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(Jalopnik)   Other than the answer being someone else's, what's the best car to learn stick shift with...and maybe have some fun in the process?   (jalopnik.com) divider line
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    More: PSA, Manual transmission, Tractor, Transmission (mechanics), Honda, Car, Clutch, Lawn mower, Teacher  
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275 clicks; posted to Discussion » on 07 Feb 2023 at 3:50 AM (6 weeks ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



45 Comments     (+0 »)
View Voting Results: Smartest and Funniest
 
TwowheelinTim [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 10:15:26 PM  
In my experience, old air cooled VW beetles were the most forgiving and easiest to work the clutch and accelerator pedal to make the car move forward. It helps if the car is in good running condition too. If it's running rough all bets are off.
 
cameroncrazy1984 [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 10:17:57 PM  
I honestly couldn't tell you because I learned on a 1941 Plymouth pickup truck that didn't have synchromesh and literally everything is easier after you learn that.
 
Mrs. Todd's Mechanic [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 10:22:35 PM  
An older Mazda3 - reasonable price and handles like a go-kart - not a lot of amenities.
 
delsydsoftware [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-06 10:53:15 PM  
It really depends on what's actually available, since stick shift cars are becoming more and more rare in the US. I learned on a VW Beetle, but used beetles were easy to come by and cheap in the 90s. Your best bet might be a Saturn SL of some form or fashion. The clutch/shifter in those are pretty decent. and you can get one for cheap. The Saturn SL2 (which I owned for a decade) has enough power to be fun, but not enough power to worry about doing anything stupid. A beat up Mazda Miata is another option, if you'd rather have rear wheel drive.
 
vudukungfu [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 10:54:40 PM  
56 VW bug on ice
 
Deveyn [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 11:03:36 PM  
I learned in a 1988 ragtop Jeep Wrangler in an iced over parking lot. My dad wanted me to learn in the worst possible conditions so I didn't drive stupid when it snowed.
 
puffy999 [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 11:21:49 PM  
Really depends on where you live.

I liked learning on a mod 90s FWD small car because things were tight.

Spending years driving a. Mid-80s small pickup made me appreciate finer driving points.

The big pickups with really loose feeling shifting I hated. But they were the workhorses I didn't regularly need.
 
Driver [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-07 1:56:55 AM  
A 1951 Plymouth. Straight 6 with 3 on the tree.

Fark user imageView Full Size
 
Boudyro [TotalFark]
2023-02-07 3:43:14 AM  

TwowheelinTim: In my experience, old air cooled VW beetles were the most forgiving and easiest to work the clutch and accelerator pedal to make the car move forward. It helps if the car is in good running condition too. If it's running rough all bets are off.


I taught three different young ladies how to *erm* drive a stick in a '69 Beetle.
 
wax_on [BareFark]
2023-02-07 4:19:34 AM  
Had a VW cabriolet that was fun to drive and had a solid clutch. Short throw shifter though, seems like it would be easier to learn on something with more action.
 
Concrete Donkey
2023-02-07 4:28:35 AM  
Dont. There is as much reason to learn stick shift as there is to learn how to hand forge your own silverware.


The only people who will tell you otherwise are the stick shift purists who would rather kill themselves than admit that its time has passed
 
hughesrep
2023-02-07 4:53:46 AM  

Deveyn: I learned in a 1988 ragtop Jeep Wrangler in an iced over parking lot. My dad wanted me to learn in the worst possible conditions so I didn't drive stupid when it snowed.


Similar.  Early 80's S-10 extended bed pickup, four speed. Tiny little truck, but the extended bed and rear wheel drive made it interesting in the snow.  An hour in he had me at a stop light at the top of an ice covered hill.  Learning to use the clutch and gas to kind of hang in place on the hill while not spinning the wheels or stall it was the final exam.
 
thisispete
2023-02-07 5:16:09 AM  
I learned to drive on a stick and my first few cars were manuals - a Subaru Justy, a Mitsubishi Mirage and a MGF.

I'd have to say the Justy was the most fun of the three - it was a $500 beater that lasted 2 years. Financial circumstances meant that of course I could only afford a shiatbox at that stage of my life, but I'm very much of the opinion that your first car should be a cheap one near the end of its useful life.

The fact is now it's very difficult to find a manual car - at least in New Zealand, where most of our cars are secondhand Japanese imports. I doubt I'll get a manual again but it's nice to have the muscle memory.
 
monsatano [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-07 5:43:30 AM  
I taught myself how to drive a stick on my sister's 1991 Ranger. I'd steal it when I had the opportunity and drive on county roads. Hardest clutch I can remember was a 1991 RX-7 Turbo II I bought that had been modified by someone who just paid for upgrades because they were expensive. Driving in stop and go traffic for 30 minutes would probably count as a workout.

