a relative gave me her BMW 325i coupe with MANUAL TRANSMISSION... the car is
in pretty good mechanical condition. for 7-year-old car with 62000 miles.
She moved overseas for a new job.

Anyway, I told her that I knew how to drive a stick... (which was a lie, because
I didn't think she'd given me the car if I said no...)

Is there a good driving school around here that teach people how to drive
a manual transmission car. The school must have its own manual transmission
car for students... :)

ThankS!

If you have a good understanding of how a manual transmission works, like if you've read stuff about cars, you might be able to get away without a school. I tried a stick once and was able to get it around a parking lot. You could start in empty parking lots on weekends, then gradually work up to driving on the streets and in traffic.

If you end up not wanting it,

Ill buy it from you, I build used older 325i's for autocross.
PM me if you are interested.

Do you have any friends who drive a stick? Starting in a parking lot is a good idea, but it helps to have someone who understands the basic concepts and can demonstrate the process. We don't own any cars with manual transmissions, but I wanted our kids to know how to drive one just in case they had to be a DD and that was all that was available. It took about a weekend with a friend's Toyota before they were comfortable enough to hit the open road.

wow, dont know how to drive a stick? dont publicize that dude, people may think you're a chick... and if you are a chick just find some guy who has a manual and offer to sleep with him if he teaches you. you dont need to go to driving school. just think a little

Mitch,

Sell it and buy $14,000 worth of Chuck-e-Cheese tokens.

PS I dont blame you for lying and telling auntie you can drive a stick, but for $14,000 I sure as shit would have learned to drive one yesterday in case she decided to check me out first. Get the Chuck-E tokens and practice on their video race cars...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2009 08:10AM by dono.

If I were you, I'd take the offers to sell. It's the 21st Century. Automatic transmissions were invented for a reason; manual is teh ghey.

Seriously, people are all like, "But I've got more control with manual." Yeah, you've got a hand off the steering wheel, your attention devoted to something other than keeping your driving, the joy of rolling backward at stops on hills, plus the incredibly annoying ride as you get slammed around in your seat (well, of course YOU are some kind of shift-fucking-master who can totally shift gears smoother than an automatic transmission, it's just that everyone else sucks in comparison to you--you who can outperform a system engineered and fine-tuned over decades); that's all kinds of control right there. Look, dingus, you've arbitrarily selected one--ONE out of hundreds--of the operating parameters of your vehicle to have "control" over. Why not add a knob to adjust the fuel pump? How about a lever to fine-tune the carb?

OOOOOOHHHH, look at me! I know how to drive a manual. I'm so fucking cool because I've mastered 100-year-old technology! Look at me, driving to Shelbyville with an onion tied to my belt! Let me show you my buggy whip collection!

If you are over 21 or so and don't know how to drive standard you should have your man-card revoked.

nakedshoplifter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you are over 21 or so and don't know how to
> drive standard you should be congratulated for not wasting your time learning pointless, outdated technology.

FTFY.

Here's how MEN shift....with the jake brake!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4KDR15Hp-Y

idiots Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wow, dont know how to drive a stick? dont
> publicize that dude, people may think you're a
> chick... and if you are a chick just find some guy
> who has a manual and offer to sleep with him if he
> teaches you. you dont need to go to driving
> school. just think a little


Who said chicks can't drive stick shift? I believe that more women buy a car with a manual transmission than men. I had no choice; my parents don't buy automatics.

Are you actually retarded.. ? You sound like a retard.

