[e90bandit]

I am about to pick up a manual 325i. The deal is done, and I know that I want a manual.

Heres my problem. I dont feel comfortable driving manual and I am worried that I could damage the car\clutch taking it off of the lot. All of my cars have been automatics. I have only driven a manual for a matter of minutes on a friends accord in a parking lot, and that was years ago.

And I dont have access to practice on a manual before I pick the car up. Is it feasible to rent a manual car from enterprise or avis?

Or am I worrying over nothing? I DO know how to drive a manual (in theory). I just dont have much practical experience.

What do you guys think? Can I wing it and pick the car up or should I get some sort of a lesson from a driving school or rent a manual from a car rental company (if they even carry them).

-Aaron

[xdrive]

I suggest you invite a friend on the day of the delivery. Have him/her drive the car off the dealer and to a area where you can learn how to drive the manual.

[canucklion]

^ I agree with xdrive. And yes, do rent some el cheapo manual transmissioned cars to practice on, I'm not sure if big name rental companies would have manual cars, but usually smaller local ones do, try those.

[Nikki]

They don't carry manual transmission cars at rental companies except for maybe luxury/exotic places. I don't think it will be that hard to learn, just take it to a parking lot and go easy on it. You're better off giving it a little more gas and hurting the clutch a little than stalling it harshly.

[MoreCowbell]

I respect your decision to get a manual even though you don't know how to drive it.

I wish I had your guts...

[Refujeet]

Get your dealer to through in a couple lessons. When my girl friend got a manual, her parents made the dealer give her 3 lessons a week with a dealer car until delivery.

Not only did she learn, she got really good at it...

...Gotta love a girl who can drive a stick

[Punamo]

I concurr that you should bring a family/friend who knows how to operate a manual car. Go to an empty parking lot with lots of space and practice there.

If you could, find a cheap manual car to practice on first. Do you ride bikes? If you do then it's exactly the same concept.

Don't worry about letting go of the clutch too soon. The clutch is protected by CDV (clutch delay valve) to a certain extend, just make sure you give it decent gas (2000rpm is ok). It makes all the experienced stick drivers look like amateurs and them adjusting to it takes as much time as you adjusting to your new car (I'm still adjusting to my clutch after 3 weeks of having the car, and I've been driving mostly stick shifts for 13 years).

Others please correct me if I'm giving wrong info, don't want to damage OP's car.

[325er]

I stongly disagree with the posts that you should learn on your brand spanking new Bimmer. I cringe at the thought of the burning clutch smell, or the violent stalling. In my city there is a driving school called Shifters which teaches manual transmission driving exclusively. Find a school and learn this way, so when you get your BMW you will only have to learn to adjust to the car, not learn how to drive stick. Bad idea.

[Scarabeo]

If my wife could learn how to drive a manual, so will you...I rented a manual car for her to practice with - best thing I ever did...you will be amazed at how the clutch feels in the e90, especially with the CDV which eliminates that so-called "clutch grab".....

[HRC]

The E90 has a very easy MT to drive...once you learn how to drive...

Danny

[foofighter]

my wife can not only drive a stick but god dam she speed shifts better than me even with the occassional blip of the throttle! LOL

So you can learn...and isnt the warranty covering the clutch too

[Nikki]

Yeah, it really isn't that hard. I learned within a few hours in a parking lot and didn't stall once.

[WA_Bimmer]

If you had the basic mechanics in mind, then go at it with the new bimmer. It's easy to get used to, and if you stall your car a few times, in the long run, it won't make that much of a difference. After all, you can be driving for tens of thousand miles on the car, and something entirely different may ruin the car (knock on wood). Plus, my CA at my dealership said as long as you go easy on it the first 300 miles, it won't be bad.

Enjoy it! We all have to learn; next time you buy a more expensive manual, you'll be glad you've mastered the MT already.

