How you learnt to drive?

  • Thread starter Thread starter sutton.a
  • 89 comments
  • 2,400 views
You bet. I don't granny shift anymore either. Double clutch, every time. :sly:
 
Mpower56
Now I still dont have my drivers license as i am only 14 and can't practice as much since i now live in the US and come to Europe every summer where there are open country roads.
Click to expand...

Atleast in the US you get to drive sooner than you would have if you were in Europe... As noted before, 14 and 9 months is the age you can start driving in Michigan, and generally by the time you are 16, you can drive alone.
 
I can get my Learner's license when I turn 16.

I've been trying to pursue my mom to let me drive in the parking lot but she won't let me...
 
Your dad is the one to talk to about learning to drive before you’re legally allowed. ;)
 
I started driving a car when I was around 7 years old and I never stopped. When I had to get my learners permit, the instructor was astonished that I already could drive like it should. Since 4 years, I take lessons at a regular basis ===> car control, power sliding, defensive driving etc. My last lesson was with a Porsche 997S and Boxter.
Last friday I passed an exam for tetspilot at Lommel (Belgium). Ford tests their cars (even ex F1 Jaguar came to test their cars over there. I can't start as a testpilot because I've a slipped disk (hernia) ==> L5 - S1 :(
 
kikie
I started driving a car when I was around 7 years old and I never stopped. When I had to get my learners permit, the instructor was astonished that I already could drive like it should. Since 4 years, I take lessons at a regular basis ===> car control, power sliding, defensive driving etc. My last lesson was with a Porsche 997S and Boxter.
Last friday I passed an exam for tetspilot at Lommel (Belgium). Ford tests their cars (even ex F1 Jaguar came to test their cars over there. I can't start as a testpilot because I've a slipped disk (hernia) ==> L5 - S1 :(
Click to expand...

Erm...you have lessons in a Porsche? :eek: You must be very rich to be able to afford that.
 
GT4_Rule
Erm...you have lessons in a Porsche? :eek: You must be very rich to be able to afford that.
Click to expand...
Speaking of Porsches I got to drive my dad's Porsche around for like 10 minutes in a parking lot this year. Probably one of my best and most fun driving experiences as i dont have my license yet.
 
IMADreamer
I think it has nothing to do with lazyness and or fast food. If you did run statistics however you would find that both probably corelate well but the thing you would be overlooking is that both had significant rises in the same time period (1960s-now) so it would be very hard for you to actually prove anything.

I don't see a person with an automatic as lazy. I see them as a person who doesn't want to shift their own gears and I say different strokes for different folks. I may be prematurely judging you but I have a feeling you are a young person with no real perspective on the world since you made a statement like that. You have to realize that not everyone thinks like you and therefore just because you would consider someone lazy for not shifting their own gears doesn't actually make them lazy. It makes them different then you. That is presuming you have a manual transmission and aren't lazy.
Click to expand...


I wan't being sarcastic or anything... I'm not being sarcastic now . . . :)

Basically I just think that if you drive an automatic. You don't care enough to go out of your way to find a manual. Because basically that's what buying a car has become, if you want a manual you have to ask for one, otherwise it's implied that you either can't drive stick, prefer automatics, or don't care about driver involvement and just want to go.

Or like other people have said. You view driving as simply to get from point A to point B. But then again, from that rationale, who the hell needs massaging chairs (compliments of mercedes s-class) or 33 different suspension & gear settings (thank you BMW). And now the new S-Class basically only requires you to be concious to drive it, because of the whole intelligent cruise controll & such.

