Warning to new owners
 

To all new owners or people thinking about buying this car. When going for your test drive if you'd like to go into reverse you have to push the stick down into the car and then it will go into revers just a warning cuz no 1 told me. And me and my father got stuck for a bit.Good luck! :cool: the more you know....

Most stick drivers would have known that to go into reverse you have to either,
1. Push the stick down and shift, or
2. Lift the stick (or a contraption just below the knob) up and shift, or
3. Push the stick towards the R until you feel a 'clunk' and shift.
Now that's for gear sticks that are placed centrally between the front seats like on the 8.
Some trucks and older cars have the gear lever up on the side of the steering wheel, where the wiper control on the 8 is.

lol.

I remember when I weere a lad and hadnt driven many cars someone asked me to drive their renault 5 - it was parked in a space that needed to be reversed out of. at night, in pitch black, and I didnt have a clue what controlls where were.

20min to find the lights, another 15 to figure out reverse (pull the thingey on the gearstick up) - where the indicators... aaaagh.

Now for someone who has never driven a Merc or a Citroen before, try finding the parking brake. Duh!

I kinda wish someone would have told me that before I took my 24hr test drive. Neither me nor my brother, owned manuals for years, could move it.... I thought I had a dud! It was actually kinda funny! :)

The best was when I went for my test drive at one dealership. The idiot salesman had obviously never been in one, and couldn't get it into reverse. I hadn't driven one yet, but still was smart enough to try the "push it down" trick since that's how my old RX-7 worked ... the salesman then said "well, let me drive first" and I just looked at him and said "just shut up and let me enjoy this."

He said not a word the rest of the ride. Idiot. We arrived back at the dealership and he starts running his mouth and I just ignored him and walked to my car to leave.

Owner's manuals are amazing. They contain all sorts of useful information.
Sorry for the sarcasm.

When I picked mine up, I avoided 6th gear all the way home because I didn't know if it would lock out reverse or not. I found reverse on the parkway once when I was learning in my Fiero. Like nails on a chalkboard...

Anyway, the first thing I did when I got home was look that up in the manual, and it mentioned pushing down on the stick. I never would have known, otherwise. I drove a 5-speed for almost 4 years and moved a lot of different manual cars at work. Never came across one where you push the stick down. Maybe we want to cut him a little slack about what "most stick drivers would have known". :)

See how I was able to say that without the snotty attitude?!

lol this thread is missing pics of you and your dad being stuck

I didn't know either, I've driven sticks for years, though usually only 4 or 5 speeds. Reverse on my Dad's BMW was on the other side. The 1st time I was trying to go into reverse I kept putting it in 6th and it would still try to creep away forward.

Yeah it kinda sucks. Same goes for the G35 coupe but when you press down its more noticeable. On my brother's 2002 Celica GTS (6 speed also), when you put it on reverse there is a little beeping that tells you that you are on R. I thought it was annoying at first but it's very practical and you are only on reverse for a few seconds. Do it Mazda..

Sorry, I should have said "Most experienced stick drivers..", meaning those who have driven a wide array of manual cars.

Haha, i remember the first time i tried to back up my car. I started the car tried it a few times then called up a friend who doesn't have an 8, but drives a 6 speed manual.
"How the heck do you go into reverse?"
"Press down on the shifter"
"Oooohhhhhhhhhhhhh........."

Yep, I didn't read the manual.

Went away for one week-end soon after I bought the "8" and my wife decided to take it for a spin. Well she never got out of the driveway, could not put it in reverse.

Sad, but true :)

Did you really read through the manual before you drove the car?
Not a chance!

Wanna bet? I downloaded the manual in PDF format long before I bought the car and read through most of it. I'd never had a car with all those bells and whistles before, and when you're thinking about buying a $36k car I think it's best to know what it comes with. I did however know how to shift it into reverse from driving so many MT's in my life.

That's awesome. I was talking about those who got the car and the manual at the same time.

As a matter of fact, I did have to read on how to start the car. The 8 is the first car I have ever driven where you have to depress the clutch pedal to start. I couldn't get the damn car to start, checked the battery, and finally went to read the manual. Aha!

My previous Miata introduced me to that Mazda concept... prior to that I'd always started my cars in neutral, clutch engaged.

I got stuck in a bug last year, before I got my 8- I couldn't figure out the reverse in it. Finally had to ask my friend who owned a VW what reverse was. Turned out is was push down REALLY hard and shove into gear. Never driven a car that difficult to get into reverse before.

