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Getting around Bonaire: Can't drive manual transmission!!!
Bonaire Talk: Getting around Bonaire: Archives: Archives 2007- 2008: Archives - 2007-06-01 to 2008-12-31: Can't drive manual transmission!!!
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jason (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #158) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 12:43 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Yes, you read right. I'm a 30yr old who has never had to learn how to drive a stick.

I've been to Bonaire 7 times, the 8th time is coming up in a few months. Every time I go I end up paying more for a automatic, the last few times I've manage to get an automatic truck..which is very sweet.

As of right now I'm gonna be going with an auto truck again for a 2 week period and I think my butt is gonna be sore from the cost.

Ohh yes, there is a question here...my bad.

What is the best way to learn to drive stick up in the states without trashing someones car?

Thanks,

J

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By jennifer Eveleth (BonaireTalker - Post #34) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 1:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Jason;

large, empty parking lot for starters with friend with some patience to explain the mechanics. Try high schools or industrial parks in your area. Once you learn to put the clutch in once you start "milk-shaking", and don't try to force the car into gear (no grinding!!), you won't trash the car. The best? see if you can find someone that has an old truck, international harvester type, with the shifter on the steering wheel. They are pretty indestructable (stay away from other cars and buildings please), and usually not synchromeshed, which requires double clutching to downshift into 1st. If you can drive that, you can drive any stick.

Then, you need hill work. Once you can get in and out of gear on flat, you need some hills to practice on.

Luckily in Bonaire, the hardest part is getting out of the airport parking lot. And if you go up to Washington Slaggbai (sp?) there are hills. the natives know to back way off you when they see a tourist.

good luck. Jennifer

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By bob (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2153) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 1:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I learned the stick on the way home from the car dealer...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Word (BonaireTalker - Post #29) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 1:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Don't feel bad I'm a little older and never learned either. Fortunately my other half does because I checked and it was about $200 more for an automatic on Bonaire. Ouch!

Not knowing does have its advantages though. Went to Ireland 2 years ago and all they had were manuals so my older sister had to do all the driving. Here's a real test. Try driving on the wrong side of the road with the driver's seat on the right and shifting with your left hand! That was a real challenge for her and made me really glad that I couldn't drive! Ha!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By jennifer Eveleth (BonaireTalker - Post #35) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 1:47 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

or you could not over-analyze and just follow bob's suggestion...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By jennifer Eveleth (BonaireTalker - Post #36) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 1:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Along that though, I actually teach my kids (one down, 2 to go) how to drive a stick as soon as possible after they can drive, as I want to make sure that if they are out with friends who have over-partied, they can take the wheel even if it is a stick. I think it is a safety issue

Pauline I rented a car in the Caymans where is was the same deal. I just had to remember "steering wheel to the middle of the road", I saw people driving american makes with the steering wheel on the left, and I knew there was no way. We had trouble walking, as we kept looking for oncoming cars in the wrong direction.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5566) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 2:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Jason, Find a friend who has a stick and have them teach you or go to a driving school and have an instructor teach you a few times out and you should be fine. Don't feel bad, I didn't know how to do stick either when I first was going to the islands, but hubby did and then I wanted to drive and I couldn't as it was stick all the time. Got frustrating, so one year, Hubby brought home an old oil truck, jeez I needed a ladder to get into it, but I drove that thing around town here till I got the hang of it, and then I was ready to try it out on Bonaire. It did help that I had a computer print out sheet on how to: 1. Start it up 2. put it in gear, 3, how to go up a hill ect which was a big help when I go myself on island as my mind tends to forget. :-) Funny,now I actually own a stick truck on island and drive it with no problems, I can remember stalling at times here or there, but as long as you know how to start it back up, you will be fine. Practice, practice, and if I can actually learn it, you can too! Have fun learning. Brings back some funny memories of me learning that I think about it! Hills are the hardest to get. Still don't like stick, but it is a lot cheaper.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5567) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 2:54 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Oh, I got my info sheet from 10w40.com Found it under: How to drive a manual transmission. Hey, I still carry it with me to refresh my memory every trip and I go at least three times a year. :-) Very informative and makes you feel easy about driving a stick. Gives instructions on what gear you should be in when stopping at a red light for a period of time, vs, just a stop sign. Check it out. Good stuff.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By jennifer Eveleth (BonaireTalker - Post #38) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 3:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Debbie, I love manual transmissions. I had to buy a Subaru when Rose learned to Drive in East Brunswick because all we had was a Honda with a manual and a Suburban. She almost took out the school's baseball team one Saturday morning in the Suburban. So we got the Subaru. Great choice in New Jersey with all the wet road conditions, very safe.
Anyway don't you think jason will be fine? If he can get it out of the airport parking lot, the rest of the island is easy and even if you stall the people are very patient.

