Learning Manual on a Boxster?!?!

[donv]

Boxster manual trannys are pretty easy to drive, no real gotchas. Just a couple of things to keep in mind:

• If you stall it, you need to turn the key all the way back to off and then try to restart it - it won't run the starter again if you don't
• When the key is all the way off the steering locks! So don't try to restart it unless you're going perfectly straight or have stopped/pulled over already
• You have a lot of power on tap. If something starts going wrong with a shift, esp. when starting off, push down the clutch and then try to figure out what's up. You'll never get in trouble if the clutch is in (down to the floor).

You're going to love it. And you may never go back to driving an automatic afterwards...

[savowood]

It always surprises me that people don't learn how to drive a manual transmission right off the bat. In Germany, we have to learn with one to graduate the driving school and get the chance to get a license. However, that was roughly 20 years ago and things might be different now.

The best tip I can give anyone learning and having trouble with starting on an uphill is to remember you have a brake to hold the car in place, other than the one at your feet. My girlfriend had been driving for 15+ years and never thought of using the hand brake when starting on a hill. Now, she uses it all the time on an uphill start.

It works like this...

Come to a stop at the stop sign, clutch in, brakes applied. Pull up the hand (emergency) brake and take your foot off the brake. The clutch should still be in, so put the gear shift into first gear. Give the car a little gas to bring the revs up, slowly let the clutch out. When you feel the car starting to pull, gradually let the hand brake down. This is also a good method to get people new to manual transmissions started.

-Michael

[nola911]

You will have no problem! I bought my boxster a few months ago having never drivin a standard in my life. I flew from New Orleans to Dallas then drove the boxster back alone. I was comfy with the tactict from driving dirtbikes, 3 wheelers, and 4 wheelers, but with a few minutes of practice, you can learn in a jiffy. I have since driven a BMW z4 and a honda civic, and they are both much more forgiving. If possible, practice on something else, if not, you will be fine.

Your old lady, however, may be another story. Mine has tried on 3 occasions before she said "I hate that stupid car and I will not learn anything with that fearful look on your face." No problem here.

[Tool Pants]

A manual transmission - the good old days. For once, I like the German method.

Got my motorcycle and car learner's permit 35 years ago. Never learned how to drive with an automatic transmission. Never owned an automatic.

To get a car license you needed to have drivers ed at school. I had been driving for a while before I took drivers ed. The training car was an automatic. I would left-foot brake, and the instructor did not like that.

There was no school for a motorcycle license back then. You would brake with one foot or the other, depending on the make of the cycle.

When I took the test for the car license I did so in an automatic. I had to remember not to left-foot brake or I would fail. To this day I still left-foot brake if I drive an auto.

I would not want to learn how to drive a manual transmission in a Boxstir.