What did you learn to drive in?

[VQ]

We all started on our parents cars, what car did you regulary drive in when you started learning? and what sort of skills did you parents put you through before you went to the driving instructors?

Myself so far, I've learnt in our manual 2.4D T4 Transporter, and the most technique learning I've done is lock to lock steering while driving at snail pace which means having the foot on the clutch, and my left leg hurt for the rest of that day after doing that. I wish i could drive the Golf, the clutch has more feel and because it's smaller I can learn other things like parking better in it. But I will prolly go to an instructor before then cos insurance don't allow under 25's to drive TDi Golfs.

So what was the trickiest experience with your parents you had when you learnt to drive as well?

[Ayce]

My folks never taught me to drive per se. I was taught in the Cdn. Forces Militia. A vauge memory of trying to steer a farm tractor comes up, but I was just a wee lad then. I have had more than a few adventures with military vehicles while learning. Like driving a 2 1/2 ton backwards up a gravel pit, or rolling a 3/4 ton on it's side. :nono:
The earliest driving experience I can recall is driving a freinds late 60's Pontiac to the store, about 5 miles away on an unfinished highway,(dirt), then on to the main road. Almost rearended someone while trying to light a smoke. I think I was 17 then, and this would have been sometime in '73.
Ahh the memories. :D

[Wazza]

I first learnt to drive in two different cars:

1986 Toyota Corona 2 litre
and a 1989 Toyota Celica GT-R 2 litre (much more fun, and faster! :p - 121kW)

I also had 3 drives in my dads previous car, a 1995 Ford Fairmont, 5 litre V8.

And a handful of other friends cars.

[Frank N. O.]

I declined an offer from my dad to try and roll a little in the '84 Fiesta 1.6 Diesel a short while before I could start taking lessons so the first car I ever drove was a 2-hour crawling in a early 5-door model Citroen ZX probably a 1.4. After these first meters of moving a car the public road driving was in a used Nissan 100 NX 1.6 T-bar coupe that was quite nice, and later it was replcaced by a then new Hyundai Elantra sedan and that was nice too, that was in the summer of '96. But as you know, the driving-school is just an intro, you have to get the real experience on the road and that was in the infamous car I think all by now remember the name of :D and also what car I drive in now :(

I'm actually getting more and more interested in a Bora TDI 115hp 6-speed from 2001 sadly I've seen that it wasn't sold normally in australia but what the heck.
Why aren't under 25's allowed to drive TDI's in Australia?

Frank

P.S. I just recently celebrated a 8 year driving anniversay without any dents or tickets, or even traffic stops but at least 70-80k kms driven. The only event was running out of gas in the Orion.

[Myshkin]

Automatic - 1966 Ford Mustang

Manual - 1965 Ford Mustang convertible that had a clutch that was stiff as a corpse. This was the trickiest thing to learn because it was such a bitch. My dad's thought was that if I could drive the '65, I could drive anything. It has been true I guess, but still it would have been easier to learn in the '83 Audi we had.

[Bage]

Oh man, this post took me on a real trip to back when...
Been browsing the web for at least an hour to find our ol' Ford Taunus 17M 2000S. &(

This pic is the closest i could find. Maybe i can find a pic of the real car if i scan through our closet for some fotos.

Anyway my first stumbeling km's was on the big parking lot of a near-by horse racing track. I still remember the frustration over the stupit clutch that never wanted to allow the smooth gear-shifts i was aiming for.

the car became mine when my father bought a BMW 320 :)
And from that moment the Taunus was doomed :D

Our was in gold metallic with a black vinyl top

Here is what i found on the web:

http://home.swipnet.se/~w-38953/images/axz947.jpg

edit/

woohoo i finally found one with the right color :)
The 2:nd one from the left looks exactly like ours

http://fmk.mine.nu/1abild1.jpg


/bage

[Justin Martin]

Depends on how you define "drive." I'd been driving go-carts since I was probably four or five, and 4 wheelers (ATV's) by the time I was ten or so. I probably started driving farm trucks and tractors on my grandfather's farm when I was about thirteen, mostly in his fields. Drove on the road before I was fifteen, in various different cars.

I took driver's ed at 15, they had a Toyota Corolla and a Dodge Neon. My first legal driving. :racer:

I learned to drive manuals the hard way. At that time, my dad had a '81 Chevy El Camino, a real gas mileage special that had a V6 with about a 2.7:1 axle ratio, and a very worn out clutch. Luckily the clutch wasn't too stiff, but it made up for it in difficulty to launch. The throttle spring was very stiff too, making carefull throttle modulation difficult. Haven't yet found another car that is that difficult to launch. :eek:

[TMiller]

I learned to drive on a 91 F150 with a manual. Its wasy to drive now but when I was frist learning I would kill it often (killed it next to a cop at a stop light, he laughed). Its clutch is probably ready to be replaced again but it is a good learning vehicle because of its ground shaking 146hp.

