Your first driving experience

[ssilver88]

I was talking with a co-worker today about what our first driving experiences were like and I was wondering what yours was like.

When I say first driving experience I mean the first time you controlled the vehicle. I will start with mine.

I was 10 years old when I first learned to drive. My dad had a 1988 Honda Civic hatchback 5 speed manual that was parked at his squadron's parking lot which was recently shutdown because of budget cuts. So he took me down to the base to help fix it because he was not allowed to park it there anymore. Before fixing it we went and had lunch. We got it running and he said to get in the driver seat because he was going to teach me to drive. After getting in and adjusting the seat he had me start the car. Then he started to teach me how to back up. I stalled it a whole bunch of times trying to reverse it but finally got it out of the parking space and pointed in the right direction. He then had me put it in first and told me to rev the engine slightly and slowly let out the clutch. So what did the 10 year old me with no driving experience do? I revved the engine way to much and dropped the clutch of course. So the first time I drove was also the first time I did a burnout. Unfortunately I had the car pointed at some shipping containers so my dad popped the car out of gear and yanked on the e-brake. I left a pair of skid marks about 10 ft long from the burn out and about 3 ft long from my dad yanking on the e-brake. I was then completely freaked out so my dad took over and drove me around the parking lot a few times to demonstrate how drive. After that we drove home and never told my mom a word about it.

Thanks for reading. Now what was your first experience driving?

 

[Bozz]

I drove a Big Wheel in 1977. I was like Sterling Moss.

 

[Stadpad]

i remember sitting on grandpa's lap driving his car down a gravel road by his house.

 

[troyguitar]

My first vehicle was a Jeep like this:

 

[Tk_mkv1]

Back when i was 5 or 6, my family and i took a road trip to a small town in turkey. My dad sat on driver seat and i sat on his lap, i turned the wheel and he operated clutch, brakes, gas, i couldnt reach the pedals yet. I pretty much drove on a gravel road for 2 kilometers

 

[BoostedVW11]

Back when i was 5 or 6, my family and i took a road trip to a small town in turkey. My dad sat on driver seat and i sat on his lap, i turned the wheel and he operated clutch, brakes, gas, i couldnt reach the pedals yet. I pretty much drove on a gravel road for 2 kilometers

 

[barnes93cb]

I was 15. Me and my sister were probably going to VA to get her cigarettes. She pulled into a parking lot and told me to switch seats. I got to drive part of the way home just for shits and giggles. Looking back that was a horrible idea. At 21 I look 18. I probably looked 10 back then. And those roads are covered in cops.

 

[lilfleck]

I was 16, sitting for my first hour (of the required six) with a driving instructor to get my permit. He asked me if I have ever driven before, I replied, "no," which was the truth.

He tried to tell me, "it's okay if you have, I don't care. I bet you've tried it before."

I replied, "honestly, no, I've never driven before!"

"Ok, well let's start off by putting it in drive and pulling out of the parking lot."

So I did what he told me to... I held the brake pedal, put it into drive, and slammed on the gas (like I've done a million times at the arcade). Well we did a nice little burnout and I was man handling the steering wheel for about 25ft driving like it was crazy taxi. It was pretty funny and he immediately realized, I had honestly never driven before.

I was all good after that.

 

[XGC75]

Aside from riding around an electric go-kart, I learned to drive on a manual Volvo V70 station wagon.

My mother and father would take me to an abandoned mental health institution (Fairfield Hills, look 'em up). Lobotomy central, basically. Extremely creepy place. Really great place to learn, though, since it had hills, stop signs, longer straights and no traffic whatsoever.

 

[nuggstein]

Okay so here's mine.

Here in Jersey you need 6 hours of practice with an instructor.

My first two hours were great. I drove mostly perfectly. I get home, mom's sitting on the porch, I pull into my driveway. Instructor goes "what are you doing wrong?" Uh...nothing. He repeats, "what are you doing wrong?" I look around, make sure everything is okay. Nothing. "What are you doing wrong?". Then he tells me to check my foot. My foot is ALL THE WAY DOWN on the gas pedal, instead of the brake. Luckily he has his own brake that overrides the gas pedal. If he didn't have that, I would've went right through the garage.

 

[xd-data-ii]

Within the first week and a half of me starting driving (18) I got to race around Silverstone circuit after the British Formula 1 Grand Prix.
My Dad and I and his colleagues went over each year for the full Grand Prix weekend. After the race that year Eddie Jordan had his post race party and concert which for that year was open to the public and was set up at Brooklyn's (usually we go to the private one as we know him). When the concert was done and we were done hanging around we were walking across infield back outside the track to the rental car (Alfa Romeo 156) and saw some motorbikes and cars cruising around the track. When we got the car the driver spotted a gap in the fence and we drove through and directly over the gravel trap onto the track.
So the driver drove slow enough down the hanger straight to Stowe and Abbey. Then pulled over and ask if I wanted a go. The rest had been downing too much wine with Ross Kemp at the VIP section so I was the only option.
So I got in, having barely started driving, and gunned it the opposite way around the track. Tyres screeching through Becketts and every one egging me on. I got the lines well considering there was people on bicycles and motorbikes and even camper vans going in both directions around it. It was great.
Then at the start finish line there was only one guy flagging us all down saying we can't be on the track so just did a u-turn and went back around the track the other way again - and so on a few times. It was great great fun.
Then we scarpered out another gap in a wall over the gravel trap again and just left the circuit as cops were driving towards it to stop people on the track.
Damn good experience to start off my driving life.... and track racing.
And I mainly learned to drive in my Dads Peugeot 406.

 

[ssilver88]

All the stories after the fishes post are the style I was looking for. Thanks guys :thumbsup:

 

[thedude4bides]

I was 15. Astro minivan. Hit a curb. Pissed off my dad.

 

[razr390]

Okay so here's mine.

Here in Jersey you need 6 hours of practice with an instructor.

My first two hours were great. I drove mostly perfectly. I get home, mom's sitting on the porch, I pull into my driveway. Instructor goes "what are you doing wrong?" Uh...nothing. He repeats, "what are you doing wrong?" I look around, make sure everything is okay. Nothing. "What are you doing wrong?". Then he tells me to check my foot. My foot is ALL THE WAY DOWN on the gas pedal, instead of the brake. Luckily he has his own brake that overrides the gas pedal. If he didn't have that, I would've went right through the garage.

That's why your mom throws religion at you

 

[Sebastian89]

My first time driving I was about 12-13 years old. My uncle let me drive the car that he would use around the ranch which was a Fiat 124, which is the same thing as a Russian LADA. It was absolutely terrifying.... it was a 4 speed, with no power steering, rear wheel drive, and all drum brakes. The steering wheels was roughly the size of a bus wheel, and the clutch was acting like an ON/Off switch. So you better Rev and dump hahaha. They still have that car rotting away in a shed somewhere and I still think that's one of the most intimidating cars I have ever driven. It might've only had like 70hp, but if you wrecked in that thing, there was no chance of survival. Did I mention that in order to get out of the car you had to pull on a string bc the handle was broken? Yeah..... fun memories....