cruising along.

"Dear God, please don't let me roll into the BMW behind me".

This was my regular prayer whenever I hit the slight incline on the corner of New North Rocks and Pennant Hills road. I would mutter it repeatedly while my sweaty hand gripped the clutch and the steering wheel, waiting for the lights to turn green.

"Remember: foot off clutch, then at the same time, release break and accelerate. But at the same time. And slowly. And don't stall".

There was always that moment of uncertainty as the red switched to green, followed by either the comforting sound of the engine kicking into gear and taking off smoothly, or the screech and smell of tires skidding on the road. Bunny hops were also common, along with embarrassing stalls when nudging through traffic and crunching gears.

My first month of learning how to drive a manual car.

When Sam asked (read: urged) me to learn how to drive a manual, I was adamant that it would be too hard for me to manage. It took a few months of patient lessons, repetitive instructions and frustrated moments where I wanted to give up, but today I can drive our car without thinking twice about what my hands and feet are doing.

To share the lessons I learnt while struggling with a manual, (and possibly because Sam wanted me to post about something that would allow him to put up another picture of the new Purgeot and this was the only thing I could think of) I thought of 7 reasons why girls should learn how to drive a manual car.

1. It's fun. You can accelerate a lot faster and zip around corners. This may not sound appealing, but it is.
2. The more girls insist they can't do it, the more people will think that being a good driver is only a "guy thing".
3. It's cheaper and more economical fuel-wise (or so I'm told).
4. Driving a manual makes you a better driver. Since making the switch, I've found that I concentrate more on the cars around me and how fast I'm going.
5. Don't let the car conquer you! Girls, I've noticed, often try a few times before getting to a point where the complexity of driving a manual frustrates or scares them, then give up in a huff. You have to push past that point where it's baffling and be determined to master it.
6. Related to 5 - it's not too hard if you find the right teacher. Sam was a great instructor, mainly because he also explained how the gears worked together with the clutch and engine rather than firing a bunch of instructions at me.
7. Girls who drive manual are cool - up there with girls who drink beer, girls who play bass,and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.