Manual/Standard Driving School Recommendations?

[Free Willy]

I'd like to learn to drive standard, but everyone I know drives auto, so I'm thinking of paying for some lessons. Can anyone recommend a good instructor/school? Suggestions are appreciated, thanks!

ETA: Also, typically speaking, how long do you think it takes the average person to learn to drive stick? And how much should I expect to pay for a course? I've googled a bit, and it seems like $200-$400 for 5-7 hours?

[BladeX]

You dont have your own manual car right? If not, prices are about there. If you have your own, look at about 20-40 / hr (crazy... hey if you got your own car ill teach u ;) )

[Free Willy]

Unfortunately, I don't own a manual. Actually, the reason I want to learn is so I'll have the option of purchasing a car with manual transmission! :lol:

Thanks for the offer though! It's appreciated.

[BradT]

www.shifters.ca

My wife used them and she is driving like a pro. Highly recommended.

[EscaBoi]

Pick up a beater for like $500 and just drive around in your neighbourhood. Better than wasting the $200-$400 for a 1 day lesson.

[maxgohan]

pay me $200 and i'll teach you :D

[speedster7]

Pick up a beater for like $500 and just drive around in your neighbourhood. Better than wasting the $200-$400 for a 1 day lesson.

That's a great way to learn how to use the stick :)

[Free Willy]

www.shifters.ca

My wife used them and she is driving like a pro. Highly recommended.
I found them when I googled, but pretty much crossed them off my list because they seem much more expensive than any of the other places I came across. Will take your recommendation into consideration, though. Thanks!

Pick up a beater for like $500 and just drive around in your neighbourhood. Better than wasting the $200-$400 for a 1 day lesson.
Sounds like a great plan! Just a couple of problems though. I don't know the first thing about driving stick and wouldn't know what to do even if I had a car. And since I don't know how to drive it, I wouldn't be able to get it home in the first place. =D I'd also have to worry about selling the thing after I'm done with it. I'll probably just look around for a school. =/

[Free Willy]

pay me $200 and i'll teach you :D
Brampton's rather far to travel for an hour or so of instruction. =D

[EscaBoi]

Sounds like a great plan! Just a couple of problems though. I don't know the first thing about driving stick and wouldn't know what to do even if I had a car. And since I don't know how to drive it, I wouldn't be able to get it home in the first place. =D I'd also have to worry about selling the thing after I'm done with it. I'll probably just look around for a school. =/
Do what I did. I bought my car without knowing how to drive stick but eventually learned after the first day. I got the owner to drop the car off at my house.

The concept of standard is very simple, do a search on google on "how to drive standard" and there will be a million web sites giving you information. It's natural that you will stall at first, so don't feel ashamed. Practice on your street (hopefully it's dead or not busy). No need to really get plates or insure it, just drive it around the small streets in your neighbourhood and when you're done, just park it in the drive way.

It's a beater, so you're going to be to be spending less than $1000 on it anyways. Better than spending $500-$1000 on lessons for a few days and then have nothing to drive after that until you purchase a new car.

[HBP]

YouTube videos can help you.

You'll learn the concept and it's easy to apply. Just scope out the area where you're purchasing and avoid any hills after purchasing.

[careener]

+1 for shifters.ca

[BeaverLiquor]

if you want to read about it before getting into a car http://www.standardshift.com/index.html

[pacman99]

Sounds like a great plan! Just a couple of problems though. I don't know the first thing about driving stick and wouldn't know what to do even if I had a car.

I learned how to drive on an auto but I always wanted to drive stick. So I got a beater (95 pontiac sunfire), manual, and just tried to drive...eventually I got the hang of it. After a year of practicing, I decided I was ready to get a better car.
Been driving manual for 3 years now.
I too was thinking of getting driving lessons for manual but now that I look back, I did just fine without them.
It's simple. I was told how to drive manual by my dad and his friend (they gave me a 5 min ORAL walkthrough of how to drive manual.) They used their HANDS to explain lol and I still ended up figuring it out.
Worse comes to worse, just get a friend who knows how to drive manual to explain it to you. It's really not worth paying for driving lessons.

[M-e-X-x]

get a friend to teach u... or rent one for a week... that's how i learned.. rented and my dad taught me..

[TenzoR]

pay me $200 and i'll teach you :D

until he learns or until you give up? :lol: :lol:

[maxgohan]

until he learns or until you give up? :lol: :lol:

most likely until he learns, if he doesn't by a decent amount of time you gotta be pretty stupid lol

[bending_unit_22]

most likely until he learns, if he doesn't by a decent amount of time you gotta be pretty stupid lol

It's nothing to do with stupidity. Some people are clumsy or have problems with muscle memory. Stick comes easy to some, others just say it does, and others struggle and or give up.