Hi. I've been carshopping for a long time now, and decided to start looking at sport compacts, since Camrys and Accords are dull. I found out about the Cobalt, and the SS SuperCharged looks awesome. While doing my research on the Cobalt, I found this site. I'm about 95% sure I want one (the supercharger really sold me), but the only problem is that it's a stick shift.

I've had 4 different cars in the past, however all of them have been automatic. I've never learned to drive a stick shift, and all of my friends have automatic transmissions as well.

The only thing keeping me from going to a GM dealer and buying a Cobalt is this issue.

Anyone got any ideas for how I can learn to drive a stick? Obviously driving schools wouldn't teach that, since the people new to that would wear out their clutches extremely fast, and I have no other way to learn. I know I want to get a Cobalt, and rather than choosing another car or a different trim that offers an automatic transmission (so please don't suggest these), I'd like to find out a way to learn to drive manual.

Thanks for any help I may get.

 

Are you familiar with the process of driving a manual?

 

Umm, sorta... I know you start in neutral, press down on the clutch, shift to 1st, accelerate, and then shift up from there. I know as you accelerate, you shift up gears, I know that you have to push down on the clutch every time you shift up, and that the timing has to do with the RPM's, however I have no clue as to the RPM numbers you should do to shift up, or anything about it really. I know extremely little.

 

Ok, you got the basics. Trick is to not fully let out the clutch when you are starting from a stop. Let it slip a little. I find the SS Supercharged easy to stall, so don't get discourged when you have trouble. ( I drove stick for a year in city traffic before getting mine, an I still stalled it numerous times on the test drive)

The trick is to not watch the tach all the time, but listen to the engine. While you are driving your auto, listen for the engine. You will notice just before it shifts the engine rpm doesn't sound like it is changing, or is changing very slower. That is your indication to shift.

 

My best advise is to find a friend or family member with a stick & try driving it or you could maybe try to find a car rental service & rent a stick ether you or a family member & then give that a try as I would for sure drie a stick before you buy one just in case it's just not for you as I'd hate to buy a car I didn't like driving & be stuck with the payment

Sticks are fun in my opinion but as my school had one of the first sticks in drivers ed & I was lucky enough to have me & 2 girls in my class & man did I get in trouble for laughing alot I think you have to love to drive a stick to have one for a daily driver as there is alot of things you can't do while driving a stick.
Also f you live in an area with alot of hills make dure to practice taking off from a stop light or stop sign on a hill as thats what make my wife not what to drive my Cobalt as she has a hard time taking off with out rolling backwards on a hill

 

Just buy the car and learn from there. You got the basics behind it. Its really not hard to drive a manual transmission car. Its a lot more fun then an Auto too.

But, I never drove or learned how to drive a car with a stick until I was 22. I learned how the day I bought my old 330Ci BMW. You just have to have a stick shift car and be willing to learn how to drive it. But, please if you do, start in a big, open, empty parking lot. That gives you a lot of room to learn and a place where you can make mistakes and not screw up traffic.

Once you learn how and drive one a lot, you'll never buy or drive an automatic again

 

I taught myself. Several years ago, I needed a car and the one I could afford was a manual. I bought it, had to go right in to work and deliver pizzas. I self taught myself to drive the thing while delivering pizza. It's not hard to learn at all.

As for never driving an automatic again, well that's not entirely true. Two years ago, I needed a car, and was out to get a Cavalier. Test drove a manual and I didn't like the way they shifted on the Cavaliers so I got an automatic. I ended up trading it for the SS/SC last month.

 

What you could do is go to the dealer and just tell him you barely know how to drive standard. I did and he drove the car for a bit while explaining how to start and shift and all this. Then he stopped and let my try it out. It doesn't take long at all to learn enough to get your car going. Never ended up getting the car because I was losing like 3500 (11000 owed 7500 trade in) bucks on my trade in 2003 SX 2.0. Turns out my car is just not worth lots so I should have gone for it. Maybe I'll go looking again and just suck it up.

 

i learned on my cobalt, just buy it, have someone that knows how drive it home, then just kinda drive it around for a little bit close to home to get the hang of it, only takes about a week to be able to drive them normally, then its like riding a bike, you just know how and you dont really even think about it anymore it just comes natural

 

The clutch on the SS/SC (At least mine) is like butter and very smooth. You should have no problem learning.

 

I learned to drive stick in my last car, a 2003 Sunfire GT. And I'm like 30 now, so it's never too late to learn. I was kinda familiar with the process, had a friend show me a few things, then took the car home so I was forced to learn. And I did.

But damn I was kinda hard on that car, and I'm happy that it's gone and I don't have to learn on my new baby.

I know you said to please not suggest a different trim that offers an automatic, but you are aware that they offer a non-supercharged but still quite powerful SS with a 2.4L engine that you can get in an automatic right? I actually prefered the 2.4L NA over the 2.0L SC for a few reasons, which is why I bought one (but I did buy a stick).