Jason if you get the manual truck, then go over to the stadium to practice in the parking lot. You should learn pretty fast. There are actually not that many hills on the island and traffic is really light. Good luck

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5568) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 3:20 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Jason, I found the website with the info I was telling you about: http://www.10w40.com/individual/100186.asp

Let us know how you make out! :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kelly (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5495) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 3:47 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I HAD to have a Toyota Celica back in the 80's and it was a stick... my (now ex) husband had to drive it home from the dealership and then teach me how. But I HAD to have that car.

I taught Stephanie how to drive a stick in my BMW... how retarded am I... [she did great though]

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By jennifer Eveleth (BonaireTalker - Post #39) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 7:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

wow kelly you are brave with the BMW stick in Ohio. I was worried about wet roads and such, not so much me but for the kids. Actually NOW I am trying to get my husband to buy me a BMW. I've been driving the mom-mobiles and wanted something zippier, but I think I am left with the mom-mobile for a while longer. Oh well.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jason (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #159) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 9:35 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty familiar with the island...been there enough, so its more about not looking like a tourist. I know, I know...I probably do anyway, but atleast I know where to turn and where not to turn. :-)

Thanks for the link Debbie, I'm gonna check that out. I have till October, after every trip I always say im gonna learn...but here I am again.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5572) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 9:40 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jason, you got till October? Then no problemo, you will be a pro by then with driving stick! :-) That instruction manual for driving stick really helps, I printed the whole thing out and take it every trip with me everytime I go. Driving automatic really spoils us. Still think it is a lot of work driving stick, but I am glad I learned how.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Thorpe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #169) on Thursday, July 5, 2007 - 11:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jason
It's always better to learn on a rental vehicle--lol--OH take the max insurance!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jason (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #160) on Friday, July 6, 2007 - 12:50 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I think im gonna do that, they will have to know why i requested a manual trans though..hehe

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Sue from NJ (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #637) on Friday, July 6, 2007 - 8:40 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

my first car was manual VW beetle. fabulous car - it had a cranky starter, so I met lots of guys at parties when I needed to be pushed down the street to get it started...

I haven't owned a manual car in 13 years, so the only time I drive one is in Bonaire each year. It takes about 5 minutes to get used to it & then I'm good to go.

Big parking lot & patient friend is what you need. In less than 30 minutes you should be on your way. Reverse & parking are also tricky, so don't forget to practice those moves. (I might hold off on parallel parking until you are very comfortable).

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kelly (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5499) on Friday, July 6, 2007 - 8:59 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Alas the BMW is gone now and I have a mom car.. actually two mom cars ! A Nissan Xterra and a Toyota Matrix which I LOVE. Loved the Bmer more, though....

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tribs, AKA Jah-neen (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4518) on Friday, July 6, 2007 - 10:47 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Well...the car dealer taught me. We were looking at cars and because of cost they kept trying to put me into a stick shift. I finally blurted out that I couldn't drive stick. Off we went, in a dealer's car, to the local high school and he taught me how to drive it in about 15 minutes. A lot of the newer vehicles have cheater lights that turn on when you should shift. I think that takes the fun out of it, but does make it a lot easier when learning how to drive a stick.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By jennifer Eveleth (BonaireTalker - Post #41) on Friday, July 6, 2007 - 2:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I "get" to drive the Chevy Suburban so you can take half the soccer team on the road. Ugh. Now days I drive the suburu, as it is paid for and available for the next kid to learn on. Before kids and many moons ago, we had a Triumph TR-6. Loved that car, but couldn't afford to maintain it. Cried when I sold it.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5575) on Friday, July 6, 2007 - 2:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I had the softball van, soccer van when the kids were younger. Finally, I got a Toyota Camry with sun roof and sport model, don't know the right name of it as I am not so good with car types, but it is nice and my daughter tells me I should give it to her as it is too cool for me. :-) Hubby now drives a van due to work, buying big toys, hauling the Carolina skiff to the water and such.

