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Im posting this because for quite awhile now i've been interested in learning how to drive stick, The reason i want to try is because i drive automatic just fine however i have a left foot Sad and people keep telling me to try manual instead since i use both feet on auto lol. Just wondering how hard is it to drive and shift at the sametime, how long did it take you?? Did any of you ever go to a driving school?? (i didnt)
It's not hard at all, it took me to be exact 5 minutes, it is fast, get in and drive... Big Grin
The left foot is simply the entire time on the clutch, and the right foot switches between gas and brakes.
Shifting is pretty much straight forward and the stick has the "manual" on it Big Grin

Only thing to "learn" is when to shift, in my Golf 3... for example
1st Gear -> just to start -> 2nd Gear
2nd Gear -> 2.5-3k rpm -> 3rd
3rd Gear -> 3k rpm -> 4th
4th Gear -> 3.5 - 4k rpm -> 5th

and with time you'll notice on the sound when you need to shift, the car is raging....

Just go for it, nothing hard to do...
Thanks for the advice Gaijin i will try Big Grin yeah thats the reason i wan't to learn is because i've always wanted a VW Golf or Jetta Smile my fav kind of cars and they are rare to find auto. So yeah... I'll give it a try, i will see if i find anyone with a manual car. tkz
Yeah, Jetta is way better then Golf's imo.
However, if you can get an Opel Corsa, that would be perfect for the start.
Corsa is pretty easy to drive and really hard to kill the engine when not giving enough gas, the perfect learning car.
And by now corsas are also cheap..
If you learn to drive a Manual Car, you are automatically Licensed to drive an Automatic.

Thats the UK Law. I'm not sure about anywhere else though.
it is not that hard, after a week it will become a lot easier and over time it will just become natural. As stated above the hardest part is figuring out when to shift
If you're really wanting to try learning, you should find a friend or family member with a manual, and go somewhere that they can let you drive around and learn. Perhaps an empty parking lot. Of course, you're not going to be able to get up to road speed.. but it should give you an idea of what you need to do to keep the car from stalling, etc.

I was driving a little 5 speed truck in the field behind my house when I was 10-11, so I had a lot of practice. It's not something you can be told how to do. You've got to get the feel for it. Also remember that every car is different, and you're not always going to be shifting at the same place.
Not hard at all..I got it when I was 12 or 13 and my father would let me ride a car on some empty roads.It took me few tries to get it but it's easy.I can ride without a problem now and im 16
Don't you get bored driving automatic? I love manual, of course it is harder to lean but much more fun.
I have never tried to drive a automatic car but my dad lets me drive a manual car on country roads or car parks etc
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