I've never used one before but apparently you can have a controller plugged in with the mouse and keyboard no problem. You just pick up the controller when it's driving time.

I like the driving but I svck with the keyboard so I sprung for cheap Logitech:

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=34192

It seems to get good reviews even though it's so cheap. I'm under $25 shipped.

good choice! i've been using one myself and believe me when i say, the racing/driving parts feels so much better with a controller it's no comparison. also, being able to switch back and forth on the fly is really nice. the only thing that bugs me is that once you turn on the gamepad via the menu, all ingame commands will be shown as controller inputs.

The only gamepad I can recommend is the Xbox360 gamepad. It works perfectly when plugged in to the PC.

I recently purchased the http://www.logitech.com/en-us/gaming/controllers/devices/wireless-gamepad-f710 and it works flawlessly with RAGE; however, like the OP I was not accustomed to using a gamepad (the last one I used was for 8-bit NES), and after playing for about 30 minutes I started to experience cramping in my hands and fingers.

Other than that it was very convenient for both racing as well as the regular gameplay.

You should get the Xbox controller. Much less hassle as every recent game comes preconfigured with a Xbox profile.

Plus I like the ergonomics of the Xbox's design.

I'm doing the same! Great idea!

Rage has preset controller settings in the options menu that worked fine for the Logitech controller as well