Automan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If I were you, I'd take the offers to sell. It's
> the 21st Century. Automatic transmissions were
> invented for a reason; manual is teh ghey.
>
> Seriously, people are all like, "But I've got more
> control with manual." Yeah, you've got a hand off
> the steering wheel, your attention devoted to
> something other than keeping your driving, the joy
> of rolling backward at stops on hills, plus the
> incredibly annoying ride as you get slammed around
> in your seat (well, of course YOU are some kind of
> shift-fucking-master who can totally shift gears
> smoother than an automatic transmission, it's just
> that everyone else sucks in comparison to you--you
> who can outperform a system engineered and
> fine-tuned over decades); that's all kinds of
> control right there. Look, dingus, you've
> arbitrarily selected one--ONE out of hundreds--of
> the operating parameters of your vehicle to have
> "control" over. Why not add a knob to adjust the
> fuel pump? How about a lever to fine-tune the
> carb?
>
> OOOOOOHHHH, look at me! I know how to drive a
> manual. I'm so fucking cool because I've mastered
> 100-year-old technology! Look at me, driving to
> Shelbyville with an onion tied to my belt! Let me
> show you my buggy whip collection!

Don't forget when you start stalling out you can put the clutch in to prevent a stall out. I didn't realize that first time I drove a stick which resulted in a lot of screeching tires and coffee grind noises.

That said I think driving a stick all the time would piss me off. Though everyone I know that does drive a stick talks about how much better it is and how they'll never go back to auto.

Automan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If I were you, I'd take the offers to sell. It's
> the 21st Century. Automatic transmissions were
> invented for a reason; manual is teh ghey.
>
> Seriously, people are all like, "But I've got more
> control with manual." Yeah, you've got a hand off
> the steering wheel, your attention devoted to
> something other than keeping your driving, the joy
> of rolling backward at stops on hills, plus the
> incredibly annoying ride as you get slammed around
> in your seat (well, of course YOU are some kind of
> shift-fucking-master who can totally shift gears
> smoother than an automatic transmission, it's just
> that everyone else sucks in comparison to you--you
> who can outperform a system engineered and
> fine-tuned over decades); that's all kinds of
> control right there. Look, dingus, you've
> arbitrarily selected one--ONE out of hundreds--of
> the operating parameters of your vehicle to have
> "control" over. Why not add a knob to adjust the
> fuel pump? How about a lever to fine-tune the
> carb?
>
> OOOOOOHHHH, look at me! I know how to drive a
> manual. I'm so fucking cool because I've mastered
> 100-year-old technology! Look at me, driving to
> Shelbyville with an onion tied to my belt! Let me
> show you my buggy whip collection!

Nominee for dumbass post of the month.

After I graduated college the car I had been driving died. I basically limped into a dealership and started bargaining. The best deal was a Sunbird that had a manual. I had never driven a manual in my life but I had seen friends drive them. I probably put 200 miles on the manual in the 5 miles to get home. But for a car payment of just over $100 dollars a month back in 1984, what the hell. I drove it until about 1995 and it had over 175k on it. Sunbirds were not the best cars but I loved that one. It was still running pretty good when I traded in it. But the I was getting water through the floor boards when it rained and it caused the car to smell. Also my wife hated it.

Any man worth his stones who knows how to properly drive a car would never buy an auto.

The reasoning is VERY simple.

Manual transmission = 15% drive train loss (lost Hp/Tq)

Auto transmission = 35% drive train loss.

So, if you are driving a VW GTI that has been chipped like mine you are producing 252Hp and 303Tq at the flywheel. Now lets calculate drivetrain loss and actual power at the wheel...

Manual:
252HP - 15% = 214.2Hp
303Tq - 15% = 257.5Tq

Auto:
252HP - 35% = 163.8Hp
303Tq - 35% = 196.9Tq

Unfortunatly, this doesn't corelate very well to the new auto VW's because they use the DSG transmission, which is essentially a manual that is shifted mechanically by the car.

But, most modern autos use a torque converter which is very lossy. I'd put my car on the line any day against (almost) any other car that uses an auto tranny /w torque converter.

Chrysler 300(C) Hemi with auto tranny? I'll see you my rear view mirrow.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/2009 10:27AM by nakedshoplifter.

SBS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Nominee for dumbass post of the month.

And yet you don't refute anything I said. Manuals:
- Have a jerky ride. I've ridden with lots of drivers in manuals, and the ride is nowhere near as smooth as with auto.
- Divert the driver's attention by requiring them to worry about shifting.
- Take a hand off the wheel that doesn't need to leave the wheel.
- Always seem to be rolling back on stops on hills.

