what car did you take your first drivers test?

A 1956 Oldsmobile 88 4-door sedan.

I thought I responded to this some time back, but I guess not.

Believe it or not, I learned to drive, among other cars, in the 1932 Buick, I know own. Obviously, my father's car at the time. But the test was taken on a 1949 Ford in 1953. I had a '39 Ford at that time, but it was not prudent to show up at the State Police test station with that car. My father also had the '49 Ford which made a far more conservative presentation than a (hot rod in the making) 1939 Two Door Sedan.

John

1966 Wildcat 4 door sedan in Oct 1968. Mom's car. She then had foot surgery and could not drive for 3 weeks. Guess who had to run many of the family errands for that time??.

A White over Copper mist 1963 Buick Skylark that was our 2nd(work car at the time). October 1971 was when I took the test for the 3rd time at the State police drivers training center at Washington Pa. My 1937 international was not roadworthy yet. The Skylark was great driving and handling car. Unfortunately it had the 2 speed power-glide and was not happy with me trying to make it do things it was not intended to do. Needless to say it was a sad day for the great little car when I got involved with it. Wish I could go back and kick that kid in the butt!

I don't remember if I answered this or not so will again - took my test on December 21, 1966 in my parent's mist blue '66 Impala sport sedan. It was the first and only new car my father ever had. They still owned it when he passed away in November 1973. My mother traded it for a '74 Dodge Dart Custom sedan in May of '74.

I took my drivers test on the last Friday in June 1959 in a 1930 Pontiac (purchased new by my Grandfather) that has been my daily driver ever since (except when overhauling my engine at 180,000 and 499,000 miles).

I took my drivers test on the last Friday in June 1959 in a 1930 Pontiac (purchased new by my Grandfather) that has been my daily driver ever since (except when overhauling my engine at 180,000 and 499,000 miles).

And this is still your DD? Incredible....

1965 Chevy Impala four door hardtop, Artesian Turquoise, with a 325 hp 396cid, and Powerglide transmission in August of 1969.

I took my drivers test on the last Friday in June 1959 in a 1930 Pontiac (purchased new by my Grandfather) that has been my daily driver ever since (except when overhauling my engine at 180,000 and 499,000 miles).

That is an astonishing record. Congratulations!!

I took my drivers test on the last Friday in June 1959 in a 1930 Pontiac (purchased new by my Grandfather) that has been my daily driver ever since (except when overhauling my engine at 180,000 and 499,000 miles).

Do you get your mufflers free from Midas?

Actually 3 times from Walker.

My fathers 68 Camaro, spring 73, totaled it 7 years later....

1972 Gold Buick Skylark 4-door

Great thread!

I took my first driver's test in 1979 in my parents' 1978 Mercedes Benz 450 SEL, and I own that car today! When my parents bought the car in 1978, I was 15 years old and I asked my father not to ever sell this car because I was going to want it someday. Well, several years ago, I finally bought the Mercedes from my parents (admittedly, for a song) and started bringing it back to its former beauty and mechanical integrity. Today the car looks and drives as well as it did when it was new!

Ike

I took my drivers test on the last Friday in June 1959 in a 1930 Pontiac (purchased new by my Grandfather) that has been my daily driver ever since (except when overhauling my engine at 180,000 and 499,000 miles).

Wow! Tinindian has to take the prize! That's amazing!

I took my test in a 2001 Monte Carlo SS. I got my licence the day I turned 16.

63 Impala Wagon on my 16th birthday

I did mine in a 1990 Nissan 300ZX when I was 17. I would've taken the LeSabre but the speedometer would not act right, (and never would until I replaced it).

I didn't get to drive anything cool like most of you. For my drivers test I used my older sister's Pontiac 6000. I don't remember the model year, but it was somewhere around 1990. I got my license when I turned 16 in 1994.

I recall very little about my test, other than the parallel parking at the end. Hard to believe it but I do not recall what I was driving.

I took my driver's test in our family's legendary 1965 Buick Sportwagon. We called it the Green Beast by that point. It was dark green with the custom trim, a 3 seater with the light green interior. Dad had seat belts put in the second seat. I don't remember about the back-back seat. He also had an aftermarket emergency blinkers installed.

That was a great car. We spent a lot of family and vacation time in the Green Beast. We drove that poor thing into the ground. I think every single panel but the roof had dents or dings in it over its' 13+ years with us. Even though Grandpa drove big Buicks for decades, the Green Beast started my love affair with Buicks.

It was a cool and sunny morning in October of 1959 in New Jersey. Back then we had to schedule the "ROAD/DRIVING TEST" at least 10 days after passing the written test required to get a NJ Permit. Of course I passed the written test on the first shot, but getting my license was a "Right-of-Passage", especially in 1959 New Jersey. I had studied the Drivers' Manual harder than Geometry, Algebra III, and Trigonometry all together, after all, it was certainly more important to my social status.

I drove my parents to distraction for the entire 10 days, practice-driving our 1951 Chevy Special Deluxe 4-door metallic green 216/3-on-the-tree. I especially was excellent at parallel parking which was a requirement for the NJ Drivers' Test. Then the big CHANGE-UP .......

On the "MAGIC" day, Dad let me take a day off from school. He said I could drive anything, anywhere. We left the '51 Chevy at the curb and took the now 3-year-old 1957 Plymouth Savoy 4-door sedan with the 301 V-8 and 2-speed Powerflyte tranny. The radio was playing some of my favorite "Rock" tunes, but it was too early in the day for Murray-the-K, with the "Swingin' Soiree". Dad pushed the radio's 2nd button, and 1010 WINS came on with Fred Feldman reporting from the helicopter about traffic conditions in Mid-Town Manhattan, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Long Island Expressway, Major Deegan, Throgs Neck, ---all of which were 20 miles away and NOT HELPING ME !!! I punched the 3rd button on the Savoy's AM-only radio and WOR came in, but no improvement there either - just NEWS!

