What year vehicle did you first learn to drive on? And let's get technical too. First standard shift, first automatic. I'll start. The first car I drove was a '41 Chevy coupe, 3 speed on the column (vacuum assisted shifter). First automatic was a '53 F-word Crestline. Passed my driver's education test in a '64 F-word Galaxsy station wagon, 3 speed manual, donated to my Jr High by Offutt AFB, Nebraska. Even passed the parallel parking test with that big sob! Next?
My first standard was my 47 I thought well I still think it is the best thing ever. My first automatic was a 88 ford pickup it was well still is a big heep of crap haha.
Vehicle I first learned to drive on was a '69 Cadillac Sedan De Ville (auto naturally). It was a monster. My first car (and first standard shift) was a 1940 Olds 2 door business coupe with an inline 8 and a three on the tree. My dad bought it for me when I was 14 for $75.00. The engine was in the trunk. He said, "You got two years until you get your license. Get to work." The car I passed my driver's test in was a '72 Buick Estate Wagon with a 455 in it. Oh my Gawd how I used to beat the sh*t out of that thing. Broke both rear axles doing a hole shot at a light . Quite a bit of torque in that old monster. Should have seen the look on the guy's face next to me when he realized I screwed up my mom's car.
My dad did custom dozer work and took my older brother (8 yrs) and me to a farm where he was building a pond. His work car, a 35 ford coupe/pickup, was a couple miles back where he had unloaded the dozer so he asked the farmer to take his son back to drive the coupe to the work site. The only son the farmer was aware of was me so he asked if an eight year old could actually drive (my dad was back working) and I said "sure". All went well because I'd watched the clutch/shifter process closely but once underway I couldn't slide down the seat far enough to both use the pedals and see out the windshield. Since all cars had a throttle back then reaching the accelerater wasn't imperative but not being able to reach the brake required running into the dirt pile from the pond once my destination was reached. The soft dirt didn't hurt anything but my older brother was mystified when my dad asked him why he nosed the car into the dirt--then the truth came out. For the next 3 or 4 years everytime we walked toward the car my dad would say "I'll drive".
First car ever was a Hilman Minx (we were poor) 4 speed 4 cylinder bout 5 bhp i estimate cos it was 0-60 in about the same time as a human gets to 60.....yrs old, then first car with licence was an Austin A30 which would fit in the trunk of most of your American cars, got to know the passengers real well in that car! had indicator arms on the b posts that flicked out when turning, used to fill it with gas every fortnight cos it did about 50 to the gallon, and it had a cranking handle start,then got an A35 which i sorted out the engine and suspension with MG Midget stuff (bolted straight on) and the car cornered like a go cart and nothing could keep up with it, inc the cops who came to realise that if they were chasing and losing a tiny black rocket they would give up and head straight for my house and wait for me there! First slush box was an old Citroen, so complicated i think NASA designed it! what a dog. ________ Lesbian amateur
I hate to have to admit it but it was a '61 Fiat taxi. Dad found it somewhere and decided it would be a good stck shift for me to learn on. He went down to the hay field in front of our house and mowed out a track that was probably about a 1/4 mile oval. He took me and the car out there one Sunday afternoon and said, "Keep it out of the creek." He went to take a nap. I went roundy round in that thing for days till I got the whole driving thing down. I was 13. My first real car was a 1965 Impala 2 door with a 283 and an auto tranny. Dad was into trading so I never kept one long. Now that I think about it the very first time I ever got behind the wheel it was my Granddad's 48 Chevy 1 ton flat bed. I remember cause I over revved the engine when I popped the clutch. That tranny is the one in my truck today. Good memory. Thanks, Ken, Gater
I first learn to drive in my dad's 1975 Chevrolet 4-door Nova-(auto). Then after working a lot during school & summer jobs took my test in my brand new 1979 Chevrolet Camero I purchased to $7500+ 350 LT1 vette engine/automatic. I loved that car still wish I had it. Guy at the drivers license freaked out me coming in with a week old car to take a test. Learned stick shift in '79 when got out of high school and went to work at the local Buick/Volvo dealership. Customers cars made good learn to drive stick shift donors.
First thing I ever drove was a 1950 Plymouth when I was about 13. My Dad was a car guy and had bought this car from my Great Aunt. It was a three speed on the column and I drove it around the yard. I can't remember what the first automatic I drove was because my Dad went through so many cars. I took my drivers test in a 1977 Buick LeSabre. The first car I drove regularly when I was 16 though was my Dad's 1953 Chevy 1/2 ton truck (and here I am). The first car I owned was a 1969 GTO convertible and I still have it in the garage here 27 years later. It has now been joined by a 1953 Chevy truck of course.
