I can't drive a manual and can barely drive automatic without freaking out and have never passed the driving test so you're doing much better than me. Good luck!

I have NO idea how to drive automatic! It's weird to not be in control!

And in other news: I got a new car todayyyyy! Omg I am excite

Don't worry about it. Really :D it's not that hard. I only learned to drive stick last year (I was 30) and it was intimidating at first. But the car I wanted was a stick shift so my desire to drive my dream car overshadowed any fear I had.

Just sit back relax and PAY ATTENTION. With a stick shift the car and the traffic gets your attention. No cell phone talking.. even with an ear piece or your mind won't be on driving. Once you're moving do NOT play with the radio... it's pretty dangerous.

Also don't drive with the radio too loud. Listen to the sounds the car makes. You will get a feel for when to shift based on the speed of the car and the sounds the engine makes when it starts to rev high.. it's basically telling you when to shift.

Down shifting is trickier. I usually will press down on the clutch shift to neutral and then keeping my foot on the clutch press the break with my right foot. I'll either come to a complete stop... or the traffic with start moving again at which point you check your speed and pick the appropriate gear to resume driving in.

I will admit that I did drive like an old lady for the first 2 months since the car was almost 40yrs old and I was so afraid of hitting something or someone hitting me since any repair work on it would be big $$ with a classic car specialist shop.

Oh and don't drive in heels or flip-flops or strappy sandals .. (tricky shoes) until you're super comfortable with driving a stick. These types of shoes can get both uncomfortable, fall off your feet. or the straps get stuck around the pedals. Stick with well fitting flats or sneakers at first. Even boots can be hard to drive in, as the chunkyness of the sole will make it harder to judge what you're doing when shifting.

I will admit that I did drive like an old lady for the first 2 months

This is exactly how I drive, haha.

My first couple times out were in boots. I tried in in sneakers today, and it was easier. I think.

Or maybe I'm just a little bit better. But it makes sense that it would be easier.

oh man i haven't driven a stick since highschool. I'd probably kill everyone on the road if I tried now. :-/

i love my manual subaru outback

except in morning rush hour

I WANNA DRIVE STICKKKKKKKKK

I love your drawing of this. :)

Cool, driving is so boring anyway, if you didn't even have gears to shift what would you do?
Automatics unsettle me, I can't help hitting the brake so hard sometimes believing it's the clutch. Heave to drive with the left foot folded back or else...
Also, no engine braking freaks me out. You mean I really have to rely on brakes only in this long steep downhill drive? Madness.

(seriously, practice engine braking!)

I am getting much better. So far, though, I've only been driving when/where there's no one else around, so the only variables I've had to deal with are my own skill and confidence.

It's making a lot of sense, and I'm doing pretty well (so says my mentor). But I'm pretty nervous about driving around other people.

driving a manual is the best. it's tons more fun than an auto. shifting becomes second nature quickly enough.

I had a manual for about a month and grew to be comfortable driving it. Always hated driving through town in stop and go traffic though. Manuals get better gas mileage than automatics though so that's nice.

Also did a lot more rolling stops when driving a manual so I wouldnt have to shift down to first.

Manual isn't that hard. I learned how to drive on a manual. I even had a manual in San Francisco and if you can take off and on them hills you can take off anywhere! Really, just don't over think it. It's easy to get overly worked up when you are learning. It does help to practice in alone places. Good luck! You got this!

learning to feel the friction point of the clutch is the main thing. if you can sit on a hill with the brake and clutch in and a gear engaged and slowly let out the clutch until you feel it start to pull then you've got it.

Once it becomes second nature you will never go back! It's like a symbiotic relationship between you and the car. I love it. Except on the beltway (read: bumper to bumper traffic). That's kind of hell, but it's hell in an automatic, too.

gross I would never want to drive auto