driver in an auto at all, just lack of experience with the clutch etc. Perfect driving record, no at fault accidents, speeding tickets or even a parking ticket, so I doubt I'd kill you. Not sure about your clutch though LOL.

Not sure what to offer, maybe a 6 pack of something?

Ok its out in the open now. I'll go into my corner and die of embarrassment. I won't be able to show my face here again.

e

Edit: Oh god, I can't believe I clicked 'Submit'

falconboy · 02-12-2008, 07:06 PM

Mate, I'm not over exhaggerating when I say I've driven manuals for 10min, if that. Honestly. Dads 68 mini at the time was a piece of crap with a bus length gear shift, I'd rather ride a bike!!

SM1DY · 02-12-2008, 07:12 PM

Question....Do you have your Manual license?

falconboy · 02-12-2008, 07:15 PM

Yep, 15 years ago it wasn't an issue.

balthazarr · 02-12-2008, 07:17 PM

I'll share.

I just bought myself a manual FG GT-P... and I'd never driven a manual before... (the test drives were a little nerve-wracking

)

Luckily, the car I was driving was written off (if you can consider getting a car written off lucky), so I had a rental car (I made sure it was manual) to drive around in while I waited for delivery of my new car.

I still suck at it - but I'm getting better. The worst part is stop/start traffic up a hill.

The hardest part for me has been overcoming 15+ years of habit... at first, if the car was rolling, the natural instinct was to push on the go pedal harder... so I was over-revving and causing excessive wear on the rental car's clutch.

:

falconboy · 02-12-2008, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balthazarr

The hardest part for me has been overcoming 15+ years of habit... at first, if the car was rolling, the natural instinct was to push on the go pedal harder... so I was over-revving and causing excessive wear on the rental car's clutch.

:

Thanks for sharing. I think habit will be hard to break too, I'm wondering how many times I'll forget to change gears and wonder what the hell is wrong with it.

balthazarr · 02-12-2008, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by falconboy

Thanks for sharing. I think habit will be hard to break too, I'm wondering how many times I'll forget to change gears and wonder what the hell is wrong with it.

Not sure if this is/was the same for everyone... but I find that if I think too much about what I'm doing - my driving suffers. (Probably because my brain goes into overdrive - smootherontheclutch/slightymoreaccelator/okaythatshiftwasn'tsogoodwhatdidIdowrong, etc...)

If I don't think about it too much, I tend to be much smoother.

I'm not quite at the point where it is all second nature, but I can have music playing while I drive again.

vztrt · 02-12-2008, 07:31 PM

You'll be fine. I had to learn in my old XR and hadn't driving a manual in 3 years. Once you get the hang of it, you'll never be worried again. Also its alot more fun then 'sports shift'!!

GT0132 · 02-12-2008, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vztrt

You'll be fine. I had to learn in my old XR and hadn't driving a manual in 3 years. Once you get the hang of it, you'll never be worried again. Also its alot more fun then 'sports shift'!!

Mate..I admire your honesty...

I live in Sutherland and my car's also manual but what i don't have is patience

Before I bought the GT the last manual car I owned was in 1983 - 25 years ago...Sure, I stalled a couple of time in the first week, but it comes back like riding a bike.

falconboy · 02-12-2008, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozmale42

the GT

Mate, just drop it off in the driveway for a week so I can practice, it'll be fine.

falconboy · 02-12-2008, 07:47 PM

I think my biggest problem isn't that its been a while since I drove one regularly, I never really spent enough time to get confident in the first place.

Feathers · 02-12-2008, 07:48 PM

I insisted my BA was manual, yet I'd last driven a manual for my driving test 5 years earlier, then got a 79 XD Ghia to start off with.

It was about 3 weeks after I bought the BA before rego and insurance was sorted and I was able to take it home for the first time (it had been stored at my workplace in the shed).
Dad drove it to the depot on the day I bought it, as it had a flat battery, and if I'd stalled it in peak hour traffic on a main road I wouldn't have been popular.

I begged Dad to take me out to the local industrial area at about 6pm, and let me do a few laps, just to get used to driving a manual again out where I wouldn't get in anyone's way - or look like an idiot.
He refused, and I had to drive it home, in peak hour traffic, on King Georges Road.
I got some weird looks that day. Bouncing down the road, and then stalling it.
New car, custom number plates....so embarrassing

:

boss-290 · 02-12-2008, 07:53 PM

Manual is a peice of , once you get used to it, you have it for life.

falconboy · 02-12-2008, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feathers

I had to drive it home, in peak hour traffic, on King Georges Road.

Nasty, that isn't much fun doing that drive in an auto!!

Speaking of your XD, the only other manual car I drove (also for less than 10min), was my auntys XE Fairmont Ghia at the time (would have only been about 8 years old - the car that is), and it was BEAUTIFUL to drive, even stressed out I just loved it. She's old now

so drives an auto Mazda 3. :(

Feathers · 02-12-2008, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by falconboy

Nasty, that isn't much fun doing that drive in an auto!!

Even less fun doing it in a coach with a crash gearbox. :togo:

But if I've come that far, I'm sure you'll pick it up quite easily.

Like balthazarr said, don't overthink it. I know it's stressful at first.
My problem now is that if I get into an auto, I keep looking for the clutch with my left foot when stopping.

