i'd say i could teach you standard in about an hour but um.... i live in el paso.... but go for the 5 speed..... much much better.... and lots more fun :3gears:

The car will mostly be a daily driver (stored during the winter). Can't afford to pay for 2 vehicles (other car is a '01 Monte Carlo that my sister is buying from me). I won't be doing any extreme racing like hitting up a track. Maybe just messing around on the streets every once in a great while. I am buying this car with the intention of modding it up. It may start off stock, but there are things I would like to do to it as far as performance wise (speed, handling, etc).

If I could drive a manual, or had access to a vehicle that was a manual so I could learn, then I would definitely get a manual. Granted a friend of mine tried teaching me a long time ago (so I do know the fundamentals), I don't want this car to be my "manual learning experience"... as much as I want to replace a tranny do from too much gear grinding. :P

Buy whatever makes you happiest...don't listen to what people say unless that is truely what you too believe. For ideas though...I learned how to drive manual cars by test driving used ones at car dealerships.

and my friend thought i was weird for test driving random cars!!!..... i'm not the only weird one here!!! :banana:

I learned on a 2G GST at metro mitsu. Hope no one here bought that car :stick:

i learned in a mazda miata and my dad's truck...... with a lot of torque!

try the miata.... sport tranny is really nice and easy for those first gear woes!

I learned to drive a stick when I test drove a '80 Capri 5.0 with a 4-speed. Only killed it once when I was in reverse backing out of a driveway. Don't get discouraged, if you already know the fundamentals the battle is half won. Each car has a different clutch so it's practically a new learning experience each time you drive a different manual transmission.

Yeah, I'll more than likely borrow my dad's S10 and try to learn on that. He'll be curious to know why I all of the sudden want to learn how to drive a stick... then when I tell him that I'm going to sell the Monte and get an import, I'm pretty certain he'll roll his eyes at me quite a few times (he's a hardcore american muscle guy). Hahaha!

That will be nice when you say hey want to race and you leave him in the dust :3gears:

Yeah, it would be interesting to see how the GSX I want would hold up against his Chevelle. LOL!

Back to the original question Here's what I can advise you on.
Manual or Auto?
Go with the manual. So what if you don't know how to shift. You will learn quick. It's easy. I learned on a 1984 Nissan Skyline GT. RWD, in line six, Turbo. After about 20 minutes of practicing i was like this pic: :3gears:

The trickiest part was remembering that I was in Japan an on the wrong side of the car not to mention the road. But I got the hang of it quick.

Things to look for: There are lot's.
Find out when the timing belt, and Water pump were last replaced.
Make sure it doesn't show signs of crank walk. A odd little thing with the 2G engines. A easy test is to take a left hand turn and push in the clutch. If it drops to the floor you got crank walk. Don't buy it.
Get a carfax run on any prospective cars.
Check tire wear any odd wearing is a suspention/alignment issue.
Check the engine. Finds out what mods have been done. The fewer the better.
Shifting. 2nd gear seems to be the one that most people complain about. The tranny is one of the weak points with the 2G. (This will be hard to check if you don't know how to drive a manual) Take someone along that knows manual trannies.
Of course all the simple shit too. Check the fluids, Exhaust color, smell and such.
Make sure to check the seats too. It will give you an indication of the previous owner(s). Driver seat wear and no other wear on the seats indicates usually 1 person in the car. So on and so fourth. Post up what your looking at and I will be happy to answer any questions that I can for you. Sure everyone else will too. Good luck and remember two things.
1. Red = more attention from the police
2. Buy what you want, not what you think other people will like. It's your money.
Hope this helps.

Well today pretty much put the knife in my plans at getting a DSM. I called my insurance agent and the best he could do for getting me insurance was DOUBLE what I pay for my current car... I couldn't believe it. :uh:

So now I'm forced to rethink this whole thing out and it's not looking very good at all. Damn, what a shitty way to start a weekend. :(

Sorry to hear that. You got some opions left though.
Get a 1g then the insurance might be cheaper
Get a N/A and then turbo it (Pricy and not entirely legal by not telling your insurance co.) ;)
Save your money and wait. Then after some time you can buy a new what ever or other that is the shit then. Insurance will drop eventually.

or try some other insurance companies