When did you learn to drive ?

[fastfredracing]

Did dad teach you ? I was 15. My friend John was trying to pick Michelle Feldbaur's locks , so he tossed me the keys and told me to drive . Did good for my first time with a stick and a few beers in me .
Yesterday, I let my 11 year old take the Cayenne around the yard, and up and down the driveway. He was apprehensive about doing it at first, but 100 yards down the driveway, he said " this is awesome " He did good. I was a proud dad .
We have 3 basically flat, and open acres of grass, so it is fairly easy to stay out of trouble .
I let him drive a beat up old plow truck around the yard a little bit last season, but I kept my foot inches away from the brake pedal the whole time . Last night, I buckled up , gave him some brief instructions, and off we went.
I knew a bunch of farm kids, who could drive a semi at 14 years old .
How about you?

[red-beard]

My early driving experience was with a 15 hp, 3 speed manual transmission lawn/garden tractor. I think I was doing this from age 11.

Before my sister was turned loose with my parents manual transmission econobox, my dad took her out to a parking lot. He then let me drive it as well, and I know I was driving better than my older sister! I think I was 14.

When it can time for my driving test, my choice was a Datsun 310, front drive manual, or a 1977 Ford LTD station wagon (The devastation wagon!). I chose the manual.

[KFC911]

Been behind the wheel of lawn tractors since about 9, a car at around 12....

I plan to learn how to drive someday

[oldE]

I was put on the farm tractor when I was small enough that I had to brace myself with the steering wheel in order to put enough force on the clutch to depress it.
When was 12, my sister was leaning to drive the truck. She gave me lessons in reversing and shifting.
By the time I took driver's ed. in high school the biggest problem I had was dealing with the super sensitive power steering on the big Mercury driver ed car.
Best
Les

[ckelly78z]

I was promoted to mowing the 1 acre lawn for my Dad on his 1650 Cub Cadet (big garden tractor for the late 70s) and he trusted me so much more than my 2 year older brother. Mowing on the same tractor, he hit the house and car, on separate occasions. My freind bad a Datsun 210 with a manual, so he and I took it around the block a few times, and it just felt natural. My first car was a flood damaged 75 Pinto Wagon in 1981 (woody) with an automatic, and a top absolute shaking speed of 69 MPH.

[legion]

I got my driver's license at 17. Took me three tries as I'd been out of driver's ed for 6 months and other than that, my parents took me out to practice once.

I didn't really learn to drive until I had my own car shortly after that.

[id10t]

13 in the 356 ....

"Dammit, keep your foot on the gas in the corner!"

[mikehinton]

I was 15 when I drove a Triumph TR-3 for the first time.

[John Rogers]

I learned in 1961 in school driving a Corvair with an automatic transmission. It was donated by the local Chevy dealer which had been letting the school have one since 1935 or so.

[stomachmonkey]

So young I can't remember.

Seriously.

Was one of those kids that drove while sitting in someones lap.

Once I was too big for that mom used to let us steer and shift from the passenger seat while she worked the gas / brakes / clutch.

The shifting from the passenger side was great as it taught you to pay attention to RPM's and anticipate shift points.

Bought my first car at 14, before I even had a permit.

[Otter74]

First time I drove car was when I was 12 or 13 in my dad's 320i in an office park. When I got my learner's permit at 15 and started driving on the road - mom's Volvo 740 wagon, dad's 320iS - I was comfortable with the clutch and shifter thanks to having learned years earlier, but was initially still a bit intimidated by getting going on hills without rolling back too far.

In the less literal sense, the first time I "drove" was standing on my cousins' grandfather's lap in my aunt Polly's '52 Dodge in Colombia when I was, I dunno, 6 or 7.

[GH85Carrera]

I am from the era before kids car seats. I stood up in the passenger seat or sat on my parents lap and helped drive. Or in my mind I did. To the day my mom quit driving if she had a passenger in the car and she hit the brakes hard, her right arm flew out to hold them in place. Even if they were adults and buckled in.

