First day on the road
Discussion
It's my son's 17th tomorrow. As he's on school holidays for Easter, I've taken the day off so I can take him out for his first drive.
To be honest, I'm not sure who's looking forward to it the most! I serviced it over the weekend and its had a clean as well (can't be sticking L-plates onto dirty paint!)
I remember my first 100 yards on my motorbike at 16, and I remember my first 100 yards in my Mother's car at 17. Halcyon days...
Do you remember yours?
To be honest, I'm not sure who's looking forward to it the most! I serviced it over the weekend and its had a clean as well (can't be sticking L-plates onto dirty paint!)
I remember my first 100 yards on my motorbike at 16, and I remember my first 100 yards in my Mother's car at 17. Halcyon days...
Do you remember yours?
I passed my test, got driven home by my instructor and jumped straight in to the family shed 2CV. The drum brakes were a bit of a nasty surprise.
Also it was weird not having anyone tell me which way to go.
ETA: misread the OP. My first ever drive on a road was a nightmare with a sweary instructor shouting at me for an hour. Hated it.
Also it was weird not having anyone tell me which way to go.
ETA: misread the OP. My first ever drive on a road was a nightmare with a sweary instructor shouting at me for an hour. Hated it.
Edited by Captain Muppet on Tuesday 2nd April 09:27
Dear e,
I don't remember the 1st 100yds but the initial learning - clutch and gears quickly but steering took a while. I only "got it" when I changed from the instructor's Viva to mum's Imp. Took 3 months to a 1st time pass, I don't recall how many lessons,
regards,
Jet
ean21 said:
It's my son's 17th tomorrow. As he's on school holidays for Easter, I've taken the day off so I can take him out for his first drive.
To be honest, I'm not sure who's looking forward to it the most! I serviced it over the weekend and its had a clean as well (can't be sticking L-plates onto dirty paint!)
I remember my first 100 yards on my motorbike at 16, and I remember my first 100 yards in my Mother's car at 17. Halcyon days...
Do you remember yours?
It seemed so easy from the passenger seat.To be honest, I'm not sure who's looking forward to it the most! I serviced it over the weekend and its had a clean as well (can't be sticking L-plates onto dirty paint!)
I remember my first 100 yards on my motorbike at 16, and I remember my first 100 yards in my Mother's car at 17. Halcyon days...
Do you remember yours?
I don't remember the 1st 100yds but the initial learning - clutch and gears quickly but steering took a while. I only "got it" when I changed from the instructor's Viva to mum's Imp. Took 3 months to a 1st time pass, I don't recall how many lessons,
regards,
Jet
Remember my first day on L plates well. 1st Sept 1997, day after Princess Diana died. Drove my Grandads Mondeo 1.8 TD Estate from Malton to Leeds down the A64. Stopped in Leeds so he could carry on and take us to Liverpool via the M62 which I obviously couldn't do!
4 weeks later I passed my test and was on the road in G35 OVE - Volkswagen Scirocco GT2 which cost me (what I thought was obscene) £1,300 to insure fully comp. God only knows what a 17 year old would pay to insure a group 14 car now.
4 weeks later I passed my test and was on the road in G35 OVE - Volkswagen Scirocco GT2 which cost me (what I thought was obscene) £1,300 to insure fully comp. God only knows what a 17 year old would pay to insure a group 14 car now.
I was lucky - I'd been hooning around the garden from about the age of 12. There was enough room to get a Honda Civic into 3rd,which provided ample means to learn that a locked wheel does not slow you down! I could do a J-turn before I could do a hill start :-) then I got my hands on a Volvo 360 GLS. It was a 2-litre I think, but more importantly it was RWD.
I still remember the sense of open-ness on the road. No apple trees to dodge...
I still remember the sense of open-ness on the road. No apple trees to dodge...
Edited by ean21 on Tuesday 2nd April 09:25
I still remember it, although it wasn't long ago to be fair.
It was after work around 5:30pm and my instructor pulled to the side of road and we changed seats - he said that from some previous discussions, he gathered that I am a petrolhead so we went straight for some country lanes. That included roads around the Peak District, Buxton and Chatsworth.
It was a lovely summer night, and a beautiful sunset across the landscape. Upon returning, I saw a new 458 Italia gaining rapidly behind me so I let him overtake and me and the instructor put our windows down to hear it. It went off into the distance not long after.
Don't all petrolheads remember that day though?
It was after work around 5:30pm and my instructor pulled to the side of road and we changed seats - he said that from some previous discussions, he gathered that I am a petrolhead so we went straight for some country lanes. That included roads around the Peak District, Buxton and Chatsworth.
It was a lovely summer night, and a beautiful sunset across the landscape. Upon returning, I saw a new 458 Italia gaining rapidly behind me so I let him overtake and me and the instructor put our windows down to hear it. It went off into the distance not long after.
Don't all petrolheads remember that day though?
I used to drive my Mum's Corsa up and down a dirt track long before I was 17, then the first night I bought my Astra we took it there so I could see what it was like.
As it was insured, and we just happened to have L plates with us, I got to drive it home. Still remember driving out of the farm gate onto a real road, was quite a feeling!
Can't believe that was just under 4 years ago...
As it was insured, and we just happened to have L plates with us, I got to drive it home. Still remember driving out of the farm gate onto a real road, was quite a feeling!
Can't believe that was just under 4 years ago...
I had bought a shoddy Citroen Saxo 1.1i from auction as a learner car(january 2012) and it was a bag of death, but it was my bag of death.... it was parked in the drive, and just needed pulling forward about 6 or 7 inches to be flush to the fence, so couragous, full of energy me then went and attempted to pull it forward (i hadnt had one lesson yet, but "thought" i knew basic mechanics) so attempted to pull it forward, let the clutch out too quickly, put on too much accell, the thing shot towards the fence and hit it, and the front wheels were spinning in the gravel underneath.
It wasnt even powerful enough to push a wooden fence over...
ended up selling it as it was mullerred beyond belief...how it passed its MOT i do not know...
It wasnt even powerful enough to push a wooden fence over...
ended up selling it as it was mullerred beyond belief...how it passed its MOT i do not know...
I'm amazed how many PHers don't teach their kids how to drive long before they're seventeen.. Why would you want to either pay someone £20ph to teach them what the clutch does, or risk your and other people's cars by taking someone not at all familiar with driving straight out onto the roads?
Learn to operate the car properly well before your seventeenth birthday, then you're in a good position to start learning on the roads
Learn to operate the car properly well before your seventeenth birthday, then you're in a good position to start learning on the roads
McSam said:
I'm amazed how many PHers don't teach their kids how to drive long before they're seventeen.. Why would you want to either pay someone £20ph to teach them what the clutch does, or risk your and other people's cars by taking someone not at all familiar with driving straight out onto the roads?
Learn to operate the car properly well before your seventeenth birthday, then you're in a good position to start learning on the roads
I was going to do that with my kids, but I couldn't remember where I left the airfield...Learn to operate the car properly well before your seventeenth birthday, then you're in a good position to start learning on the roads
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