My wife wants to learn to drive stick!

"ddavidn" (ddavidn)
02/14/2014 at 12:24 • Filed to: wifewin

Yay! Now, who has a manual transmission car that they aren't really attached to... she crashed her automatic into a post at one point, so I can't wait to see what she does to a manual...

Also, she said "guys seem to like that" so I'm not sure what that means, exactly...

DISCUSSION (58)

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:26

She wants to give you an Old Fashion.

Cherry_man1 > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:26

*insert obligatory crotch grab remark here*

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:26

So, gonna test drive some off the lot at the dealer? See how she handles them? haha.

ddavidn > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/14/2014 at 12:26

She definitely does not.

Frosted > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:26

Find a manual Volvo for under 1000 bucks. They seem kinda plentiful. I very nearly bought a 300 dollar 245 just to learn to drive stick on.

crowmolly > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:27

Buy a manual POS car, learn and practice, then dump it.

I taught my wife on a trans that I had planned on rebuilding and a clutch I planned on upgrading in a car with 450 lb-ft and 4.11 gears (so you could start in 4th if you wanted to).

Good times.

ddavidn > Frosted
02/14/2014 at 12:27

Yeah, that would be pretty fun.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:28

Also, she said "guys seem to like that"

ddavidn > crowmolly
02/14/2014 at 12:28

Yup. I have a manual POS actually, but it doesn't idle so it's quite difficult to teach on.

ddavidn > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/14/2014 at 12:29

I see where you got the idea, but it is most definitely not the truth.

ddavidn > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
02/14/2014 at 12:29

Yeah! Let's go try the new WRX! Then we can get one someday!

crowmolly > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:30

Can't just throw a few bucks into it to get a smooth idle back? Like new vacuum lines, maybe IAC valve, etc?

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:30

What guy doesn't like a Handy?

ddavidn > crowmolly
02/14/2014 at 12:31

People (one and a half mechanics) tell me the carburetor's busted and needs to be "replaced". I don't have any money to start replacing things, so I've been trying to figure out what to do with it :\

ddavidn > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/14/2014 at 12:31

I don't believe such a man exists.

crowmolly > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:31

I was *this* close to saying "well, if it's carbed, break out the vacuum gauge and tune that bitch"

Post up, maybe some of us can shed a little light on it. In a lot of cases the carb is just dirty and as dirt in the air bleeds and such.

ddavidn > Frosted
02/14/2014 at 12:32

Also, if you ever see a Volvo for $300 again, send it my way...

RazoE > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:34

My wife learned stick in my Supra, then bought her own Supra. That's when she went from my girlfriend to my wife.

The best advice I can give is as long as you let the clutch out slow, you won't stall. You might burn the clutch a little, but the more you drive the car and learn the engagement point, the easier you can go with the throttle. After that it's second nature.

ddavidn > crowmolly
02/14/2014 at 12:34

Yeah, I should probably post it up. I wouldn't be opposed to rebuilding it if I had the time and money. I guess maybe that's what I'm waiting for. I really want to give it to my brother as his first car, or drive it to work every day as my original plan was.

From what I know (not much!) it doesn't sound like dirt, though. Wouldn't that affect the way it runs as well? Runs fine when your foot is on the gas. I am interested in this vacuum gauge you speak of, though.

ddavidn > RazoE
02/14/2014 at 12:37

Nice! I wouldn't mind a Supra, but she won't give up her Subaru for anything...

RazoE > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:37

Definitely a keeper.

crowmolly > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:38

What kind of carb?

When I tune Holleys I'll use the vacuum gauge to help adjust idle mixture. You go back and forth on the idle mix screws turning each one 1/2 each time while the vacuum level rises.

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/howto/45638/

ddavidn > crowmolly
02/14/2014 at 12:42

Whatever comes attached to a Toyota 3A engine. I want to say it resembles a Weber. I was going to play with the idle screws, but I assumed the mechanic I took it to, a guy familiar with carbs not a young kid that works on imports, would have the common sense to look at that stuff... right?

Christopher Keach > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:42

My suggestion for teaching someone to drive a manual: Start out on flat ground, or even slightly downhill, and have them practice just letting the clutch out without even giving it any gas.

My dad did the opposite, figuring starting uphill is the hardest thing so just get that out of the way and the rest is easy. This led to lots of frustration for both of us! I think feeling the clutch engage and getting that muscle memory built into your left leg is the key to the whole process. Learn that as the foundation and build on it.

Frosted > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:43

What state should I be looking in, good sir?

ddavidn > Frosted
02/14/2014 at 12:44

Washington State, unfortunately it's full of hipsters so that drives up the prices a bit...

ddavidn > Christopher Keach
02/14/2014 at 12:44

Yeah, this is how I taught myself. That's why I can't use my Toyota to teach her. It doesn't idle.

Hermann > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:47

My lady doesn't like automatics. She says she doesn't feel in control of the car. On a manual you really have to WANT to go, to hit a post.

So, this might be good.