I learned to really drive at age 14. My brother and I built a dune buggy from a old VW bug. It had rolled over and it was totaled. We unbolted the body and sold it for scrap. We cut the wheelbase down to 5 ft 11 inches axle to axle and built a custom heavy walled pipe body. We covered that in screwed on sheet metal and a rattle can black paint. It was ugly but fun in the mud.

I learned to drive it and after I turned 16 I took my driver's test in my 1960 VW Bug. Back in those days a real cop was giving the driver's test. Within a few minutes he asked how long I had been driving. I told him "two years sir , but all off road!"

I passed with flying colors.

When I moved to Oklahoma I had my 1974 914 2.0 already paid for. I had to get an Oklahoma Driver's license so I went to the state testing office. Took the written test and passed that with a perfect score.

A cop followed me out to the parking lot. Saw my 914 in the parking lot with the roof off. It was a 100 degree day. He looked at me, looked at my car and looked back at me. He asked how long I had been driving and I said since I was 16 sir. He muttered "this is stupid" turned around and signed my form and I got my Oklahoma license.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

My first car was a flood damaged 75 Pinto Wagon in 1981 (woody) with an automatic, and a top absolute shaking speed of 69 MPH.

That Datsun 310 had an absolute top shaking speed of about 65.

The Datsun B210, the above described "econobox" ended up being passed around and I ended up with it. I think it topped out around 80, maybe 85. It cruised nicely around 70 mph at 39 mpg! Not bad for a car built in 1977!

The Datsun B210 had a 1.6 liter, 70 hp, carbureted engine. If the tires had been replaced with 60 psi tires, and the engine replaced with a 1 liter OHC FI engine, I bet the thing would get better than 50 mpg. It was very aerodynamic.

Mine was dark blue.

[enzo1]

Go cart 4-5 on a track. Motorcycle 7or 8 on road, car Willis Jeep in a field 8, boat( Glastron 19ft) 13...actual driving a car on road unattended 15, Mg Midget bought it for 600$ when I was 14 1/2

[pwd72s]

Had an Oregon learners permit shortly after my 15th birthday. Mostly drove Dad's Buicks with automatics. But I spent my 15th summer on a family friend's cattle ranch outside of Adin, California. There I leaned how to drive all sorts of machinery, from a John Deere to a chevy truck to a WWII surplus jeep. I got pretty good at double clutching that jeep by summer's end. Bucking alfalfa bales did toughen me up some as well.

[ckelly78z]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Yep, that looks just like the one my freind had....we called the color sh_t brindle brown with the same hubcaps, and it's nick name was the "TURD"...LOL !

[Don Ro]

Sitting in someone's lap at 6 or so...I remember being thrilled.
On the back of a Harley at 8 ...one of those huge Harley leather saddles. Even more thrilled - I was viscerally hooked on m/c's.
Farm equip't at 12 or so.
Drove a '52 Chevy p/u back/forth to town (15 miles) for parts during harvest season at 14 (unlicensed).
Drove grain truck from fields to granary during harvest season at 14 (unlicensed).
Learner's permit at 16...licensed at 17 in North Dakota.
Farm kids learned quickly back then.
.
My first vehicle at 15 - used '60 BSA Super Rocket. Kept in neighbor's garage. My mother never did find out about it.
.

.

[wildthing]

1989 in a Toyopet. I was 14. It was the same instructor who taught my mom in 1974.

[shadowjack1]

I was all of 14 and my mother took me out to learn to drive. In Louisiana at the time you could get a license at 15. I drove tractors and go carts at a very early age, 9.
The car I learned to drive in was a 1964 Chevy, three speed.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

My first car was a flood damaged 75 Pinto Wagon in 1981 (woody) with an automatic, and a top absolute shaking speed of 69 MPH.

My first car was a 1960 VW bug with a 36 HP (when new) engine. It had at least 115,000 miles when I got it. On flat ground with no headwind I could almost hit 70 and the speed limit was 70 at the time. With any headwind or even a slight hill, it slowed down. Much more than a gentle incline required downshift to 3rd.

I bought a set of 4 tires mounted and balanced for under 30 bucks. They were recaps but with 36 HP they were fine.

When I bought my brand new 1973 Bug with 60 HP is was a really fast rocket. I put radials on it, and it would hit 90 with an crazy kid driving it.