Re:Learning to drive The car I learned to drive in was a 51 Rambler my Dad had. I couldn't reach the pedals,so I'd sit on my Dad's lap and steer and shift gears. At about 10 I could reach the pedals and would drive his 59 Impala up and down the back road we lived on. It had a 348 auto. My first car was a 55 Chevy business coupe, 6 cylinder,3 speed with overdrive. Wish I had that sucker now!
First car Well it's been a while, even though I read the post every day, I don't take time to reply but can't pass this one up My first vehicle was a Model A F**D, I was about 4 or 5 and she was a beaut... black in color. Of course it said MATCHBOX on the bottom. But I've loved cars ever since. My first vehicle to actually drive was a home made go-kart, FULLY AUTOMATIC (centrifugal clutch ) with a 3.5 briggs, and man she would fly... about 15-20 MPH... hair in the wind, bugs in the teeth, what a life. That was about 10. Second was about 12 or 13, me and my buddy purchased a 196? something volkswagon buggy for a whopping 100 dollar bill, 4 speed, 4 cyl of course. Ran that little baby in the ground for many months then into a tree and that was all she wrote. Next was grand dads 49 3100, 4 speed in the floor, probably 216 engine, my folks didn't know he was lettin me drive her down at the fishin hole at around 13-14... wow what memories. Next was my dad's F**d pinto wagon, about a 70 model, can't remember to be exact, but I remember the stump I ran her aground on. That whoopin at 14 stuck with me Next and my first vehicle was a FINE, LOVELY, ONLY DRIVEN BY A LITTLE OLD LADY TO CHURCH AND BACK . 1962 Dodge Dart, 4 door, 3 spd auto with a 318. she would sho nuf scoot. And that baby had a heater, an AM radio and 4 fully controlable air conditioner units... 2 on each side stratigicly positioned in the doors . That was at 16, I was cattin then... I THOUGHT At 17 I ventured into the Chevy world for myself and purchased a 1965 chevy 1/2 ton from my boss for 2 - 100 dollar bills, or should I be truthful and say he took 15 dollars a week out of my 50 dollar a week pay... what a life, where did those good days go. From there it is just history, what could I say,,, I'M NOW IN DEBT for newer vehicles and wish I had the ones I started out with. This is a great post... Thanks, Ken and the rest of you for the memories. TB'sD
The *FIRST* one Huh ? Uh , well , I dunno ~ mmight have been the 1952 Willys M-38A1 Jeep ... Or the 1935 JD Model A or the '37 JD Model B tractor , or oh hell I dunno ~ it was the 60's in New England and there were all manner of old cars & trucks.... I'm not sure if they ever let me drive the 1929 Chevy pumper fire truck but I sure had fun playing with the hose every spring when we ran it down to the lake for testing and etc.. Uh , Whatzizname who lived down Rt.109 from me and had the cute daughters , one with big , er , _heart_ (yeah-that's it) , he brought home a beat up $35.00 '49 Chevy 3100 and had me get it running , I might have driven that one 1st. I was maybe 12 YO ~ there's been -so- many I'm not sure but I got my 1959 F-100 Ex-U.S.A.F. runway crash truck when I was , uh , 13 - 14 ? we paid $27.00 for it @ Devin AFB in Ayer , Ma. the HUGE Leece Neville alternator had caught fire so I built up a generator from and old John Deere Delco remy unit and some parts from a 1958 Rambler American station wagon that couldn't move _backwards_.... Anyway , I'm sorry but I just cannot recall which one was the very 1st.
One Thing For Sure I never got to drive Dad's 1937 Bently St. James Coupe.... Nor any of the other Uber Cool cars he direct imported from Europe back in the day.... Mom's 195? Mercedes 600 Limousine dad siezed up in Maine whilst driving ti see his girlfreind.... OOPS
My first "vehicle" arrived in pieces in a big cardboard box under the Christmas tree when I was 10 years old. Mostly it was 4 wheels with tires mounted, a solid rear axle, some steel tubing, a 72 tooth 35 pitch sprocket and a very well worn 1.5 HP Briggs & Straton with a wrap-the-rope starter. My dad and I spent lots of hours turning it into a go cart. First attempt at steering worked backward, turn the wheel left, turn the go-cart right. Cart evolved over many years (I'm the oldest of 6 boys) to include a high-compression head (we shaved it down with sandpaper on glass), a ram induction intake (cut the bell off of an old Chrysler horn with a 90 degree bend on the end, put the small end into the carb and faced the big end forward, it increased top end 3 mph) and a short lived attempt at using a belt driven blower (from a clothes dryer) which we gave up on when the engine backfired during the first trial run and blew the case to bits. Dad's been gone for almost 13 years. I miss him every day.
