Thanks to all the dopers who gave me advice on how to teach a teen to drive a stick. She took the Miata and used it to pass her drivers test today! Woo-hoo!! Very proud of her, she did a great job. I figured she would, as she had it down pat. She even knows how to do that little dance you do when you have to hold the car on a hill–our drive is on a hill and she has to stop at the top to make sure no cars are coming. After a few times rolling down the hill backwards she finally figured it out, I think she is better than most drivers with clutches on hills to be honest!
Freedom is within sight now…I can see the light! No more driving to pick her up after school, etc. I am excited for both of us!
Dweezil is just learning to drive. He’s learning on my CR/V. Ultimately he’ll need to learn to drive manual because **Typo Knig’**s Civic is stick shift and Dweezil will probably inherit that in a year.
This… frightens me. I’m nervous enough about him driving the CR/V where he doesn’t have to remember to shift / clitch. I figure we’ll wait a while before turning him loose on the Civic!!!
A friend whose daughter has been driving manual transmission from day one, swears it’s the best way to go (vs. learning auto then later manual). Interesting counterpoint.
Thanks for the congrats. Just a point of clarification, she learned on an automatic first, only learned the clutch within the last three months. And it was scary but she has been driving now for almost a year. We enrolled her in driving classes as soon as she turned 15. She is much better now than she was a year ago! Good luck with Dweezil!