LOL. I haven't learned manual either yet, but I'm only 16. I'm waiting for one of my friends to get a manual, so I can just use their car

 

no kidding. you'd think after all these years they would have nailed it, but honda, porsche, and bmw still have the best and smoothest manual trannies out there. others just plain out suck. even toyota, their gear box is very notchy. my is300 was horrible, both me and my wife hated it. now on the m3 we love how the car shifts

learning how to drive a manual is fast. for me it took about 2 hours, even my wife it was like one or two evenings. but how to drive it good, smooth, and not jerky that's a totally different story. that takes a lot of practice to get a "feel" with cars in general. not to mention skills like double clutch or heel toe, etc...

i agree with people that even if you drive auto, it's good and important to know how to drive a stick. knowing how to drive manual actually makes you a better driver

 

btw, rental cars are good for learning sticks.

Unfortunately in the US they no longer rent sticks, but my last 2 visits to Mexico I was able to rent Nissan cars with sticks.

I agree that Honda/Porsche/BWM and Mazda Miata sticks are the best.

 

Learning: easy & you never forget how.

My friend just bought an E30 325i (convertable) & I hopped and away we went. I've been away from manual for about 2yrs and now one of the requirements for the E46 I'm looking for is must be manual. Auto seems to boring now that I get to play with his car!

 

Yeah, I would never buy an auto BMW. I would never buy an auto Saab.

 

LOL after living in the Bay Area for over 23 years that's the first I've heard that.

/agreed with just about everything here.

I'm actually quite surprised that Toyota can't seem to get it right. I drove the 2IS MT and it left me feeling empty inside.... I ended up with an auto partly because of all the problems people were reporting with the transmission.

 

I learned to drive manual on a truck just to buy a 5spd S14(my old car) and some day buy a S2000 which only came stick.
I suggest in buying something dirt cheap to learn stick on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbHuJOBsgSE

-To turn the car on press the clutch and turn the key

***1st gear is the hardest gear to conquer for beginners***

-To move forward, press the clutch, select 1st gear, and SLOWLY give it gas while simultaneously SLOWLY letting go of the clutch.

-Fully let go of the clutch once the vehicle begins moving on it's own

-Fully press down on the clutch, select 2nd gear, give gas and ease off the clutch the fully release and repeat for 3rd,4th, 5th,and or 6th gear

 

As others have said, learning is not hard; it is getting the finesse of it which takes time. I learned manuals by driving U-Haul trucks and then graduated to tractor trailers. Most of those were only 10 speeds. Pretty much manual shift, stacked on top of each other. Just takes a little time and ALOT of practice.

 

Lexus makes horrible manuals. Be glad the IS-F has the 8 speed

 

Lexus is affiliated with Subaru. Toyota owns a significant amount of Subaru for that matter. Subaru has a 6MT that can handle alot. The revised 6MT going into the Legacy 2.5i and GT weighs 50 lbs. less than the 6MT in the current STi and Spec B. The IS-F could have this MT. The GS could have this MT. I know that the Lexus owners I know would smile at this prospect.

 

Lets hope so

 

if that's the case i hope it's better than the other toyota/lexus MT i have driven

 

I would agree that Honda and BMW manuals are at the top end of the list. My SC300 5sp, which I drove for 2.5 years, never felt as smooth as the Civic Si/Prelude/M3/528/540/M5 sticks that I drove for a short time (all belonged to my friends)

sigh I want a manual again

 

I think its lot easier to learn manual on a bike then it is on a car; my dad made all of us take the basic MSF course after we got our drivers license, and they did a very good job of explaining the transmission and how it works. First time I drove a MT car, it felt like the transmission on a bike...even then, the engine died on me a few times

 

I know some guys who swapped their 5MTs out of their Legacies for the 6MT. Said its much easier to drive in traffic. I learned on my sister's Corolla. Not a bad 5 speed, but kind of akward feeling.

The weirdest I've ever driven is my ex gf's Suzuki. The gears are all slanted to the right. You are practically shifting in your passanger's lap.