:bowrofl::bowrofl::bowrofl:

Get her the Auto. At this point, she probably sees the car as something that get's her from A to B....and nothing else. If she's not into cars, she won't understand the point of a manual. It's like having a physical map instead of GPS to them.

To each his own, but I'd wait on buying your kid a car until they've had more experience behind the wheel. It's just too damn dangerous out there for kid's her age. Period!

:iagree: 100%

ONLY reason I see behind manual though is the no texting and driving

:tiphat:
manual...my dad taught me and it has been an important skill for me.
Allowed me to help out, drive cars that others could not and also bragging rights to all the men/boys who talked trash, and believe me, they will/do.
My daughter drove a manual 93 toyota pickup in HS (her step dads old vehicle), she also told me several times how much trash talk occurred until the boys realized she could fend for herself in the vehicle arena. :tup:
I say manual, cheap, trade it in on something nicer after she has mastered it.


edit: I always felt too that, especially in winter weather, the manual gives you, as the driver, more control. I drove manual vehicles for a long long time before I had an auto for that reason alone. I was afraid the auto would drive me instead of the other way around...

Do you really think a manual will stop a texter from texting? Maybe in traffic but, as soon as the car is in top gear, that right hand is going to grab the phone.

Not saying that OP's daughter would text while driving, just that a manual is not going to stop someone that does.

Lol it's just a Z.

She's a 16yo. THe Z is a 330+hp rwd sports car. These things do not go together.

Children do.

well i thought it would be easier/safer for her to learn :wtf2:
i've never drove a manual car before but i tried learning on a bike and ended up riding myself into a wall and dropping the bike and stalling a lot because i forget the clutch

She's so young and ther'll be plenty of time to learn manual. That she needs to learn manual shifting right now is a bit irrelevant and misguided in my humble opinion.

The important things she needs to learn now is defensive driving and putting the phone down. It's not about how good a driver she is, it's about learning how to deal with crappy drivers, those who don't follow the rules and driving situations not covered in the driver's manual.

The other epidemic (that wasn't around when I was her age, neither were cell phones nor Internet) is talking and texting on the phone. Texting while driving should be a topic as serious as drinking and driving except texting is more dangerous.

By the way, there are a myriad of cell phone blockers and real-time GPS devices that can be installed in a youngster's car during this probationary.

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

Although, she would be the coolest kid on the block with that Z..:rofl2:

Well said. I think everyone should be able to operate a manual and she should get some training ASAP but mastery is not needed. Defensive Driving training is, IMNSHO, a must. I took some company-sponsored classes when I was in my mid-20s and learned more about driving a car properly than I could have ever figured out on my own.

Didn't have to worry about cell phones with my daughter but my rule would have been: NO texting and only answer incoming calls long enough to say "I'm driving. Call you back when I'm parked." The more I think about it, it might be better to just ask for her phone before she left. :)

Edit: It's not that my parents didn't give me plenty of training (including skid recovery on ice in the HS parking lot) but they couldn't teach me everything.

Why were you learning to ride a bike with a wall in front of you? :icon17: Stalling is going to happen to pretty much anyone. You get better with practice.

I'm not suggesting that she take the MT to the streets without any experience. She will need a lot of practice in a closed environment, like an big empty parking lot. Can't remember who, but the best advice I saw someone on the forum post in regards to MT practice was find a row in an empty parking lot with the spaces across from each other and pull into a space. Reverse into the space behind you across the row and then pull forward back into the same spot you were in previously. Repeat ad nauseum.

I agree that the skill of driving a manual is almost completely unnecessary in this day and age. However, I think that the ability to drive a manual is a good thing. A MT will help focus attention to the road and limit the opportunities to use a cell phone while driving. If your daughter can pick up these good habits at a young age, it is better for her as well as everyone else on the road. I'm not saying you can't learn these in an AT, but I think the MT provides a slightly different perspective that would be beneficial.

I was learning in a parking lot, there was a building on one end and I was going towards it and my brain went herp derp trying to stop and I ended up jumping off :facepalm: