I taught my wife on a WRX. We went to a huge parking lot and we started by just learning the clutch and when it engages/disengaged.
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Do you and your wife a favor. 100% get the automatic. It is a great transmission. You don’t want her first impression of your awesome new Bronco to be a frustrating event. Happy wife, happy life.I want to buy the manual transmission Badlands. But, my biggest concern with this being my daily driver, is there will always be a few times a month where my wife needs to drive my car (and me drive hers, for seating for our 4 kids).
Facts about my wife:
I'm assuming these newer manual transmissions are very very forgiving - compared to the 1990 Honda Accord I drove 25 years ago...?
- We are late 30's, and she's never driven a stick
- She doesn't like trying new things
- She doesn't like the idea of a stick shift
- She would be mortified if she stalled the truck in the middle of an intersection - even if just for a few seconds
I haven't owned a stick since I got married (17 years), but want to badly. Can I teach her? Or more likely, can I have my Dad (much more patient than I) teach her? Or is it not worth the stress and I should just get the Auto and 2.7?
YES I left went fishing she taught herselfI want to buy the manual transmission Badlands. But, my biggest concern with this being my daily driver, is there will always be a few times a month where my wife needs to drive my car (and me drive hers, for seating for our 4 kids).
Facts about my wife:
I'm assuming these newer manual transmissions are very very forgiving - compared to the 1990 Honda Accord I drove 25 years ago...?
- We are late 30's, and she's never driven a stick
- She doesn't like trying new things
- She doesn't like the idea of a stick shift
- She would be mortified if she stalled the truck in the middle of an intersection - even if just for a few seconds
I haven't owned a stick since I got married (17 years), but want to badly. Can I teach her? Or more likely, can I have my Dad (much more patient than I) teach her? Or is it not worth the stress and I should just get the Auto and 2.7?
So why is it so important to get a stick? My wife drives a stick very well, but we are now in our late fifties and don’t want the headache in busy traffic. I had enough of that with my four speed Z28. Are you really going to need a manual more than the times your wife will need to drive it?I want to buy the manual transmission Badlands. But, my biggest concern with this being my daily driver, is there will always be a few times a month where my wife needs to drive my car (and me drive hers, for seating for our 4 kids).
Facts about my wife:
I'm assuming these newer manual transmissions are very very forgiving - compared to the 1990 Honda Accord I drove 25 years ago...?
- We are late 30's, and she's never driven a stick
- She doesn't like trying new things
- She doesn't like the idea of a stick shift
- She would be mortified if she stalled the truck in the middle of an intersection - even if just for a few seconds
I haven't owned a stick since I got married (17 years), but want to badly. Can I teach her? Or more likely, can I have my Dad (much more patient than I) teach her? Or is it not worth the stress and I should just get the Auto and 2.7?
Driving a stick has nothing toCar & Driver just published a pretty good article on "Learn to drive a manual with this one easy trick". I had stumbled on this method with our 4th child after having a difficult time with the first three. I think you can learn to drive a stick on just about any reasonably powered vehicle. Harder on something underpowered or overpowered. Bronco with the turbo I4 and low rpm torque aught to be just about ideal. Have fun and happy family driving!
Well give a little revs at #6 to prevent stalling and be able to start promptly if needed!Wife bought a Focus ST with only 1 or 2 lessons - has been driving it ever since. The amount of torque makes it tougher to stall - similarly teaching in a bronco with the crawler gear will make it near impossible and allow her to get a feel of clutch engagement.
Also the hill-start assist will alleviate some of the hill anxiety.
Having taught countless people stick shift I would recommend repeating steps 5-7 100x over to gain plenty of confidence and slowly picking up the rate of clutch release before ever adding the gas pedal or shifting to second:
1) Find flat parking lot
2) Place in first, shut engine off
3) Student hops in
4) Teach them how to start
5) Shift to neutral, foot on brake, other foot off clutch on the floor (newbies love to ride a clutch)
6) Shift to first, off brake, and as SLOW as physically possible release the clutch (NO GAS PEDAL)
7) Once moving, STILL NO GAS PEDAL, clutch-in, brake and shift to neutral once at a stop
EDIT: Also love this video
I have not been to the North Beach area (where Bimbo is located in S.F.) for over a decade. Used to walk by Bimbo everyday in the mid & late 80's when I was in my teens.First time I drove there was in a 4-speed at night and it was raining. I had to parallel park on a hill, but me and a couple of friends were going to a show at Bimbo's "by any means necessary" haha.