Help...Teaching Son to Drive Mach

[jaydub]

I knew it had to happen someday. :eyes:

I'm teaching my 15 1/2 year old son to drive. We have a mini-van loser-cruiser and the Mach.

So after hours at the mini-van, it was the Mach's turn.

So far the clutch has stayed together. It was funny. He is very good at the driving video games, so, he thought, How hard could the real thing be?

Well he learned how hard :o

But now he's the only one of his friends that can drive a stick!!! :COOL:

[DTMach1]

Wow...That is awesome!

I learned to drive stick on an '85 Honda CRX...a completely different animal...but I can clearly remember the bucking bronco affect. I can't imagine that in a Mach!

You sir, are a brave...and loving father to say the least!

[2k4mach]

i never did the bunking bronco, i was all about the 2 grand clutch drops in a 93 ranger with the v6 and on the sand down at the coast. haha was great looking back see massive amounts of sand flying up.

[Blue Baron NC]

He'd had to learn to drive a clutch the same way I did. I learned driving a friend's 3-speed in the column van. We also had a lawn mower that I practiced on. I also drove a bus in high school for awhile. I have a boy 10. He says the Mach is his some day. I would not give him the Mach for several reasons. It has too much power! Kids need to start driving with a beater like I had. Hail to the old Mercury Bobcat!

[grimreefer]

http://home.earthlink.net/~grimreefer1/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/doh.gif My son is almost 14... Your post just sent a chill up my spine. :frown:

[bleed blue]

I taught my daughter to drive stick in my 5.0 which had a King Cobra Motorsport Racing clutch in it. That thing used to wear out my leg in traffic. She actually did pretty well. A few "herky-jerky" starts and then she figured out it was better to light up the tires a little. It must be in the blood! LOL

[ponygt65]

Yep. Daring. No way would I let my 15-16 year old drive. No offense, but you can only do so much in the passenger seat.

[CA Lightfoot]

I agreee that everyone should know the basics of driving a stick. Just in case. I teach the "creep" method: clutch in, 1st gear, SLOWLY release clutch with NO gas... when the cars starts to creep forward, give it a LITTLE gas. Do that a few times, and almost everyone can learn the basics real fast.

That said, I think most drivers in most situations are better-off in with an automatic tranny. And there's no way I'd ever let a teenager use my Mach without me riding shotgun. Let him use the mini-van.

[bleed blue]

Yep. Daring. No way would I let my 15-16 year old drive. No offense, but you can only do so much in the passenger seat.
We spent several hours in a empty parking lot just starting and stopping. I admit I had my hand on the e-brake the whole time. Of course I drove us there and back. Nothing sez ouch like the smell of burning clutch and gooey tires!

[Orange Mach 04]

I learned to drive on my sisters eclipse which was like 10 times easier than the Mach. I have only tried driving it once and did 3 takeoff, 2 of which I stalled it. Then later in the week, my sister came home from college w/ her 5speed eclipse, and I didnt stall it once, mostly because the clutch was a little bit softer or something, its a night and day difference between the two to me. Anyways, did it hurt the Mach any when I stalled it? I'm always worrying about it, but I dont think just stalling it can do much damage can it? In the spring I have to try driving it again, my main problem was just lettin the clutch pop up to fast.

[machowner]

I actually learned by telling a salesman that I knew how to drive a stick and then stalling a few times while on a test drive. I caught on pretty quick though so it wasn't that bad.

[01TruBluGT]

Brave Man!!!

My brother is 16 and has a permit so I am sure before long he will be behind the wheel of the Mach. He has already driven a Cobra and 2 Mach's so I think he can handle it.......letting him fly solo is a different story all together he'd probably try to streetrace it.

[Blue Baron NC]

I learned to drive on my sisters eclipse which was like 10 times easier than the Mach. I have only tried driving it once and did 3 takeoff, 2 of which I stalled it. Then later in the week, my sister came home from college w/ her 5speed eclipse, and I didnt stall it once, mostly because the clutch was a little bit softer or something, its a night and day difference between the two to me. Anyways, did it hurt the Mach any when I stalled it? I'm always worrying about it, but I dont think just stalling it can do much damage can it? In the spring I have to try driving it again, my main problem was just lettin the clutch pop up to fast.



Lol!

[ponygt65]

We spent several hours in a empty parking lot just starting and stopping. I admit I had my hand on the e-brake the whole time. Of course I drove us there and back. Nothing sez ouch like the smell of burning clutch and gooey tires!


Empty parking lot is definitely a great idea. I kind of elaborated on me not thinking the mach would be a good learning car. But if it's you have for him to learn, I can understand. All in All, It was good to know he drove well.

BTW - I learned in an empty walmart parking lot in a 92 hyundai excel hatchback.

[white ghost]

I taught a girl that I was trying to talk to at one point how to drive the stick in my Mach one night in an abandoned parking lot. Does that count?

