Praised by the Instructor for My MT Driving

Three years ago, I removed the AT license restriction, and at the final test, the instructor even told me, “No problems at all. You’re good.“—that was my level of skill (?). So why did I struggle so much with driving the Boxster (MT)? Well, probably just because I didn’t drive it enough…

ポルシェ ボクスターGTS(MT)を乗りこなせるようになるその日まで-Vol.3

That thought made me dig up some materials from when I removed the restriction three years ago, and it brought back nostalgic memories… So I decided to write a blog post summarizing the “journey from enrolling in driving school to passing the test.”

Triggered by Buying a Boxster MT

I originally got my driver’s license when I was 18. Using my university spring break, I enrolled in driving school as soon as I turned 18 and got my license. And I paid for it all myself with money I earned from part-time jobs.

I had zero interest in cars and commuted daily by bike and train, so I really didn’t need a license at all, yet I was so determined to get one—still a mystery to me. Plus, I was a paper driver for over 10 years after that, haha.

About 15 years later, in October 2015, I removed the AT restriction. The trigger was that my husband bought a Boxster GTS (MT).

After ordering the Boxster, my husband kept telling me,

Since you’ll have the chance to drive a Porsche MT, you absolutely have to remove the AT restriction before delivery.

But I had no intention of driving the Boxster at all back then, so I just ignored him for a while. However, he was so persistent,

“So, have you signed up for driving school yet? When are you starting? The Boxster’s delivery is coming soon! Hurry up or you won’t make it!”

that I reluctantly, very reluctantly (lol), decided to go to driving school.

The Process of Removing the Restriction

There’s a way to remove the restriction by taking a one-shot test at the licensing center, but that’s 100% impossible for me, so I chose to attend the driving school closest to my home. (From what I researched, some schools don’t accept AT restriction removal courses.)

Cost

The cost to remove the restriction varies by school. It’s usually around 50,000 yen (before tax), but the school I went to charged ¥52,824 (¥57,050 including tax). This included:

admission fee, four lessons, examination fee, and textbook cost.

I thought, “I don’t really want to ‘enroll’… I just want to get it done quickly… (-_-)” but that wasn’t possible. (Obviously)

Some schools accept payment by cash or credit card on the day, but mine required payment by bank transfer before the first day.

Enrollment Procedures

Nowadays you can do everything online, so I thought “I can apply online and start lessons the same day I go in,” but the school I went to said “you have to visit the school in person at least once to apply.”

I thought, “Ugh, what a hassle (-_-),” but I scheduled a visit and brought my seal, license, and photo.

There, I received an explanation about enrollment and took a simple aptitude test, then set my enrollment date and lesson schedule. However, the school didn’t offer enrollment every day; it was only twice a week at fixed times (Wednesdays at 17:20 and Saturdays at 9:50), so I had to fit my schedule around that.

At that moment, I really thought,

“If only I had gotten a regular license instead of an AT-restricted one when I had more free time as a student.”

I was also surprised that there was “no classroom lecture at all.” They just handed me a thin textbook,

*Image source: AT Restriction Removal Exam

and then I had to take four practical lessons before the graduation test. I also had to memorize the school’s driving course before the test, so I remember thinking, “There’s no way I can pass with just four lessons when I don’t even know anything about car structure or the clutch.” By the way, you have to graduate within three months of enrollment.

On Enrollment Day

On enrollment day, after receiving explanations alongside university students, I started practical lessons immediately. The school had “very few instructors qualified to teach restriction removal and only a limited number of lessons available,” so scheduling was tough.

During the first lesson, although I had studied MT driving on YouTube and read the textbook, I was a nervous wreck. The training car was a Toyota Comfort, said to have a “very light clutch and easy controls,” but I couldn’t even perform basic operations properly…

(Like this *Image source: 2003 Toyota Comfort)

I was told, “You must keep your clutch and brake pressed to avoid stalling,” but I stalled immediately after releasing the clutch, stopped at red lights, couldn’t start when it turned green, and sometimes the light turned red again before I could move (lol).

The instructor warned, “If you fail to start at a single traffic light during the test, it’s an immediate fail,” and repeatedly pressed the brake from the passenger seat. I was crushed, thinking, “There’s no way I can drive an MT car (-_-),” on that first day.

Starting Lessons

In lessons two and three, I practiced hill starts, railroad crossings, S-curves, U-turns, and crank turns, quite a lot to cover. Looking back, I guess the key was learning the feel of the half-clutch.

Then came the fourth lesson—the evaluation. Passing this meant I could take the test. By the fourth lesson, I strangely started to get the hang of driving, and the instructor who knew my previous state said, “Yeah, you’ve improved a lot,” which boosted my confidence. Suddenly, the instructor asked,

“By the way, why did you decide to remove the AT restriction?”

I answered,

“Well… my husband bought an MT car and told me to learn to drive it…”

He then asked,

“Oh really? What kind of car?”

I didn’t want to say the model, but I replied,

“It’s a Porsche Boxster…”

The instructor’s calm tone instantly changed to,

“What?! A Boxster (ﾟдﾟ)!! You definitely need more practice! I can’t pass you on the evaluation today!”

I clearly remember being told that and having to book extra lessons, lol.

In the end, I signed up for two additional lessons (about 5,000 yen each, so an extra 10,000 yen), and by the sixth lesson, the instructor said I had improved a lot and gave me the evaluation pass, so I took the test.

Graduation Test

I took the graduation test with a university-age guy. He went first, and I sat in the back seat. He stalled and didn’t follow instructions, so I thought, “He definitely failed,” (sorry).

Thanks to that, I relaxed and drove calmly. The examiner said, “Nothing to complain about, you’re good. If anything, you tend to drift too far into the opposite lane when avoiding obstacles,” but I passed safely.

Surprisingly, that guy also passed, so I honestly thought, “Maybe anyone can pass this (-_-)” (laughs).

(The Boxster was delivered in November 2015, so just in time)

Still, even though I passed, during hill starts, they let me start when I was ready, and for merging, they told me, “Take your time and wait until the road is clear,” so I wondered if it was really okay to remove the restriction without any on-road lessons beyond the school grounds.

Wanting to Master the Boxster MT

I finally removed the restriction, but when I first drove the Boxster after delivery, I was shocked by how heavy the clutch was, thinking, “It’s totally different from the Comfort!” I’ve been making excuses for three years, and only recently have I been able to drive it around town. (I still can’t operate the clutch smoothly, so there’s a long way to go.)

From here on, I think the only way to improve is to get more driving experience. Still, I wonder why the school’s training cars don’t have a stiffer clutch… Are normal MT cars really that easy to operate? These are the thoughts running through my mind these days.