What did you learn to drive in?

[Evan Iroc-Z]

I learned to drive an automatic in a 1985 Dodge Aries.

I learned to drive an manual in a 1986 IROC.

I learned to drive in the snow in a 1991 Audi 5000 CS Quattro. Even though it was a boat, I felt like the best rally driver in the world.

[whitess]

First drive was a '63 4 door Fairlane with a 3 on the tree when I was 15. My friends dad took us up to the Junior High parking lot and taught us to shift it and parallel park, how to tell where the clutch should release and about engine braking. He put a couple of Green Stamps (remember those!) on the hood to show where your right side wheels were on the road. After that I worked at a Church camp above Gunnison and the Caretaker took a liking to me and let me drive the '39 Fordson tractor they had to take firewoood to the cabins. There wasn't any E-Brake so on the hills by the cabins you had to set the front of it it against a tree! It had a power take off setup connected to a large saw blade he'd use to cut wood with. Three pedals on the floor - 2 brakes and a clutch. No synchros for the gears but you could stop (had to to shift gears) and put it in 3rd, let out the clutch and it would take off! After that my sisters 3 speed '60 Corvair. Another friend took me out in it and put me on a hill and said go! One time I tried to "lay rubber" with it taking off and the fan belt flew off but didn't break. My Senior year I had a '57 Chevy with a 4 speed with no Power Brakes or Steering. In the winter there wasn't a heater so my Dad taught me how to defrost the windows with the windows part-way open. The summer after my senior year (1970) I worked in a Pontiac/Jeep/AMC/ Rover dealer and got to learn to drive all sorts of hot rods! Good times.

[dhutton]

A 64 Pontiac Parisienne. Essentially a Canadian built Grand Prix powered by a Chevy 283. For some reason most of the Canadian Pontiacs had French names. We also had a 62 Catalina that was called a Laurentian.

Don

[Musclerodz]

Does go carts as a kid count? The first car I remember driving was my parents caravan. I was around 13 and would bring it to the front door of the church parking lot. I had drove some POS in drivers ed. Learn to use a clutch in dads isuzu trooper when I was 15.

[FETorino]

When I was 14 I used to roll my dads 74 superbeetle commuter car out of the driveway in the middle of the night and go cruising.

I had watched my dad shift the car and I rode motorcycles (a fact unknown by my parents at the time) and figured that was all the training I needed.

So the first time I did it there I was for 10 min struggling with the shifter until I figured out only reverse required some downward pressure on the shifter.

I guess I didn't pay close enough attention after all. By the time I cut the motor and coasted back into the driveway I had the shifting down.

[Streetking]

1974 Fiat X19

[Jay Hilliard]

I learned on my dad's 1966 Chevrolet C-10 Truck (4 speed) when I was 13. The driver's learning car in HS was a 1985 Chevy Citation (4-door). Has to be on the top 5 list for GM's ugliest car.

[zz430droptop67rs]

I'm probably the oldest member to post in this thread.

I learned in a 51 Desoto flat head 6 with the semi auto gear box. The 1-2 shift was manual, but the 2-3 shifted just by lifting off the gas pedal and it would clunk into high.

My first car was a 54 Ford 4-door with the 239 V8 and 3-speed stick. I put a floor shifter in it. The levers wouldn't clear the floor so the pattern was upside down. When cruising, I made sure people saw me push the shifter forward for first gear so it looked like I had a 4-speed.

[GregWeld]

Damn "rich kids".....

Originally Posted by Streetking

1974 Fiat X19

[aidanfancystang]

I learned in my dad's 81 VW rabbit it was a 5spd 4 door, it later became one of my many vehicles.