Help.. teaching new driver on manual
 

I was teaching my 19yr. old son to drive my Boxster 01S on a standard, smelled something burning. He is pumped and dying to drive it. After about 6 stalls, I could smell something buring. How sensative are the clutches? Do you think I am doing significant damage? Is the clutch durable? Looking for some advice.

Brave soul!
 

Personally I couldn't imagine getting my teenage son into the Boxster. First, none of the kids today have any idea how to use a clutch. Sounds to me like he is riding the clutch and this can't be good for the clutch or transmission. I'm sure the clutch is pretty robust, but I suggest finding a friends Honda or Toyota to practice on (if one with a stick exists). My son drives my Ford station wagon only.

What a dad!
 

You're probably not killing the clutch, unless he's doing hole-shots or something... if the clutch can't survive a few stalls, how could it ever hold up to racing?

A related story...

Within the first week of owning my car I volunteered to 3 separate manual-tranny-driving friends that they try the Boxster out. Well... over 20 stalls later, several in very interesting traffic situations (no kidding - all my self control skills were well challenged that week ;)), I changed to a new policy - nobody drives my Boxster but the person I share my bed with. And she doesn't want to drive it, being worried she'll break something... she's more than happy to soak in the sun and let me have the driving fun.

Given this, I do appreciate your generosity in giving a 19 yr old stick-novice the chance to drive your S! Geez, after all, my Dad didn't really even want me driving the family's 1968 Buick Riviera!

I don't think the Boxster is a good car to learn stick on. I think the clutch action is too abrupt and the engine is very finicky below 2,000 rpm. I don't think you've hurt anything, though.

Agree with Charlie!
 

I learned to drive more than 35 years ago on a standard (three on the tree) transmission. If you're not sensitive to the clutch takeup on the Boxster you can easily stall the car. Like I said, find a standard Honda or Toyota, much more forgiving.

No kids here so....
 

I never had any kids, so I can't say for sure how I would deal with this. But I do remember being 19 and how immature I was when it came to cars when I was that age. I'd definitely think twice about letting a teenager get behind the wheel of your Boxster.

My 5 cents...
I agree, I would not use a Boxster as a training car. I dought if any damage has been done to the clutch -- although the odor is interesting.

I also learned on a "3 on the tree." The good old days (although these days are much better as I did not have a Porsche in the "old days."

you're brave!
 

When I was 20 I bought my first car....brand new Toyota Celica GTS -- and it was a standard.

Yep, I bought a brand new car without actually knowing how to drive it, I guess I was determined :D

I think it'll probably be easier to learn on something other than the Boxster, one that's more forgiving, and you won't have to worry about burning out the Boxster clutch ;)

-Juliette

Thanks for the advice
 

You folks are great. Thanks for the advice. The kid has got 1st gear down and is now back to college ( thank god). We were in a parking lot for about 15 minutes, before the security guard pulled up next to us. Neither of us could find the dam window switch. Looking for the one on the door. Anyway, he said they saw us on the video camera and figured something was wrong. He saw the look on my kids face who had just stalled numerous times and knew we were confused. The security guard got a kick out of a rookie standard driver. We eventually made it to a major intersection, against my advice. My son told me to relax, and proceeded to stalled out thru 3 light cycles. Well, the cars in the garage, kids at school and the lessons over. I hope to see ya at the detailing session. Take care Rockchalk:troll:

Our daughter learned to drive in our Boxster when she was 16. You just got to explain that the foot is ONLY on the clutch when actually changing gear, and at all other times its on the "dead pedal".

I learned to drive when I was about 10 years old on a Ford with a steering column mounted manual shift. We lived in upstate NY at the time. In 1960 (age 11) we took a trip out to Yellowstone National Park and my parents let me drive some in Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming. Quite the kick for a young kid at the time. Looking back on that now, I fiind it kind of crazy that my parents would have let me drive at that young age, but they did.

It's funny how many people learned
 

on a "3 on the tree" shifter. Mine was an F250 column shifter. Everything was cake after that....

-Rey

Three on the tree!
 

My first driving lesson was my dad's Nash Rambler Station Wagon with a three on the tree. Kidda inherited that car after that to take the kids to school after I started driving at 16. Never owned an automatic until I got married and learned by wife couldn't drive a stick. She grew up in Boston and had never driven a car until we got married. After trying to teach her to drive my 5-speed Celica GT (1978), I gave up and purchased her a new Datsun with an automatic. I always called that car old pokey. Flooring it generated a sound like a washing machine on spin cycle, but no perceived acceleration. Still don't like anything with an auto trans.

Similar "first manual" experience: a 1962 Rambler Classic, powered by a whopping 196 Cu. In. straight 6 w/a 2Bbl Holley and 3-on-the-tree! Ultra low-end model, literally a little old lady's car (she ordered it without at radio!). Ahh, a car you could repair with parts out of any hardware store... like the time the clutch linkage went on me in traffic and I was able to make a new one out of the sidewall of a radial tire once I "speed shifted" my way home... now that was a smooth clutch - you almost couldn't feel it. Steered like a Clipper ship in a high wind, too... ;)

Shade Tree mechanics!
 

Don: We are kindred spirits. I fondly remember the summer of 1968 when I acquired a VW Karmen Ghia convertible. Mind you this was down in Lousiana and the whole floor pan had rusted out and the driver's seat was literally falling thru the floor, such as it was. So my buddy and I take the body off and use the edge of the floor pan for a template and make a new one out of marine plywood, which we then fiberglass and bolt it all back together and drive for the next couple of years like that. Yeah, we pulled the bumpers off and put headers on it. I was slow, but it sure sounded loud. Kidda like today's rice rockets with the bazooka exhaust pipes. Man, those were the days. Think I paid $100 for the car.