If you want to learn, more power to you. Just be aware of all your options

 

I learned to drive a stick on my SS/SC and the best advice i can give is...

*DON'T LOOK AT THE TACH TO LEARN WHEN TO SHIFT!!!*

I don't know if i can stress this enough. It's all about sound and feel, you might be discouraged at first, but after you get the "feel" part down, it's really easy.

 

Good advice. I had to totally live without my stereo for awhile so I could hear the revs and get "in tune" with the car. After a short while (and maybe some engine mounts lol) you'll be feeling it.

 

If you're in Chicago, there's a place called Motorcycle Riding's Cool (get it?) that recently started teaching how to drive stick shifts. They teach you in a Mini Cooper, which is kind of cool. I'm sure there's somewhere you can go to learn.

 

Several driving schools in my area teach "how to drive a manual". If you are interested in going that way make a few calls. A lot of good advise on here, not that hard to learn. A few hours practice and you will be there.

 

I did'nt know how to drive a stick till I drove mine off the lot. Did'nt even go for a test drive. It wasnt as bad as I thought after a few stalls at green lights you will pick it up, lol. Good luck. Get the SS it will be worth it.

 

Best way to learn, buy the car. If that's the car you really, really want, buy it. I drove mine off the lot without EVER driving a manual transmission. The dealer gave me a 5 minute how to on getting the car started and then handed me the keys. I completely taught myself, I wouldn't even let anyone drive my car until I got good at it (about 2 weeks until I started getting smooth and had hills pretty much down.

 

Didn't know how to drive stick when I bought mine. Only takes about 30 minutes to learn and about a week to master. Trust me, it's not that hard. If you can get someone who knows how to drive it do that, and watch their feet as they take off, that's what did it for me. My only catch was my car was on the showroom floor, and when the salesman asked me if I wanted to drive it out of the building I had to decline

 

yeah i learn in one week!,, oh and you could meet some from this site to show you how to drive a stick!

 

Thanks for all the advice Now I know I'm not alone in this problem.

I've decided to go to some dealerships tomorrow and try to find one with the options I want

 

Hahaha good luck getting someone to let you learn how to drive stick in their SS/SC! My car has already been a learning car. No worse for the wear either it appears, wouldn't push my luck with yet another stick newbie driver...

 

Gramps, do you still have your SS/SC or did you trade it/sell it for your GTO i see in your sig or do you own both cars?

 

Well i had a 30 minute test in my friends jetta on how to drive manual before i took the SS/SC off teh lot. Had my buddy with me when i picked it up but i was driving. Stalled at first, then managed to get out of the dealership where i drove it for 2 minutes to a deserted parking lot. from there i played around with it for about 20 minutes. was still terrible at driving it. let my friend drive back to the dealer so he could grab his truck and head out. then i was on my own. actually managed to get it home after stalling many times and that rapid shake when getting into first gear. for the first week yeah i stalled many times. even in high traffic areas lol but it was interesting that nobody honked or anything even though i was sittin there for a good 10 seconds sometimes. Second week was not as bad, still stalled a lot and scared to drive it. worst part is a high hill, OMFG can it be bad, learn that before you get to one. going from 6 years in automatic to a standard, the Biggest thing to remember is at a stop, you are in Nuetral till you toss it in gear and start moving Forward which means if theres a slope Always keep your ******* foot on that brake till you are Ready to move. otherwise you'll be looking in your mirror and that car behind you gets closer and closer till something bad happens :p. same night i picked it up i met with MI6 and he taught me all the what to and what not to do's of driving manual. we even practiced a few hill starts. the first two weeks going up the hill to work i used my parking brake till i started to move and then tossed it down. last week however i didnt use it at all and was successful in getting it moving! this is my third week into the car and honesly, i love it more and more everytime i drive it or even think about it. i actually had a nightmare of someone stealing my car, honest to god, woke up and looked out the window to make sure it was there. the first two weeks were the worst. i've read however you cant hurt the car from stalling, only your pride :p. i still practice getting the car going. sometimes it will start going then move back and forward rapidly in first till i get it in second, still trying to master that. but after about your third week you should realize that you can get the car going, even though you may encounter a few of those back and forth things, you won't be scared anymore and the car becomes something funner then you can imagine. i've even practiced some racing style driving so im prepared and i can actually can do it 80% of the time, just a quick acceration then pretty fast letting go on the clutch and im gone. all you need to do is learn to drive manual then the fear goes away and you will LOVE THIS CAR. dont hump it in public however cops will fine you for that.

 

hahahaha sounds like me =) I have never owned a standard yet, but I drove my cousins and my buddys whenever we went out... They let me drive, and I get my SSSC in the next few days and its 5 speed, I would never buy another auto!

But they always got aggrivated because whenever I drove i was like "Turn that damn **** off" so I could listen to the engine

Plus once you get the hang of your own car its so much easier, and you learn the sweet spots etc! Learn it man!

BTW, I test drove the SS, and it I didn't find it easy to stall..