I can't believe that people on here are complaining about the 8's clutch.

I guess I was (un)fortunate to learn manual on a car with a brass button clutch and lightened flywheel.

Try learning with that for a few weeks!
I ended up either stalling the bloody thing or leaving a couple of feet of rubber behind.

 

If someone is driving stick for the first time, there are a lot of easier cars in which to learn, e.g. a small piston-engined Japanese car.

 

I didn't think this car was that hard to drive as a manual.

Basically, rev up to about 1.5K or 2K RPM, just after you begin applying throttle begin to gently and smoothly release clutch. You should feel the clutch begin to engage and the car should start rolling forward. Continue smoothly applying more throttle as you smoothly release the clutch until the clutch is fully engaged. Then you can apply more throttle till you want to shift to second. Starting from a complete stop is the hardest, everything else is the same but not as touchy. Smoothly moving the pedals is the key to a smooth start.

One thing I noticed on starting off in first was that I didn't have a good feel for when the clutch started to engage. In my case I attributed it to the engine being too smooth, and my not being able to hear a change in engine pitch when there was noise. A few times when starting off with the stereo up too loud I ended up reving too high and left some burnt clutch smell behind me. Maybe it's the same thing someone else noted above.

In any case, the key is practice and not letting yourself get flustered by the other drivers. When you start off learning you're doing a lot of thinking about what you are doing - eventually you're body will learn the movements and you won't have to think about it so much.

I taught myself to drive stick by hot-wiring my moms VW in the driveway and started off by just moving it forwards and backwards in the driveway and then later going around the block. It didn't really take that long. A few people suggested learning the "theory" of operation behind a clutch and tranny and the drive train. For me that sort of understanding made it a LOT easier to understand what I needed to do. But I've noticed that not all people learn this way. In any case this is how I taught my wife to drive stick also.

Good Luck! Don't get frustrated, and let yourself enjoy it. Also, don't be afraid to challenge yourself but know your limits - if you're still really iffy on starting/stopping a freeway traffic jam will NOT be good practice!

 

ditch the stick, trade it in for an auto :D (just had to say that, had to see how the other side lives)

 

Good news for me, my cousin just bought a brand new WRX and will teach me manual on it *WOOT*. So up until I buy my 8, I'll be learning an hour or so every weekend. Let's hear it for family connections! :D