My wife's Corolla XRS has the beeping reverse. I find it annoying but she likes it. On another note, i am sure this might be in some cars but I thought a nice idea would be a indicator on the dash for what gear you are in. Mayvbe a little pic that lights up 1st, 2nd, etc. as you shift into each gear. This is for my wife's protection :)

I don't mind the other gears just reverse. I back up a lot and hit 6th about once a week.

On the celica, the beeping is annoying only at first then you get used to it. The first time I heard it, I thought it was audible outside the car as well and felt like I was backinp up a garbage truck or something.

VW's teach all sort of habits heh. My Passat had the same push the stick through the tranny and over for reverse. Also most VW's require a depressed clutch to start.

Course they also have 'auto-up' windows...

this thread is hysterical.

That's a pretty dumb quote bro. Just think about it for one second...

Ok now with your new thought.. Unless you were born driving 6 speeds you shouldn't own one? Everyone had to make the jump or learn it either by studying or experiencing it.

My car has the reverse parking sensors and therefore the reverse gear beeper, which is quite helpful IMO. Especially if you forget to shift back to first while parking ...

The worst "where's the reverse" adventure was with my BMW though. I was stuck on the company's parking lot just after the delivery (it was a corporation car) and had to pull out the manual to find out that you have to push to the right real hard until it clicks in.

sorry, i came from a 5 speed Eclipse, and it took me oh about 2 SECONDS to realize how to go in reverse.

Not only "older" cars. Chevy still puts them there in their Impalas.

No comment on the reverse-gear instructions :D Might actually help someone not embarass him/herself.

Here's a funny one. I bought this junker for $450 and the top of the shifter was gone.

I had no idea whether it was 4, 5 or 6 speeds. And whether R would be left of 1 or right of 4. On the test drive I went up to 4th, then carefully tried 5th (worrying that could've ben R).

For 450 I didn't expect 6 gears, so I tried "6th" position when pulled over and it was "R" indeed.

1-3-5
2-4-6

When I come from the RX-8, I sometimes catch myself about to put in 6th gear on the junker. That prolly would be the last shift for that tranny.

In a manual transmission?

DUDE!!! I WISH YOU HAD TOLD ME THIS!!

Maaan I've had my car a year now.. and I've never gone in reverse!! I always had to park so I could drive forward!!

I suppose that wouldn't be MOST people anyway, which is who the thread starter was addressing.

That is hilarious. Although I would agree with most of you. I have been driving a stick since I got my first car. All 5 speeds. Thankfully the salesman didn't let me make a fool of myself, he just told me before I could even ask.

You know I was kidding right? :)

I reverse just fine..

Except for that one tiny little incident at the Tail of the Dragon....
::D

You caught me. It was an automatic. I rented a Impala a few months ago. 2003 model, I estimate. The "stick" was to the right on the wheel.

-Peter

boahahahaha.. you just made my day :D

Nope...I TOTALLY thought you were serious. I was going to send you some links to driving schools. :D :p

just kiddin

I believe most new cars shift in reverse like that.

When I got my 8 it was delivered to me. I could not get the damn thing in reverses I was trying to push it in force it in whatever... and I have had to other cars with a 6 speed a Mustang Cobra R and a Corvette Z06 neither of those cars have this "depression: feature... Abbids comments are sad... so proud and cocky... Like he is better then the half of us who were not told about this largely import only feature.

I believe older cars used to have the gear lever by the steering wheel to allow three persons to sit on the front one-piece seat/bench. Is it due to safety regulations that nowadays only two persons can sit in the front of a car? Are there still cars in the US where 3 can sit in front?

I can relate. It is a pain to find the reverse gear in an unfamiliar car in the dark, or where the markings on the gear knob have worn off. :confused:

Three in the front seat, those were the days.
I don't see as many column shifters these days, except the Grand Marquis they gave me as a rental when my car was hit.
In a lot of older cars, like some of the Gran Torinos (not the Starsky & Hutch one) had three on the tree, which was a column shift 3 speed transmission, complete with clutch & everything. Imagine a 3 speed stuck to the side of your steering wheel, with the same shifting pattern. Those cars would beat you up.

It really is surprising how many people have issues with this.

Lesson to learn...
 

I MUST remember this!!! :eek: