What car did you learn to drive on?

[Freedom55]

I just thought I'd start this thread for fun. Over 50 years ago, I learned how to drive on my dad's 1965 Plymouth Savoy wagon. No power steering, no power brakes (drums all around), 225 CID inline slant six but 3 speed auto and limited slip diff; it was a tank in the snow. The car originally had a "three on the tree" manual but it broke before I had my licence; my uncle was a mechanic and he put a push button auto from a wrecked 1962 Valiant instead of another manual and had to get the driving shaft shortened by a machine shop! The car was peppier from a stand still as the diff ratio is lower for an auto but my uncle kept the original; all this to say the engine was revving higher at highway speeds. My mother had the bad habit of restarting the car while it was running and part of the flywheel got chewed up by the starter pinion gear; once in a while, the starter would spin but the engine couldn't start because of the missing teeth on the flywheel. No problem as my dad showed me how to push on the fan belt to get get maximum grip on the pulleys while pulling the fan blade to get the flywheel to move a bit where it still had some teeth. Those were the days

 

[theblooms]

My dad's 1981½ Toyota diesel longbed pickup.

 

[potownrob]

i mainly learned on my mom's 95 Jetta. it had the 2.slow with the auto trans. i didn't think it was slow back then and even felt torquey to me , but most cars were dogs back then anyway. my dad also let me drive his i believe 90 Buick Riviera, which was much smoother and felt more powerful. over a couple of summers (dad lives in florida so i'd visit during the summer) he also taught me manual on his beat up 85 ranger pick-up. the thing was rusted out and would backfire on the regular.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

It depends on what you mean by 'learn to drive'.

My first experience with a car and 'driving' was with an old Rambler station wagon with push button transmission on the dash. My mother was VERY indulgent with me and she would let me drive the Rambler up and down the driveway, I was 7.

 

[Snorting2.5]

While I've driven a few auto cars at this point and already knew how to drive, I purchased a 2000 Mazda Protege DX with the 1.6L engine and a 5 speed manual when I was 16. It was my first time driving manual with the sellers entire family and my buddy who drove us to go see the car, all crammed inside this tiny protege. The 1.6L had very little torque, but made a great sound as you revved it out. Good rev range. Very fun to drive car and the gearbox was great as well. The clutch travel was the entire length of the clutch pedal, so it was easy to engage/disengage and made for a great little learners car. I ended up selling it for $10 less than what I bought it for, a month later.

 

[stickerbush]

1964 Dodge Polara with push button automatic transmission.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

1964 Dodge Polara with push button automatic transmission.

My VERY first car was a Dodge Polara too! I can't remember the year but my parents gave it to me, it was their old car and needed a new transmission. Bright red with a white vinyl half top. If was also the first car that I did major work on, my dad and I replaced the trans with one from the junk yard, $75 of my money.

The car ran gloriously, for three days, then the trans gave out and she was done, so was I.

The thing is, up until today, I thought that it was Dodge Polaris and I was just about to correct you on the name when I thought that I had better look that up before I look like a fool by questioning you on the name. Good thing I did. I can't believe that I thought it was a Polaris after all these years.

 

[stickerbush]

My VERY first car was a Dodge Polara too! I can't remember the year but my parents gave it to me, it was their old car and needed a new transmission. Bright red with a white vinyl half top. If was also the first car that I did major work on, my dad and I replaced the trans with one from the junk yard, $75 of my money.

The Polara was our family car. A couple of years later I bought my first car, a 1969 Pontiac Firebird convertible for $1350. I think it came out of a flood somewhere as there was an inordinate amount of rust. Great fun car though.

 

[theblooms]

My first car was a $700 72 Coupe DeVille.

My parents said that if I was going to get into a wreck, I was going to win.

 

[Buzzman12]

Learning to drive and my first car are two different things for me.
I'm in my 70's now, so when I learned to drive, things were a little more relaxed shall we say.