Good story Bill. My first was my 3 window '50 Chevy (yes C) 1/2 ton with 8 track player under the dash, and speakers screwed to the back on either side of the back window. Three on the tree. My dad taught(?) me how to drive it in, of all places, a church parking lot. That truck helped me start my first business at the age of 16. Yard work. I'd toss the lawn mower in the back and go cut yards for $5.00. That's how I met my first real boss who gave me my first real job at a Chevron filling station. (Downtwon KC) Shortly after that, my dad sold the truck out from under me and got me a F^%&!!!
first vehicle driven Hi there, my first time driving was at the lake in my dad's 68 Chevelle Nomad station wagon, 327 auto. I got stopped by the park ranger for a few sec's, my mom freaked out and my dad told me, sorry son your mom doesn't want you to drive until you're 16. I was 15 then. My first drive in a standard was a 78 triumph tr6, man it was a blast! My aunt who 5 yrs older also learned the same day. My first car was a 74 Maverick, big tires in the back,stereo blastin' cruisin' around with freinds from school...man what memories!!! Many,Many vehicles later I'm now working on my 56 Chevy stepside.
It's like deja vu all over again! My best friend in high school had a '73 Maverick Grabber, Yellow w'blackout stripes, 6 cyl auto. I had a '72 Chevy Nova, Red w/ white vinyl top, 350 w/ 3sp Hurst floor shift. Whose car do you think we used when cruisin' for chicks? After 5 hard years drinking through an Electrical Engr degree, one of my buddies brought a '77 Triumph TR6 up during final exams, Triumph Racing Green with gold racing stripes, and said "I bought this for my wife for putting up with me through college". Several cases of beer and 500 miles during finals later, I wished him and his understanding wife the best. What a chick magnet in 1977! Thanks for the memory!
ha ha ha....here we go, my first car was a 1979ish vette.....chevette that is. This car was so worn out by the time I got it, it was a 4 speed manuel, and the gear box was so loose you there was little need for a clutch. I'll admit right here I hated it (at first). Most of all of my friends had 4x4 trucks, and would take them out to "the pipeline" after a good rain and have fun. I learned how truely awesome this car was on mistake. One day, I decided to see how fast I could get going down the gravel/dirt path leading to the open area where everyone would do donuts and play. Well, I got it up to about 40 or so, as soon I hit the open area, I cut the wheel and went crazy. From that point on, my friends and I were on a mission to make this thing a swamp buggy. I bought some mismatched mud tires, found out it would seat 6 (we figured we pack everyone in tight in case we hit something, there would be no room to be tossed around). I remember the first time I bought it home and my dad saw all the mud and grass all over it. Let's just say there was a series of questions that I was made to answer. It held up pretty good with all the abuse. I drove it until my dad gave me his truck when he bought himself a new van. I kept it until I moved out after high school, in the end, I gave it away to someone who would take it.
You're BUSTED ! The Brand 'F' Maverck " Grabber " option included a 302 V-ate ~ when I worked at the Dept' Of Airports , The City has made some killer deal in 1974 to buy Mavericks ' On The Cheap ' so they bought -SO- many we were still putting brandy new ones into service in 1977 . anyway , they fiddled the paperwork and gave us one Grabber , the Superintendent took it for his City Car ~ he was still driving it in 1986 when the City Controller insisted it go to Salvage so we put it there one afternoon only to have the Super come in over the weekend and take it back ~ this went on three times until we snatched it on a friday before the usual sunday auction of used cars , we stripped out the radios etc. and blocked it in behind some old trucks , sold it that sunday... Grabbers were O.K. little cars , fast for a compact , even in 1974 when the mandated add on crap made ALL cars run like crap . The entire fleet of them was that odd Mustard Yellow color , I kinda liked it... -Nate
Nate, sometimes proving a point is costly I called my high school buddy about an hour ago to ask him about the "bumble bee" as we called it. Talked to the boy for an hour. Can't wait for that phone bill He quickly corrected me by saying that it was a '72. Oops, my bad. He did confirm that it did have a 170 cu in 6 cyl. He also told me that the 302 V8 was an option, but that his dad didn't think he needed that much horsepower in that small a car. The remaining 55 minutes was spent reliving the past.
