Find a freind to drive you way out into the boonies where there are tons rapiest and killers running loose and ditch you with a stick drive. This ways is the best way to learn. Good luck

 

My s2k was also my first manual car
i knew the basics but is not too hard, you'll learn in no time

 

one option is to rent a stick shift car for a day or two to learn on from Budget or Enterprise or someone like that--some of their cheapest cars are stick

 

I learned how to drive stick on an s2000 (not my current one though).

it isn't the easiest car, but it certainly is not the hardest.

 

I just bought my 06' GPW in January, and it was my first time ever driving stick.
Take it slow, find that sweet spot and your golden.
oh and your most likely going to stall! I did! but just tell all the other drivers to f*** off!

 

I learned how to drive stick in my s2k also it was fun stalled a few times though

 

The S was my first car with a stick. Stalled quite a bit the first few days, even in front of a cop! You get the hang of it real quick, and things start to become second nature.

I remember people warning new manual drivers to learn in a beater, however I never have grinded gears....just had to work on my finesse.

 

IMO it's a different animal. If it isn't stick I feel very detached from the driving experience. You might find the experience with the SMG useful though -- I can't speak for you.

The trick when beginning is learning to find and feel the engagement point but that's something you have to do any time you switch to a new stick car (or change out the clutch, etc). There's definitely plenty more to learn once you become familiar with the basics (e.g. rev matching, heel-toeing).

Slow helps, especially when first learning, but it's not necessary or else we'd all be slow drivers. Smooth is really the key.

 

HAHA i suppose that would teach ya pretty quick

 

Having SMG experience will definitely help you to learn an MT. As you know, the SMG is technically a manual tranny driven by a hydraulic pump and actuators. Similar principles apply to driving a manual tranny smoothly as is to drive an SMG smoothly. Slow and steady on the gas from a stop, and a little more gas than that for uphill starts. Apply too much gas and you have that "buck like a bronco" effect (as well as a burnt clutch). All you'd need to get used to is clutch engagement.