[lucidspoon]

My girlfriend always makes jokes that I'd never let her drive my tC, but she's never really asked to when we're going anywhere. We were about to run to Walmart last night, and I guess she finally got up the courage to ask. heh. I knew she hadn't driven a manual in quite a while, so I expected some jerkiness, but what worried me was when she asked, "Do I have to push the clutch in to start it?" Reminded me of the first time I tried to drive my dad's '73 Beetle before knowing how to drive a stick. We got to Walmart with some jerking along the way, but nothing too bad. Then, when we parked, she asked, "Do I leave it in neutral?" I told her she could, but she'd have to put the parking brake on, but I usually just put it in 1st when I park it. So, she put it in 1st, and as I'm getting out, the car shakes violently and dies. HA! I was like, "Well, that's one way of turning it off..." She freaked out and was like, "What happened?!?" I reminded her that you can't let off the clutch if the car's on and stopped and you're in gear. hehehe.

 

[FiremanNick]

Ha Ha... You're a good sport for laughing it off. I had the exact same thing happen to me when I was teaching my girlfriend how to drive my tC.

Boy they look awfully cute when they get all embarassed, don't they?

Good luck with the rest of the "shotgun" experiences!

 

[Obike]

Hah, I have yet to teach a woman how to drive stick... I have taught a couple of my friends though.

Usually they have problems with me explaining the mechanics of it (even the engineers)... so I usually give them the following speach (albeit a more elaborate one).

"It's like making love to a woman... you can't just force it, let off to soon or give too much at the beginning. It's all about smooth transitions and getting there while working multiple parts."

They usually improve drastically after that... maybe because they fear the explanation I provide after they keep messing up?

 

[zoltiz]

This thread is much better than ScionLife's "My girlfriend drove my tC and did not rev match, so now my car will neve be the same" threads.

I gave a refresher course to a coworker's wife before she was going to Europe, all was good except I had to warranty my floor mats next day - high heels, carpeted floor mats and nervous clutching don't mix.

 

[easyrider]

To my horror, my boyfriend gave up on teaching me to drive a clutch. He had no patience, started me out the first time in city traffic, and I was reduced to tears the third time I stalled at a light.

I have no idea why I had so much trouble because I am very athletic and, I thought, pretty smart and used to driving a truck. I think he just had no patience. The next time I try, it will be with a woman trainer.

 

[gottc?]

2 basic principals: give it gas & let the clutch out SLOWLY. i recently taught my older sister how to drive a stick shift. haha, not mine though!(oh yeah, if there's somewhere where there's almost no traffic that helps too

)

 

[MustangJolly]

Ahhhhhh the learning process, although i picked it up in a day... i don't think it'll be a long time before i become a "pro" i still consider myself below average... hopefully the more i drive the better we all get..

I still sometimes get nervous when i'm at a hill and someone is right up my butt.. but take my time and do my thang..

 

[viva_la_tc]

From the Other Side: I've taught three GUYS to drive sticks... and I'm a girl!! I let them drive my Jeep Wrangler, they were terrible at first but have gotten really good.