@schoeni@Mps Exactly that. With practice when raising the clutch pedal you'll be able to 'feel' the point at which the engine engages with the axle. Balancing that with 'appropriate' revs for uphill/downhill/flat is unique to each vehicle model. Patience.
@Mps By contrast I've only driven automatics twice, one on vacation in Ohio, the other my wife's Toyota (a CVT.) Horrible things, it's like playing a video game! ;)
As @schoeni says, there's no substitute for varied experience.
@Mps I just looked at the fuel economy and emissions figures. Wow! Surely misprints even for a subcompact‽ Totally, awesomely unAmericanStereotype numbers there. ;) Got any optional extras? // @schoeni
@Mps I'm getting around 38 mpg (or 46 mp real gallon) in a very well run-in car in daily suburban running. It's done around 250,000 km or so. If you're getting figures like that you can expect better when the engine loosens up. @bazbt3@schoeni
@Mps Years ago a co-worker's Toyota Hi-Ace van (company-owned) was replaced with the then-new diesel type. He hated the lack of performance, refused to believe it was turbo-charged. Once loosened up it was better than the petrol version. @schoeni@bazbt3
@Mps My personal taste: I dislike my wife's car's interior: unremittingly black and with rear & rear passenger window black tints. It depresses me. And then I think how long it'll take to pay off and it depresses me. She loves it, which is fine. @schoeni
@bazbt3@schoeni my interior is black with orange accents lighting. When I eventually get leather for the seats, they will have color matched orange accents as well
@bazbt3@schoeni eventually, when I get new tires and stuff, I'll likely spring for some better wheels, but they work for now. I'm a modder, so I typically buy cars without a lot of the *bling* features, then add my own
@Mps It's got a really pleasant, modern nose. Yeah, the wheel covers don't work for me either. Hmmm… does modding, however 'gentle', affect your insurance premiums or is that not a factor there? @schoeni
@bazbt3@schoeni nope. It shouldn't. Yes, I hate the wheels as well, but they wanted $1500 for the premium set... nope. For that money I can do wayyyy better
@bazbt3@schoeni this is the first 5 speed I've ever owned. Only real manual drive experience I've had before this was in a 28' moving truck. Big difference
@schoeni There are two classes of driving licence in Australia, manual & automatic. Holders of manual licences can drive either type, automatic licence holders are restricted to automatic only. @bazbt3@Mps
@peemee I think, even if you drive automatic for the rest of your life, learning to drive in a manual forces you to consider things you could be complacent about in an auto, and ultimately makes you a better driver. @schoeni@bazbt3@Mps
@cgiffard The same can be said about learning to drive a semi-trailer combo. I haven't driven one since getting the licence in 1981 but it sure gives you a different perspective. I've driven plenty of rigid trucks, though. @schoeni@bazbt3@Mps
@cgiffard Like what? (As someone who did precisely that and recalls learning little more than how to drive a manual by the experience.) @Mps@bazbt3@schoeni@peemee
@jws Well, it's not a view that necessarily has anything more than experiential basis, but I believe the requirement to constantly pay attention to the state of the engine trains you to be far more attentive overall. @schoeni@bazbt3@Mps@peemee
@jws Whether or not that effect persists considerably beyond the time one last drove a manual car or not, I couldn't necessarily say. It's something that jibes with current research into attention and autonomy though. @schoeni@bazbt3@Mps@peemee
@jws When I go racing (infrequently) — even though most of the cars have automatic or sequential gearboxes, it's something that still requires precise control. Grinding my way through an H-pattern gearbox with my dad helped. @schoeni@bazbt3@Mps@peemee
@Mps Practice. That's what I tell myself. Been driving manual (stick) since 1977. My current car is a 2006 Toyota Yaris 5-door, 5-speed manual with a touchy clutch & a slightly warped flywheel. I still stall it about once every few days.
@Mps About the warped flywheel, my mechanic said it's not worth machining til the clutch needs replacing as about ½ the engine has to be dismantled to get at it. If the clutch shudders, I lift off the clutch and try again. Usually works @bazbt3@schoeni
@Mps I think just take your time at red lights. You're used to going as soon as the light turns green. With a stick it take a little time to get to that sweet spot before it moves. Then once you get it down you'll get faster at it.
@Mps when I learned stick I didn't have an odometer. I think it helped not knowing what the revs were. Sounds like you are already leaning that way too. Haha. @Shawna
@rdo@Mps@Shawna I tell you what is disconcerting: when the tachometer and other instruments except the speedometer/oddometer suddenly shut down but the engine still runs fine. Turned out to be a blown fuse.