Learning how to drive a manual in a 996 911

The manners of the car are amazing. Smooth throttle. Smooth brakes, heavy flywheel, an exhaust note that he can hear and know when the revs are dropping / rising. A wonderful clutch engagement / point. Smooth powerband, not much power. We have a little hill across from the warehouse in a business park where there is zero traffic. Part of the training, I stand behind him pretending to honk and be an irate driver, telling him to hurry up and get out of the way. He has to learn how to start off in 1st on a hill, with some pressure on him. His clutch leg went from shaky leg to steady. We are about 1 week into the training. What a wonderful car to learn a manual on. Oh and a bonus, not that it will happen but if the clutch does go, I get to change it and while I'm in there put a new IMS bearing in Win / Win / WIn. Nothing but winning. Long live the 996 911.

What a great car to learn to drive a manual transmission in! Good Job.

Great training from a a great trainer My cousin put me through the same process in a VW gti hilarious experience many happy years ahead

33 years ago I taught my wife how to drive a manual in my 1987 VW Scirocco. I taught my 23 year old son to drive a manual in my 996. I guess my 16 year old daughter will be learning in the 996 as well.

I wish I had learned to drive a manual in something like a Porsche 996....I learned to drive a manual in a 1959 Simca with a " four-on-the-tree" ...lol ( at 12YO ) ...It was literally given to me to do as I wish..

Wow, I haven’t seen a Simca in forever. I learned how to drive a manual in a 1960s Ford truck with 3 on the tree. I was 18. (1985)

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Yea, I think they stopped making them in the mid 60's.. but they made a bunch in a short while though...

Wow! That's pretty awesome! I stole a couple of cars in my teens to learn how to drive a manual (sorry, remorseful about that now) but didn't own own a car until I turned 30 and tge 996 was my first car

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Teach him the handbrake method. Uphill start: pull the handbrake, clutch in, select first, hand on handbrake, foot on clutch, foot eases out clutch as hand eases off handbrake. A lifesaver on the steep stuff; I still use it even after 50 years' experience.

I learned at 12 on the baseball diamond, coach taught me to drive the VW Bug pulling a chain links smoothing out the infield, never forget it.

About to teach my wife how to drive her first manual car. All we have is my GT3, so it should be interesting. Hope she likes it.

That's great! He must be thrilled! I learned by stealing mom's Ford Grenada, 3 on the tree and self taught...What a nightmare. Then I taught my nephew on my Jeep Cj7, it was bullet proof and fun with no worries. He now races around in his dream car, a Subaru WRX.... Sticks are the only way to go IMO. Although I am glad that my new girlfriend has no aspirations to learn since I only have the 996 car left that is a manual, lol

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That's hilarious. "not much power". Ha. I learned manual on a 1987 Ford Escort. 89HP brand new, and by the time I got that car at 100k+ miles I know that many to most of the ponies had already left that barn. "not much power" You're a funny guy.

Only 1% of new cars sold today in the U.S. are manual. I always though my 996 is not the easiest to drive, as I always have to feather the throttle in first gear to get moving. So if one can drive a 996, they can drive most manuals. My first was a �49 Chevy pickup truck, 3 on the tree!

Taught both my kids on a 71 MG BGT (in my wife�s family since new and still have it). Both kids own manual cars.

My Dad taught me on a '74 Pinto when I was 12, driving on the logging roads. Dad taught my brother on the '78 Pinto lol. I taught most of my college roommates on my '92 Jetta Coupe; for a while they were die-hard manual guys. I taught my nephew on the supercharged VR6 Corrado race car. So much fun. You know, Hagerty has these events where they invite young drivers to check out manual trans cars and show them how to drive. If there was one around here I would bring a car over and let them drive it.

Nice job OP! I'm doing the same teaching my wife on our 996, also an aero it's been a great car to learn on. The way I've tried teaching her on an incline is to start letting the clutch out (with foot on the brake) where you can start feeling it engage/right before stalling and then keep it there. Then take your foot off the brake, without getting on the accelerator...and the car should hold and not roll back at all (maybe even start rolling forward slightly if it's not a big incline). Practice that a few times before getting it moving and when comfortable with the engagement point on the incline...start giving it light throttle before letting off the clutch more till the car is moving.

I taught my wife to drive my 996TT manual. She picked it up pretty fast.

