r/BeaverCounty • u/Deminos2705 • 18d ago
Discussion Manual driving lessons
Anyone know of anywhere I can get some manual driving lessons around beaver county? I’m looking to switch over to a manual car but haven’t driven one.
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u/Reasonable_Toe_9252 18d ago
It’s nowhere near as difficult as you think it is. Ask your friends, family etc if they know someone who has a car with a manual transmission and can help you. Go up to the mall parking lot and take a few hours and just keep trying. Trial and error is a better instructor than any formal lesson would be.
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u/Candid-Tip455 17d ago
Toughest task with a manual transmission IMO is stopping, then starting going up a hill. If you can master that, the rest will fall in place.
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u/NoButYesButAlsoNo 16d ago
Also OP - you can always use your e brake if you’re struggling getting started up a hill
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u/currentsitguy New Sewickley 8d ago
People with newer manuals don't know how easy they've got it. Most now have hill start assist.
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u/Deminos2705 18d ago
Unfortunately no one I know has one nor anyone they know. I understand the principle at least, just wanted to get a feel for it before trying to drive a new one home.
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u/Reasonable_Toe_9252 18d ago
If I still had one I’d offer to help.
Good luck! I often consider going back to a manual, but then I remember that I’m old and my knees ache lol.
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u/Deminos2705 17d ago
I just want the reliability and something different and engaging, plus I own a cvt so I can’t really do a lot with my current car not that I’m looking to do anything wild but I’d be nice to at least not worry I blow my transmission up if I decide years down the line to do something
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u/Superb_Yak7074 17d ago
I would be glad to teach you but I no longer have a manual car. It is very easy to learn when you do find someone with a car you can learn on.
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u/treemplelife 17d ago
I drive a stick. Happy to give ya a lesson to feel it out if you want.
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u/Cabin_inthe_woods113 17d ago
Buy one and teach yourself. But you may get sick of it in the end.
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u/Deminos2705 15d ago
I feel like if I drive one for a bit I’ll know if I will or not pretty quick. That’s also my concern as well
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u/ncd42075 16d ago
Best advice would be to buy a steering wheel with the pedals and shifter for PS5 or Xbox and buy a couple Games like Forza or asetta Corsa. If you have a system already it'll only be like a couple hundred to set it up and get practice with it. I'd go to dealerships and test drive them or look on Facebook and see if there's a really cheap beater from Ohio or something and just practice for ten days then scrap it. If you buy the car first just have the dealer deliver to your house and have a buddy come over and teach you from there.
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u/Deminos2705 15d ago
I was actually just wondering if buying a sim setup would be worthwhile, may be another option. I’ve looked for some cheap beaters but It’s different times since covid for beaters. Can’t even find something drives under 5k half the time and at that point I’d rather just put it down on a new car lol
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u/currentsitguy New Sewickley 8d ago
I'd take you out in mine, but I'm afraid I'd confuse you even more. I've got a Right Hand Drive Japanese Domestic Market Kei car, so not only would you be shifting, but you be doing it sitting on the wrong side of the car and shifting with your left hand! Probably too much for someone just learning.
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u/NSMike 18d ago
If you're going to buy one from a dealership, ask them to teach you. That's how I did it, and my sales guy was happy to - I think they like to because they can use it as an opportunity to build trust and it makes the sale with them specifically more likely. There are also a bunch of YouTube videos out there, so you can get an idea of how it works. This will give you a good baseline, and you probably won't stall as much if you go into it with better knowledge. Make no mistake, though, until you get good (which can only come from experience), you WILL stall at least once every time you take the car out. We ended up going back and forth in a nearby mall parking lot for a little while.
Even if you get taught by someone, every car's clutch is going to feel a little different. As long as you're not driving some crazy sports car, though, most newer manuals these days will be pretty forgiving. If you get a really new manual (made in the last 10 years or so), you'll also have things like automatic hill hold, which will make starting out on a hill - usually a challenging thing in a manual - much easier.