1969 Chevy C10 with a granny 4spd would be a close second.
 
Ktonos
2023-02-07 6:15:19 AM  
Learned on a VW Rabbit pickup and kept the skill going in a Karmann-Ghia. Those were easier to handle and not very sensitive if you are still getting the hang of using the clutch. The Ghia was particularly fun on Skyline Drive.
 
sensitive yet dangerous
2023-02-07 6:17:08 AM  
For the easiest experience, you'll want something with a light but firm clutch. Something that's easy to press but you can still clearly feel where it engages. You'll also want something with a floor shifter with a normal H pattern, not some goofy-ass thing where 1st is down and left and 2nd is up to the right, etc. Also a full set of gauges with a tach is ideal.

Basically most mid-size or smaller cars. Light trucks like the Toyota Tacoma or Ranger are fine too.

Usually i start by going to a big empty parking lot, then having the student set the parking brake, depress the clutch, and cycle through the gears to get familiar with where they are. Then start the car and put it in1st. Then, without giving it gas, slowly let out the clutch until the tach drops and the engine judders a little. Then push it back down and do it again a few times until they have a good idea of where they need to be with the clutch. Also, feather the accelerator, practicing gently getting to and holding about 1500 RPM. Then release the parking brake and slowly launch the car with no accelerator, just modulate the clutch until the car's moving. If it bucks or dies, clutch back in, start it and try again. When we have a smooth launch, depress clutch and stop, then do it again until multiple launches are relatively smooth. Then work on faster launches using the accelerator and only when we have that down comfortably will we move to shifting.
 
Gleeman [BareFark]
2023-02-07 6:23:19 AM  

Concrete Donkey: Dont. There is as much reason to learn stick shift as there is to learn how to hand forge your own silverware.


The only people who will tell you otherwise are the stick shift purists who would rather kill themselves than admit that its time has passed


bigfooty.comView Full Size


Modern automatics shift smoother and get better MPG and acceleration than manuals, even on a base car like a Versa. And can be just as 'fun' with paddle shifters.

Really no reason to learn stick unless you own a classic car or just want an obscure skill set.
 
northernmanor
2023-02-07 7:02:29 AM  
Oh I loved my 2004 Sentra SpecV w 6 speed manual. Didn't learn on that one, but would be a good one to start on. Lot's of torque so it easily got going from a dead stop. Great handling car with lots of "pep".

Actually, that car led me to FARK almost 20 years ago (long story). I've now come full circle.
 
Uranus [TotalFark]
2023-02-07 7:29:22 AM  
Glad the VW van was on there. Early VW's had a nice, easy gearbox, and the engine note would always tell you when to change.

Second choice would be any 1970's Datsun, but particularly the 1200's. A joy to shift.

martybugs.netView Full Size
 
LZeitgeist
2023-02-07 7:38:34 AM  

Boudyro: TwowheelinTim: In my experience, old air cooled VW beetles were the most forgiving and easiest to work the clutch and accelerator pedal to make the car move forward. It helps if the car is in good running condition too. If it's running rough all bets are off.

I taught three different young ladies how to *erm* drive a stick in a '69 Beetle.


Fark user imageView Full Size
 
Explodo
2023-02-07 7:54:18 AM  

Concrete Donkey: Dont. There is as much reason to learn stick shift as there is to learn how to hand forge your own silverware.


The only people who will tell you otherwise are the stick shift purists who would rather kill themselves than admit that its time has passed


Cue that "stop liking what I don't like"  kid up for this guy.
 
andrewagill [TotalFark]
2023-02-07 7:55:47 AM  

Gleeman: Concrete Donkey: Dont. There is as much reason to learn stick shift as there is to learn how to hand forge your own silverware.


The only people who will tell you otherwise are the stick shift purists who would rather kill themselves than admit that its time has passed

[bigfooty.com image 480x270]

Modern automatics shift smoother and get better MPG and acceleration than manuals, even on a base car like a Versa. And can be just as 'fun' with paddle shifters.

Really no reason to learn stick unless you own a classic car or just want an obscure skill set.


To add to this:

In some states, learning how to drive a manual transmission has an expiration date.

cars.usnews.comView Full Size


In CA & NY, you won't be able to buy a new car in-state with a manual transmission after 2035.

These states are banning the sales of new gas-powered cars, & while you can buy used or out of state, those supplies will be dwindling.