And when moving between the bus/coach/car, I'll forget where I am and go looking for gears that aren't there, or put the bus in reverse, because it's in the same spot as first in the car.

falconboy · 02-12-2008, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feathers

And when moving between the bus/coach/car, I'll forget where I am and go looking for gears that aren't there, or put the bus in reverse, because it's in the same spot as first in the car.

Remind me not to get into a bus with you.

Feathers · 02-12-2008, 08:43 PM

Nah, just don't stop too close behind me at lights...

Jack91 · 02-12-2008, 08:55 PM

You may be better off learning in a landcruiser/heavy 4wd. The gearbox itself is easy, its getting used to things like double clutching (in older cars), downshifting and hill starts. May seem scary to you now, but once you get it down pat you will realise just how fun it is. God I wish my own car was manual.

falconboy · 02-12-2008, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V3RSAC3

when your in a 5T truck, with a full load in your trailer, on a hill, stopped at a set of lights. ....

I wanted to hire one of those small 'removals' type trucks at one stage, but unfortunately they don't come in Autos.

**Mechan1k** · 02-12-2008, 10:23 PM

I haven't driven a manual for about 4-5 years now ... was interesting the other day when i had to drive the sister-in-law's manual Lancer. It's a case of getting used to it all over again.

I miss driving a manual ... all i drove for the first 10 years of my driving experience was manual ... and it was great.

I moved to auto due to my wife not being able to drive manual (I tried teaching her ... but damn it was too difficult ... and she freaked out and hated it).

I'd love to get a manual again though ... so much better than auto really.

GUTLES · 02-12-2008, 10:25 PM

Easiest manual cars to learn to drive are little cars (like excels, lasers etc) or anything diesel, virtually impossible to stall.

Don't worry, both my cars are manual & occasionally stall them or select the wrong gear.

If anyone in Vic wants to learn stick shift PM me..

balthazarr · 02-12-2008, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GUTLES

Easiest manual cars to learn to drive are little cars (like excels, lasers etc) or anything diesel, virtually impossible to stall.

Tell that to the Corolla I rented.

And it always seemed to happen at the worst possible time/place. I've stalled the GT-P a few times... that's even worse... at least the Corolla blended in.

:

Mr Hardware · 02-12-2008, 10:53 PM

Funny story: I hate manuals. They are way, way too much effort and provide a very unsatisfactory ride. So i got my auto licence first off. All my mates laughed at me, calling it a 'steering licence' and all sorts of stuff. Then i bought my first car, a manual corolla. Well, my mum has an auto licence only and my dad is in a similar situation to the opening poster - only driven a manual for 10 minutes like 5 times in his life. So they were no help. So i just taught myself.
All i knew was: When the clutch is in, the gears are disengaged. And the motor likes revs to get moving.
I haven't owned a manual car for 3 years. Had to drive the truck at work, did it like it was no problem. Smooth as, not an issue. I really, really surprised myself with how good i was! I expected to have forgotten it all, but no, i was changing like a pro.

sgt_doofey · 02-12-2008, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V3RSAC3

I used to be a corrier, so I used to drive a truck everyday. Now im telling you, there's no better way to learn how to drive a manual better than anyone when your in a 5T truck, with a full load in your trailer, on a hill, stopped at a set of lights. ....

Burnt clutch... mmmmmmmmmmmm

I hear you. When I worked in a winery over in the good ol' US of A, the winery had a large shed on the other side of the highway. I was volunteered one day to go across the other side in the dump truck with one of the other blokes who was to drive a forklift back, and I was to drive the dump truck. Never driven anything bigger than a car in my life! Luckily the highway had an underpass, so no hassles there, but when I got in to the winery driveway, I got stuck in the wrong gear and then missed the one I wanted. End result, doing a hill start in a dump truck when you've never driven one before. That was fun! The bloke on the forklift caught up and asked what was wrong. I told him that I got stuck in the wrong gear and he just laughed and drove off in the forklift leaving me there. To my credit, I didn't end up stalling it!

BlackLS · 03-12-2008, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SM1DY

Question....Do you have your Manual license?

Only an issue for the first year driving on your Red P's (NSW)

MrXr6Tickford · 03-12-2008, 12:33 AM

Funny i found this,

i have been getting some lessons off my brother in law in adelaide (over here for holidays atm)

I tell you what, i wish my car was a manual so bad, it's so much more fun driving around in a manual car, and im lucky that his a driving instructor to

**Mont5.0** · 03-12-2008, 12:37 AM

my advice, (if its worth anything)- my technique is: start car, ingage clutch, select first. let clutch out as slowly as possible (i know this can be hard, my old XH ute was a ****** for this.) the second you find a drop in revs (if you dont stall). thats your grab point -(as i like to call it). Memorise the grab point!!! you dont have to be driving, just on the spot. preferably do this in a nice quite area. once you have found and familiarised yourself with that grab point, do it a few more times. that is the key!- no matter how many times you practice, and regardless of what you are driving or learning in, that grab point is your friend!. once you can find it all the time, Then hillstars, and take offs arent an issue.

seduced_xr · 03-12-2008, 12:37 AM

im just getting my auto licence, the xr6 is a 6 speed auto. y do i need a manual licence?

**Mont5.0** · 03-12-2008, 12:39 AM

you dont!

azaxr8 · 03-12-2008, 12:45 AM

I'm quite amazed that auto licences still exist. I have my manual licence and i put it down to well. In an emergency if the ute is the only thing available being a manual i have to drive it so i must know how to use the clutch.

I do know a few people with automatic licence's at that and i think they are the worst drives i've ever met.