Best Vehicle To Learn Stick On (Need Help)

[03snakenvtn]

So I'm buying a cheap vehicle to teach my girlfriend how to drive stick, because my next car is gonna be a stick, and she needs to be able to drive it. I had a pullied/intake/exhaust 03 Cobra for a little over 2 years, and she never drove it because I didn't feel comfortable teaching her on a car with that much torque and the ability to put you into a spin with very little throttle. I've been scouring craigslist, and found 3 cars that I'm considering. The first is a 98 S10 pickup with 184k miles for $1,000, a 96 VW Golf with 163k miles for $750, and a 94 Nissan Maxima with 150k miles for $1,195. My next car will hopefully be a twin-screw GT500, so I'm choosing to buy a cheap car for her to learn on. I want her to have as much practice as possible before stepping into such a beast. I'm sorta leaning toward the S10 because a pickup bed would be a good thing to have just in case we need to carry anything that won't fit in my 335 or her FX35. They all have high mileage and a little body damage/rust, but I don't really care what it looks like, as long as the engine and tranny are working smoothly. So with all else equal, which would you pick and why? Any personal experience or horror stories are welcome.

 

[vettez062002]

a viper or ZR1 lol

 

[03snakenvtn]

a viper or ZR1 lol

Find me a viper or zr1 for $1,000 and I'm all over it. I'll even throw in a grand as a finder's fee.

 

[clean93]

dont buy any of those especially the VW!!! Id look for a 1990 to 1995 honda accord 4 cylinder. relialble, decent room, comfortable and that hydraulic clutch and shifter is smooth and doesnt give much trouble. I learned with a 1994 Nissan Sentra that my dad bought for 100 bucks. Old maximas are expensive to repair and tend to catch on fire. VW's are nightmares with stupid electrical issues I wouldnt even take one for free, the S10 isnt too bad out of the 3 i would buy the s10

 

[SublimeRT]

Of the 3 you listed I'd go with the S10. They're good and useful little trucks. Cheap to buy, fix, and easy to sell. I had an extended cab '95 Sonoma, 4 banger, 5 speed that I bought for cheap, drove the piss out of for a few years, and sold it for almost what I paid for it. Too bad rental companies don't offer sticks.

 

[projectslideway]

Driven a TON of stick vehicles and I believe that 94-97 accords are the easiest I've driven, IMO.

Out of the three listed... why not get an S10? You get a beater pickup that you can get some utility out of as well... plus it would give her some experience with a rear wheel drive vehicle.

 

[RedDemon91]

S-10 for one it's a truck, and two, the clutch is a little heavier so it'll be good for her to learn on the hardest thing before driving the easier cars.

 

[bluebosss197]

+1 on the S10. It'll be easier for her to learn how to do a "semi-controlled" spinout with a RWD vehicle especially one with no weight over the axle.

 

[Monster Mach]

I learned on my 86gt I was 14... I taught 5 girls so far on my mach 1... not hard to learn if your patient

 

[03snakenvtn]

I'm leaning toward the S10 because the Civic's and Accord's are more expensive in my area. Everyone knows the reliability of Honda's, so they fetch more money. I'd also rather not find the "easiest" car possible to drive, because a GT500 or Cobra is about as far from "easy" for a newbie as possible. A monkey could drive a Honda after a couple days practice. It's next to impossible to miss a shift in my dad's S2000. The other thing I like about the S10 is that being a truck, the gears will be farther apart and easier to make sure you're in the right gear at the beginning.

 

[01cobravortech]

I learned on my 86gt I was 14... I taught 5 girls so far on my mach 1... not hard to learn if your patient

+1 When I bought my first Cobra I didn't know hwo to drive a manual. My buddy taught me in an hour. Stalled a lot over 2 days. lol But once you learn to get it rollin and learn to coordinate your left foot, its a piece of cake. Its easy to teach chics in our cars regardless of the power levels.

 

[32ValveRom]

I learned in an early 90s Accord. Those cars are easy to learn in

 

[STAMPEDE3]

I find anything WITH TQ makes it easier.

Of couse it didn't have gobs of TQ but the 96 with 4.30s taught a few.
The gears helped.

 

[03snakenvtn]

+1 When I bought my first Cobra I didn't know hwo to drive a manual. My buddy taught me in an hour. Stalled a lot over 2 days. lol But once you learn to get it rollin and learn to coordinate your left foot, its a piece of cake. Its easy to teach chics in our cars regardless of the power levels.

You're a better man than I. I'd probably would've stabbed someone if they wrecked my Cobra, so I thought it was better not to push my luck.

 

[03snakenvtn]

I find anything WITH TQ makes it easier.

Of couse it didn't have gobs of TQ but the 96 with 4.30s taught a few.
The gears helped.

I've heard that before, and it makes sense. Too bad I don't still have the Cobra, or I might venture a try at teaching on it.

 

[FX4 SAPPER]

Out of those id pick the S10. I learned by my dad taking the truck and parking it at the bottom of a hill and he saying get us home lol.

 

[01cobravortech]

You're a better man than I. I'd probably would've stabbed someone if they wrecked my Cobra, so I thought it was better not to push my luck.

Well I learned in a private parking lot for that 1hr. Just worked on getting the car rolling. Because obviously when you get it rolling the rest is a breeze. The drive home was a bit nerve wracking but if someone like me who didn't even know how to drive a manual can do it, so can your girl. You can teach her just fine.

 

[03snakenvtn]

So it sounds like the S10 is the way to go. I figure I can teach her how to drive, then keep it around for a little while and still be able to sell it for close to what I paid. The only real expense would be for tax/title/license, and insurance. I can't imagine insurance on this thing would be much at all though.

 

[NastyNate420]

Jeep wranglers are easy to drive. anything with a hydraulic clutch.Ealy 90s celicas were cake to drive as well. There no well in HELL Im teaching any gurl to drive in my Mach! You gotta EARN that chance!

 

[WireEater]

I learned on a Civic and I had it down in a day without ever stalling it. Actually the first time I jumped in it and took a driver it really didn't seem like I hadn't driven one before. I did grow up watching my dad drive manuals. Very cheap cars and easy to shift. I've probably stalled a car 2 times since I've been driving a stick and that was letting off the clutch at a light because I thought I put it in N.