Personally for me. I like being connected to the car. I mean for Gods sake I drive a '79 Beetle, it doesn't have power ANYTHING. And it's a manual.
 
well i got my license now since a few months, and i enjoy it like hell. i got 3 cars to drive. E55 AMG : DAD, Nissan Pathfinder:DAD, Range Rover Hse: MOM

pretty cool. but my dad thought me driving on a manuel toyota landcruiser when i was 10 years old. :D thanks daddy
 
STLbarcelona5
I wan't being sarcastic or anything... I'm not being sarcastic now . . . :)

Basically I just think that if you drive an automatic. You don't care enough to go out of your way to find a manual. Because basically that's what buying a car has become, if you want a manual you have to ask for one, otherwise it's implied that you either can't drive stick, prefer automatics, or don't care about driver involvement and just want to go.

Or like other people have said. You view driving as simply to get from point A to point B. But then again, from that rationale, who the hell needs massaging chairs (compliments of mercedes s-class) or 33 different suspension & gear settings (thank you BMW). And now the new S-Class basically only requires you to be concious to drive it, because of the whole intelligent cruise controll & such.

Personally for me. I like being connected to the car. I mean for Gods sake I drive a '79 Beetle, it doesn't have power ANYTHING. And it's a manual.
Click to expand...

I think it just depends where you live and what your using your car for. I personally will always prefer manuals to automatics. First of all you have way more control of the car, which especially helps in winter. I also prefer putting some work into driving. In fact my whole family prefers sticks and dont appreciate new cars which are like driving futuristic space ships.
 
The main advantages with a manual is the clutch, you get complete control over it and what gear your in, you can often be in a gear far more suitable for how your driving or the roads your driving on with a manual than with an automatic. I wouldn't dream of throwing thoes two things away with an automatic, but I can see for some people how an automatic would be seen as a convinience, though imo never a better choice.
 
On the Manual Trans learning, My old man tried to teach me on an old 1953 Chevy Truck, with a 3-speed column shifter.
I nearly mastered that, when I read about the propre technique in an old driver's ed book. I got to practice in my friend Steve's '54 Ford, and my old man's Austin America. I drove that thing up and down our street till I thought I had it. Then my mum sent me off for a loaf of bread, and before the old man could stop me I was off in that old Austin.
I've been driving manual shift since then.
On an interesting note, my son's fiancee asked him to teach her how to drive a manual. I may end up doing it or letting him take her out in my truck, as it has a VERY forgiving clutch. It's really quite a chore to stall the thing.
 
Gil
On the Manual Trans learning, My old man tried to teach me on an old 1953 Chevy Truck, with a 3-speed column shifter.
I nearly mastered that,
Click to expand...

Nice, the first manual I properly drove on my own and shifting was a 1953 Pontiac (Canadian model) with column shift, I was about 12 and in a forest and my dad let me go for it.
 
I was just re-reeading this and must note that of my 8 cars. 6 have automatics.
That's 75% autos.
My third son has started driving my Ranger. I'm getting okay with it.
My oldest is driving a Geo Metro.
The thing that blows my mind is that 6 out of 8 of the cars have tachometers.
Guess which 6.

That's right, every one of the vehicles with automatics have tachs. None of the manuals do. Only one of the autos "needs" a tach. That would be the Excursion. With it I'm more attuned to how fast the engine is turning because I know where the turbo kicks in, and at what RPM I get the best fuel economy.
But what in the heck does my mini-van need a tach for?
 
Gil
I was just re-reeading this and must note that of my 8 cars. 6 have automatics.
That's 75% autos.
My third son has started driving my Ranger. I'm getting okay with it.
My oldest is driving a Geo Metro.
The thing that blows my mind is that 6 out of 8 of the cars have tachometers.
Guess which 6.

That's right, every one of the vehicles with automatics have tachs. None of the manuals do. Only one of the autos "needs" a tach. That would be the Excursion. With it I'm more attuned to how fast the engine is turning because I know where the turbo kicks in, and at what RPM I get the best fuel economy.
But what in the heck does my mini-van need a tach for?
Click to expand...


