Learner Cars

[Lee S]

For the SAUK drivers amongst us - what type of car did you learn and pass your test in? I learned and passed in 1982 in a driving school T-reg Chrysler Sunbeam 1.0 litre in white. No power steering, no modern fripperies. They were advertised on TV at the time by singer Petula Clark. Gives my age away somewhat Afterwards, my first car was a Hillman (L)Imp. Later, I had a Sunbeam 1.3LS for ten years.

[Chess&Junkfood]

How apt that Petula is famous for singing Downtown.

"When you're driving and your Sunbeam is slowing
You can always go
Downtown"

I'm also fairly sure that Petula never did an advert for my Renault

"When you're driving and your Renault 5 is slowing
You better not go
Uptown"

As for the car that I passed my test in, it was the magnificent Renault 5! Although I failed the first time. Mainly due to the fact that the Renault was occasionally losing power. Clipping a few kerbs probably didn't help either. But I did manage to splutter to victory the second time.

[Lee S]

^

Don't think I've ever been in a Renault 5 on the road. We had one as a hire car when I worked in a garage, one thing I do remember about it was that it had a headlining made of basket-weave stuff. I do remember one of the adverts though - ''you feel much more alive in a 5.'' You bloody wouldn't in a crash

EDIT: Just remembered - a friend once gave me a drive of his C-reg one, which was brand-new at the time. It drove nicely.

[Chess&Junkfood]

Your tagline makes me want to buy another Renault 5!

[Lee S]

Originally Posted by Chess&Junkfood

Your tagline makes me want to buy another Renault 5!

You must be a masochist

[Chess&Junkfood]

Only on a Sunday, Lee.

[Lee S]

Originally Posted by Chess&Junkfood

Only on a Sunday, Lee.

[gregarious_introvert]

My driving school car was a Ford Fiesta, which would have been reasonably new at the time (late 1970s). My father's car (which I drove between lessons) was a 1966 Riley 4/72. I still don't like power steering, modern cars (I consider my car "modern", even though it's 20 years old) feel too light for me.

[anxiouslondoner]

It was probably a Ford Focus. This was about 11 years ago.

[BFG_]

1982 fiesta popular plus first drive along abandoned ww2 new forest runway.

1995 renault clio diesel learnt to drive in owned by instructor used to hit me with rolled up highway code as i kept doing same things wrong.

First car I owned 1990 fiat uno 1.0 i knew nothing about cars or engines eventually it got so knackered it would carry on running even when you took the key out.

[Mr. Nobody]

think mine was a red fiat,.. but not sure of the actual model.. it was rather small and quite tinny-sounding when you closed the doors.

I also learned in my Dad's burgundy skoda oktavia, which had a really tricky first gear which quite often wouldn't engage,
i was often doing hill starts at junctions in second,.. as a learner,..so I had good clutch control understanding by then

first car i bought was a white Peugeot 105,

then about 9 years later, a black golf,

now, 10 years after that, I'm driving a dark grey Renault Laguna,

I'm shit at posting pictures and stuff, so you'll just have to imagine what all those shit cars look like.

[gregarious_introvert]

Originally Posted by Mr. Nobody

I'm shit at posting pictures and stuff, so you'll just have to imagine what all those shit cars look like.

I don't think I've ever (deliberately - once or twice my car has been in shot when I've been photographing something else) taken a photograph of any of my cars (and I've had a few over the last 45 years), but I never had a camera until they started putting them on 'phones.

The last few times I've tried posting something on here, nothing has appeared and I don't know why - I did what I've always done (reduced size, hosted it on Village Photos and posted the link) and that doesn't seem to work anymore.

Anyway, a bit off-topic so as you were

[Marco]

I did most of my learning in an Austin Mini Metro, but I think I actually passed my test (second attempt, as with all the best drivers) in a Fiesta. These days I drive a Hyundai i10 which has a water leak that I really need to get fixed (what with all the rain we've been having!)

[Chess&Junkfood]

Originally Posted by BFG_

1982 fiesta popular plus first drive along abandoned ww2 new forest runway.

1995 renault clio diesel learnt to drive in owned by instructor used to hit me with rolled up highway code as i kept doing same things wrong.