I do like the idea of teaching your kids how to drive stick when they learn to drive. Guess, I was lax on that one, son is already 25, didn't learn stick, and Tiffany, well, it was hard enough driving with her with an automatic, better leave the stick thing up to hubby to teach her! :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By jennifer Eveleth (BonaireTalker - Post #42) on Friday, July 6, 2007 - 3:30 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

oh yeah Debbie, we were driving up the 287 to Peapack from East Brunswick for soccer twice a week. In Ice and Snow. Fun. I had the dad do that run, or I would of used up a couple of lives:-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By MadMan (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #145) on Friday, July 6, 2007 - 6:16 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I hate driving automatics. Keep hitting the break pedal when i want to shift and i am looking for the clutch pedal. I never get used to that and always end up with pain in my neck. I have never owned anything else as a stick shift. I have driven a DAF variomatic once. Drives as fast forwards as it does backwards. H3ll that was fun until i almost turned her upside down.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff Stine (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #137) on Friday, July 6, 2007 - 6:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I learned on a stick. I tried to teach my son. It was like trying to teach a pig to sing. It aggravated me and irritated the pig.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #383) on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 12:31 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I refused to let my daughter drive an automatic until she had her license for a year. She thanked me later. Not enthusiastically, but she did it.

Shifting with either hand shouldn't take more than five or six minutes to learn. I've had two right hand drives and have rented several of them (including two two-thousand mile drives across Australia in RHD Land Cruisers). It isn't tough ... just takes a little bit of thought the first few times.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jason (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #161) on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 6:12 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbie, I looked over that document...read it through. Not sure if that was a good idea or not now..lol. Seems like a lot of stuff to remember. My dad and brother both know how to drive stick..really well too, so now I just need to find a car to MESS up. :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Koma a.k.a. Tom C. (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4677) on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 8:26 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jason, visit Kelly and Steve in Ohio, they love teaching people to drive stick AND you get to wreck a Beemers clutch in the process.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Thorpe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #172) on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 8:30 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I also learned to drive on a stick, there is a cardinal rule about using the clutch, I was a truck driver in the Marine Corp.

The rule says, if your depressing the clutch and holding it down for more than 1 second [approximate, but close],your not drive the stick shift properly.

To this day I drive a stick and can get 180k out of a truck before replacing the clutch, if I'm the only one who drives the vehicle.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5580) on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 12:56 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jason, it really isn't that much to remember, but after driving auto here in the states, it is good to have something on paper for me to check before driving a stick again. :-) Have your dad or bro take you out for a spin in a large empty parking lot somewhere and get the hang of a clutch. Guaranteed to make you all laugh you butts off at first, then you will just "get it" and realize it really isn't so hard at all, just a different chain of events that brake and gas pedal, that's all. You will shake, rattle and roll for a while, we all did in the beginning, shoot, I did it myself this past trip in my parking lot area as I forgot I was driving a stick. :-) My neighbors got a chuckle out of that one...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By jennifer Eveleth (BonaireTalker - Post #44) on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 1:15 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

jason you won't wreck the clutch!! you might not get 180K out of it like Bill, but you won't wreck it. We taught our daughter to drive our manual trans. Accord. It has 90K on it, and the clutch is still perfect. Get your bro to help out. It will take an hour or so and you will feel so confident in Bonaire in that dive truck rental. One less thing to worry about.