It's old tech. Hey, it's fine if you're racing and need to squeeze every drop of performance out of the car. But for the 99.999% of us who are just using the thing to go from A to B, manuals simply don't make sense. Old technology, my friend.

If someone were to say, "Oh I totally use a rotary dial phone because of all the control it gives me over dialing" you'd look at them like a tard. I'll never figure out why we're all supposed to bow down and worship someone who's mastered a now obsolete driving control.

I used to own a 94 Ford ranger with a 4 cylinder engine that barely produces 100hp at the crank and probably only arpund 70 at the wheels. I was glad that it was a manual, I had to shift high just to maintain speed on the highway, automatic would have never kept up. Besides if you commute a lot it gives you something to do in traffic, I honestly it was fun. I went to an automatic after my ranger and regret it. My next car will be stick again......nothing like a 6 speed turbo diesel. BTW I second what NAKEDSHOPLIFTER said, very accurate

nakedshoplifter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Any man worth his stones who knows how to properly
> drive a car would never buy an auto.
>
> The reasoning is VERY simple.
>
> Manual transmission = 15% drive train loss (lost
> Hp/Tq)
>
> Auto transmission = 35% drive train loss.
>
> So, if you are driving a VW GTI that has been
> chipped like mine you are producing 252Hp and
> 303Tq at the flywheel. Now lets calculate
> drivetrain loss and actual power at the wheel...
>
> Manual:
> 252HP - 15% = 214.2Hp
> 303Tq - 15% = 257.5Tq
>
> Auto:
> 252HP - 35% = 163.8Hp
> 303Tq - 35% = 196.9Tq
>
> Unfortunatly, this doesn't corelate very well to
> the new auto VW's because they use the DSG
> transmission, which is essentially a manual that
> is shifted mechanically by the car.
>
> But, most modern autos use a torque converter
> which is very lossy. I'd put my car on the line
> any day against (almost) any other car that uses
> an auto tranny /w torque converter.
>
> Chrysler 300(C) Hemi with auto tranny? I'll see
> you my rear view mirrow.

Your post is so full of flaws, it's hard to know where to begin. Your 15% vs. 35% for drivetrain loss is complete bullshit. The numbers are more like 15% vs. 20%.

When you beat that Chrysler 300C off the line, it's not because he has an automatic. It's because he weighs about 1200 lbs. more than you do. Your VW GTI weighs somewhere on the light side of 3000 lb. while the 300C weighs in a little on the heavy side of 4000 lb. Inertia's a bitch.

If you take 2 identical cars, one with a manual, one with an automatic, and race them from a dead stop, the automatic will jump ahead 9 times out of 10. It may not stay in the lead, but it will win off the line.

Check out the high-powered cars with professional drivers at the dragstrip. Virtually all of them have a transmision that is more like an automatic than a manual.

Automan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Manuals:
> - Have a jerky ride. I've ridden with lots of
> drivers in manuals, and the ride is nowhere near
> as smooth as with auto.
> - Divert the driver's attention by requiring them
> to worry about shifting.
> - Take a hand off the wheel that doesn't need to
> leave the wheel.
> - Always seem to be rolling back on stops on
> hills.
>
> It's old tech. Hey, it's fine if you're racing and
> need to squeeze every drop of performance out of
> the car. But for the 99.999% of us who are just
> using the thing to go from A to B, manuals simply
> don't make sense. Old technology, my friend.
>
> If someone were to say, "Oh I totally use a rotary
> dial phone because of all the control it gives me
> over dialing" you'd look at them like a tard. I'll
> never figure out why we're all supposed to bow
> down and worship someone who's mastered a now
> obsolete driving control.

You not liking something doesn't make it old tech. There have been all kinds of advancements in manuals (and automatics) over the years. Today's manual transmissions are no more old tech than the automatic, which has been around in cars since before 1940.