The only reason I can think of is so that you know exactly what is going on with the engine. For example, my last car was an auto with a tach and it didn't serve much purpose except for I knew when I was cruising on the highway or acclerating about when the gear changes would happen and where the RPMs should be sitting. Long story short my tranny started to go and I noticed the RPMs going higher before it shifted and I noticed sometimes it wouldn't shift into high gear on the highway by looking at the tach. Granted I could hear and feel all of this happening too but the tach was a visual indicator. Other then that I have no clue why autos have tachs.
 
well, if any of you are in this state, mabey someone can learn me a stick. nobody'll let me near one. I think anyone over fifty is afraid for their clutch.

all CARS are automatic...but nothing else seems to be. even our Lawnmower has a 6 speed manual :P I've also done ATV's and motorcycles...and they're ALL "stick" it may not be the same, but you still gotta shift em.

i learned to drive in a featherweight rear drive with bald tires in the middle of winter...with an auto :P

the earlier bit about "stick dead on to the rules" is what I had to go through when learning to drive as well. I took my test in a Japanese import. who made the Chevy Sprint? only thing I just couldn't get was the friggin paralell parking. they gave it to me anyways.

btw...i am seriously considering Truck Driving school. bout the only way to make any money in THIS state :P
 
I got my permit in March and then proceeded to take every driver's ed class I could (which equals 4). I get my full license in September.
I learned how to drive when I was 12, though, with my dad's Neon ACR. I knew how to use a manual by the time I was as 14; before I knew how to use an automatic (and I still don't completely understand slushboxes, despite owning one).
 
I learned on a stick, essentially.

After getting my permit, my dad took me out to learn to drive in his MX-5. He expected to have to spend a few days teaching me how to operate the manual.

I'd spent way too long watching both of my parents drive manual cars. I just got in it, and started driving. My shifts were a little "jerky", but that was gone within a few hours of driving, and I had no problem stalling it or anything. As I say, I'd watched my parents drive stick for all my life, so I pretty much knew how to do it.
 
I first got my driver's permit at 15 when I started Driver's Ed. Once I got my permit, I asked my parents if they would take me out on the street and they agreed. So I learned on our minivan in neighborhood streets. Neighborhood streets are nice because there's barely any traffic, plenty of intersections to practice turning and it wasn't very fast. Plus it was near my school, so I could use the parking lot to practice parking. My mom would go practice driving with me until I felt comfortable with neighborhood streets, like turning and stuff, then I moved on to faster, larger arterial streets. Once I got comfortable with that, I moved onto the freeways. When I graduated to arterial streets and the freeway, my mom would take me when it's on a quiet Sunday morning for a short distance, then build up in traffic and distance so I would get used to it

Despite my love of cars since an early age, my parents NEVER onced allow me to drive the car, as they feared that I would crash. So the first time I drove was actually when I got my driver's permit, and I did it legally.

I learned to drive on an auto (and passing the driving test in an auto, since Washington state makes no distinction between passing in an auto or manual). But a few months after I got my permit, my robotics mentor offered to teach anyone who wanted to learn how to drive a manual on his Nissan pickup truck, so I jumped at the chance. I started off on a sand field learning getting the two feet coordinated along with the hand. After a couple of hours on the sand field. I drove home, and promptly stalled a block from my house on an arterial street. It was a good experience though. Now though, I mostly drive the minivan, and I'm fortunate enough to have a good friend who lets me drive his manual BMW.
 
I learned to drive for the first year on automatics, and first learned to drive stick on a Miata (fairly forgiving), although I only drove that car once or twice a month. In Febuary, I got hired doing parts delivery in a Sprint, with a stick (Easy as pie). Hardly even needed the gas pedal half the time for starts.
Last week I bought my first car (I had the use of a Neon w/ slushbox for a year, but it wasn't mine), a '92 Talon with a 5 speed. It's a fairly easy car to drive, although the odd shift is still a bit jerky. The clutch is quite easy, and is fairly hard to stall.
In my search for cars to buy, I did notice (and became annoyed with many times) the amount of cars, sportscars/sporty cars specifically, with automatics. For every five or eight cars I considered, only one would have a stick. Now, admittedly, there are cars that simply aren't meant to have a manual. Minivans/SUVs, large luxury cars, and the sort just wouldn't feel right with a manual. But I find it hard to understand the current (and past) trend toward automatics. IMHO, they're fairly boring to drive, don't neccessarily save gas, are heavier and more expensive to make. They lessen driver concentration, and, in many instances, use outdated technology.
 
