Im not sure what happened with these other two 1-star reviewers on here but either Graham was having a bad day or these two are just trolls or were trying to get lessons for free. FYI: I was a past student of Graham, am not affiliated with Graham's classes or program in any way, nor am I being paid or asked to write a review for him. In fact, my classes with Graham were many years ago and I never bothered to write a review until I saw these very skewed reviews that painted a completely opposite experience of what I received with classes with Graham.
Background
I decided to finally learn how to drive a stick shift after years of watching all of the drivers on the road in their STis, Evos, and Mustangs ride up and down Peachtree Industrial enjoy their ride. Learning something new is always fun, and at any age, you can pick up learning a stick shift, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Maybe I can still relive a little bit of my youth and have some fun on the road, so with Google, I found Graham's driving school.
The Instruction: 5/5
Graham's classes, while not cheap, are very personable and 1-on-1, as he works with you whether you're a complete beginner like I was or someone just needing a refresh on driving skills. If youre a beginner like I was, you'll start in a parking lot where you wont have to deal with other drivers, learn parking, turning, and how to drive smoothly. If you think driving a stick shift is like being in The Fast and Furious (and even Graham will tell you), you're living in a movie. Once your basics are done, you'll move onto the road, but you won't have to worry about safety as Graham has his own controls on the other side to make sure you dont get into mishaps. In total, I took 3x 1.5 hour sessions with Graham and found it to be enough to get on the road. After taking classes, the key is to practice as every car's clutch bite point is different. Finding your own car's bite and timing gives you the right to call your car "yours" (and maybe give it a special name)
The Instructor: 5/5
I've thought Graham as friendly, professional, and considerate. Yes, like another reviewer said, he will take a call here and there as he does operate his own business, but you'll be practicing something during class so as long as you don't freak out and relax just keep on whatever you were being asked to train on during the class. Graham was very accommodating to rescheduling classes and he always called in advance to confirm. I didn't write this review until I saw these other lower ones because that is not the Graham that I took classes with.
Bottom Line
If you're starting out with driving a stick shift, whether it's for fun or because of your job (valet), know that you won't start your classes by mimicking what Dom or Brian does in the movies. If you want to do that, go buy a Logitech stick shift and pedlas and a copy of Need for Speed. If you are looking for a solid instructor who knows what he's talking about and can teach you to become a stick shift driver, Graham is the right guy for you. Good luck to you and keep stick shifts alive. read more