I bought my auto 2k maxima almost two years ago and while I really love after reading everyone's post about how much fun they have in their 5 or 6 speeds..Well..I've made a decision to that my next maxima should be a 5 or 6 speed but I have no idea how to drive one and I really don't know anyone with one. Will a dealer teach me how to drive one or should I find a driving school?

 

Dude,

Go rent a car for a few days and learn on that. Take a friend to the rental place with you so he / she can drive it off the lot and to a secluded place for you. Anyone who knows anything about driving a manny, can teach you in a matter of hours.

It's really no big deal. After a few days, you won't even realize you are shifting.

 

I agree with the rental car idea. And like jjames said, it doesn't take long to get the hang of it. But there's a big difference between knowing how to drive a manual day-to-day, and being able to drive a manual to the point that you can race. That takes time, but you'll get it.

 

It really isn't going to be too hard for you to learn how to drive a manual. The only tricky parts will be parallel parking, or starting from a stoplight on steep hills. Whether you choose a 5 or 6 speed won't matter either, it's just different shift points.

 

Its not that hard once you get the idea of how to modulate the gas/clutch to get it right. Its different on different cars. The most difficult thing to when I was learning is starting off on a hill without rolling it back or jerking the car too much. Just use the E-brake for the first couple times until you get the hang of that. Rowing through gears is a cinch if you have an idea or a feel of where it is. Picking the right gear is really your own judgment.

 

I didn't know how to drive stick when I bought the car. It was an interesting ride home, but after a week, you're golden!

 

I actually learned by buying a Hyundai Excel 5sp for pocketchange then once I got the hang of it, I sold it and bought a Colt GT Turbo.

 

I think you will die trying to find a manual rental; I do not think they exsist.

Buy it spend an afternoon in a parking lot and you will be fine. No big deal you cannot learn in a few hours.

 

do what i did, practice on your friends 97 5 speed corolla! i didnt feel bad revnig the poor thing too high(it didnt even have a tach)

 

i say do it. the synchro's are pretty cool...you won't jerk that bad unless u truly mess up.
Jae

 

ok. i've been trying the rental idea for a while now and i can't find a rental company in the LA area that rents manuals. if anyone knows a company that does, please notify us.

 

Just curious, which rental car places carry cars with manual trannies? I don't think your typical Enterprise, Hertz or Alamo rental places carry cars with manual trannies? I could be wrong since I've never really checked, but my friend's uncle works for Enterprise and he said there were no cars with manuals in them.

 

I've never seen a big-name rental car place lending out manual-transmissioned cars, but I have rented several trucks over the years with row-it-yourself gearboxes from U-Haul and Ryder. Might be worth a shot. And if you get a 24-foot diesel model, you can perfect your parallel parking skills as well.

 

Same here. The test drive was too funny Stalled a few times but overall I did good.

Seriously though go for it, it's a piece of cake. You'll feel real proud of yourself after you conquer your first serious hill at a red light

 

I recommend a driving school. Some have a manual school package. Like 3 courses (1 to 2 hours long each).
Why the driving school? To make sure you don't pick up bad habits like riding the clutch or learning how to deal with emergency maneouvers, learning about the possible dangers if you screw up (like downshifting from 5th to 2nd and locking up the wheels), etc, etc.

Wouldn't cost anymore than renting a car and you get professional training. I've met a lot of people that learned to drive stick from their friends or by themselves and many of them drive like **** with awful habits. Others are naturally good at it but it's not the majority. I don't want to diss anyone here who learned on their own (as I said, some are just naturally good at it) but I'm sure you've all met some people that didn't get proper training and drive like **** and replace their clutch more often than they should or put more strain on the engine, gears and clutch than they need to.

Just my personal thoughts.

 

you could always go test drive a stick-shift used car with a friend (or maybe a few used cars)

seriously, though, it's not hard. most people that have trouble with it are learning to drive at the same time. you, however, already have that part down, and there really are only two new things to learn: shift, clutch. plus it's so much fun, it's totally worth it.

myself i have a slushbox, because that's what i could get for what i could pay (long story short), but if i didn't love my car so much i'd totally have traded it in my now for a 6spd. as it is, i'm trying to figure out how difficult it would be to install a manual tranny... so what if it's more work in traffic. it's fun! and faster!

 

Axel brings up a good point; if you learn from a friend, then most likely you will pick up his habits (good and bad). I say combine the suggestions given here by practicing a bit on a friend's car AND taking a driving class. You'll be money!!