If you think of your car as nothing more than tool to get from point A to point B, then, yes, I agree that the automatic is certainly easier to drive. Lots of people, however, like to get some enjoyment out of their car as well. That shouldn't be too difficult a concept for you to grasp.

Your "diverting attention" and "hand off the wheel" argument are simply bullshit. If you know how to drive a manual, it doesn't require you to "worry" about it as you put it. Show me 1 study that states manual vehicles are more accident-prone because of the requirement of the driver to use a hand for the gearshift.

remember with a manual transmission, When in doubt, peel out!

I believe there is one guy who works for Keith's Driving School who teaches manual and can give you a two hour lesson that will give you all the experience you need to then practice in your own car.

I like driving a stick in most conditions, but really don't like it in bumper to bumper traffic. Some don't mind it even then, however.

"If you take 2 identical cars, one with a manual, one with an automatic, and race them from a dead stop, the automatic will jump ahead 9 times out of 10. It may not stay in the lead, but it will win off the line."

You're telling me that if I rev to 2.5K rpm and drop the clutch when the light turns green the same car with an auto is gonna take me off the line? Nope. I have a direct link from flywheel to axle. As soon as the clutch is dropped I'm either gonna rocket forward, or spin the wheels and create a lot of puffy blue smoke.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torque_converter

"Check out the high-powered cars with professional drivers at the dragstrip. Virtually all of them have a transmision that is more like an automatic than a manual."

Those drag cars are using manual transmissions (with clutches and all) with a mechanical device such as air shifters or like devices to shift the cars gears for the driver much faster than he/she could do so themselves. This also allows the driver to keep both hands on the wheel and simply press a button when it's time to shift. If the driver does not press the button in time, the engine tears itself apart. If these cars had true auto trannies in them, the driver would not need to press any buttons, and the car would do everything for them. The VW DSG transmission is the closest thing to the racing transmission you're talking about. Dual wet clutches with even and odd gears spit between the two of them. Gear changes occur in 7 milliseconds.

This is all assuming that you feel the need to race the people all the time, and truly feel you need the extra edge. While you and your manual are racing, I'll gladly be behind you, having a nice easy ride that doesn't need to be fiddled with every other minute.

--------------------------------------------------------------
13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.

nakedshoplifter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> You're telling me that if I rev to 2.5K rpm and
> drop the clutch when the light turns green the
> same car with an auto is gonna take me off the
> line? Nope. I have a direct link from flywheel to
> axle. As soon as the clutch is dropped I'm either
> gonna rocket forward, or spin the wheels and
> create a lot of puffy blue smoke.

That's EXACTLY what I'm telling you. Getting a perfect start off the line with a manual is very difficult. In those 9 out of 10 races I referred to, the manual car will either bog down, or lose traction and create that lovely cloud of blue smoke you mentioned. In either case, in the meantime, the auto is heading down the track ahead of you.

Go watch the races at a dragstrip sometime, or check out some of the car websites. For example, the 4th generation (1998-2002) Camaros and Firebirds, (I'm talking the V8 models) have either a 4-speed automatic or 6-speed manual. On a CONSISTENT basis, the auto will have a lower ET, even though the manual has a higher trap speed in the qtr. mile. That's because the auto consistently wins off the line.



Sorry, I used a bad example regarding the high-powered race cars. Their transmissions are different enough from a standard manual or automatic. But take a look at maybe the Pro-Street category. Most of the consistent winning drivers are driving an automatic, albeit a modified one, with hi-perf torque converter, etc.

You totally cannot drive and take bong hits at the same time with a manual. same with driving and shuffling cards, or text messaging and driving. If you can't do that shit while you drive, then what's the point of getting in the car?

RESton Peace Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You totally cannot drive and take bong hits at the
> same time with a manual. same with driving and
> shuffling cards, or text messaging and driving.
> If you can't do that shit while you drive, then
> what's the point of getting in the car?

+1

RESton Peace Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You totally cannot drive and take bong hits at the
> same time with a manual. same with driving and
> shuffling cards, or text messaging and driving.
> If you can't do that shit while you drive, then
> what's the point of getting in the car?



"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."