[FNxR3DNECK]

You know what's the best motivation to learn how to drive stick? Go out and buy a $40k-ish stick car lol that's what I did, taught myself how to drive it in about a week after picking up the car. It's not a terribly hard car to learn on, you won't regret it if you get one!

[Uncle Sam]

Bought my first car at 15 and the salesman gave me a lesson in a big parking lot for about 15 minutes and off I went. Make that sale!

Didn't get a lesson on backing up! I asked my driver's ed teacher, my gym teacher, how to do it. He had a 69 Vette in orange.

You can learn. I remember my grandmother telling me she learned to drive in a REO! I couldn't imagine my 100 lb. grandma shifting straight gears on a car that was the size of a truck!

[kropscamaro16]

my first stick car was a 94 cavalier coupe with maybe 120hp lol i wouldnt buy a brand new ss 1le as my manual training car



just get a 1ss or 2ss auto and be happy

[Boost Creep]

Originally Posted by D3adpool

LOL, Boost, same here! I so used to my 15 Mustang that it took me a good full day of driving to finally get used to the ultra light clutch on the 1LE. Now that I have, it's lightyears better than any single disk clutch.

As for the OP, this car is going to be a little harder to learn on than some others, but once you master it, trust me, it'll become second nature.

I've been driving for nearly 40 years, my last car was a manual C6 I put 65,000 on and before was a manual '06 GTO I put 112,000 miles on, so almost 180,000 stick shift miles in about 12 years. Before those I had three other stick shift cars with who knows how many miles.
Stalled the 1LE pulling out of the parking spot on the test drive.
Twice on the +100 mile drive home. And about four or five more times in the first couple thousand miles.
I'm all good now.

It seems from my previous cars, the engagement point was, lets say about an inch of travel, from first contact to fully engaged. I'm pretty quick off the clutch. No real feathering, just off quick and smooth with a little gas in one quick motion.
I do that with the 1LE and the engagement point seems like about 1/2" travel, almost an on/off switch. Now when I repeat my learned clutch motions the pedal is out too quick and the engine stalls.
I have to deliberately let the clutch out slow(in my head) to get the car moving without stalling.
I really had to relearn my clutch feel.

I can now pull away like I use to, almost second nature. No slipping, no flaring, no stall, no chugging.

[Whitespeed]

I haven't owned an automatic in over 20 years, but I still find myself struggling with the manual in the Camaro. I'm not sure if it's the clutch or the gas pedal or both. Mostly the gas pedal I think. It requires so much travel before it responds that I'm well into the clutch engagement before I give it enough gas to compensate. Ends up being a very jerky ride until I readjust. This is only one of three cars I drive though and I don't drive the Camaro every day, so I feel like I have to go through that learning curve every time I get back in it. It's very frustrating, and it's pretty much the only thing I dislike about the car. I've thought about trying a Vitesse throttle controller, but it's a lot of money to spend for something that there's very little feedback on from manual transmission drivers.

[hellmouth]

Get the manual. You will learn quick in the 1LE. Its one of the easiest manual cars I have driven.

[Detroit Muscle]

IM doing this exact same thing this spring, trading in my 2011 camaro ss a6 for a '19 1LE, never driven a stick before, this will be fun lol....

[R3ctivision]

I've found the best place to learn stick is an empty flat corporate parking lot on the weekend (preferably without speed bumps). Good luck finding an emptier or safer place

[SpazmXylam]

I find the Camaro to be quite forgiving. Should be an ok car to learn with. As with anything stay cool, relax, and know you WILL stall it at the most inopportune time. Anyone that says they didnt either lies or just doesnt remember because its no big deal.


I had the pleasure of stalling a PoS 4cyl Ranger in a busy intersection only to have the pile of junk not start back up. Yay....



Also, my advice would be to get proficient at starting uphill. If you know anyone that drives a manual car, ask if they will go with. I feel that people who have learned the skill are eager to spread the magic. After that everything else is pie. Then the race car techniques start.

[MJP]

What I did with my Wife..

I had her rent a rental Datsun for the the weekend. One that had a manual transmission.
We drove half way across the state until she became comfortable with it.
Why not consider doing the same?
Go to a Rental Place and learn how to drive one of their manual trans rentals.
You'll get it down brother... It's not that hard after the first several minutes.

[Boost Creep]

lol
Is there a rental car place that rents manuals anymore?
I mean normal cars, not exotics. Judging by the Datsun comment, that was a while ago.

[brap999]

Definitely buy the car you want. You will learn to drive manual. It’s only hard at first, but as everyone has said, within a week or so you’ll have the hang of it and it will be the best purchase of your life.

[dfwcowboy]

I learned to drive in my old man's Chevy truck with a mechanical clutch and a spring that was so strong your leg would shake if you held it very long. Even under those conditions it didn't take very long to get the hang of it. Just find a big parking lot that's free of cars.

[dfwcowboy]

Originally Posted by Boost Creep

lol
Is there a rental car place that rents manuals anymore?
I mean normal cars, not exotics. Judging by the Datsun comment, that was a while ago.

Outside the US sometimes that's all you will find, which is why it's not a bad idea to know how to drive one.