Struggling a bit with 1st gear shift from stop - is it me or the car?

[dghii]

Maybe its not all you....

What year is your car? How many miles? How old is the motor mount? When was the last time the clutch fluid was changed?

I have a 98 box with 118K I picked up last fall. The clutch was much tougher to engage smoothly than my 2000S. I replaced the motor mount as the car had the usual 3K vibration. As a nice aside, the clutch is now much smoother to engage from a stop in first gear.

[rondocap]

2001 with 56k - still on the original clutch and fluid. Clutch seems fine and no slippage, but I am sure a brand new clutch would feel a bit different.

[mistermac99]

Originally Posted by rondocap

2001 with 56k - still on the original clutch and fluid. Clutch seems fine and no slippage, but I am sure a brand new clutch would feel a bit different.

My 1999 had 73,000 miles when I purchased last fall. I have driven manual off and on all my life, though I have had automatic for the past few years.

I kept feeling some chatter first thing in the morning, and in certain situations. The clutch engage point was about 2-3 inches from the top. This made it hard to drive.

Last month I had my indy install a new clutch, because I didn't want to get into a flywheel replacement by waiting too long. Wow, what a big difference! He told me I came in just at the right time. It was almost ready to start wearing into the flywheel.

Now the car is so much more fun to drive! Clutch engages about 3 inches from the floor, and now I can take off much better.

Maybe that's part of what you are experiencing. A worn clutch can make it more difficult to drive, especially on take off.