At what age did you start driving?

[andrejuan]

Everytime I come on here for a Daf "fix" it gets me thinking back to my younger years, and today I remembered my first driving experience.
I can't remember what age I got into cars but it was very young, and I counted the days up to 17 when I could get my own car. Way before that though, I woke up one morning to hear some news that was so good it has never been surpassed.
The local paper reported that an ex military base near where I lived was to be turned into a driver training facility, it was private land so anyone could go along with a car and practice driving.
AT LAST I COULD DRIVE !!
Well it didn't take long to get up and running, and more good news followed, it was to be opened by my hero Graham Hill.
On the day, me and my best mate got on our pushbikes and rode like hell to get to see our hero and the facility, neither disappointed and we chatted to Graham for ages and he took us round the course and made us feel like we were friends.
So, back home and the wait for our Dads to get back from work so we could begin years of pestering them to take us driving.
Our Dads took it in turns to indulge us, and before long we were so good they used to drop us off and go for a coffee while we drove aroung un-accompanied, two 14 year olds !!(imagine that these days!).
That trust was so appreciated we never abused it, and no damage occurred.
When the time came to take our driving tests, I tried to book mine for my 17th birthday, it came through a day later and I passed without a single proper lesson, my mate passed his with only a couple.

First car.

10 year old Ford. Bought for £80 Insured for £80 At the time I earned £80 a month. Happy days.
I bet the 17 year olds today can't insure for a months wages!

[pauldaf44]

Mar 31, 2012 8:48:06 GMT andrejuan said:

Everytime I come on here for a Daf "fix" it gets me thinking back to my younger years, and today I remembered my first driving experience.
I can't remember what age I got into cars but it was very young, and I counted the days up to 17 when I could get my own car. Way before that though, I woke up one morning to hear some news that was so good it has never been surpassed.
The local paper reported that an ex military base near where I lived was to be turned into a driver training facility, it was private land so anyone could go along with a car and practice driving.
AT LAST I COULD DRIVE !!
Well it didn't take long to get up and running, and more good news followed, it was to be opened by my hero Graham Hill.
On the day, me and my best mate got on our pushbikes and rode like hell to get to see our hero and the facility, neither disappointed and we chatted to Graham for ages and he took us round the course and made us feel like we were friends.
So, back home and the wait for our Dads to get back from work so we could begin years of pestering them to take us driving.
Our Dads took it in turns to indulge us, and before long we were so good they used to drop us off and go for a coffee while we drove aroung un-accompanied, two 14 year olds !!(imagine that these days!).
That trust was so appreciated we never abused it, and no damage occurred.
When the time came to take our driving tests, I tried to book mine for my 17th birthday, it came through a day later and I passed without a single proper lesson, my mate passed his with only a couple.

First car.

10 year old Ford. Bought for £80 Insured for £80 At the time I earned £80 a month. Happy days.
I bet the 17 year olds today can't insure for a months wages!

Most certainlly not!

One of my course mates turned 17 last year and paid £250 for a tidyish Corsa B 1l. They are paying £3500 a year to insure it. Not only is that a hell of a lot more than a months wages its also 14 times the cars value

[daydoodler]

I started driving in 1958, I didnt really want to drive a car because I was into motorbikes, but my girlfriends mother though she was not safe on the back of the motorbike so I got a car. Although my girlfriends mother did not realise her daughter was in more danger in the back of my car than on the back of a motorbike!!! My first car was a 1933 Austin 7, I passed first time , petrol was four shillings and four pence a gallon (about 44p) so I could get 4 gallons and a packet of cigarettes and have change from £1 I spent about 30 years in the motor trade and have driven everthing from minis to aston martins to a 7 litre cobra. So after all that what on earth drew me back to a Daf. this is my third Daf named Dolly (gone west) currently being restored will put some pictures on in due course

[toastie]

17 in a datson 120y and rote off my mums mint mk 3 escort the same month

them were the dayz !!

[andrew]

1977, aged 17 & three months, passed second time! I passed in a Mini Clubman, so had a full, not just automatic, licence. Then drove Dad's Daf 66 SL (DTT 760 L) until I bought my first Daf 33 (UAE 254 N) Both cars long gone to the great scrap yard in the sky, I have no doubt!

The 66 SL had reclining seats..... 'nuff said! Those WERE the days!!

[kenr]

Passed first time at 17 1/2 (spent time restoring my Triumph Toledo). My first drive was at 12 - fork lift truck. First car at age 15 (Wolseley Hornet). Drove it out of the garage and round the block a couple of times.

[v8gasser]

Uhm.....1972 uhm......I left skool aged 16 , on the thursday , started work in a garage the following Monday , thankfullly , in those days.. the road behind the garage was unmade , with no houses ....
so the boss let me loose in the breakdown wagon`s ( a morris minor pickup , with an extended front panel , as it had a Cambridge 1622cc B series lump ) and a 1958 land rover in my lunchbreaks....in 1973...at 17 yrs and 5 days I passed me test in a customers driving school Mk 1 Escort, as my own car was a 1948 Morris oxford M.O. and thought they might frown on that.... ;D.....

Driving lesson £1.40..per hour.
Car purchased for £12......
and insurance was £48..........

Total Wage ; £4 for a 44 hour week...( apprentice rate ).... ;D