Awesome. My son and daughter both learned how to drive manual on my 996. My son without the clutch helper spring. Didn't seem to bother him. My daughter had a tougher time so I had the spring put back in. Also had to add some additional cushions for the GT3 seats. She had a tough time at 5'2 seeing over the dash and reaching the pedals. My wife is 5'2 as well and hates the seats. Don't think she has driven the car for over 10 years so I am the only one to blame if something breaks.

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I feel this one. My wife is 4'10" and looks like a child driving. Its comical when she needs to use my truck to go pick something up.

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Hah. I hear you. The worst part is getting into my wife and daughters cars. I always forget to push the seat back before trying to sit down. 🙄

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Lol. Around the same business park, He has driven my M2 CS, E30 M3, 964, all these aren't as beginner friendly as the 996. He keeps on looking at the GT3 Touring....I'm like, um no. Don't even think about this one yet

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Yes great points here as well as the hand brake start. I grew up in a really hilly area and needed to use the hand brake there. 1979 Chevy Monza, 4 cylinder. I still do the handbrake trick with a few others cars when needed. Some cars aren't as smooth as the 996. Newer cars like GT3 and M2 CS have the hill assist and it's just not quite the same is it. Cheaters....

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I learned the seat slide back thing long ago lol. To make it even funnier, her mom is 4'7" and if it wasnt for her age she would need to be in a booster seat!

I learned in a VW bug at 15, Senior girl at school liked me and taught me. Wish I knew that she wanted "other" stuff but I was too naive! Bought a 69 Firebird 400 with 4 on the floor and almost killed myself with that power. Then got a 1973 914 loved that car but got picked on a lot. Datsun 240z taught my 16y.o gf to drive that! Several VW Sciroccos then got a 1995 993 cab. AWESOME car had a Porsche ever since! Taught 3 of my kids in the 996 and taught my current gf in my turbo!

I taught my son, who is now 27, to drive a stick in y 996 when he was 16. He learned fast and still brags that he learned to drive a stick in a Porsche!

Nice! I learned in a Nissan Pulsar & a '69 Datsun pickup. I've seen people write that the 911 is a hard or different MT to learn on. I'm not sure what they're talking about. It doesn't feel different from any other manual I've driven. I do notice that reverse seems to be a really tall gear and I rarely get to the point where I've let the clutch all the way out in reverse.

Cheers to you Dad. I love seeing posts like this. My little guy turns 4 in January.

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Glad too see he is picking it up! I first learned on a '68 Ghia when I was 14 and with it's whopping 36 HP and then really learned when I turned 16 on a '70 Opel GT, which was still only making 100 HP This is a fantastic trick, especially in today's world where everyone drives autos and loves to get right up on your bumper even on hills. It has certainly saved me a few times in Seattle.

Great topic! First stick I drove was a late 70's Pontiac Sunbird. I had to drive it from Tewksbury MA (rte 38 for those in the area) to Nashua NH for one of my father's friends. Problem was I never drove a standard before. After stalling it 4 or 5 times I managed to get it out of the parking lot and to its destination without issue. Making all the traffic lights helped a lot. I refined my skills on a 78 Pinto auto parts delivery car, which is also where I learned the e-brake trick for starting on a hill. I taught my wife how to drive stick on my mother's 77 Chevette. I tried to teach my daughter how to shift on my 91 Golf. She couldn't get the hang of it and when I had my 944 I used to tell her it was afraid of her because of the VW Golf. And speaking of the 944, I had just got it running and driove it for only the 2nd time. I was on a very steep hill, about the 4th car in line at a traffic light. A pick up truck was on my rear bumper. Of course I stalled it. With both feet in I remembered the e-brake didn't work. Hmmm, 2 feet, 3 pedals! I finally got the attention of the guy behind me and motioned him to roll back a bit, gassed it, slipped the clutch, and took off!

I learned in a 1974 Vega. I watched my Uncle dance with the pedals and after a while, I asked him to let me drive. He said I didn't know how to drive a stick, but he let me in the seat in the driveway. I stalled it at first but was off after that. I think I was 16, at the time, then the next year, I drove a school bus with a manual transmission, so learning the friction zone was essential.

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That my friend is a shaky left "clutch" leg moment! My son knows that feeling all too well at the moment.

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Wow, a lot people learned in some really old cars and not a lot of hydraulic clutches back then. I learned in a 1968 Renault R10 with a whopping 40 HP. My Dad thought he taught me but the reality was that I had already been taking the car for joy rides for about six months. By the time he started teaching me, he thought I was a natural for doing so well on my "first drive". This is the actual car.