[TX MACH 1]

Hehehe, I actually learned how to drive a stick on my Mach. I couldn't even drive it off the lot, man that was embarrassing :o Before that, I tried on a 99Z28 (yeah yeah, I know) and got too scared so I gave it up.

[Hawkgfr]

I feel your pain.....had to teach THREE to drive, though not in the Mach lol...At least it's one of the easier sticks to drive....hard to stall and doesn't require a lot of thinking about which is the best gear....

[Rochard]

Oddly enough, my grandmother had to be taught how to drive an automatic. She grew up driving nothing but a stick shift; They didn't have automatics when when she was younger and as she got older stuck with the autos. She just couldn't understand that once you put it into drive........ that was it.

[Blackpony04]

When both of my teens turned driving age I bought them $500 beaters to learn on and use with the caveat being they had to pay the insurance for them. Needless to say both of the cars ended up being wrecked to some degree because of what I call the "foot on gas/brain in a-s-s syndrome." My son hit a concrete light post and went from 20mph to 0 in a split second because he thought he could make his own parking spot at the local Wendy's. :wall:

My daughter rearended another car because she was late getting back to school from lunch and was tailgating (at least her car is still driveable). :headbang:

Needless to say they will NEVER drive my Mach 1 even though I certainly love them more than my car. :OUCH:

[69mach]

At 13 I worked a deal to paint a house for a 6? VW, learned to drive the stick by using the parking break on a steep hill. Engage brake, slowly release while engaging clutch.

First everyone learned to drive, then it ended up as our first road worthly project, a VW Trike. :gears:

Center stick shift, had to weight the front to keep the wheelies to a min.After about a year we sold to build the first garage.

[antiv6]

ym mach is auto but my next car will be stick, but ill really need to practice stick more. my friends gonna let me drive his stick truck next week to school and back b/c he has a spranged ankle so it will be a learning experience. Ive driven my dads auto stick car and have gotten really good at it but a clutch will be a lot different

[mastwolf]

My first time driving stick was when i went to pick up my First 5speed car a shelby csx. And I never had any trouble, mabey its because I ride alot of dirtbikes and I understand the clutch and gas relationship. I Let my buddies drive my car somtimes, trying to teach them how to drive. Im only 20 but I hang around alot of other kids, and I have let my lil cuz drive and he just turned 16, along with my buddies brother. I think its cool when they can say the first 5speed car they have driven was a 450+HP supercharged Mach1.

P.s I need a new clutch anyway, so it dont really hurt.

[Mikestang]

I got a 1980 plymouth TC3 when I was in HS 1986 -
The car was a 4 speed I got in it and drove away no worries

I did have a ATV with a auto clutch but I did have one driving lesson in my aunts honda civic


My neihbor who is 16 and more like a kid brother to me than anything else got his permit. After about three weeks I asked him why he has not wanted to drive the mach ?
He told me that he was not going to ask cause he knew i was going to say NO

He actully taught himself how to drive a stick in his Grandfather's ranger

[FloridaOrange]

My first time driving stick was when i went to pick up my First 5speed car a shelby csx. And I never had any trouble, mabey its because I ride alot of dirtbikes and I understand the clutch and gas relationship.

Exactly. Bikes are a good learning tool for the clutch/gas relationship. Gotta love a lesson that leaves a mark if you screw up.

[CA Lightfoot]

I taught a girl that I was trying to talk to at one point how to drive the stick in my Mach one night in an abandoned parking lot. Does that count?
Apologies in advance...

I taught a girl behind an old warehouse in the back seat of a little '84 Audi. But I suppose any abandoned place is fine, as long as its her hand on the stick. :yes:

[darkshadow mach]

i learned on my dad's '03 saturn ion. then i moved on to the mach! my dad didnt want me to wear out the clutch on the mach so the ion took the damage :rolleyes: i'm one of the lucky teenagers that can say that the mach is my first car! :yes:

[spanky192]

i learned stick on a test drive at a ford dealership. i believe i was driving a red 2004 mach 1 mustang :). i still wasnt that good when i bought the car a week later. i stalled twice while trying to get off the lot. stalled once more on the way home

[white ghost]

Apologies in advance...

I taught a girl behind an old warehouse in the back seat of a little '84 Audi. But I suppose any abandoned place is fine, as long as its her hand on the stick. :yes:

:D funny thing is though that I really did teach her how to drive my mach in the parking lot, my post just sounded bad but was actually really good. :eyebrows:

[SlidinSIDEways]

Oddly enough, my grandmother had to be taught how to drive an automatic. She grew up driving nothing but a stick shift; They didn't have automatics when when she was younger and as she got older stuck with the autos. She just couldn't understand that once you put it into drive........ that was it.
i could see that happening :D

[white ghost]

SlidinSIDEways: you don't know how lucky you are that I don't live in arkansas. If I did I would have to come take that '78 trans am off your hands ;) ! how about some pics