Repost for more oppo-pinions - Side business teaching people how to drive a manual? Thoughts?

"trmoore09" (trmoore09)
08/17/2015 at 13:33 • Filed to: None

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DISCUSSION (36)

TractorPillow > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 13:41

I have taught many people how to drive stick. I figure if you care enough about it, you probably have already found someone to teach you. Most people already know someone that would be willing to teach them, they just really don’t care. I think the market of people willing to pay to learn manual is very very very small.

This is just my opinion.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 13:42

If someone will pay for such a service, go nuts.

trmoore09 > TractorPillow
08/17/2015 at 13:42

Good point, thanks for your input.

The Dummy Gummy > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 13:43

I have no idea about this sort of thing, but instructional driving seems like it would either need a different type of license/certification and insurance. I’d also create an LLC to protect yourself on a liability standpoint. Finally, I hope it is not a great car or your daily you are training them in because you will quickly go through either your transmission and/or clutch.

Good luck.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 13:43

I’m picturing 1000 mile clutches.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 13:45

I actually think this might not be a bad idea.

You’d honestly have to start it to see if people would want to learn.

DogonCrook > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 13:48

I feel like an ad on cl offering to teach how to drive a stick isn’t going to get the response you are looking for..

But it would probably be lucrative...

AM3R shamefully returns > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 13:51

Don't quit your day job, but you can definitely make some side money doing this. A driving instructor that lives in my neighborhood actually does this with a Nissan Versa. You will get swayed opinions because everyone here has strong opinions about manual. We are enthusiasts, we all either know how to drive one or have a plan on how to learn. But to the average person, this could definitely be appealing.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 13:51

I cannot forsee you actually making enough money for it to be profitable. But if it's something you want to do for fun, then I suppose it could pay for itself at least. Biggest problem would just be finding people who want to learn but are too scared to just try and figure it out themselves. I learned on the way home from buying my car but I really wanted to learn so I was committed to it. Having an instructor certainly would be a good thing to me and I would have paid a small amount for it for sure. But I doubt many others would.

I Will Always Be The Honey Badger > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 14:00

Many driving schools have a manual transmission course.

http://shifters.ca/

http://www.ambdriving.com/manual-shift.h…

http://www.idrivesmart.com/maryland-manua…

http://novadriving.com/our-programs/s…

http://www.defensivedrivingschool.ca/

There seems to be a market for it, so if you want to try I’d say go right ahead. I’d get a manual 6 cyl mustang. Cheap, less labour to change clutch on a RWD car generally, enough torque so they don’t stall all the time, and fun to drive.

trmoore09 > I Will Always Be The Honey Badger
08/17/2015 at 14:06

Hmm I didn’t know that, good to know. Yea, I was thinking civic or something where if the clutch did go, it wouldn’t be astronomically expensive to fix (like my M3). Any suggestion for year range for the mustang? Maybe 2000-04? or newer than that?

trmoore09 > The Dummy Gummy
08/17/2015 at 14:08

Yea, I am wondering about the licensure. I know you would need one to be a driving instructor for a general driver’s test, but I’m not sure about just teaching manual transmission to people who can already drive. I already have an LLC in my name I could use and this would definitely not be in my daily driver. I was thinking civic/v6 mustang/ something like that. Something under $4k.

miadaman? yes please > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 14:08

Interestingly enough, I did learn how to drive stick by finding someone on the local classified (kijiji in Canadia). I believe I paid something like $20/hr, he brought his own car ($2000 Pontiac G5).

I was an excellent student and was out and about in less than 2 hours.

trmoore09 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/17/2015 at 14:10

Yea, that’s what I’m afraid of. If that was the case, it clearly would be ended pretty quickly. But since it would only be maybe 3-4 people a week on a cheap, easy to fix car, I’m not sure how bad it would be. But I don’t want to make just enough to keep replacing clutches and not make any profit.

trmoore09 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
08/17/2015 at 14:11

Thanks! I thinking finding a way to reach my target audience would be the hardest thing to do. Craigslist (already put up an ad to gauge interest) and word of mouth may be my best bets to start with.

trmoore09 > DogonCrook
08/17/2015 at 14:12

Yea, I have a good day job, just looking for something else on the side that would be entertaining at the least. I put up a quick ad on CL just to gauge interested. I’ll keep everyone posted. If there’s a solid market for it, some other people may want to do it in their city.

trmoore09 > miadaman? yes please
08/17/2015 at 14:13

Wow, that’s the exact info I was looking for. Thanks!

Snuze: Needs another Swede > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 14:17

It’s not a bad idea, but I did see your reply in your initial post that you have an E46 M3. The start up cost of getting a beater might be prohibitive. At $20 hr you’re looking at probably more like 100 people to break even with just a $3k beater, because of fuel, insurance, etc.

I wanted to learn to drive stick since I started driving, but we never owned anything with a manual, and none of my friends did either. I eventually convinced a friend to let me drive his truck around a parking lot, when I was like 19, and at 21, I think, I took the plunge and just bought a WRX with a manual. So I would have considered paying for a service like this if it was reasonable.

I think hourly is the way to go, because it’s hard to gauge how long people will need to learn the skills, also how much experience they want to gain, and if they even like it for not.

