Last stupid question: Where can I learn to drive stick in 1.5 weeks?

[2008e93M3lease]

I have to pick up my 6MT from a dealer 4 hours away at the end of the month. I've driven a stick (very poorly) once before.


1. I've tried calling every driving school (literally 50 of them) in the region. None of them teach stick.

2. I tried renting a manual and teaching myself, but no rental car companies have manuals around here.

3. I tried zipcars (they're auto)

4. Called friends, but even if they can drive stick they don't know anyone with a stick.

5. I'm considering calling up people on craigslist who are selling manuals and offering to pay them to teach me. Other than potential danger involved, anyone see a downside to this? Is it okay if I learn on an SUV or a Honda Accord? How much time do I need to get good enough to drive this thing home?

[SS32]

craigslist isn't a bad idea. I got my E46 and had to learn then and there how to drive a manual, but I don't know if I'd do that to an M3

[edcvin]

Have you ever driven a stick before?? This is my first stick car and I found it pretty easy to drive in comparison to other stick cars I've driven. I've had minimal experience driving stick...but I understand the concept. Where are you at in terms of understanding how a stick car works?
-Vin

[DevJ]

I think you'll be fine driving it if you understand the concept of a manual...
the m3 was my first manual, and i had driven my friends S60R for like ten minutes and I got the hang of it...it'll be fine..
4 hours away? Mostly highway driving i assume which is fairly easy!

If all fails, bring one of your friends who can drive a stick and make a fun trip out of it!

[FStop7]

I'd say the M3 is actually a good car to learn stick on, the clutch is very light and the V8 provides some forgiveness.

[ygfamily21]

maybe the man who sold you the car will give a quick lesson

[tunawi7cheese]

Originally Posted by DevJ

I think you'll be fine driving it if you understand the concept of a manual...
the m3 was my first manual, and i had driven my friends S60R for like ten minutes and I got the hang of it...it'll be fine..
4 hours away? Mostly highway driving i assume which is fairly easy!

If all fails, bring one of your friends who can drive a stick and make a fun trip out of it!

+1
At the minimum, your TRUSTED friend can SAFELY drives th M home for you. Then you can practice where you feel comfortable. It would not be good to panic with a brand new car.

I would teach you but I'm in San Diego. Come over and I'll show you how. hehehe....

[Paddy]

Fly to any European city and rent the cheapest car from Hertz/Budget etc.

[argonboy]

+1 On bringing a friend. You'll be more comfortable just knowing there's backup. Things like making left turns on streets with traffic, or turning left in intersections where you have to yield are not fun.

2 things people commonly forget even after getting the hang of it:

Holding your foot on the clutch while in gear (ever so slightly putting the weight of your foot on it)
Forgetting to press the clutch when coming to a standstill.

[!Xoible]

get a car, learn. done

[Perpetrator]

I would highly recommend having a friend that knows how to drive a stick go with you. Altho the M3's clutch is fairly easy, you don't want to "learn" with a 4hr drive in a brand new M3. Good luck and congrats!

[Jaypod]

I am sure if you can get your hands on a manual car to drive for a couple of hours ahead of time you will be fine. Its really not that tough, you just need to gain a little confidence. I assume most of your 4 hour drive will be highway, so just plan your drive when traffic will be lightest and there wont be too much shifting involved.
If you know someone who had some experience, wouldnt hurt to have them tag along and do some of the drive if you get uncomfortable.

Oh, and make sure you film it, and post it here - might make for a good chuckle!

Seriously though - I am sure you will be just fine!

[Paddy]

Hardest part will be working on steep hills, parallel parking, starting off etc. Then remembering you have to gear down going up hills (you'll learn to listen/feel to the car more than with an auto tranny and tell when the engine is labouring and a lower gear would be more appropriate) etc.

To preserve your clutch always apply the emergency brake when stopped in traffic on a hill and be in neutral with foot on brake pedal. Spend some time learning how to make a clean start (no roll back) on a hill with the emergency brake, this will help you get the feel of the timing and correct gas levels.

The BMW Hill Assist will be a great help to you, as long as you can get started within 6 seconds (it prevents rollback when you engage gears for a short period of time)

Don't worry too much about downshifting and rev-matching for a while and also don't ever get into the habit of coast in neutral or spending any time in neutral while the car is moving.

And don't be too embarrassed about a few kangaroo starts, I'm pretty sure ever Mt driver has had a few of them.

Practice is the key and you should become proficient very quickly.

