what to look for in buying a used manual

lokichaos

lokichaos

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So I am adventuring into buying a manual pre-owned car, but I've only driven manual a few times in my brother-in law's Civic Si. So the question is what should I be looking for or watching out for when test driving a manual? Any recommendations on which cars would be good for 'beginner' manual drivers? Any of you AGrs drive manual? Thanks in advance for any tips!! :) Feed back please
 
Make sure it shifts smooth and stays in gear, no odd noises. I changed to Redline MTF in my truck,big improvement.
 
Ya just make sure the car goes into gear nice, no noises, and the clutch isnt slipping(big one).
 
I've always driven a manual. My recommendation for a nice driving, late model manual would be a BMW 3-series. They practically drive themselves. Newest, best condition that you can afford, give one a drive. A road trip with a lot of stop and go at the end (out here that would mean driving through Los Angeles) will make you an expert, regardless of what you buy.
 
If the clutch pedal is high chances are the clutch is in good shape.
if low down close to floor its warn out.
get going 10 to 20 mph in 1 than shift to 2 and add full throttle and see or feel for clutch slip.
ck for any noise between shifts or grinding poss bad syncros
Then in 1st axc and de cell to ck that it won't pop out of gear you can do that in all gears. keep your hand on shifter ck for vibration
You can listen for any pitch change between gears also ck for any grinding when down shifting. and a loose shifter with a lot of play can be fixed easy with shifter bushings.
 
Lookout for a wore-out clutch pedal/floormat
burnout.gif
 
Thanks guys for the advice!! Doing a test drive on a 09 GT in a few days…we'll see how it goes.
 
Flash Gordon said:
I always thought Mustangs make a great sports car......for a girl...
Click to expand...

Lol oh and what makes a great sports car for a guy?

Though I doubt Ill be going any where with it for a while if I decided to get it, rear wheel drive isn't exactly the best friend of snow…well nothing really is.

eh we'll see how it goes. Still have a list of other cars I'm looking to try.
 
The problem I had when looking for a used manual transmission car is that most people that have them, got them for a reason - They like to burn rubber, race on the weekends, etc.
So I guess if it's a newer used car check the tires as well and see if they're worn out more than they should be for their mileage. Also, if the rest of the car is not that clean, but the wheels are spotless, they could've had another set of soft tires for auto-crossing on the weekends, etc. Or if the floor matts are spotless, but the carpet underneath them looks worn ....a lot of guys take those out when they race...hahh.
 
others pretty much said it all,
-make sure theres no odd noises/feel in the shifter/clutch pedal
-make sure the clutch dont chatter, if it happens it makes the whole car shake bad, happens in my car.
-make sure when you shift it dont grind into gear or pop out, shift at different engine speeds and let clutch out faster or slower just to be sure everything is working fine.
-a test for clutch slippage would be put ebrake on shift into 4th gear and let clutch out like your pulling off from a stop light if it tries to stall clutch is good if the rpms' rise you know clutch is slipping for sure. can still test this by shifting into a higher gear at a slower speed then usual and press throttle pedal to the floor the rpm's and speed should rise at the same time if the rpm's rise and speed dont its slipping.
-just use common sense and listen/feel/smell for anything odd ask alot of questions, when was clutch replaced,timing belt replaced,fluids flushed and refilled,manual transmission fluid. ask questions like that and should be good. can also pull the top off of the clutch master cylinder resivour and check fluid color, should be pretty much a clear yellowish color.
hope the car hunt goes good for you...
 
Rix6 said:
I've always driven a manual. My recommendation for a nice driving, late model manual would be a BMW 3-series. They practically drive themselves. Newest, best condition that you can afford, give one a drive. A road trip with a lot of stop and go at the end (out here that would mean driving through Los Angeles) will make you an expert, regardless of what you buy.
Click to expand...

+1i bought my first manual a year should and lA traffic was nerve racking but it didn't take long to get proficient.

sent via telepathy
 
When I first started driving stick, I was scared as heck. I killed is several times trying to get it going. One time I had it in third and couldn't figure out what the heck was going wrong!

I still have problems sometimes, but just getting a smooth start. I've gotten a LOT better with it, and as silly as it sounds, the type of shoes I wear seems to make a bit of difference.
 
Mustang81 said:
When I first started driving stick, I was scared as heck. I killed is several times trying to get it going. One time I had it in third and couldn't figure out what the heck was going wrong!

I still have problems sometimes, but just getting a smooth start. I've gotten a LOT better with it, and as silly as it sounds, the type of shoes I wear seems to make a bit of difference.
Click to expand...

I have driven a stick for years and never noticed shoes being a factor until I got my WRX I guess its the all wheel drive but its the most difficult manual I have ever driven so unforgiving on the take off and shoes make an enormous difference with a difficult clutch....

As others have said look at the clutch pedal first if it has a lot of wear on the lower left and not so much anywhere else most likely the previous owner rested their foot on the clutch which will burn it out.... learned that the hard way got my car in June and had to put a new clutch in it a month later and I can guarantee it wasn't my fault.

Flawless Reflections Auto Detailing
www.flawlessreflectionsdetail.com
 
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