It is kinda like riding a bike, you don't forget once you know how, of course with our daughter we couldn't use that analogy because the child is 19 years old and still dangerous on a bike. Now she is just a natural born diver, I swear she must have been born with gills as she doesn't even use any air when we dive. So for her we always said "Rose it's like establishing buoyancy, once you figure it out you don't forget":-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jason (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #162) on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 1:36 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I'll get my dad to help me....my brothers name is Richard, which means he also has another name that is more fitting for him right now. :-)

Thanks everyone for the advice. I get it done and will find myself in a nice HELIX. HA

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By pat murphy (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1225) on Sunday, July 8, 2007 - 4:49 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

ok..this won't work for you before you go to bonaire because you won't have enough time but....when i taught my kids to drive stick it was on a snow-covered parking lot. the snow/ice allowed the tires to skid a little if they let the clutch out too fast but they didn't stall the car. after about 30 minutes of stop and go in an empty parking lot they were doing great.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jason (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #164) on Sunday, July 8, 2007 - 9:57 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Pat,

How can you even bring up snow in July? Shame on you.

:-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Thorpe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #174) on Sunday, July 8, 2007 - 10:10 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jason

Good luck and just realize it's a rhythm that you get into, after a while you don't have to think about which gear to put it in.

another advantage is the low speeds on the island, I think 45 mph was the fastest I went and I was breaking the law!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jason (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #165) on Sunday, July 8, 2007 - 11:11 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Yeah, I've had it past that on the southern part of the island....I know, im on vacation i should take it slower. Sometimes i cant help it. :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jane Rene Dozier (BonaireTalker - Post #48) on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 12:56 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

At least you'll learn where you can drive on the right side of the road! When we first moved to Okinawa (where we learned to dive), I not only had to do the stick shift (automatics were virtually unheard of), but had to drive on the left side of the road! aughhh!!! Fortunately, top speed on the island was 50kph (about 35mph)so there wasn't any high speed chases going on! On the other hand, traffic was so close, you could reach out and touch the next car! I digress...Except for in Kral. itself, there isn't a lot of traffic on Bonaire, so don't get too worked up about it. You'll be fine!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Clare (BonaireTalker - Post #18) on Thursday, August 2, 2007 - 12:35 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I'm with Bob - I learned after buying a stick almost 15 years ago... I've never gone back to automatic!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By bob (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2213) on Thursday, August 2, 2007 - 8:04 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

you can do 100 km/hr easy down by the salt mines...but with both windows down - wicked breeze thru the truck's open windows - too much - blows the air away and one can not breath

slow down and/or close a window?


 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #389) on Thursday, August 2, 2007 - 10:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Slow down would be the better option, Bob. Why would you want to go nearly twice the limit?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jason (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #173) on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - 11:37 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

An update on this adventure...

A ran into an old friend on the train ride home from work and asked him if he knew anyone with a manual trans. He looks at me and goes...yeah, ME!

He owns a new Camaro and said he could teach me on that. So last week we went to a parking lot and I drove stick for the first time in my life. Wasn't even a 15 minute lesson, I stalled the car once, but I understand why I did.

I was pretty nervous at first...his car is really nice and its his baby and I didnt want to screw it up..but he was cool. :-)

With that one lesson I feel like I could manage on Bonaire, I already booked my truck for the trip. I'm going to drive it again soon, but I am much more confident.

J

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jason (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #207) on Sunday, October 21, 2007 - 3:39 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ok, I'm back. No accidents, a couple stalls, a little bit of jerking...but overall a success.

By the 2nd week I was extremely more comfortable and never again will I drive an automatic in Bonaire. ;)

Now I want to drive stick up here. :-)

J

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Thorpe[less than 10 days] (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #262) on Sunday, October 21, 2007 - 4:57 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Glad you enjoyed driving a stick! Once you start driving a manual transmission on a regular basis, a good gauge to how your doing is how many miles you get on the vehicle before replacing the clutch. I'm driving an 03 Nissan Frontier with 155k, and the original clutch--and I'm seeing some minor signs that it's getting to be that time.

In most cases even if you replace a clutch it's all about the same money. Manual trans are about $1000 cheaper and that's a clutch replacement price. Even though auto resale is a little less when comparing auto to manual transmissions, it puts some fun back into driving

 


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