All I got in Driver's Ed was a shitty N-Body Malibu...

[Intrepidation]

Yesterday I saw someone learning a 3-point turn in a Driver's Ed gray Dodge Challenger!

I'm so jealous.

[deftonesfan867]

Yesterday I saw someone learning a 3-point turn in a Driver's Ed gray Dodge Challenger!

I'm so jealous.

Kids these days need to drive RWD so they know that FWD really isn't the way to go.

[Intrepidation]

Nothing wrong with FWD if said FWD isn't a pile of $h!.

But oh man, what I would have given to have learned to drive in a Challenger (or Camaro)

[Justin Bimmer]

I drove these (not exact car, but almost LOL):

[Intrepidation]

Sexy!

My mom learned to drive and took her test in the `70 `Cuda sitting in our garage.

[daves87rs]

I dove ford escorts though mone....

[XP715]

I did my time in driving school in a Cavalier, but have seen other driving schools with the new Mustangs which is kinda cool. I almost wonder if the owner of the driving school chooses their own car, which is why you'd see something like that amidst a fleet of garbage.

[Intrepidation]

I did my time in driving school in a Cavalier, but have seen other driving schools with the new Mustangs which is kinda cool. I almost wonder if the owner of the driving school chooses their own car, which is why you'd see something like that amidst a fleet of garbage.

I would think they could choose their own car, otherwise they'd all be the same model. I've seen Fusions, Tauruses, Accords, those Malibus, and now a Challenger.

[Robert Hall]

My high school had an '84 Caprice 4dr and an '85 Celebrity. Once I got my learners' permit, I logged a lot of hours out w/ my Dad in his '79 Dodge 4x4 pickup, '84 Ford Escort diesel (which became my first car, learned to drive a manual in that car), and his '84 Town Car. I took my test in the Escort in '86. Then a year later, I got my '87 Mustang GT.

[Lamar]

Just remembered that I did my behind-the-wheel in a Plymouth Acclaim.

It wasn't bad, but it was a LOT different from the Chevy pickup that I had been learning in...

[intrigued]

My drivers Ed school had brand new TDI VW golfs back in 2002 when I was getting my license.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Driving School: '89 Chevy Cavalier coupe (early June, 1991)

Learner's Permit Driving: mom's '83 Pontiac Grand Prix LJ & dad's '88 Ford Ranger XLT (between late June and December, 1991)

Driver's Test - my cousin's '81 Buick Regal coupe (used December 22 & 23, 1991)

My first car - 1978 Chevy Camaro LT (purchased in late August of 1992; used mom or dad's car once I got my license because money was tight)

Edited June 10, 2009 by GMTruckGuy74

[siegen]

I got to drive this beauty.

[Paolino]

Dodge Aries.

[G. David Felt]

I got the Truest Pleasure of learning to drive, 1969 Ford Camper Special with 3 on the tree!

For those young pups who wonder what a 3 on the tree is, this was a manual tranny but the shifter was on the driving column. Those were the days!

[Robert Hall]

I got the Truest Pleasure of learning to drive, 1969 Ford Camper Special with 3 on the tree!

For those young pups who wonder what a 3 on the tree is, this was a manual tranny but the shifter was on the driving column. Those were the days!

Cool... I've seen such mechanisms on old cars at car shows, but have never driven one. My older brother learned to drive in a '62 Fairlane wagon w/ a 3 on the tree, but that was before I was born..

Speaking of 3 speeds, I've driven my folks' '67 and '68 Cougars a few times; the '67 is a 289, 3spd manual on the floor w/ no power steering and manual drum brakes, the '68 is the same but with a 302. Both quite a handful to drive. AM radios, no A/C, no cupholders, no power anything.

But their other '68, a 390 4bbl automatic XR-7, is as easy to drive as the '69 Mustang (351W 4bbl, automatic).

[G. David Felt]

Cool... I've seen such mechanisms on old cars at car shows, but have never driven one. My older brother learned to drive in a '62 Fairlane wagon w/ a 3 on the tree, but that was before I was born..

