>want to buy miata for first car >never drove a manual

>>16944560
its not funny how many times this thread has been made on /o/

use youtube to teach yourself how to understand how to operate the clutch and the transmission. Either practice on 5 speed econobox on craigslist.

Also use common sense.

>>16944578
would it be a good idea to test drive a manual without ever touching one beforehand?

>>16944584
no don't be that asshole who fucks up their clutch, also next time take this shit to QTDDTOT

cut your teeth by test driving manual cars at dealerships, just call them up beforehand to ask if its ok and tell them you dont know how to drive stick

then when you get the car, try to do the actual purchase in a big ass parking lot, so you can spend a few hours after you've bought it just starting in first gear over and over again.

that'll be enough to get you home, then it's just a matter of practice makes perfect

miatas have extremely forgiving transmissions

>>16944779
forgot to specify
>on the first step, they'll probably pair you with a salesman who knows how to drive stick who can teach you the basics

>on the second step, i'm referring to buying the car you want, not at the dealerships

>>16944560
why is it legal to drive a manual car if you've never learned to drive one let alone pass your driving test with one? Unless there's absolutely no traffic, I can't imagine this being a very good idea. How far are you going to get the car and where will you have to pass through? Good luck doing a left turn in a congested intersection or creeping through any sort of traffic or uphill sections.

Best advice I can give you is that you can always push the clutch back in to avoid stalling the engine, if you go slow enough you'll have a couple seconds of warning (rumbling vibrations/sound) where you can avoid stalling by basically shifting back to "neutral" with the clutch. Then you can start over more carefully and/or with more gas.

plan your route wisely, and make sure you specify you want the car with a full tank.

>>16944560
You can learn how in like an hour. Ask a friend who drives stick if you can drive their car.

print this out and take it with you. just follow it exactly and you'll be fine

make sure the car is on a flat level surface. before you turn on the car, just get inside it and hold down the clutch and play around with the shifter so you can get a feel for where the gears are and how it works. youll learn it in less than 30 seconds

1. get in car
2. put on seatbelt
3. adjust seats/mirrors as needed
4. put your left foot on the clutch and push it all the way in
5. put your right foot on the brake and apply low/moderate pressure
6. check your shifter and make sure it's in neutral. neutral is going to be dead center of the shifter box. you'll know its in neutral because there is a sort of spring/webbing effect that you can feel whenever you move it. it'll just snap back to the middle
7. put key in ignition and turn car on
8. disengage the e-brake
9. with your feet still on the clutch and brake, go ahead and put the car in first gear
10. remove your foot from the brake
11. look at your tachometer and apply the throttle pedal until you're at 2k-2.2k RPMs
12. SLOWLY start to back your foot off the clutch pedal. you're going to feel at some point the engine will 'catch' and you will start to move. just focus on keeping your rpms at around 2k while you do this
13. once the clutch is fully out, you can drive around no problem

figure out the rest yourself

>>16944836
because this is America

Im assuming you are in England where its different

plus most people here drive autos anyway

>>16944584
i've had dealers let me test drive their car without needing info not the big name dealers but the flippers that have salvage titles on them i would do that but just take your friend or some shit so you can atleast return/ get out of the parking lot that the cars in

>>16944836
How the fuck are you going to learn if you don't do it?

operating the car is exactly the same with either transmission. The road rules do not change, so there's no need for a separate transmission endorsement, it just complicates the entire thing and allows the local gov't yet another avenue to collect income from you in traffic stops.

>>16944879
This

>>16944560
A. Learn off friend or family member, b. Buy cheap car to learn in, c learn basics of what not to do from videos and buy new

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>>16944560
Don't overthink it. Assess your situation (speeding up onto the highway, making a 90 degree turn, etc.), just listen to the engine and watch your tachometer to gauge when you should shift up/down into an appropriate gear. It comes naturally after a week or so if you drive every day.