{Parking lot of a Super Mall early in the AM is always a good spot to train}

MT is so much more fun and involved and definitely worth it. Also well workth the 2K discount off the car price!!

[FStop7]

Do you have any large state or national parks nearby? I learned to drive stick on the wide open roads in the FL Everglades. You could see for miles in both directions, so I could take all the time I needed getting used to the clutch. Lots of big, empty parking lots as well. It only took me an hour or two to learn the basics, and not much longer to learn in traffic. Balancing the car on an incline was the biggest challenge. But you have hill assist to help you with that in your M3.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by 2008e93M3lease

I have to pick up my 6MT from a dealer 4 hours away at the end of the month. I've driven a stick (very poorly) once before.

Maybe go to another dealership locally and see if you can try out a manual? Any dealership will do, doesn't even have to be a BMW dealership. Since you've driven one once before you should be able to at least get the car going and then you can practice for a few minutes on the test drive. It should be good enough to get you the confidence you need to feel good about driving your car off the lot.

I'd give you a lesson myself but mine's M-DCT and I don't think my wife would be so eager to let a stranger drive the 335i.

[Jared@ACGsandiego]

you just gotta find someone with a stick, its weird that none of your friends have a stick.... if you literally cant find one friend or friend of friend of friend then i would say take out an add in craigslist and offer someone some money to let you learn stick. i bet you will have a good amount of people calling you

[DevJ]

In the mean time, go to these url's!

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112651

I typed up a little bit of helpful info for a fellow ///M owner...PM me if you want some advice!

[C17MooseDriver]

I give you props on buying a MT even though you don't know how to drive one. It'll be fun learning and once you get the hang of it, very rewarding.

Like previously stated, starting off a hill is the biggest challenge, and can be intimidating if you've got cars close behind you, but luckily, the BMW has hill start, which takes away the worry.

I find the M3 is actually harder to drive smoother than my 5MT Ford Focus. The clutch isn't linear, the gearbox is quite notchy, the clutch travels way too far, the car can get jerky if you shift at too low of an RPM, and the throws are way too long. But I still love driving the 6MT.

If you can understand the concept, maybe watch a youtube video on it, you can teach yourself to drive a manual. Then just practice and enjoy.

[Technic]

Originally Posted by 2008e93M3lease

I have to pick up my 6MT from a dealer 4 hours away at the end of the month. I've driven a stick (very poorly) once before.


1. I've tried calling every driving school (literally 50 of them) in the region. None of them teach stick.

2. I tried renting a manual and teaching myself, but no rental car companies have manuals around here.

3. I tried zipcars (they're auto)

4. Called friends, but even if they can drive stick they don't know anyone with a stick.

5. I'm considering calling up people on craigslist who are selling manuals and offering to pay them to teach me. Other than potential danger involved, anyone see a downside to this? Is it okay if I learn on an SUV or a Honda Accord? How much time do I need to get good enough to drive this thing home?

I learned to drive stick in less than an afternoon... actually, I did exactly what you are going to do with a twist: I bought my first car 25 years ago and took a friend with me to drive back home because it was a manual transmission and I did not know how to drive it. Once the car was home my grandfather came two days later to teach me in my car.

My grandfather took me to one of the busiest streets in my hometown, in the middle of the day. Between his yelling, the smacks upside the head and the other drivers cursing and honks I learned pretty quick...

[niqui]

what about driving school?
all my local driving schools, for kids, have some manual cars, ou could just ask for 4 hours with an instructor.when i went to driving school, i did 4 hours in manual just for fun...
i dont know where you live, but here in montreal, if u ask any driving school and tell them youll pay their hourly fee and take any open time, its done.

[Eliminator]

I have the perfect solution. Go to Circuit City and byuy the game called "GTR2", it's a racing simulation game. You have to buy the Logitech wheel and shift knob as well. Make sure it's the three pedal configuration. Load the game on your computer and hook up the wheel and pedals and practice all day. It is realistic and the car on the screen stalls and jerks just like reality. Total cost is about $150 and you'll be hooked on the game too. It's awesome. Trust me on this one. I'll pat myself on the back for this solution!

[rominl]

i also recommend bringing a friend of yours who can drive stick, get it off the lot and to your home, and then use that to teach you how to drive stick. make sure you read enough to understand the concept first, and also only practice on flat surfaces in the beginning. minimize the chance to burn your clutch. the m3 6mt is very easy to drive, i haven't driven stick for years before we bought the car and i drove it off the lot no problem.

if you know the theory and someone good to show you, you shouldn't need more than 3-4 hours

just make sure it doesn't become your daily driver right the way