[climkt]

first of all , e90bandit, congrats on a gutsy and adventurous move! u definitely made a good choice to drive the ultimate driving machine the way it is meant to be driven. more fun, quicker pick up and more fuel economy with a more durable transmission compared to auto.
u MUST MUST take some lessons preferably in a learner vehicle and not your own spanking new beemer.
u will have failed takeoffs initially, but perservere and u will get the hang of it. u must practise hill starts too. auto drivers are pampered bacause the car holds its position on slopes for u, unlike manuals.
it is kinda like learning to ride a bicycle during your childhood, painful initially but a real joy when u finally succeed. well done and good luck!

[blke90man]

The e90 has hill assist though...which makes hill starts much easier.

[climkt]

hi blke90man, is that your RR too? don't think e90 hill assist works on manuals, if it did , it aint a real manual car.

[blke90man]

Originally Posted by climkt

hi blke90man, is that your RR too? don't think e90 hill assist works on manuals, if it did , it aint a real manual car.

My friend's dad is an exec for RR so when we went to England last summer that was the car we got driven around in...its amazing...and I'm going back in July! I'm pretty sure that the e90 holds for a couple seconds when your on a hill, but I could be wrong...I have step.

[climkt]

hill assist or holding on slopes only works for steps. i had a prev e46 step. sorry, would not work on manual e90. anyway, which part of the UK are u going? july to sept - best time for a UK visit. u definitely do not want to see the 'cold , wet and grey' british weather to make u SAD-seasonal affective disorder.

[blke90man]

Originally Posted by climkt

hill assist or holding on slopes only works for steps. i had a prev e46 step. sorry, would not work on manual e90. anyway, which part if the UK are u going? july to sept - best time for a UK visit. u defintely do not want to see the 'cold , wet and grey' british weather to make u SAD-seasonal affective disorder.

I'll be about 2 hours south of London near Goodwood and Chichester. I'll be there in July.

[yaja]

WOW! Isn't this something that you should have thought of prior to making the decision to buy a manual. I mean, not the decision to purchase a manual, but learning to drive one. I agree with 325er. I would not risk learning to drive a stick on a 40,000+ vehicle. Someone asked if the clutch is covered under the warranty. I would not think so in the case of neglect. If you tear up the clutch having known that you do not know how to drive a stick then I dont think it should be covered under the warranty. GOOD LUCK!

[reardensteel]

I found it is easier to learn to drive a MT when it's in a nice car (with a good clutch). I tried to learn with my oldest brother in his crappy Honda Civic (many years ago). It had a crap clutch and long throws. There was a lot of gear grinding and harsh words from him. A year or so later my other brother's wife took me to the same high school parking lot and I learned in the $35,000+ (back then a lot of money). Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4. It had short throws and a great clutch. Hardly had a problem at all and I drove the car home.

Later I was the one doing the teaching for my girlfriend - who is now my wife of 9 years. Having said all that, have someone drive the car home from the lot...because when my brother got the Mitsi he couldn't get it home by himself!

[stressdoc]

Aaron, you are the best equipped to make the decision. When you drove your friends accord, was it easy or hard?

I have found it easy to teach anyone to drive a manual quickly. The key is to let the clutch up by increments until you feel it start to have some friction, then leave it right there until the car starts moving, then slowly let it in the rest of the way. That is, let your left foot raise slowly until you start to feel the clutch grab -- stop raising it right there, just keep it at the same place and do not let the clutch grab too much -- with your right foot give it a little, emphasis on little unless you are on a hill, more gas. Alternatively, you can practice with no gas at all, just use the clutch ever so gently. As the car begins rolling you can now finish gradually letting in the clutch. Do not give too much gas, just a little, don't let it rev above 2,000. Shift into 2nd, 3rd etc. by simultaneously letting off gas and pushing in clutch, changing gears, slowly letting up clutch, slowly back on gas.

The mistake most people make initially is to let the clutch in too quickly, or to give it too much gas. Be relaxed. Once you become comfortable with feeling the point at which the clutch begins to grab -- usually about 2" from the top -- and being able to stop and use that point to gradually get the car moving, it's easy.

The other key thing is to check everything else before you get started -- you do not want to look down at your feet, keep vision where it normally would be. No other distractions. Make sure you have planned where you will be driving and feel comfortable about it. Make sure handbrake is off.