EVs typically do not use multi-speed transmissions, so you wouldn't even be able to get a manual transmission in an EV.
 
Farkonaut
2023-02-07 8:16:11 AM  
Learned in a Geo Tracker, then the next day went and picked up my first new car..  a '92 Chebby S10 w/ a 5 speed. As they say, No time like the present.
 
MDI_BugMan
2023-02-07 8:22:50 AM  
I learned to drive stick on a tractor, long before I was ever behind the wheel of a car.
 
brokenbiscuits [TotalFark]
2023-02-07 8:26:28 AM  
When I was 15, I learned to drive stick in an old Ford Bronco that had been my dad's work truck. It had a crawler transmission which made top speed in first something like 5mph. You had to start in second to get anywhere.

After that, I didn't touch a manual transmission again for almost 10 years. As a result, I had to relearn on a Saturn SC-1. Which was MUCH easier.
 
Madison_Smiled [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-07 8:55:27 AM  
My first boyfriend tried teaching me with his Toyota Tercel, late '80s model. I had a hard time with it. When my car died, I bought a mid '90s Mazda Protege with, as my father called it, a "very forgiving clutch." Had a much easier time picking it up with that car. I wouldn't call it a fun car, but you're supposed to be learning, not dicking around behind the wheel.
 
labman [TotalFark]
2023-02-07 9:01:12 AM  
One of the diesel VW's.  Plenty of torque to help a beginner not stall it when taking off from a stop.
 
sinko swimo
2023-02-07 9:53:38 AM  

TwowheelinTim: In my experience, old air cooled VW beetles were the most forgiving and easiest to work the clutch and accelerator pedal to make the car move forward. It helps if the car is in good running condition too. If it's running rough all bets are off.


spot on, Tim. Saturns are also good.
 
CivilizedTiger
2023-02-07 10:00:27 AM  

Boudyro: TwowheelinTim: In my experience, old air cooled VW beetles were the most forgiving and easiest to work the clutch and accelerator pedal to make the car move forward. It helps if the car is in good running condition too. If it's running rough all bets are off.

I taught three different young ladies how to *erm* drive a stick in a '69 Beetle.


Sounds like a very uncomfortable place
 
Needlessly Complicated [TotalFark]
2023-02-07 10:01:28 AM  
My friend was trying to teach me on his Corvette. I can tell you that is NOT the correct car to learn on.
 
yakmans_dad
2023-02-07 10:33:15 AM  
Back in the 70s, my housemate insisted I learn to drive his VW. After that, I only drove manual shift until automobile companies quit making them easy to buy. I was ready by then to go back to automatic since on my route to work, there was a hill that had a stop light at the top & I would always catch the red light on icy days. For some reason, while I was sitting there riding the clutch, cars would creep up to within inches of my back bumper. (Sorry for the tangent.)
 
loki see loki do
2023-02-07 11:08:06 AM  
A 1985 GMC van with three on the tree, obviously.
 
Nicholas D. Wolfwood [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-07 11:41:51 AM  
I grew up on a dairy farm, so I learned manual transmissions on a 1953 Farmall Super C - four speeds, absolutely *no* synchromesh.

My first experience with stick shift in a car was in my second year of college, when Dad and I drove to the dealer to pick up my 1974 AMC Gremlin X.  Three speed synchro, and the very first thing I had to do with it was pull out and turn left on a four-lane road, no light or stop sign.  And I was alone, Dad was bringing his car home.

It was a HUGE amount of fun!

Fark user imageView Full Size
 
Denjiro
2023-02-07 12:42:30 PM  
Mom taught me to shift from the passenger side while riding around in the neighborhood when I was around 10. She joked that I'd have to get a right hand drive car. Don't recall for certain which car it was that I first learned on, but she had an '84 Toyota Corolla around that time so that was likely it.

As far as VW Bugs, I never had one, but one of my high school buddies had an early 70s model with the semi-automatic transmission. It was interesting, three forward gears(L,1,2) and you just let off the gas when shifting.
 
Hugh Manatee
2023-02-07 12:49:54 PM  
First time driving a stick was in a friend's Honda CVCC.  I really learned on my 1979 Datsun 210 5-speed.   Fun little car.  One drawback that it was so under-powered that I had to turn off the A/C when going up long, steep hills in the summer.

Owned stick shift cars from 1979 through  2010.  Last was a 1999 Nissan Maxima.
 
bingethinker [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-07 1:05:17 PM  

Gleeman: Concrete Donkey: Dont. There is as much reason to learn stick shift as there is to learn how to hand forge your own silverware.


