Berlin: Trabi tours?

If your son has never driven a manual transmission, trying to learn while doing this tour through the streets of Berlin is not a good idea.

In the US, about 3% of cars sold are manual transmission. Across Europe, the average is over 80% (but it is dropping.)

Is there any way you could take lessons or practice prior to the trip?

Just do it - it is a real experience. A lot of people like it (search for Trabbi safari). In their video you can see that they explain it in dry run and also when starting the round trip.

Info: having experience with a typical manual transmission is semi-helpful because the gearing scheme is two times 90° axis twisted and differently arranged to these. Some Youtube videos show how a Trabbi transmission works - most with German explanation.

In Germany the share of automatic transmission of all new registered cars is between 50 and 60%. Some brands have higher numbers such as BMW but honestly they prefer not the classical gearing but from racing cars the shift paddles on the steering wheel which is only one gear up or down. This is really fun - I do it sometimes.

btw: renting a fast car to drive German Autobahn is a real bad idea if you are not used to drive it. So prevent people from doing this.

I would definitely recommend it because I have heard so many good stories about it. As has been mentioned, the manual transmission is different from what most of us are used to anyway. So get it explained before you leave, and you're done :-)

Let us know how you liked it, because I definitely have to try it myself.

I did do that tour. It was fun. But you also find out how bad a car the Trabant really was. The gear shifter sits in the dashboard, and even I, who has driven manuals all his life, needed some time to adjusting.

Be aware that if you did not do your driving test with a manual you are actually not permitted to drive a car with manual gears.

Be aware that if you did not do your driving test with a manual you are actually not permitted to drive a car with manual gears.

That's right. I just read the following on the Trabi Safari website: Please note it has to be a driving license for cars with manual transmission http://www.trabi-safari.de/faq/ - under the point 'Do I need an international driving licence?'

But :-) It also says there: Please leave an advice in the space "comment" in the booking if you need an E-TRABI with automatic gearbox.

Sooo have fun :-)

renting a fast car to drive German Autobahn is a real bad idea if you are not used to drive it.

agreed.

But - not really an issue with a Trabi is it? And would the cars behind be happy?

Nigel, I remember the times when I was driving Berlin - Hamburg with my parents in the 80s. My father had BMW 5, 7 and 8 during this time and we needed a lot of patience when Trabbis were trying to overhaul each other. When they were not able to finish it before the next hill, they sometimes needed to abort their plans.

Parking with a new expensive model on a rest area near eastern Autobahn ended up sometimes with a bubble of people trying to have a look or ask questions. A BMW 750i with 12-cylinder (300 hp) was even a head-turner in the western parts.

My parents had a real up-to-date list for this route where in which direction the speed checks were seen. The secretary of my father had sometimes a lot to do before summer weekends because a lot of people called and asked for a copy / facsimile. Still until today I know the places out pf my head where the speed checks were hided near the Autobahn incl. the old kilometer-number

A bigger East-West driver issue were the on-ramps to Autobahn. While western drivers were used to search for a gap in the traffic before choosing lanes, the eastern ones where just coming in with out looking for any often faster traffic on the right lane of the Autobahn. This ended not seldomly in very dangerous situations.

But - not really an issue with a Trabi is it?

Oh dear :-) :-)

There's a Bavarian comedian (Gerhard Polt) who masterfully poked fun at typical German everyday scenes and bad habits. One film (from the 80s) was about him and his friend traveling on the transit Autobahn to Berlin from West Germany with their Mercedes. They are encountering a Trabi driver in a parking lot whose car had broken down and make fun of him. A masterly example of how arrogant West Germans made fun of East Germans. Harsh, but sadly true.

I have taken manual driving courses as an adult before heading off to Europe. Refresher for me, but I wanted to be assured that the muscle memory was still in place in case of emergency. There are several driving schools near me that offer "stick" instruction. I appreciated the bit of practice both times I have done this.

Didn't know they had converted some Trabis to electric. That would of course make them easier to drive.

Thanks, everyone, for your input! I might not have been clear enough: I didn't intend to rent a Trabant to drive on the Autobahn! :-) I was interested in the Trabi Safari tour where you ride with others and a guide through Berlin. But as some have pointed out, Trabi's can be hard to drive when not used to a stick shift. So we'll pass on that idea for this time!

But as some have pointed out, Trabi's can be hard to drive when not used to a stick shift.

Not only is it hard, but without a license for stick shift, you're not allowed to drive the car anyway. That's why there are E Trabis with automatic transmission available.