Since I used to go into work on Saturdays from around age 8 or so to my dads garage under the railway arches I was allowed to ride with him up and down a straight line holding the wheel, then eventually (when I was tall enough!) learn to use the clutch. All this was in his car: (it's a 1966 one in red)
slide4.jpg


When I started learning to drive I was allowed to move and park the cars around the arches, teaching me a HELL of a lot more about clutch control and space awarness in parking. The fact that these were usually 40 year old volvos and saabs a lot of the time definetly got me used to the old way of driving, not to the modern power assisted steering, sympathetic clutches and well servoed brakes of cars now.

I also would make sure I went at least once a week in my mums car around the roads to build up experience....(in red again, not like it made a difference heh)
86volvo740gl_007.jpg


I can only imagine what people thought seeing this beast coming with L plates on :) . Passed the test first time, although my dad gave me the same advice scaff said earlier, ESPECIALLY this
Scaff
Everyone else on the road is a dangerous loonie (treat them as such)
Click to expand...
 
Takumi Fujiwara
I learned on a stick, essentially.

After getting my permit, my dad took me out to learn to drive in his MX-5. He expected to have to spend a few days teaching me how to operate the manual.

I'd spent way too long watching both of my parents drive manual cars. I just got in it, and started driving. My shifts were a little "jerky", but that was gone within a few hours of driving, and I had no problem stalling it or anything. As I say, I'd watched my parents drive stick for all my life, so I pretty much knew how to do it.
Click to expand...

hydrolic clutches are the best try to learn on an old 60's ford then your earn for some serious fun and maybe a sore left leg i learned on an 89 tercel 4 speed best way to learn is starting parked on a hill always fun :)


my first car still have a pic aint she purdy
CCI00001.jpg
 
The first car I really drove solo was a 1978 VW Rabbit Diesel, great little car, lots of fun for a first timer! ( the down side was the colour though, yech )

 
Initially, I learned in the family car (now my car) on the vast asphalt ocean that is the parking lot of the famous Santa Anita Park horseracing track, which is just a couple miles from my house. Then, once I got my learner's permit, it was practicing on the streets and freeways with my dad riding shotgun and doing likewise with SoCal AAA's Chevy Caviliers and one of their teen driving program instructors. And for those of you who haven't been to the L.A. area in the last 10 years or so, if ever, all I can say is that if you learn how to drive here, chances are you'll be prepared to drive damn near anywhere.
 
I still have my learners permit, after almost a year. I got my learner permit August 30, and I still have 4 hours to drive at night. My parents are just never home (gone 2+ weeks a month on business).

I started learning in a parking lot, and then went to the streets, then the interstate. The whole time I have been driving my fathers Infiniti G35 sedan. It took me a while to get the brakes because they were touchy, but everything else went fine. I still am kind of bad at parallel parking, but can do everything else.
 
L8 Apex
Initially, I learned in the family car (now my car) on the vast asphalt ocean that is the parking lot of the famous Santa Anita Park horseracing track, which is just a couple miles from my house. Then, once I got my learner's permit, it was practicing on the streets and freeways with my dad riding shotgun and doing likewise with SoCal AAA's Chevy Caviliers and one of their teen driving program instructors. And for those of you who haven't been to the L.A. area in the last 10 years or so, if ever, all I can say is that if you learn how to drive here, chances are you'll be prepared to drive damn near anywhere.
Click to expand...

middle of chicago is pretty fun:yuck: gotta hate those dam taxi drivers
 

Latest Posts

Back