The only people who will tell you otherwise are the stick shift purists who would rather kill themselves than admit that its time has passed

[bigfooty.com image 480x270] [View Full Size image _x_]

Modern automatics shift smoother and get better MPG and acceleration than manuals, even on a base car like a Versa. And can be just as 'fun' with paddle shifters.

Really no reason to learn stick unless you own a classic car or just want an obscure skill set.


I keep hearing this, but I've never seen it in reality. Automatics are set up to get good numbers on government mileage tests, but in real world driving they're still not as efficient as manuals. As for acceleration, a manual is always going to beat an automatic with the same horsepower.
 
Boudyro [TotalFark]
2023-02-07 2:52:08 PM  

CivilizedTiger: Boudyro: TwowheelinTim: In my experience, old air cooled VW beetles were the most forgiving and easiest to work the clutch and accelerator pedal to make the car move forward. It helps if the car is in good running condition too. If it's running rough all bets are off.

I taught three different young ladies how to *erm* drive a stick in a '69 Beetle.

Sounds like a very uncomfortable place


Surprisingly roomy if you get in the back seat and push the fronts forwards. The strap-style oh shiat handles were useful as handles or a stirrups.
 
ZMugg [TotalFark]
2023-02-07 2:59:49 PM  
I learned on an old Hillman. 4 on the tree.
 
Representative of the unwashed masses
2023-02-07 3:14:29 PM  

Gleeman: Concrete Donkey: Dont. There is as much reason to learn stick shift as there is to learn how to hand forge your own silverware.


The only people who will tell you otherwise are the stick shift purists who would rather kill themselves than admit that its time has passed

[bigfooty.com image 480x270] [View Full Size image _x_]

Modern automatics shift smoother and get better MPG and acceleration than manuals, even on a base car like a Versa. And can be just as 'fun' with paddle shifters.

Really no reason to learn stick unless you own a classic car or just want an obscure skill set.


Paddle shifters are great if you're running in F1 or other racing settings.  Stick shifts are for people who actually want to have fun and feel engaged.

Haven't had a stick shift in about 20 years but that doesn't mean I don't miss having one for the enjoyment factor.
 
sinko swimo
2023-02-07 5:03:44 PM  

Concrete Donkey: Dont. There is as much reason to learn stick shift as there is to learn how to hand forge your own silverware.


The only people who will tell you otherwise are the stick shift purists who would rather kill themselves than admit that its time has passed


I can't agree, Donkey. I've owned many manual trans cars over the years. When getting into scary situations the driver can slow down or speed up much faster in a manual. They are fun to drive and make you feel like you are more part of the car. Plus, they're pretty cool IMHO. Manual trans cars I've owned include the VW Karmann Ghia, a Fiat X1/9, a Saab 900s and a Porsche Model 944.
 
ScrimBoy
2023-02-07 10:04:15 PM  
My daughter will be learning to drive soon and asked that she learn stick.  She doesn't want to be in any situation where she can't drive.

I grew up with dirt bikes so shifting a car was a snap when the time came. Hoping to get her out on the KDX200 dbut that's a few other skill sets as well.
 
mengelji [OhFark]
2023-02-08 3:09:02 AM  
Start with a tractor and then move up to a farm truck!  The tractor forces you to come to terms with a clutch.
Following that, the truck is indestructible, and you probably won't be blinded by excessive speed.  By the time you're confident backing up the truck you've worked thru nearly all the hard parts.
 
Boudyro [TotalFark]
2023-02-08 1:28:01 PM  

mengelji: Start with a tractor and then move up to a farm truck!  The tractor forces you to come to terms with a clutch.
Following that, the truck is indestructible, and you probably won't be blinded by excessive speed.  By the time you're confident backing up the truck you've worked thru nearly all the hard parts.


I actually did learn first on a full-sized John Deere. I'd bushhog the back forty at my grandparents.

The aforementioned Beetle was the first stick shift car I drove. My grandparents gave it to me when I was old enough. Drove it for the first time when I was Twelve or so.

Grandparents lived in the country, so grandpa let me drive to the country store and back.
 
FirstDennis
2023-02-08 3:42:14 PM  
NOT this one.

Such a beautiful car.

Mechanically a total POS.

Every time she popped the clutch something broke.

Fark user imageView Full Size
 
FirstDennis
2023-02-08 3:46:56 PM  
This or something like it is what you want.

Mine was indestructible.

Wife #2 learned to drive a stick in it and it took all the abuse for days without a whimper.
Fark user imageView Full Size
 
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