First car I owned 1990 fiat uno 1.0 i knew nothing about cars or engines eventually it got so knackered it would carry on running even when you took the key out.

It would have been better if you had steered that highway code up his bypass, BFG. Not that I condone such actions of course. It reminds me of the time when I was 18 and a driving instructor had pushed my head towards the window. Apparently I wasn't looking correctly enough when I was doing a three point turn. My Granddad taught me after that. In hindsight I also should have steered a highway code up his central reservation, but I hadn't learned that manoeuvre back then.

[BFG_]

^lady instructor, I think she was well meaning and it worked as I passed first time.

[Chess&Junkfood]

Oh I see! Well in that case, I would have said strike me harder!

No! I'm glad it all worked out in the end.

[humphrey]

I learnt to drive in a Nissan ???, can't remember what it was, it was back in 1984. I used to practice in our VW Polo L, complete with manual choke, very basic, but that was the car I passed my test in.

For the last 20 years I have been driving various Skoda's, Fabia, Octavia & presently a Scala.

[Mr. Nobody]

Originally Posted by gregarious_introvert

I don't think I've ever (deliberately - once or twice my car has been in shot when I've been photographing something else) taken a photograph of any of my cars (and I've had a few over the last 45 years), but I never had a camera until they started putting them on 'phones.

The last few times I've tried posting something on here, nothing has appeared and I don't know why - I did what I've always done (reduced size, hosted it on Village Photos and posted the link) and that doesn't seem to work anymore.

Anyway, a bit off-topic so as you were

Yip, same here G.I. I've basically gave up trying to post pictures on here, it always seems like terrible faff and never seems to work either.

[biscuits]

A Suzuki Swift.

[Lee S]

Originally Posted by BFG_

1995 renault clio diesel learnt to drive in owned by instructor used to hit me with rolled up highway code as i kept doing same things wrong.

They must like hospital food

[Lee S]

Originally Posted by humphrey

For the last 20 years I have been driving various Skoda's, Fabia, Octavia & presently a Scala.

I've had a fair few Skodas - several Estelles, a Rapid 136 and a Fabia. My Fabia came from your neck of the woods, Barmoor Garage, near Newcastle. Don't think they are a Skoda dealer anymore.

[Lee S]

Originally Posted by gregarious_introvert

I still don't like power steering, modern cars (I consider my car "modern", even though it's 20 years old) feel too light for me.

Everything is over-assisted these days. My car's power steering has a motor on the steering column instead of a hydraulic steering rack. It is light when moving slowly but weights up when you drive faster. It feels a bit 'dead' though. Not much road feel.

[Marco]

I used to own a Fiat Panda that not only had power steering that was barely needed for such a small lightweight car, but it also had this extra super-duper, turbo-charged level of power steering that you could switch onto, which would virtually allow you to control the steering wheel just by breathing on it from different directions lol.

[Lee S]

^ Must have been the 'granny parking mode'

[Marco]

^

[Mr. Nobody]

Originally Posted by Lee S

here's what you could have won,

don't worry though, you don't go home empty-handed, here's your two bullies.

[Lee S]

^ Super, smashing, great!

[anewyear]

I'm still reeling you called that a Chrysler rather than a Talbot. For some reason I still remember the range.. Sunbeam, Horizon, Solara, Tagora

[Lee S]

Originally Posted by anewyear

I'm still reeling you called that a Chrysler rather than a Talbot. For some reason I still remember the range.. Sunbeam, Horizon, Solara, Tagora

They were badged Chrysler until late 1979 then changed to Talbot. Dealers had to remove the Chrysler badges from cars they had in stock and put the Talbot ones on after the Americans bailed out to PSA.

[Your Mum]

Originally Posted by Marco

I used to own a Fiat Panda that not only had power steering that was barely needed for such a small lightweight car, but it also had this extra super-duper, turbo-charged level of power steering that you could switch onto, which would virtually allow you to control the steering wheel just by breathing on it from different directions lol.

They marketed that feature on the Punto as "the girly button".

That's not a parody - it's an actual advert from the late 1990s.