what car did you take your first drivers test?

[Guest my3buicks]

1976 Eldorado Biarritz- triple white with red carpet & dash with about 200 miles on the odometer - that was a fun one to do the three point turn in, on the dead end brick street in the little town of Ford City, Pa

I think the tester was more interested in the car than watching what I was doing - he was to busy looking around the car and touching the white leather to care what I was doing. Guess that is not what most kids drove for there test

Miss that car - it stayed in the family until 1990

[Guest Richard D]

In 1969 I took my test in my first car, a 1965 Rambler Marlin which was a perfect car for a 16 year old male in Miami. It was indestructable! I wish I still had it, 327 with 4 bbl and torque tube drive, fold down front seats. Plus the fastback styling looked real cool back then.

[RICK YOUNG]

Feb 1967 63 mercury Meteor 4 door post mercomatic

1st ride 1950 M Farmall to Grandmas to do chores

1st Drive 1950 Chevy 3 window Pickup "Scratch in 2nd gear"

Brian ....85 Corrolla??

Bill ..... MGB??????

Kevin ...........would love to see that 69 Camaro. Friend had a Lemans Blue, Black Vinyl, 350, 4 spd, RS, Astro Ventilation. Loved that car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RY

[PONTIAC1953]

i took my first driver's test in 1972, santa monica, calif. a neighbor, buff bowles, who was like a second dad to me, let me used his like new 1968 ford mustang coupe. i failed the first test, came back two weeks later, again with the mustang, and scored 98 out of a 100.

[Gary_N]

Sometime in '65. I'm pretty sure is was a '65 Wildcat.

Gary

[mrspeedyt]

in 1967 i drove the folks 1956 pontiac safari (like a nomad)

[wildcat1562]

65 wildcat 2dr coupe, 425 motor, all decked out

and then my parents gave me the car

Greg

[The Old Guy]

I turned 14 on August 10 ,1947, and the law was changing to 16 for a license on September 1, ,so I took my Mothers 1941 special 4 door for my drivers test. I learned to drive on my Dads 1929 Buick 4 door when I was 12-13. i got my license on August 28, and have driven mostly Buicks ever since.

[serb]

Joe, You are so old that I am surprised that you even needed a license. I thought all you had to do was switch from your horse and buggy to a car.

Maybe I had better stop before I really get in deep.

ha, ha,

Stevo

[Thriller]

I turned 14 on August 10 ,1947, and the law was changing to 16 for a license on September 1, ,so I took my Mothers 1941 special 4 door for my drivers test. I learned to drive on my Dads 1929 Buick 4 door when I was 12-13. i got my license on August 28, and have driven mostly Buicks ever since.

Hmm...here's a man whose brain I need to pick as he'll know stuff about a couple of the cars in my collection.

[The Old Guy]

Stevo

You are already in too deep. I know where to find you !!

Derek

The brain has atrophied to the point where I am not even able to remember what I had for breakfast.

[serb]

Hey Joe, Maybe a little Dewars Scotch will help the old brain wake up and remember.

stevo

[page2171]

I took my drivers test in my dad's 1981 Pontiac Grand LeMans. Dad was a Pontiac man, but this one had a Buick V6 in it.

[Guest Bob Call]

Wow!, you kids.

I learned to drive on the farm. 37 John Deere Model B, manual start by turning flywheel; 34 Ford 2 ton with wench and gin poles; 46 GMC 2 ton flat bed; 51 Chevy 1/2 ton 4 speed; 47 Mercury 4 door. First drivers license in November 55 limited to motorcycle or motor scooter since I was only 15. Took car test in December 56 when I turned 16 on my mom's 51 Chevy fastback with Powerglide. My first car was a 36 Chevy coupe. My uncle still had the 34 Ford when he died in 2003. His kids sold it.

Back then, late 40s and early 50s, only rich people like another uncle who was and aircraft A&P mechanic drove a Buick. He always had a Roadmaster. Now that I look back they were all a few years old when he got them, so he wasn't really rich.

