Thread: Your First Time Behind The Wheel?

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I did a search and didn't find anything, but I expect this has been covered before but that's OK, we might get some new input!! What was the first car you ever drove on the road? I'll start.

It was the Spring of '62, I was 15 and my Dad was the Superintendent of Schools in our little Ozarks town (yeah, it kind of sucked). He got the job on the condition that he finished his Master's Degree in Education, so he had enrolled in classes for the two Summer sessions at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, about 50 miles south of us. He was looking for a car that might get better mileage than the '58 Ford, as he was going to commute five days a week, plus he didn't want to take the only car leaving Mom stranded. The local Chevy dealer had taken a car in on trade, a 1957 Hillman Minx. Now in 1962 there weren't many people interested in "economy cars", but it was surprisingly roomy for a little car, and my Dad at 6'4" fit in it, but it was a hoot to see him unfold and get out! Inline 4, with a 4 speed column shift manual tranny. For reverse you gripped the shifter knob, pulled out then down with the lever.
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He'd driven it to school, parked out front along the street, and all the guys were out at lunch break under a big shade tree, commenting about the "little car". One asked, "Have you driven it yet?" Not knowing that my Dad was walking up behind me I responded, "No, but it'll be easy. It's a 4 on the column." My Dad answered, "Well we'll have to let you give it a try if it's so easy. How about Saturday? Time for class, boys!"

Saturday morning he hollered up to me, "You ready to go for a drive?" We headed out, and he drove up MO 90, a tortuous ridge road with tight turns and drops before leveling out a bit. At the bottom of the hill he pulled over, we switched positions and he asked about the gas, brake, and clutch, then said, "See that ditch on the left? Don't go in it! See the ditch on the right? Don't go in it either! See that bridge up ahead? Don't hit it! Now, stay on your side of the road, let's go." We drove out towards Arkansas ten or fifteen miles, turned around and I drove home. When we pulled into the driveway my shirt was soaking wet with sweat! My first time behind the wheel.

Great thread!

About a block away from our house was a small used car lot. The owner was a crotchety old retired ex-policeman. He'd go to the auction and come back with some real odd balls. What he had rarely ran worth a darn but he loved each one of them... He hated to part with'em too! Crazy for a used car salesman.. Anyway, his 2 sons each had a hot rod, the older one, Bobby, had a sweet little 32 pickup and the other one, Jimmy, had a 32 Coupe. Both were chubby powered... So the neighborhood kids of age all hung around there of course!! We would all claim a car as "ours", Mine had been sitting on the lot awhile, it was a 63 Ranchero, 6 cylinder, 3 on the tree, a real cream puff as the say. Every once in awhile the owner Benny would have us ( me and 3 friends) bring all the cars to the back of the garage and wash'em and make sure they were cleaned in and out. After a few hours of washing cars we'd have to put them back out front in a new line up.. we were all 14 or15 at the time. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/64/2b...6247ad9878.jpg This one is much sweeter but the same basic car.. Now If your asking about the first vehicle.. I was driving farm trucks when I was 10, usually plodding around a hay field putting up a load. I had to sit on the edge of the seat to push the clutch down enough to release.. I had my own tractor, a 1955 Tiger, built in Keyser WV. I owned it into the early 2010ish years..

i learned to use a clutch and steer and change gears on a 2 cylinder john deere .. i think my first drive was in an older brothers 55 chevy .. much later i got the car from him but did not do anything with it ,, sold it for 200 bucks .. perfect 2 door post car .. drove it to the fellow who bought it .. Ha!! WRONG PICTURE ..

47 chevy hay truck

Originally Posted by shine

47 chevy hay truck

Did it look like this one? https://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/mo...steve_1947.htm

Our hay truck looked just like this one, but green. https://photos.classiccars.com/cc-te...f600-thumb.jpg

No pictures, and only related to cars, as boats, tractors, and such I drove as soon as I could touch the floor and the controls, maybe as young as 4-5 for the boats), but I was 8 and it was a 70 Lincoln continental (4dr) , at 11, I taught my then 17 year old sister how to drive a stick

Bill S.

Originally Posted by mrmustang

No pictures, and only related to cars, as boats, tractors, and such I drove as soon as I could touch the floor and the controls, maybe as young as 4-5 for the boats), but I was 8 and it was a 70 Lincoln continental (4dr) , at 11, I taught my then 17 year old sister how to drive a stick

Bill S.

Bill,
Gotta love that, teaching your 17year old sister how to drive a stick at 11? How cool is that!

Originally Posted by rspears

I did a search and didn't find anything, but I expect this has been covered before but that's OK, we might get some new input!! What was the first car you ever drove on the road? I'll start.
The local Chevy dealer had taken a car in on trade, a 1957 Hillman Minx. Now in 1962 there weren't many people interested in "economy cars", but it was surprisingly roomy for a little car, and my Dad at 6'4" fit in it, but it was a hoot to see him unfold and get out! Inline 4, with a 4 speed column shift manual tranny. For reverse you gripped the shifter knob, pulled out then down with the lever.
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Attachment 74270
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Well well!
I can't remember what the first car I ever drove was, I think it was my older brother's English Ford Model Y, a shrunk version of the American '34 Ford.
But I do remember the first 'proper' car I owned.
I bought it second hand in 1964, and it carried me faithfully about 50,000 miles over the North Island of New Zealand.

It was a 1957 Hillman Minx.

So how about that for coincidence!

When I was a freshman in high school one of the seniors had a Hillman Minx convertible that he'd installed a Bermuda Bell in. To that time I'd never heard one, but man, what a glorious ring tone.

For some of the same reasons as Roger mentioned about economy, my father got a new Falcon in 1960.......thankfully. I remember one of the cars he tried when shopping was a Renault Dauphine............glad I don't have to tell you guys I started driving in THAT thing. Three on the tree behind the little six. A year later my mother finally took up driving and she got a '61 Falcon with an auto. Oh the things I did to and the places I went with that poor car.................

I was about 14 maybe 15 and my sister had a 53 Ford Sedan. She left for a weekend and ask me to start it everyday for her, bahaha Yes I followed her instructions but also added a few. I spent the weekend teaching myself to drive a stick around our cul-de-sac. And yes there was LOTS of clutch left when I got done and I was never questioned about the mileage