Learning the Parts

• 1). Familiarize yourself with the three pedals. As in any other car, the brake and gas pedals are in the middle and right, respectively, and you operate them by pumping them with your right foot. The clutch pedal is at the far left, and you operate it with your left foot.
  
  
• 2). Check the gear shaft, located to the right of the driver's seat, and make sure that the car is in neutral. Most shaft knobs have a legend that indicates which notch position relates to which gear. When the car is in neutral, the gear shaft will move freely side to side.
  
  
• 3). Press the brake pedal with your right foot, then disengage the emergency brake. In most vehicles, the emergency parking brake is located in between the front seats and is operated with your right hand. With manual transmissions, it is especially important that you engage the hand brake when you park your car.
  
  
• 4). With your foot still on the brake pedal, depress the clutch pedal all the way to the floor with your left foot. locate the ignition and start the car. The ignition is generally located on the steering column, but in some models may be found on the center console or even the dashboard.
  
  

Driving and Shifting

• 1). Push the gear shaft into first gear keeping the clutch pedal fully depressed. Generally, first gear is located slightly left and above center, directly above second gear.
  
  
• 2). Take your right foot off the brake and begin slowly pressing the gas. As you push the gas pedal, slowly begin releasing the clutch with your left foot. Be sure to move your feet slowly -- too much gas will cause the transmission to rev too fast, and releasing the clutch too quickly can make the car stall out or jump forward.
  
  
• 3). Shift into each subsequent gear when you hear the car engine start "whining," which usually happens when the engine reaches approximately 3,000 rpm. Each car's gear shift point is different, so it is important to pay attention to how your car responds as you accelerate. A rough guideline for when to shift out of first gear is between 10 and 15 mph, about 25 mph for second, and so forth. Press the clutch all the way to the floor each time you shift gears. If the clutch is not fully engaged, you will grind the gears.
  
  
• 4). When you need to slow the car down, you can either downshift into a lower gear or simply shift into neutral and press the brake pedal.