Edited October 16, 2009 by Bob Call (see edit history)

[Barney Eaton]

It is amazing what your remember and forget from times past. What should be significant like taking your driving test, I have no real recollection. I suspect it was a 1953 Nash Statesman.....in 1955, which my father traded shortly there after. Could it have been their fear of letting a 16 year old drive a car with seats that made into beds?

Like the rural members have noted, we drove young. My mother drove 100 miles a day delivering the Indianapolis News to small towns and farmers around our area. If I was out of school, I was expected to help. If the weather was good and we were on schedule, I was allowed to drive on the back roads.......short distances at first, then actually pulling up to mail boxes so the paper could be delivered. Lots of experience with snow and snow drifts as my experience increased.

What I remember more was perticipating in the J.C's "teenage rodeo" It was probably a nationwide activity sponsered by the Jr. Chamber of Commerce(s) The Plymouth dealers furnished the cars (back when push buttom automatics were on Chrysler products) you could choose to drive an automatic or manual. There were local events and then you went to the state competition. At the state level a "Indiana State Police" officer rode with you during the road phase of the test. A common "trick" was for them to cover the rear view mirror with their clipboard and ask what was behind you (remember this was the time that most cars only had a inside mirror)

[The Old Guy]

Stevo

It is evident that your memory is good as you remember my drink of choice

[buick5563]

I took my drivers test in my dad's woefully underpowered 6 cylinder beige on beige 1977 Olds 88 in Washington, DC. I had to wait until I was 16 and a half (bad grades). :eek: Failed it the first time for going straight from a right turn only lane. Never had a ticket since!

[Guest sintid58]

I took my first drivers test when I was 14 in our 1965 Buick Special staion wagon with a Fireball V/6. By the way I totalled that car out a little over a year later while hunting, I fell asleep and hit a bridge driving to an early morning duck hunt. The car didn't have a collapsable steering column and it was smashed against the drivers seat, luckily I slid over to one side. South Dakota still gives school permits when kids are 14 and they can drive anytime between the hours of 6AM and 7PM, all of my kids have had them but I wish they would change it to 16.

[Dandy Dave]

Hey Joe, Maybe a little Dewars Scotch will help the old brain wake up and remember.

stevo

Yeah....Sears Roebuck, and Montgomery Wards use to sell em. Drivers licences that is. LOL. Dandy Dave!

Edited October 18, 2009 by Dandy Dave (see edit history)

[page2171]

I took my drivers test in my dad's woefully underpowered 6 cylinder beige on beige 1977 Olds 88 in Washington, DC. I had to wait until I was 16 and a half (bad grades). :eek: Failed it the first time for going straight from a right turn only lane. Never had a ticket since!

I failed my test the first time too. I couldn't do the three point turn. In my defense, the street the guy had me do it on was barely wide enough for two cars to pass going in opposite directions. The second time I took the test the guy who was testing me had me do the three point turn on a street that was wide enough that I could have done a U-turn with the '81 LeMans.

[GMPARTSMAN]

1964 Mercury Parklane convertible, 4W65Z531143, still remember the VIN, pretty scary if I do say so myself. That was in '68, it went to auto Valhalla in '71. I still kick myself in the rear for letting it go, that's a whole other story.

[jazzer3]

I took mine in a 64 Chevelle 4dr. sedan it was my Dad's, I wanted to take it in my car, a 62 Plymouth Sport Fury convertible with a 361 Golden Commando and 3 speed on the column but my Dad said no. I passed the first time, been driving for 39 years, one ticket

[kevin1221]

I used my Dad's 1966 Olds F85. Since it was an automatic. it was easier to take the test in than my '62 Chevy II with three on the tree.

[John_Maine]

Driver's ed car was a '66 Bel Air, 6cyl, 3 on the tree. At the time, my parents had a '59 Impala Sport Sedan, cameo coral, satin beige. I hated it. Before I took my test, they traded for a '66 Impala Sport Sedan in mist blue. Hated that, too, at the time. So, I took my test in the '66. I'd love to have both the '59 and '66 today, though.

