Yea, hills screwed me over the first time too. Thankfully it was a huge farm tractor that i rolled into and not a car.

 

just do what i did

go out and buy the biggest pos 5spd car you can find that wont break down in 10 min. drive it for 2-3 day trying all the stuff your afraid to do in the S while your a noob like pratice heel+toe, revmatching, hill starts, etc,etc. if you buy a $300 car and just sell it again after your done you would have lost almost no money lol.
i learned on a rusted out old civic i got for 1k back in 96 and sold it for 1.1k 2 months later lol.

at most you will lose a few hundred bucks but hey just ask if any friends wanna learn how to drive a stick as well and make it the community whore.

 

just watch some videos on youtube and make sure your cousin knows how to teach you manual.

 

Honestly, I didn't know how to drive manual when I brought the S (probably pretty stupid), but 45 minutes later after a good lesson from a friend and I was rolling.

 

In Europe it's the autos that are rare. Do you have separate tests in the US? If you learn in an auto in the UK, you can ONLY drive auto. Your license specifies whether you are licensed for manual transmissions or not. Of course nobody does the 'auto only' test any more. IMO, clutch work is one of the most important things you can learn about driving a car. People who use the clutch incorrectly damage their cars and can be quite dangerous. I used to know someone who depressed the clutch when turning corners! Thank god they had a front wheel drive! :-O

 

I learn by watching a video, then asked a buddy with a stick for on hand driving. Drove for bout 30min, then hop into my s and just drove. Trial and error is the only way to really learn, you might miss gear, grind, stall out, but it'll teach you what your doing wrong so you can adjust so it won't happen again. Keep practicing, we all had to start somewhere

 

The first day I drove stick shift was the day I drove my car from the dealership lol . I have been riding motocross all my life, so the idea of the clutch etc was already in my head, the only difference was the clutch and gas were now controlled via my feet instead of my hands. I did great, as I only stalled twice best of luck to you my friend; you will be very happy in your new S once you take the plunge.

 

Oh how I wish everything in this statement were true here in the US. Sadly, none of it is.

To the OP: it isn't that difficult to learn on the S. It certainly has a lighter clutch than some other vehicles out there. Just take time to learn in deserted areas before you decide to take it out to any busy areas. It is going to be frustrating at first, but eventually you'll get the hang of it...and pretty soon you'll never want an auto ever again

 

I would borrow a friend's car, unless you are used to fast cars. You run the risk of burning out/speeding in to something with the S, depending on how you react.
Though actually learning on the S would be easier. I learned on a neon with a crappy clutch and it wasn't so fun.

 

Thanks for all your responses! I plan to take the plunge and buy the s2k within the next two weeks. I am planning on either the GPW, Sebring Silver, or the Silverstone Metallic. Thanks for all your input again!