What Car Did You First Learn to Drive

... 1960 Ford Ranch Wagon with a straight six and three on the tree. Good thing I lived 80 miles from the Pacific because that's about what my turning radius would require to make a 90 degree turn and miss it. It was bronze colored and I drove it across the continent as soon as I graduated from high school. Called it the "Golden Eagle". It served as launch pad for social get-togethers once or twice as I recall....

Jerry
 
Dad's 1950 Chevy. Stick. He didn't mind me working the lights, but I got heck for hitting the siren ;) . Wonder why. -Ed.
 
:D I bet you'd be hard pressed to find very many people that have a clue what a throw-out bearing is. Next we'll try to find someone that knows what "double clutching" is and why you'd want to do it. :)

I know how, but I don't do it. I learned long ago to float the gears. ;)
 
1950 4-door Chevrolet fastback, on the dirt roads beside Lookout Mountain off Cave Creek Road in Phoenix. 3 on the tree. My dad was a patient man. Even today, driving an automatic transmission, I keep my left foot on the floor, ready to hit the clutch instead of the brake - thus I have no problem transitioning to a stick shift again if need be. My right foot still does double duty on the gas and the brake, no matter what I drive. Still have trouble with the dimmer switch on a stalk, though...
 
A 47 Mercury Club Coupe, which eventually became mine when Dad bought a 55 Mercury Sedan. I proceeded to almost destroy it a dent at a time, a then got the 55 as well some time later. Didn't grow up some until after Army, marriage and kids, actually I'm probably not finished yet.
 
Not my 1st ride, but my 1st long trip from home: 1960 I had a 1956 chev 210 coupe. I lived in wisconsin, got a job promised from the NPS in yosemite calif. I put a ad in the paper to split the cost for a partner. A airman going to travis AFB called me. I picked him up for $60. (He was about 70 miles out of the way.) Our first night out somewhere in S. Dakota we stopped at a old ranch house, a sign by the road said rooms $1.50. The house had ceilings that seemed 12 ft high. The woman tried to turn on a old paddel fan but couldnt reach the cord even standing on a chair. I said I will get that. Got on the chair, it broke, I fell straight back on the bed with my 260 lbs, bed broke to smithereens! I weakly offered to pay, woman said no, and put me up in another room. She didnt make anything off us!
The next morning we got close to a 100 miles down the road and my partner said, Darn! I left my wallet under the pillow back there! That was another 200 miles!
Finaly I dropped him off at travis. Then on south to san clemente to see a aunt before I reported to yosemite. Lets see: For 60 bucks I drove that guy about 2,000 miles and went over 600 miles out of my way to do it! I had just turned 19 years old.
 
I learned to drive in a 73 Cricket wagon, when dad went to town in the old International Travelall.It was handy knowing where my oldest brother hid the spare key for dads car.
Almost got caught the first time though, I waited so long,after my dad left, to take it out in the fields for a spin that I just got back and parked it as dad came into view on the road.
Scott
 
1970 Cuda, 383 Magnum, four speed and lots of tickets (the tickets came later). That was in 1976.
 
1980 fiat spyder 2000 pinin farina.....my dads "p****y magnet" car that i would sneak out of the garage at night for some cruise action....i told him about it years later and he said that he knew the whole time, and that was the only reason that he kept it till i moved out(parents divorced when i was five and i lived with my dad from age 11 to 18, and not only that but he was out of town for his job six months out of the year.....
 
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I learned to drive my Mom's new 1960 Opel Caravan wagon... it was medium blue and had three on the column.

It wasn't exactly a chick magnet. :rolleyes:

Note: it had windshield wipers as a standard feature!

2008-4-16_58OpelCaravanWeb-Large.jpg
 
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