GMPARTSMAN - don't know why, but I remember the VIN of my '80 Ford Fairmont - OK93B205613 - I guess because it has a certain rhythm to it.

[Guest 1950SuperBlueBuick]

The 1st 2 tests were in a '55 Pontiac wagon.

The 3rd successful test was in a '62 Chrysler Newport.

The 1st test; failed paralell parking by having front 3" out further than rear.

The 2nd test; failed to yield to pedestrian who had one foot off curb in the middle of the block and was waiting for me to pass.

[Guest Dans 77 Limited]

I failed the first 2 times too. The first was in my sisters brand new 1980 Citation. It was an automatic , but one of the requirements on the PA driving test at the time was you must be able to keep the car running. At the time I didnt realize that was meant for a manual trans car , but the Citation kept stalling out (ended up going back to the dealer a few days later ) so the instructor failed me ..... at least that was the excuse he used.

The second time was in the Monaco. I went with my Dad in my my brothers car . I drove the 30 miles to and from the state police barracks. I did the whole test, but when I was doing the three point turn I couldnt see out the back window so I took one hand off the wheel and threw it over the back seat so I could see out the window. Bingo I failed . Drove back and the cop told my Dad that I drove well for driving such a big car but he was going to have to fail me cause I didnt have 2 hands on the wheel while backing up. I spent the next entire week doing 3 point turns in the Monaco with both hands on the wheel.

Third time was the charm.

Dan

[keiser31]

Passed the first time using my dad's 1966 Chrysler 300 two door hardtop...red with black vinyl top and black interior/bucket seats. BEAUTIFUL car. Took driver's ed classes in a new 1967 Camaro convertible.

[g-g-g0]

March 1956. Took the test in a grey and white 1956 Chevy two ten 4 dr. Did my practice in a 1952 Chevy and on my first "lesson" I was backing out of the drive to go feed my steers and because I had some slick "stuff" on my boots my foot slipped off the clutch and the car lurched forward and struck a large maple tree. Wasn't sure that I would ever get to try to drive again!

[Lawteachr]

1959 Old's 98 in 1961.

[Guest 36dodgepickup]

1973 Chevy Cheyenne Camper Special 1/2 Ton Pickup with a 454 cubic inch engine. Got my license in 1977

[pirate]

In 1960 with an English Ford. It was right hand drive ordered from England special for my father. He had a rural mail route and right side driving made delivery easier. My father never knew I took his car and took my drivers test with it. It was an awfull car, in the shop regular for repairs. It couldn't handle the stop and go from mailbox to mailbox. I remember he didn't get 20 thousand miles on it before giving up and getting another car.

[michaelod]

Took my test in a 1964 VW Karmann Ghia convertible in March of 1969 in Anchorage Alaska. The parallel parking test was a breeze in that car. The instructor passed me on the first try although she said I had a lead foot. Probably got that from my father whose other car was a highly modifed VW Bug with a blown hemi running nitromethane on the street! It was basically a fuel altered that he would fire up from time to time a drive around the neighborhood for short distances; far from street legal but one could get away with anything in Alaska at that time. My first car was a 1969 Chevelle SS 396, 4 speed manual. that I bought nearly new for just under $2K. Every teenager needs a big block Chevy as their first ride. I don't believe I could even afford the same car at today's prices.

[Guest kencary]

I took my drivers test on a 1964 Buick Lesabre 4door. It had the small 2BBl V8, 2 speed auto, power steering but no power brakes.

I took my test in Dallas Texas in the mid '70's I was a little worried about the parallel parking test because they made me part between 2 cones next to a cement wall. In all my practice I was able to hang the long trunk of the Buick over the curb as I backed in . Not here. I did pass and never parallel parked in Texas again. They don't require that as part of the test here in NC.

Ken

[John_Maine]

December 21, 1966 in my parent's '66 Impala Sport Sedan, the only brand new car my father ever had. He passed in 1973. My mother traded the Impala in on a new '74 Dart Custom sedan in late summer 1974.