[Y2kGoofball]

well as you'd prolly know VQ (although you might not so Ill say anyway) the day I got my learner licence I was straight into the VS Commodore

Only a week later I was learning the manual Pulsar. Strange thing was I went out the first time and had a shocker, but the second time mum said here, you drive, and it was about a 45 minute drive, and for some reason it just clicked and wallah!!

Skills, well, hmm, in the 12 months I had my lerners I had ... driven to and from Bathurst a few times, as well as around (2 hour drive each way), driven up the coast, driven in varying conditions, hail, ice, even snow, driven on unfamiliiar rural roads at night (coming back from the coast) etc

and my left leg hurt for the rest of that day after doing that wait till you have to drive in peak hour! Luckily for me 1) my work is moving by the end of the month, and the 3 possible places I know a back way in to miss all the peak hour traffic and 2) I'll be on the road soon, hopefully I can work in outer sydney instead of the CBD, which if I get my way I will be! It means I dont have to put up with stop/start traffic.

Anyway it wasnt till I started last week I realised just how painful it is driving a manual to and from in peak hour, because of start stop start stop.

and what sort of skills did you parents put you through before you went to the driving instructors? I was able to go for a few drives with highway patrol cops (not in their car tho lol) which tought me skills otherwise not taught. I can handle a car at high speed and negotiate corners at high speed! Although they tought me this for my safety, because an idiot could easily take advantage of it and kill themselves!

I also went through an everyday driving instructor who is also qualified to teach police response driving, as well as high speed pursuits etc, so once he found out who had taken me for a drive before, he too tought me a few other skills, because I went to him in the last few weeks before going for my licence and he was happy I had learnt ALL the skills required, but he showed me better ways for a few more!

So what was the trickiest experience with your parents you had when you learnt to drive as well? telling mum as we approached the dipper "I can take it at the signposted 60 kph" then going "shite, wheres the road gone" as it dissappeared from under me! I'll never forget my 'first lap' of Bathurst! Since then ive done a fair few laps, and now I am able to go at 60 kph and hit the ripple strips!

Anyways good luck with your driving, my sister is also learning and thank god Ive managed to dodge being in the car at the same time!

[VQ]

With Dad's insurance policy I can't drive the Golf TDi because it is one of 200 in Aus, only this year has VAG decided to start selling TDi's in the mainstream. I mean Dad had to get the Golf from sydney becuase they are that uncommon.

[heinrick]

I learned to drive on this (http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1970-1979/1970-Austin-America-hills.jpg), an Austin America, sort of a big brother to the mini.

It had a "binary" clutch that must of come from a British Leylend trucking division.

It also had leaky gas struts that leaked at different ratio's. Depending on how often we refilled them it would lean to the left or lean to the right. It made cornering interesting.

I did my drivers test on our 73' Cutlass (350 rocket V8), a bit of a switch from the Austin, and then inherited my grandmothers 63 Chevy BelAir, which had 13K miles on it when I got in in 78.

Cheers
Heinrick

[VSV6]

Auto: Holden Commodore SV8 Series I VY & Holden Commodore Ecotec V6 VS
Manuel: Holden Astra SRi (2.2L)

As you can tell I only recently started to learn to drive.
I will be going for my P Plates next week in my Learner car which is a Daewoo Lanos 1.4L, This is a good thing as there is no temptation to fang it, unlike the SRi or the SV8 :D

Cheers
-Mike

[monaro]

land cruiser ute and massey ferguson tractor. with bullet-proof gearboxes they were the only thing my dad would let me drive.

[Commander]

When I was about 12, my friends neighbor Lyle had a yard full of old Toyota Land Crusiers. None of them ran, but Lyle allowed us to work on them for fun. He jokingly told us that if we could get one to run he would let us drive it. Well, we got one going and held him to his word. I don't recall the year, but it had a 3-in-the-tree shifter, which was amusing. We largely stuck to back alleys, but occasionally went down to Sandy Beach where all the crazy parties were. We felt cool, heh. Nearly got busted by the cops once, but thankfully they were more focussed on the party goers and failed to realize the Land Crusier was not registered or insured, and drove right by us. We used to set up garbage cans and shopping carts in alleys and run them down with this thing too, which was hilarious at the time. So that was pretty much what I learned to drive in.

I earned my lcense in a Hyundai Pony, yay.

My first car after getting my license was a 1972 Chevy Nova SS, which was rather nice! At age 18 I was dating the police district sergeant's daughter, so I got to take the police driving training in a Chevy Caprice "Police Interceptor", and that was an absolute riot, because those cars are fast, but handle like a dumptruck with four flat tires!

[VQ]

Sweet story Commander,
Heinrick, we had a version of that too, but not sure of the name, it has that suspension which switches ends doesn't it?

[blackice111288]

firt thing i ever drove was a 95 Dodge caravan. I practiced in a 2000 caravan
and ive driven our big ol Suburban a few times. i've driven countless cars at school, for road tests and stuff after weve fixed them, which usually ends up in us going 50 over the speed limit and thing of the sort. first stick i ever drove was a 87 Mazda B2000 and the 2nd was a 87 CRX Si (Slow indeed :) )