So What Did You Learn to Drive In?

[Jenma]

51 Willys wagon with a transplanted Mercury flathead V-8. It could come to a stop between 1st and 2nd and take off with no issue. While in underdrive that is.

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[tom m]

My mother's 1965 Mercury Comet. Too young to drive on the street, so I got "road time" in the very large cemetery near our home.

 

[bronco68halfcab]

I remember my Dad brought home my Mom's new car a 65 Comet with a 427 and 4 speed, she met him on the porch yelling at him to take it back because He Knew she could not drive a 4 speed. He came back a while later with a 64 Comet with a 260 and an automatic transmission. Today I would love to have either but the 65 would be my first choice.

 

[sajohnson]

At home it was a 1965 column shift 3-speed manual Chevy pickup with a 292 straight 6 and a bed made of oak boards.

Also a couple of late '60s station wagons (Ford and Dodge) and a Dodge cargo van.

Carroll County, MD was still rural. Lots of tar & chip roads with humps that made for great "Dukes of Hazzard" type action, very light traffic, and the only cops were resident state troopers that stuck to the state highways. The perfect place to practice, including snow and ice in the winter.

At school the Driver's Ed car was a horrible 1977 Pontiac Astre 3 speed auto. That thing was lame and dangerous -- it would stall if you didn't feather the gas. Side note, I was more than a little distracted because the cutest girl (IMO) in our class of 450 was the other student in the car.

I got my license on my 16th birthday, and back then it was an ordinary (unrestricted) license. No worries about time of day or number/age of passengers.

 

[Bucko]

A 1963 VW Beetle, with a 1959 36HP engine. It cost me $100.00, and drove it for almost 2 years before I was able to save up money to buy a car I could get a date in high school!

 

[Paradocks]

I took my driver's test in a 1973 first-generation Honda Civic 3 door hatchback, in baby crap brown with the infamous two speed Hondamatic transmission. My Dad bought it used for me to learn to drive. It was tiny (I had the smallest car at the driving center when taking my test...when the instructor asked me to make a three point turn I could have just did a quick U-turn, but I made it look good), had an anemic engine (imagine three teenagers and a lawnmower crammed into this thing, pedal mashed to the floor, and struggling to get up a hill....ah, fun times.)

It was a complete rust bucket and didn't last more than 2 years. The floorboard started to produce holes, and if you took a corner too fast (which was hard to do anyway), the passenger door flew open.

Here's a pic of one very similar to what I drove:

 

[BlueOuterBanks]

I learned to drive in my Dad’s 2000 E-350 with the Triton V10 and my Mom’s 98’ Explorer with the Triton V8. I took my drivers test in a Prius, acquired a POS 87’ Chevy Caliber for $150 as a beater for my first three years.

 

[CapeCodKraken]

Automatic - Some mid-1980s Plymouth Horizon

Manual - The used 1997 Ford Ranger had I just bought and learned on the way home

 

[Texas Matt]

A 1970 Maverick. Kelly green with black stripes on the hood. I was (am) the youngest of 5 siblings; my parents bought ONE kid car. It was worn out and horrible when I finally got it, about 1980. I wanted to get it fixed up but my parents objected. So, I bought a '71 AMC Javelin. It was a very different car than the Maverick!!

 

[Debbiew]

Early 70s Chevy Luv pickup. I was 10. My dad had me shifting their 65 Mustang left handed at 8.

 

[jkernitzki]

Early 70s Chevy Luv pickup. I was 10. My dad had me shifting their 65 Mustang left handed at 8.

Good practice for visiting “wrong-sided” countries!

 

[Bronchette]

I took my driver's test in a 1973 first-generation Honda Civic 3 door hatchback . . . It was tiny . . .

Senior prank - We lifted a fellow student's Civic and placed it in the back of a Uhaul box truck. Man, those were the days. LOL!

 

[Debbiew]

Good practice for visiting “wrong-sided” countries!

That Is what I told my husband! My dad insisted we learn to drive a stick first.

 

[jkernitzki]

Senior prank - We lifted a fellow student's Civic and placed it in the back of a Uhaul box truck. Man, those were the days. LOL!

For that era Civic, you could’ve used a U-Haul 6x12 trailer.

 

[Tigrzeye]

'62 Mercury Comet Station Wagon and '49 Chevy Sedan with 3 on the tree LOL What a beast!!!
First car was a "65 Mustang

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