I had a part time job at age 14, helping my local milkman deliver milk door to door (remember that?)
My "boss" taught me how to drive the milk truck. You drove it standing up. It had a long shifter coming up from the floor. It had two pedals, gas and clutch/brake pedal. The first half of the brake pedal was the clutch, while the second half was the brake. You pressed the pedal half way down to change gears, and then stomped on it further down to engage the brakes.
I learned quickly, and he got me to drive pretty much the whole route, while he ran back and forth dropping off milk bottles. I never told my parents, but I think they figured out I was driving. By the time I turned 16, getting my licence was a piece of cake. Great time to be alive.

 

[Muggs1]

Learn to drive with an instructor (mandatory 30hrs driving course), on a Dacia Logan with stick. (prolly nobody knows the brand) . First car a VW Golf Mark5.

 

[theblooms]

I've heard of Dacia. But I'm in America, so I've never actually seen one.

 

[jadmt]

first car when I was about 13 yoa. and first new vehicle at 18

 

[Freedom55]

I've heard of Dacia. But I'm in America, so I've never actually seen one.

They sold Dacia in Canada about 40 years ago but it didn't last long; I believe they were made in Romania. We also had Innocenti, the infamous Hyundai Pony and Stellar and Lada. All cheap cars with old tech. I know you guys in the U.S. had the Yugo but I don't remember if we had them in Canada.

 

[Freedom55]

1964 Dodge Polara with push button automatic transmission.

Last year for this type of shifter. As I mentioned on my first post, my dad's '65 Plymouth was retrofitted with an automatic. The shifter was supposed to be column mounted but since it came from a '62 Valiant the pushbutton shifter was mounted horizontally under the dash instead of vertically with the the letters and numbers sideways! It looked weird but it was functional

 

[Freedom55]

Learn to drive with an instructor (mandatory 30hrs driving course), on a Dacia Logan with stick. (prolly nobody knows the brand) . First car a VW Golf Mark5.

I suppose you were in Europe back then. I know Dacia, see my previous post sold in Canada about 40 years ago. I had a 1976 VW Rabbit which was called Golf in Europe. Apparently VW America didn't want to call it Golf here as people would make jokes saying it's a golf cart but things have changed since.

 

[John B]

I learned to drive in my sisters ‘55 Chevy, 6 cyl. 3 on the tree. I was 13.
My first car was a ‘62 Dodge Dart

 

[potownrob]

They sold Dacia in Canada about 40 years ago but it didn't last long; I believe they were made in Romania. We also had Innocenti, the infamous Hyundai Pony and Stellar and Lada. All cheap cars with old tech. I know you guys in the U.S. had the Yugo but I don't remember if we had them in Canada.

i believe we called the Pony the Excel here (AKA the Rodney King Special) and yes, we had Yugo here, at least the GV. My dad nicknamed it (and others probably too) the Yugo Maybe. Dad test drove one in Florida from a used car lot, and we couldn't stop laughing the whole time, the car was so cheap feeling (and probably severely underpowered).

Yugos in the US and Canada

 

[Freedom55]

i believe we called the Pony the Excel here (AKA the Rodney King Special) and yes, we had Yugo here, at least the GV. My dad nicknamed it (and others probably too) the Yugo Maybe. Dad test drove one in Florida from a used car lot, and we couldn't stop laughing the whole time, the car was so cheap feeling (and probably severely underpowered).

Yugos in the US and Canada

The Pony was RWD with a manual choke sold in the '80s and the Excel was FWD that arrived later then it was replaced by the Accent.

 

[Muggs1]

I've heard of Dacia. But I'm in America, so I've never actually seen one.

Donno if there are multiple in America, but it seems that a least this guy brought it over 2yrs ago. Its a Dacia 1300 model.

I suppose you were in Europe back then. I know Dacia, see my previous post sold in Canada about 40 years ago. I had a 1976 VW Rabbit which was called Golf in Europe. Apparently VW America didn't want to call it Golf here as people would make jokes saying it's a golf cart but things have changed since.

Yes, was in Europe back then. Remember when O was looking back in the day for a golf here and I was puzzled why its called rabbit instead of golf.