Dad agreed to let it go back to "Fats Domino", and I think it may have been either "Blueberry Hill" or "Walking To New Orleans" (which would have been prophetic as I met Dale there 7-1/2 years later, and moved to New Orleans almost another year later).

The '57 Plymouth Savoy was a sharp-looking 4-door sedan in glistening black with white lower optional "Sportone", white roof, and white paint surrounding the entire rear of the car which had the distinctive appearance of looking like cartoon character "Crusaider Rabbit", and a rear-mounted radio antenna located on the left and just behind the rear windshield - pretty sporty for a family sedan. The Savoy was devoid of power accessories, and we did without the (wuss?) assistance of Power Steering and Power Brakes.

Arriving at the official testing site in Westfield, I waited about 15 minutes, sitting on a hard wooden bench knowing that I was going to be the best driver they had ever seen. Then my moment was at-hand. The inspector was a gruff older guy, probably in his early 40s, and was very matter-of-fact. I got into the '57 Savoy, checked the mirrors, and Waited for him to allow me to start the car (I think it was by punching the "N" for Neutral button to the left of the dashboard for the Powerflyte). The Plymouth purred into action and with the big guy's authorization I checked for traffic and smoothly pulled away from the curb. The traffic light at the 3rd or 4th intersection was green, but turned red as we arrived so I made a smooth stop. A couple of blocks down the road he ordered a right turn and I used both the Plymouth's turn signal and a hand signal - he just laughed and asked if I used a belt and suspenders. I nervously said "No", but wanted him to know that I knew how. He said to just relax. He could see that I was confident (I didn't want to seem over-confident). The rest of the test went well, and although he did say that I drove a bit too fast in some areas, he wasn't going to ticket me - at least not today!! Then he had me parallel park the Plymouth. My strategy had been simple - Line-up alongside the next car at the curb and ease back into the space, turning the steering wheel first to the right, and when I was alongside the other car's rear bumper swinging gradually left, as I had practiced - but there were no other cars - just traffic cones!! Panic?? Nah!!! An over-confident kid, I whipped it into the spot with just under 2 inches between the right-side white-walls and the curb. (Most cars do not want to hold down to 25 mph in my opinion, or is it just the drivers??). The Inspector said I parked too fast, and that it wasn't a race, but went ahead and approved my test.

We drove home with the accompaniment of Dion and the Belmonts, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Bill Haley and the Comets, The Diamonds, and other memorable tunes of the late '50s.

So:

1. Practice for 10 days in a '51 Chevy

2. Pass the Driving - Road test in a '57 Plymouth

3. Get back home to work on the '32 Chevy 5-Window Coupe with the 303 Olds engine, and the later in the month...

4. Buy my red 1949 Pontiac Silver8Streak convertible Straight-Eight Flathead with 3-on-the-tree

5. Get the Pontiac's Indian to light up, and then get the radio to play so that MURRAY-THE-K could spin the platters while my date and I could watch the Submarine Races

Is it true that State Troopers administered road tests in New Jersey back in the day?

I don't recall the inspector being a Trooper, at least not in 1959 - he was not dressed as a Trooper, at least as I remember, but I was intent on my driving, and remember staring at his expressions - no hat - no stripe on his trousers.

Back then the State Troopers patrolled the NJ Turnpike in Hemi-Powered Chrysler sedans, and wow, were they fast! They could overtake just about any Hot-Rod. I knew that even if I ever got my Olds-powered '32 Chevy 5-window coupe going the way it could be, the rod would be no match for the big Chrysler cruisers on the Turnpike (I NEVER TRIED, EITHER!!), but did get stopped in the Pontiac a few times in the Catskills during summer jobs, and on Staten Island in a speed-trap, and a few other places.

Thanks! My buddy had cousins in NJ, and told me that. He is prone to exaggeration though.

At Hopkins, MN (Eisenhower) High School we took our behind the wheel drivers training in a car furnished by a local dealer. I had signed up to learn with a stick shift. Drivers Ed was in a brand new 1965 LTD with 3 on the tree and an extra clutch and brake on the passenger side for the instructor. After completion one Saturday a state trooper came to the school and we took our tests in the same car we were trained in.

Lots of different cars listed. I read all of the responses and I am the only person so far who took the test in an EDSEL. It was a 1959 2 tone green 4dr sedan which belonged to my Grandmothers sister. It was April 1965. My family did not own a car, I learned on a tractor and hay truck, and drove an uncle's car and truck sometimes. I had gotten out of school and was about to walk home from the bus stop over a mile from my house, my great aunt as I called her happened by and asked if I wanted to go to town, about 15 miles, with her. I said "sure". When we arrived in the county seat in Greenup Co. Ky. I asked if I could borrow the car to take my driver test. I had never ridden in the car before that day and certainly never drove it, I passed the test with no problem but I was sweating the parallel parking. Also I never drove the car again.

Mike

I took my test on August 14, 1967 in my dad's '66 Dodge Coronet convertible, 318, 2bbl, 3sp torqueflight. I was my 16th birthday and the test was taken at 300 C St NW Washington DC. Motor Vehicles is still located in the same building. My sister beat the crap out of that car, I don't think there was a straight panel on it when Dad finally got rid of it in about '75.

Dave