If I were going to do this, I’d set people up for a 1 hour session in a parking lot to start, so they can get familiar with the car. Maybe even give a 3 minute “presentation” (i.e. make some flash cards or something) on how a manual works vs. an automatic. Some people do better when they can visualize what’s happening when they press the clutch or move the stick. Others don’t give a crap. But it’s a good baseline. Then let them drive it a bit, practice starting and stopping because that’s the hardest part. If they are doing well maybe some back roads, if not, another lesson. That way there’s flexibility whether they pick it up quick or need a few lessons.

miadaman? yes please > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 14:17

Mind you that was several years ago, I just looked him up again on Facebook and he’s now charging $55/hr. Keep in mind that this is in the largest metropolitan area in Canada though, the demand in your area may vary.

I’d say just throw up an ad and see how many replies you get back, best way to measure demand.

DrScientist > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 14:17

i would pay to have my lady friend learn.

as long as its your car.

beyond just the time of a lesson, you’d have to plan some exercises or tasks... like... starting on an incline... rolling into and out of a stop... parallel parking... i dont know what else.

trmoore09 > DrScientist
08/17/2015 at 14:20

Yea, the car and gas would be provided. I would only ask for driver’s license and that they bring proof of insurance.

I was thinking pricing would be determined based on time and could range from the very basics to actually practicing some more difficult tasks (like starting on a hill/parallel parking/etc,) or even having someone practice their daily commute in a manual car to see how it is.

trmoore09 > miadaman? yes please
08/17/2015 at 14:23

oh wow, $55/hr seems high. I am in Raleigh, NC so while I am not in a huge city, it is the second biggest region/area in NC behind Charlotte. And including nearby areas (within 30 minutes), it may be the biggest.

I tossed an ad up on CL to gauge interest, but CL is refusing to post it for some reason.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 14:23

Clutches aren’t bad once you know the car. If you have a guy who has to do it every couple of months, he’ll be able to get it down to probably a couple of hours each time, and the hardware isn’t expensive.

trmoore09 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/17/2015 at 14:33

Awesome, thanks! My uncle has a honda repair shop, so I’m leaning towards an early-mid 00’s civic or something. On the other end of the spectrum, I’m thinking about charging more and using a Lotus Elise or something. Still toyota parts, but I’m not sure how difficult the install would be.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 14:36

The trick to Elises and MR2s is that the engine has to come out from the bottom. Apart from that, it’s not harder than a FWD car to work on, though the front of the engine where the belts are usually has less access than in a normal FWD car. If/when I need belts on my MR2, I might just drop the engine. It might be easier than trying to squeeze in between the engine, strut mount, and buttress. I would go for simplicity over anything for a first timer. Try a few cars out and see which has the best clutch feel. Alot of modern cars have incredibly numb feeling clutches. I wouldn’t want to try to learn how to drive a stick on my BRZ.

miadaman? yes please > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 14:40

I’m not terribly familiar with how CL filters their postings but surely there are some listings out there about this type of thing. For convenience sake you’d have to be willing to travel to meet the client (gas $$$) at a safe location and a Facebook page/website will bring you some instant credibility if you decide to go through with it.

trmoore09 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/17/2015 at 14:40

Yea, very good points. I had an E36 and the clutch feel was pretty solid. Maybe I can find a decent one of those for $3-4k. I certainly hope so, that’s almost E36 M3 price range.

trmoore09 > miadaman? yes please
08/17/2015 at 14:50

Yea, good advice. It needs to look like a legit business instead of someone just doing side stuff. Even though it will be side stuff, it needs to be setup and run like a full time business.

Also, CL finally posted it, 30 minutes later. Not sure what the delay was for.

miadaman? yes please > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 15:02

Good luck sir and godspeed.

trmoore09 > miadaman? yes please
08/17/2015 at 15:53

Thanks! I appreciate the insight and feedback.

I Will Always Be The Honey Badger > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 16:15

Mitchell book time to replace clutch on a 2004 2.0 Civic - 6.6Hrs.

On a 2004 Mustang - 3.5Hrs.

As far as year range, I wouldn’t be too concerned. Mustangs aren’t exactly high tech. Anything ‘96 to ‘08 should be fine. I’d be shooting for the nicest car possible within the budget to attract customers.

trmoore09 > I Will Always Be The Honey Badger
08/17/2015 at 16:28

Damn, 6.6 hrs is rough. 3.5 is much better. Good call, the newer/nicer the car, the better for attracting customers. Maybe not so much for clutch cost.

I Will Always Be The Honey Badger > trmoore09
08/17/2015 at 16:32

Clutch price won’t vary much between the years. In any case, there are million cheap upgraded clutches you buy buy for a mustang.

trmoore09 > I Will Always Be The Honey Badger
08/17/2015 at 16:39

Yea, I meant overall car in general. As in a lambo would be better for attracting people if the cost of a clutch job wasn’t astronomical. But I understand what you’re saying.

Doug Waineo > trmoore09
09/08/2015 at 19:35

I just Googled this topic as a potential business idea. I spend 90% of my time online on Jalopnik, so I was thinking along the same lines as you. Save the Manuals! Did you get any hits with the Craigslist ad?

trmoore09 > Doug Waineo
09/09/2015 at 08:36

I actually only got 1 response, but I think part of the problem is craigslist. There’s not a good place to list it. I posted it in the “Automotive Services” area, but I think it would get better traffic in the autos for sale section. However, it would probably get flagged there. I might try it anyways.