[Jim Ayres]

1965 Chevelle Malibu, in 1966.

[gsjohnny]

mine was a 67 buick special in, i forgot.

growing up on a farm we had the usual lot cars, so i was driving since i was a kid. we played in the dirt, mud and snow. when i was taking drivers ed, the instructor gave me very little time behind the wheel because of my background. but one day he finally let me drive in the snow. not a big deal. when we came back to the school parking lot, covered with snow, i turned the wheel to the left and gunned it. did a great spin. shocked the hell out of the instructor. he was mad and that was the last time he let me drive. :D

[Mark Shaw]

Mine was a 67 Buick special too!

[angelc19]

I took my driver's test in a 1957 Buick Roadmaster convertible, white with a white top and red leather interior. The car was owned by a high school friend's mother. Her husband bought it from a dealer that showcased it in the GM building"s lobby in Detroit. 1960.

[bubba]

In 1968 at eleven years of age my father took me to the local Buick dealer where he was to purchase his first Buick. His first new car had been a 1952 Ford which was followed by a 1958 Pontiac which arrived along with me in Oct. of '57. He would say that this was the biggest mistake of his life, the car not me. He had nothing but problems with it and traded up to a 1961 Olds 88. By this time the Pontiac would stall if you took your foot of the gas and he couldn't wait to get rid of it. Next came a 1962 Olds super 88 for him and a F-85 for mom, her first car. He traded his '62 for a '65 Olds 98 LS. This was the first car that I still have a memory of. It was huge compared to my size and I can still see him coming down the block the first day and turning it into our driveway. This was the day I became a "car guy" so when he moved up to a Buick he took me shopping with him. I collected the brochures and watched him and the salesman go over options. He bought a 1968 Electra Limited four door hardtop in June of '68 for a whopping $5,000 and change, an unimaginable sum of money to me. This was really my first car as I got to take care of it as both the car and myself grew older. Mom, got a '68 Chevy Caprice but it didn't compare to the Buick. In 1973 the Regal came out and I went with my father to the Buick dealer to look at one for himself. I was still a year away from driving so I was very into cars by this time. He special ordered a deep blue Regal with the padded white Landau top. It took along time to arrive and I made him look at the Pontiac Grand Prix but nothing would put him back in a Pontiac. The Regal arrived and it was beautiful but he didn't trade in the Electra for it became my mom's at the expense of the Chevy. So, both my mother and myself ( armed with a learner's permit) had to steer that huge 225 in and out of traffic. I became very comfortable with the car so that by the time I took my drivers test I figured, no problem. BUT, on the day of my test it rained and when the tester got in the car, it poured, so much so that I couldn't see out the window. He made me use hand signals. I wanted to lower his window so that he would get soaked along with me. I sat there waiting for the rain to let up a bit, so when he yelled "GO" at me. I went and almost hit another car. I did everything else perfect but of course I failed. The next week I got a clear day, another tester and a passing grade. I took that Electra with th 430 in it to high school when my mom didn't need it until I got my own 73 Camaro. I was now in charge of our fleet. My sister had snuck in a 1972 Pontiac LeMans into the family. Not her first choice and definitely not my fathers but true to it's heritage, I was always fixing something on it. The Electra became the "bus" and was used to haul every kind of cargo in it's huge trunk or inner confines. Alas, the end came in 1978 when I was doing the spring waxing on it and happened to look underneath the trunk. All the body to chassis mounts were GONE, rotted away from years of winter salt. We got just $300 for the old gal who had survived ten years and 66,000 miles with all the original parts till the end with the exception of a valve job done right before we sold her. My mom got a new 1978 LeSabre which looked like a kiddy car to us. I did all the "dealing" at the dealership, a rite of passage handed down to me from dad. My father always wanted a Buick and he eventually moved up to one as GM planned him to. Besides having other makes of cars over the years, I have always had that something for Buicks so that now I have three "antiques". a 1925, 1931, &1932. Made my father very happy.

The picture was taken when the car was a month old and my dad was 42.

[Guest T.M. 52'Dodge Meadowbrook]

A '52 dodge Meadowbrook. All original with the stock flat 6 and the 3 speed Fluid drive trans.