Hi,
I currently do not own a S2000, but...if Stanford accepts me (keep your fingers crossed!).. my parents promised me a S2000 for my hardwork at school =).
I think I will be able to get in ..
.. but I do not know how to drive stick shift.
It's sad, yes I know, but so far my parents never let me get a stick shift (because they said for safety reasons?) and I don't want to mess up the clutch practicing when I do get the car. None of my friends drive a stick shift.. they all drive suv's!! .. so I was wondering where I can get my hands on a cheap car with manual transmission so I can abuse it and practice as much as I want b4 I get an s2000.

I live in the San Fernando Valley in the Los Angeles area...and I was hoping you guys can help me.

o yeah...even though this is my first post..
I've been reading all your posts regularly everyday for the past 3 months! My girlfriend calls me obsessed... I tell her better than me checking out other girls right? but anyways...you guys are awesome and I hope you can help me out. Thanks

 

I don't know if you have this company on the west coast but on the east we have one called "Rent-A-Wreck" and you can rent manual transmission vehicles. you may also want to check to see if you can find a driving school...when i learned to drive stick i paid 60bux for 3 lessons and that was more than enough for me. Look into it and good luck with the s2k if you get it

 

Learning to drive a stick is really easy. You are young and obviously intelligent if you are going to Stanford. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm sure you can find someone to teach you. As a last resort, someone from the dealer. If you have to wait for delivery from the time you buy, get them to teach you on one of their used cars. I taught my son in about 1/2 hour in a church parking lot. Good luck.
Don

 

Thanks a gang swurvydel
I'm gonna make driving school appointments....
..plus get a wreck from rent-a-wreck =)
Hopefully I'll be able to join all of you in owning this car in the near future.. thanks..bye

 

Hi Jayel

Don't take this as rain on your parade, but I don't think I'd get an ultra high performance car for my child to learn how to drive a stick shift. That would be like getting an ultra high performance motorcycle to learn how to ride your first bike. Why don't you get a nice Inetgra or 4 cylinder Accord coupe to learn how to drive stick. Go to a performance driving school after you have mastered the basics, and then get an S2000 for graduation.

Just my $0.02

2x6spds

 

With my experience with manuals, I've found the S2K to be one of the easier cars to drive. Unless ofcourse your banging off the rev limiter which takes a little consetration. It shouldn't take you too long to get the hang of it. If you can't find any suitable rentals, wheel in to your local Hyundai dealer, tell em you want to take a car for a test drive. It will give you a good feel for the clutch and stuff.

P.S. I am not endorsing the trashing of cars for learning purposes with no intent to buy, however, That's just the kinda guy I am

 

good luck with stanford!!! i got my s2000 for getting into harvard... it was worth it...the car and the school...especially the car though

 

My wife is a very conservative driver. Always asked me for an Auto, but I always got her a manual, since I wanted her to master the technique whenever she has to be my designated driver. She's driven a Nissan 200sx for 2 years and now drives a Civic (both 5 speeds). Last week, after 2000 miles on the odometer, I decided to let her try the Stook. Well, her first try to get into 6th gear ended up with engine braking with 4th gear (I'm glad I wasn't in the car). Good thing she hates to rev up the car and shifts at a low 3,000, so no damage done at all.
In conclusion, even after driving sticks for years, you may not master them. Of course, my wife is a special situation. The older you are when you learn, the toughest it'll be (my wife was about 21). My advice is to get a Civic Si, learn all you have to, and trade it in a year or two for a Stook. Ask your Dad first, to see if he agrees with this deal. After all, he's paying for it, isn't he?

 

If your parents can swing a Stook for a present (I wish mine had that kind of $$$) then they could probably invest $1500 in a beater Civic or something for you to thrash about this summer. Go get an old Civic DX and drive the snot out of it for a few months. The cost of an old beater will be far cheaper than your insurance deductible and premium increase when you dump the Stook into a ditch (or worse).

 

My parents bought me S2k for getting accepted to University of Maryland....Anyway my friend let me drive his Supra TT a lot of times so I was pretty good with the manual but I still need to get better...Haven't stalled yet!!!!