Frosted > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:48

Well you're a state away from Oregon, home of IPD, one of the biggest Volvo tuning companies, which means Volvos of old and new galore.

ddavidn > Hermann
02/14/2014 at 12:53

I like your thinking, but I'm thinking your thinking is wrong... But it's ok, we moved to a new place where there's no post to her left. Just my car.

ddavidn > Frosted
02/14/2014 at 12:53

We do have a lot of Volvos, and I actually didn't know IPD was in Oregon... Time to spend some time looking at IPD Volvo porn...

Frosted > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 12:56

Yea, their HQ is in Portland. Exact address is listed on the site. You should make a day trip up there to visit, especially when they have their annual Volvo show. :P

ddavidn > Frosted
02/14/2014 at 12:57

Yeah that would be sweet. I'm due to make a day trip to Portland anyway. The aforementioned wife, however, doesn't like visiting car-related attractions...

Frosted > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 13:01

Just tell her you're looking for a good manual car and need to talk to some experts. Maybe she'll buy that.

ddavidn > Frosted
02/14/2014 at 13:05

Ha, but she wouldn't let me buy a car, even if I could... so...

Frosted > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 13:07

Pfft what's 3-500 bucks compared to the miles of smiles a RWD, manual wagon would give her?

ddavidn > Frosted
02/14/2014 at 13:10

I'm thinking she'll always want her miles of smiles in her Subaru hatchagon to be automatic, but it could be worse...

Maybe if I sold my Toyota I could get a Volvo...

Frosted > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 13:11

That would be the best decision you could make. You're butt will thank you for the seats alone.

ddavidn > Frosted
02/14/2014 at 13:12

Oh but my butt loves the crap outta my BMW's seats... I accept your challenge, though, as I've not sat in a Volvo wagon to compare.

Brewman15 > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 13:13

Well, the clutch in my car is almost shot. So, she can learn on my old Honda, because, let's face it, she can't make it worse.

Frosted > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 13:14

It's like sitting on a living room couch. I sat in my girlfriends Toyota which felt like sitting on a pile of rocks in comparison.

ddavidn > Brewman15
02/14/2014 at 13:19

Fantastic! She can learn on that, then I can learn how to replace a clutch. I'll be by to pick up the car tonight.....

ddavidn > Frosted
02/14/2014 at 13:20

My Toyota isn't too uncomfortable. I've sat in a lot worse. The newer Toyotas do feel like a slab of cement though. Actually, a lot of the Japanese cars do.

Frosted > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 13:21

Once you sit in the Volvo, I can guarantee you won't want to go back haha.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 13:37

Haha, I have next to no experience with driving stick, I've always wondered how the heck I'll manage buying one, because I WILL. Just a matter of time. I guess I can just tell the sales person he has to teach me, lol. I could probably figure it out anyway, I've done it here and there, but not much.

ddavidn > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
02/14/2014 at 13:44

I bought my first stick and had my dad drive it home, then taught myself. New cars aren't hard though. They do a lot of stuff for you. They have clutch delay valves, hill-holders...

Stef Schrader > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 13:56

So, bone stock cheap Miata time. I got SUUUUUUPER frustrated trying to learn stick on peoples' track cars. Modified clutches, pedals, flywheels and all kinds of shenanigans make that the equivalent of tossing someone in the ocean and saying "Here you go. SWIM OR DIE ."

Carbs suck, too. Flood yo' car = fail.

Lightweight, stock cars with fairly easy clutches, though? Dude. Makes you feel like you rule after all that. So, start there. Get a beater.

ddavidn > Stef Schrader
02/14/2014 at 13:58

Oh yeah. When I find a cheap bone stock Miata I'm buying it for myself and selling my car. But it hasn't happened yet. Not that I could afford it if I found one anyway...

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 14:03

Ah right on. That'd help, haha. I almost owned my first manual about 1-2 years ago, a 92 F350 crewcab diesel. But the seller turned out to be waaaay too shady. I was really bummed for many days. It was cheap and would have been a fun toy.

ddavidn > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
02/14/2014 at 14:05

For sure. Too bad. Mine was a $500 2000 Focus with the Zetec. It was probably the "best" car I've ever had. Until the computer crapped itself.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > ddavidn
02/14/2014 at 14:08

time to convert to carburetors!

ddavidn > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
02/14/2014 at 14:10

Well no, my second $500 has scared me away from carbs for life... Or for now, at least...

Frosted > ddavidn
02/15/2014 at 02:37

http://eugene.craigslist.org/cto/4331466374…

Saracen > ddavidn
02/15/2014 at 03:49

My ex was very adept with the stick...

...she could drive a manual really well too.

ddavidn > Frosted
02/15/2014 at 13:54

Aw why do people lower things... That seems like more of a $750 car to me, what do you think?

Frosted > ddavidn
02/15/2014 at 16:06

Lowered springs are often cheaper than OEM replacements, unless he cut them. I would email him and ask what the "quirks" are. $1000 bucks isn't bad and he might take 800 since the odo isn't working.

ddavidn > Frosted
02/15/2014 at 16:20

Well, I don't really have that much money. But it's cool to know what's out there for sale anyway.

Weather and Darkness > ddavidn
02/24/2014 at 15:44

I read this as "My wife wants you to learn to drive stick!"
And i was all like:
"Well that's nice of her, it's a pity i've had so few cars around so equipped.... Wait, Hermann, you're wife isn't suggesting ...that.is she.? i have to double check that i read this right"