Age you first drove a car, all by yourself.

[Mobsta]

I first drove a car, 'by myself' at 16.

Edited to add: Alone meaning not requiring anyone elses help, with gears, etc. (see farm vehicle post & 'crawler gear, couldnt reach the pedels' etc below.

The first time I actually drove a car (sat on dads lap so doesn't really count) I was 8 or 9. Round and round a car park. Didn't operate the clutch, but it was undoubtedly the most exciting thing I had ever done in my life at the time. The excitement lasted for days afterwards, the memory never forgotten.

Edited by Mobsta on Thursday 16th June 21:18

[SD1992]

First time on my own was 16, a battered old 205 1.1 round a forestry track

It belonged to my mate, and was his land. Great fun!

[P I Staker]

14 in a Suzuki Vitara.

Edit; Ah, now that you have edited it i would have been younger, when ever i could reach the peddles on my Dads Discovery, 11 or 12 maybe...

Edited by P I Staker on Thursday 16th June 21:42

[Slinky]

PGL "Gran Prix" holiday when I was 13 (and again when I was 14), driving a mini scamp..

[W7NNS]

11 - My Grandpas 1988 Mini Mayfair automatic (just up 7 down their drive)

[bobr]

15, in a load of empty fields. The lack of mechanical sympathy shown to that poor car was astounding

[bull996]

When I was 12 brothers (18 ish) used to take me to the pub and while they got drunk they would bring out coke and crisps to the car where I sat.

Theythen would make me drive them home lol.

[spike ST500]

by yourself, is this being the only one the car, or with an "instructor" in the passenger seat.

17yrs, 4 months, by myself in a car, all legal too!

about 15, with the car owner telling me how to drive, sat beside me.

[HD Adam]

At the age of 13, I had a part time job in a local garage in the next street to me. After school and Saturday mornings.
I used to move the cars around and put them on the ramp etc. This was the early 70's so not much in the way of Health & Safety.
At 15, I might have (allegedly) had a half share in a Triumph Vitessee with one of my mates and may have driven on the road.

Edited by HD Adam on Thursday 16th June 20:22

[McSam]

14, my mum's A6. She taught me to drive in it round various car parks - huge ones at hill climb meetings, so easy place to learn - and then I would mess around moving it around them sometimes

[poing]

16 but prefer not to say where or when etc

[jonnydm]

Regularly drove a mate's car aged 16 in car parks and once or twice on quiet (ahem private) roads late at night.

[chriscoates]

First time for me was actually in Florida. I drove a Toyota Avalon 3.0 V6 (Avensis size) down a long straight dead end road. Drove about a mile at no more than 50 before a car appeared behind me and I got frightened

[jonnydm]

Glad to see everyone here was driving before age 22; still a few % here were over 18, mind.

[SteveS Cup]

14... One of my brothers friends 850 mini and also a 1275 metro! I loved it!

I got my first car at 16 and may have warmed it up a few times when my parents were on holiday....!

[karona]

12 years old, steered an artic in a straight line across a farmer's field while he lobbed sacks of potatoes on the back. I couldn't reach the pedals to start or stop it, it was in crawler gear anyway, and the farmer eventually climbed back in as we got to the far hedge.

I was driving a combined harvester before my 14th birthday.

[Mrs Muttleysnoop]

I was 9 years old and loved driving.

[paul.deitch]

13, we had a caravan site and I got to move them around. Problem was at 17 or whatever it was when I came to take the driving test I was simply too confident and failed.

[odyssey2200]

I was about 9 and my mum used to let me drive her old Ford Prefect on the old RAF base, which was more or less abandoned back then.

Lots of stalling and Kangaroo starts.

She was in the passenger seat so that might not count.

[hidetheelephants]

12; I was allowed to drive the old man's 2CV up and down the drive without supervision(at least I was until I reversed into the front step. Oops!).