Teaching my niece to drive a stick in my NSX

[B. Kotcher]

My sixteen-year-old niece had been driving for only a few months, and had never driven a manual-transmission car. My brother jokingly said that I should teach her how to drive a stick in my NSX. Then I thought, "Why not?...why not learn to drive in the world's coolest driver-training car???" So I took her to a business-park area on a Saturday and taught her how. She did great! I even let her drive through traffic down the freeway, back to her house. I videotaped it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGzUf5eN7KI .

--Bob

 

[Hapa88]

Great job!
Try embedding though:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oGzUf5eN7KI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[TURBO2GO]

You're a patient guy. But she was pretty good too. Good thing you don't have an exedy 3 puck... LOL...

Make sure you eventually teach her not to skip shift and not to hold in the clutch at stop lights or for long periods of time.

 

[alum04org]

Good on you for taking the time and making the effort! Cute gal - she'll never forget the experience with "Uncle Bob." :smile:

 

[DocL]

That's great. I've taught a few people to drive a manual using my NSX. I noticed that she, like many other first timers gives it too much gas in 1st. What I tell newbies to do is too let the clutch out slowly without giving any gas, then when the car starts to roll to slowly give it gas and release the clutch all the way. I have them practice without the car in gear getting the feel of the clutch throw and gas pedal. It makes for a very easy start and then once going I tell them not to use any gas on the upshifts at all until their foot is all the way off the clutch. Then it's pretty much like driving an automatic.

You definitely made her day and when she tells her friends they are not going to believe her until they see the video.

 

[BlackbirdXX]

You sir , are a great uncle. Made her day for sure. Constant smile on her face. She did well. Congrats.

 

[crazyukrainian]

thats awesome! lol "that was actually fifth"

reminds me of how i learned stick "ok lets get moving" stall "****" "ok try again" stall "****" stall "****" 4k rpm car finally moves "WOOHOO!!!"

 

[NYCNSX]

Everyone has an Uncle Bob it seems, but only one is an NSX driving instructor!

 

[jaybird]

You are THE MAN Bob ! Way to go. She had to be ecstatic to learn manual in such a great car! I can remember learning on a Volkswagen Beetle back in 1971 --- I can remember taking my daughter in parking lots and roads in my precious Miata - for hours and hours trying to explain the "slip" and how a clutch works. You did a great job - loved her smile. She will remember that forever.

Thanks for sharing a great story (with video) - great job. Cheers, Jay

 

[RobD]

I tried to teach my cousin on my NSX....I think he was the final contributing factor to my broken snap ring on my 91....now that I have the 05....I won't let him even sit in it!

 

[PHOEN$X]

That's awesome! I can't wait to teach my niece to drive stick in my NSX, unless her dad teaches her first with his NSX. :cool2:

 

[Shrink]

My 21 year old daughter wants to learn how to drive manual and I told her I will teach her on her brother's Mazda 3. After reading this, I think we'll give it a try in the NSX!

 

[NYCNSX]

Go for it! Just think how many people get to say that they learned how to drive stick on an NSX? I learned to drive stick on a Wrangler..

My 21 year old daughter wants to learn how to drive manual and I told her I will teach her on her brother's Mazda 3. After reading this, I think we'll give it a try in the NSX!

 

[Dimer]

My first ever car I drove was an NSX!

 

[B. Kotcher]

Thanks for the nice comments, everyone. Yeah, it feels great...I don't have any kids of my own, so it feels especially good to help her out and give her memories that will last a lifetime. I tell her thirteen-year-old sister that, in three years, she's next!

--Bob

 

[SonOfLiberty]

Go for it! Just think how many people get to say that they learned how to drive stick on an NSX? I learned to drive stick on a Wrangler..

Me! lol

I learned to drive stick in the NSX the day I went to go purchase/pick-up my NSX. It was quite stressful.

 

[sca037]

Very nice!

I've taught a few people to drive a manual transmission, but not (at least yet) in a NSX ;^D

Brian

 

[N-Wing]

I taught a co-op I had on my 1992. We didn't get far. He kept trying to shift super fast and hard and I couldn't get him to stop. I made him stop and drove back to work. Your niece did well. Hills are the big concern where you might burn up some clutch...

...I am not showing my girlfriend this. Starting teacher her on a WRX. Not sure I am ready for her to mess with my 2000.

I love the car so much that I try to always let people drive it. We have a consultant in at work now and I took him to lunch and had him drive. He loved it. It's the best feeling ever to share the car we are lucky to own.

 

[Larry Bastanza]

Now that was AWESOME!!

 

[dquarasr2]

I recently offered the GF of a good friend a lesson, albeit in my beloved '94 Miata since the clutch and shifter are SO easy to operate on that car. I guess I was overconfident that I could teach her how to drive a stick. I didn't assess my audience very well.

Unfortunately, I was 100% wrong. This person had not a clue, very poor coordination and concentration. At one point she was so flustered about having to shift she even ran the car off the road in a 90 degree turn, right where there was a sewer drain and actually bottomed out the frame on the pavement. I was pissed but didn't say anything, and suggested we were done. Later I inspected the car and found no damage except to my ego.

I will never, ever, again volunteer one of my good cars, and most assuredly, never in my NSX, unless I know for a fact that the prospective student has a minimal basic driving aptitude.