F18drvr

Depends on the kid. I taught my son and trying to get my daughter to give it another go. Of course just because you drive, doesn't mean you can "teach" others to drive. I learned that when I was flying...just because you can fly, doesn't mean you can teach others to fly...

My son, now 20, drives a manual civic. He is very responsible and respectful, and I am considering letting him take the car to AC by himself. My daughter, 16, is a completely different story. Her Mom hates to drive with her BC she drives like her Dad. My rule is, no tickets, no crashes, no problem. The contract is void by getting either of those.

Just BC they can drive the car doesn't mean you toss 'em the keys for prom!

u7t2p7

With all due respect it sounds to me like you want to re-live your teen years through your children. First of all you have to seperate the "learning to drive a stick" with that of simply "learning to drive." I am all for teaching our kids how to drive a manual transmission. However having them learn to drive in a 993 is irresponsible on many levels. First off, the sight lines are terrible and even worse on your cabriolet. Secondly, the visibility to OTHER drivers given how low to the ground the car is, is something the driver needs to account for. New drivers (and many long time drivers) are not aware of blind spots, proper spacing, correct braking techniques, etc. Thirdly, statistically speaking the likelihood of a 16-18 year old getting into an accident is dramatically higher than that of a more mature driver; why even put your child at risk (and with a cab the risk of injury is even higher). Given the high level of distractions on the road today and the abundance of large SUV, pick up trucks and a generally lower standard of quality drivers, I'm an advocate of teaching a new driver to be the best driver they can be with an automatic transmission in a car that offers great visiblity, comfort and safety; then transitioning to a manual transmission after a period of time. Only after all those steps would I even consider letting smy children drive my 911 and even then it would not happen with at least 2-3 years of accident free driving. I would also throw in an autocross or similiar teenage driving course that many companies offer. My kid would have to earn the right...or privilege to drive my Porsche.

justin-in-athens

You must be joking! Get him a cheaper car to learn to drive in. If you have to buy one, get him a manual Volvo 240 and let him learn stick on that. He needs to learn how to drive for several years before getting behind the wheel of such a fine automobile.

race911

Taught my friend's 13 y.o. daughter to drive my '68 911 back in the mid-'80s. We opted for my car with the "easier" clutch v. his wasted 915.

So, what's the big deal? I read this to say the OP is going to accompany the child is learning how to operate a manual transmission car, nothing more, nothing less. Different because it's a freaking 993? Or Porsche? I probably did more "damage" to the clutch on my 4S one time unsticking it from being buried in snow after a particularly nasty ski/boarding day than any new driver could do in learning the clutch 'n gas tango taking off from a standstill. There's a lot of torque from the engine, coupled with a complaint flywheel setup to probably make one of these cars as easy as it gets.

esc911

I don't see anything wrong with it. My dad taught me to drive manual in is '85 911. It was a bit stressful for me because I knew it was his baby, but in the end I learned quickly and had a great memory with my pops. As long as the kid is willing to learn and is careful I think it's an awesome idea. When my kids reach driving age I plan on teaching them in the 993.

Quadcammer

if i had kids, why the hell not. You're in the car and likely they aren't going flying around. I wouldn't just hand him/her the keys and say have fun, but I learned to drive on two high performance BMWs.

cmd4

I was thinking and assuming you meant in a wide open area like a school/mall parking lot to get the basics done with clutch and gas…….than maybe some back roads after days of mastering the starting and stopping.Every sunday morning we'd hit up empty parking lots for a few weeks before the open road.

tian647

I learned to drive a stick first as did many others here, but my ride looked like this:



I graduated to larger tractors, farm trucks and finally cars when I was at least 14 or so...

As for using my 993 as a learning tool? In a controlled environment sure, but I don't expect to turn my kids loose in it until they have a fair bit of experience behind the wheel and a session or two of Street Survival under their belts. Although my youngest is itching to go cart racing so maybe she'll turn out a driving progeny...


Christian
'95 Carrera

Spyder_Man

I learned to drive on stick as well, but my first car was a '67 VW Beetle. I got to handle the joys of learning to use the clutch and stick, while also learning about rear engine pendulum effect as well. Stressful as heck at the start, but it was a very worthwhile experience in hindsight.

And it was darn cheap to repair...

Car25

This is what I had in mind. This would of course apply to any stick shift car as a learner. The 993 would only be to learn in while I am in the car with her.

She has already learned something about traffic and the rules of the road through her years of bicycling on the roadways. I feel that this is a big advantage over kids who jump blindly into a car without that independent experience.

Her actual car to drive without me will hopefully be the diesel Mercedes. I'm trying to convince her that it's actually a cool car.

Thanks to all for your insights as the 993 is a special car and deserves respect.

Van1

I learned to drive stick when I was 15 in 1985 on a 1976 Ford F-350 stake bed truck during my landscaping years. While not legal to drive, my foreman would let me drive between jobs. That truck was hard to drive.

Those that have the means to let your kids learn to drive stick on your prized toys, more power to you. Reminds me of the landscaping customers from my youth. I say make them get a landscaping/construction job and have them learn on the work trucks. They learn both hard work and how to drive stick. BTW, you'll learn a lot more than how to drive a stick from the working types.

RS man

I wouldn't assume that at all. I have been riding cycles many years before driving and it is so different.

Car25

All I said is that she has learned something about traffic and the rules of the road through bicycling. I'm glad that she has been more than just a passenger in a car up until this point. Of course driving is different and I am confident she will learn that too.

Opo

My kids will learn how to drive stick on a rental car! NOT my p cars
That's just me , I respect everyone's decision ..

race911

Revisiting this, what cracks me up (and this is coming from a non-parent who's old enough to be a grandparent) is that you guys will spend and spend and spend and spend to ensure the kid has every advantage (schools, sporting/extracurriclars/etc), but the Precious 993 is off, off, off limits.

There was a comment above about needing a several years of driving experience before entry into a Porsche. Uh yeah. I believe the first weekend I had 911 #1, a couple of weeks past my 18th, we were off running a 12 hour road rally. Which in those days was basically street racing.

Guess it all depends on the kid, and what his/her goals are. Carting was mentioned above. Got a 21 y.o. son of my cousin who's two steps below Indycar. At 16 he'd not yet raced a full sized formula car, but I'll bet if I had put him in the Radical he would have trounced me by about lap 2.