Some general tips that might not come to you straight away and will make your life easier;

You should shift up sequentially, but shifting down you can skip gears (you can go from 5th>1st if you come up to start-stop traffic, for example), so long as you keep the clutch in until your revs/speed goes down enough.

You can hold yourself in place on a hill by balancing your clutch and accelerator, I'd advice parking on a quiet hill to practice. Once you can do a hill start, you can pull away from pretty much anywhere imo. It's useful practice since you should do this when at traffic lights so that you don't roll back into a car (which you might do as a beginner if you stall and don't respond quick enough with your brakes).

Braking should always be done while pushing the clutch in. To put it simply, the clutch connects the drivetrain to the engine, so if your clutch isn't pushed in, it's still engaged and still trying to spin your wheels. By disengaging it, there's nothing trying to spin the wheels but momentum, so it's easier to use your brakes.

I did exactly this OP
Turned out pretty well, just watch a bunch of YouTube tutorials on how to drive manual and go out and get a miata

>>16946818
>I did exactly this OP
did you do it with a private sellers car?

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>>16944560
why amerifats cant drive manual transmission cars?

here in europe you see 80 year old grannies driving them with no sweat

>>16946654
You're a fucking idiot. Braking should be distributed from the engine and the braking system by downshifting whilst applying the brakes.

I swear to god this forum is made up of idiots who know fuck all about driving...

>>16946654
....and its easier to lock up your brakes with the clutch in.

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>>16944560
I was exactly the same, never even sat in a manual car. Rode 2 hours rock test drive a manual Miata, figured it out in the test drive and drove 2 hours home. If you've have a cool seller they'll totally teach you just to make the sale happen.
I miss my car :( fucking Silverado not paying attention

>>16948062
>>16948072
>wearing your clutch down for little to no benefit
....and I've never ever locked my brakes up driving how I do.

>>16948104

Look m8, learn how an engine and transmish works before talking out of your useless ass

>>16948024
because most cars sold here are auto hence most people not knowing how to drive manual

>>16948125
How am I talking out of my ass? I've literally never locked my brakes up or engaged ABS in a car, and you don't need to downshift to stop or slow your fucking car down; taking your foot off the accelerator provides ample engine braking.

>>16948181
Your idiocy is pouring out of your responce. Please stop and think about what your posting because some of these poor dolts may take your word over mine.

>>16944623
You wont ruin your clutch learning numb nuts

>>16944779
My dealership actually helped teach me how to drive manual before they sent me off on the streets.

>>16948212
>Your idiocy is pouring out of your responce
>c
>Please stop and think about what your posting
>your

>>16948230
Yes, your...what is the problem?

>>16948230
Aww look fuck off you twat...if you want to eat through brake pads and discs for no reason be my guest. I'm just trying to help you out here.

>>16946654
This image is wrong, if she lets off the clutch without giving it gas the engine will stall.

>>16948290
It wont stall if you do it very slowly and if the vehicle has enough torque

>>16948307
Well Now I feel like an idiot. I think I have to re-learn how to drive. I stalled it once that way when I was learning and never even tried it again in years since.

How many cars is this doable in?

>>16948326
Most modern cars should be able to. The trick is to do it very very slowly. If you stall try it again but slower. The engine idle will slowly bring the clutch and roadwheels up to it's speed

>>16948102
was this taken in australia?

>>16944560
it's not a rocket science, every retard can drive manual. just buy it and after day or two you'll get it right.

Problem might be your inability to deduce whether car transmission is in good condition or not.

>>16948024
gee maybe it's because i never hand the chance to try you dumbass

>>16944560
mark pls relax, its a meme car

>>16944560
Play gran turismo on manual

Literally just drive around back streets and parking lots, and ideally a rarely used road on a steep hill because starting from a stop on a hill is the only nerve wracking part of learning. I learned in a civic si in one drive that I later bought the next day, and stalled once in the parking lot before I figured out the bite point.

I did have dirtbike experience and auto truck driving but that's it.