 

Take it to a driving school. Other than the PU that I now have I've never owned a car that wasn't stick, this is my 3rd Max. This car is so quiet with very little engine vibration that sometimes I forget to shift from 3rd to 4th. One bad habit I have is I like to shift by feel. The 99' that I had not only had more feel to the engine stock but the only thing stock on the exhaust was the main CAT. I always try to shift at 3k rpms while normal driving while glancing at the tach from time to time. With this car you can't tell what rpm your at between 2k-5k without looking at the tach it's so smooth. Lower rpms means better mpg. You'll love an 02 or 03 but I recommend learning how to drive stick with the new car just have someone you trust put the 1st couple hundred miles on it in the city to seat the clutch correctly. Then once you get it down it becomes 2nd. nature.

 

When I purchased my 2k max 2 years ago, I went to the dealer already decided to leave with an Auto Max. The salesman swayed me to go with a 5 spd and plus he gave me a better deal. I drove stick once before, so I figured I'd find a friend or cuz to go with me to pick it up the next day but noone was available. I go with my girl, pick it up, stall like 4 times on the lot, and finally pull out. I had to drive 100 miles back to CT from Mass, so that's where I did my learning. I don't ever regret getting a 5-spd.

 

Good sales guy. Once you go stick you never go back (unless you're 70 years old with arthritis or something)

 

Now I taught myself how to drive stick years ago by sneaking out with my Dad's VW GTI. Sure it was hard at first, but once I got the hang of it, no problem. One thing that I think made that car easier to learn on was that it was all manual, no power steering, and little if any hydraulic assist on the clutch. You could really feel where it would engage.

I've tried teaching my girlfriend how to drive on my Max ('01 SE), she's hopeless. Or maybe the car is just more difficult to learn on.

 

None of the major rental guys have sticks anymore. The best place to find a stick is Rent-a-wreck, used car dealer, or the driving school.
I strongly suggest the driving school, the liabilty and damage issues with the rental car are too great, plus it's technically illegal to have someone rent the car for you. I also recommend learning to drive stick, and then buying the stick, that way if you're not hooked no worries. I know people that have bought sticks and after one day in bumper-to-bumoer traffic they've solde thiers. If you learn to drive a stick, then you'll drive the new car fine whether you learned on the car or not.

 

Definitely. Stick 4 life......

 

 

i'm not 70 but.. i went from stick to auto.. b/c I 35 didn't offer the stick... but i'm thinking of trading in when the new G35 6 speed comes out... ahhhh i really do miss the stick.... to be able to control the power of the car...

 

Some of you have had it easy, learining on these nice sedans. Last winter my friend taught me to drive stick in his rusted '79 Ford F150, that beast was a handful. Took the bull by the horns though (and man did it buck and stall in the beginning).

 

another good point has been brought up here; some people just don't like stick. Make sure that you're not one of those people before you buy your car.

 

I learned on a 68 chevy PU, 3 on the tree. No power steering or power brakes. Yeah Baby I rule It was real hard, but once I learned, that thing was fun do to donuts in, haha!!!

 

Don't get confused by my last post. I am stick for life, too. I have supported sticks even in DC commuter traffic. Stick = fun.

besides, you can't really call yourself a man if you don't know how to drive stick

 

There are a couple of things to take into consideration. How much do u sit in traffic during rush hour? Do u want the car for a car or more for a car to race with. I live in Denver and the traffic sucks, 90% I am glad I have and auto, 10% of the time I wish I had a stick. I race a good amont and 120mph will come quick enough even with an auto. If its not your daily driver then go stick, but if it is your daily driver think very hard. I wish they sold a auto stick. My freind has one in his 1.8t jetta I love it, and the g35 is sweet to. Can't have everything though. All I am saying is that think hard on that decision. Even though a stick will kill an auto, and a new auto tranny is very expensive. That is my .02 Good luck

 

The main reason why I didn't want to get stick was the very thought of sitting through commuter traffic. It's not that bad at all. Shifting is like second nature. You don't even realize you're doing it. I may also not realize I'm shifting because half of the time I am already pi$$ed and calling everyone stupid. Anyways, I'd rather have a sore calf muscle than "manual window elbow".

 

I understand how some people could come to that conclusion but if you think Denver trafic is bad try Chicago, Atlanta or LA. If we were talking about a PU or an older car that would be different but this is a power assisted clutch that can be shifted with 1 finger and power shifts like a dream.

 

Check this site out. It helped me. http://www.standardshift.com/index.html