Speaking of 3 speeds, I've driven my folks' '67 and '68 Cougars a few times; the '67 is a 289, 3spd manual on the floor w/ no power steering and manual drum brakes, the '68 is the same but with a 302. Both quite a handful to drive. AM radios, no A/C, no cupholders, no power anything.

But their other '68, a 390 4bbl automatic XR-7, is as easy to drive as the '69 Mustang (351W 4bbl, automatic).

Cool Rides The manual everything is a big order to fill in driving compared to todays auto's. I am not sure most people would have the muscle to drive a manual everything auto.

[Robert Hall]

Cool Rides The manual everything is a big order to fill in driving compared to todays auto's. I am not sure most people would have the muscle to drive a manual everything auto.

What's amazing is seeing my 100lb 70-something mother wrestle those cars around..she loves driving them in the summer to local car shows in E. Ohio. The '68 302 only has 60k original miles.

Her winter cars are a '96 Town Car and an '05 Navigator.

[Camino LS6]

Back in high school, we had 3 driver's ed cars - all brand new.

A RWD Cutlass (complete with pillow velour interior).

A Citation

A Saab 900 with a 5spd. manual

My birthday is in July so I took the course over the summer so I could get my license immediately.

I put hundreds of miles on the Cutlass and took my test in it. I already knew how to drive so it was pure fun for me, the one other student, and the instructor. He was very cool and took us to a high parking lot above the test center so we could see how the testing was done. Both of us aced it on the first try.

My yearbook has a pic or two of the Saab stuck in the sand at the Jersey shore - never got the story on that one.

[vonVeezelsnider]

High Mileage Kia Rio... bleh.

[mustang84]

I did my driver's ed in a Plymouth Breeze Espresso...talk about embarrassing.

[Satty]

I never took driver's ed

[Camino LS6]

I never took driver's ed

It was good for a 10% discount on insurance at the time - so I took it as soon as I could since I paid for my own insurance from day #1.

[Satty]

My insurance was covered onn my parents policy, so even though I paid it, it was dirt cheap. A 10% discount would have totalled less than $40/year. Since my school only offered driver's ed during the summer, it didn't seem worth it.

[Camino LS6]

My insurance was covered onn my parents policy, so even though I paid it, it was dirt cheap. A 10% discount would have totalled less than $40/year. Since my school only offered driver's ed during the summer, it didn't seem worth it.

My Father made it quite clear that I would not be added to their policy when I started driving. It was all on me.

[Satty]

That sucks. When I went off their policy on to my own, I was rabidly violated by the insurance company. The 2 speeding tickets did me in, my butt cheeks still clench at the though.

[z28luvr01]

My Father made it quite clear that I would not be added to their policy when I started driving. It was all on me.

+1. It sucked paying four times the value of your car for basic liability insurance. I didn't take driver's ed due to the fact that I knew the instructors working at my school would basically have the kids run their errands and everyone I knew that took driver's ed were horrible drivers. I went for private lessons, which came with the 5 hour defensive driving course that gave me the 10% discount.

I took my road test on a '91 Dodge Spirit (same car they used for the lessons)

[Cory Wolfe]

As with Satty, never had Driver's Ed. I think my school did away with the program a few years before it was my time. I don't remember having the option.

I, however, took my test in my Grandma's '00 Malibu.

[balthazar]

My school had one of those Cutlass Ciera sedans- terrifically exciting.

I think I took my test in Dad's Dodge Colt hatchback- hard to screw up in something that small.

I went without my own car for 3 years- my father forebid me to own one while I was in school- he knew how obsessed with cars I was.

Of course, I bought one anyway, and stored it down the road in a barn.

[Teh Ricer Civic!]

Chevy Prizm.

The amount of engine breaking is just insane in that thing.

[Robert Hall]

My insurance was covered on my parents policy, so even though I paid it, it was dirt cheap. A 10% discount would have totalled less than $40/year. Since my school only offered driver's ed during the summer, it didn't seem worth it.

IIRC, Florida and Oho required drivers' ed if you were under 18, so I had to take it. I stayed on my folks' policy through college and grad school. No way at 17 could have I afforded the insurance on a new Mustang GT.

[Intrepidation]

My insurance rapes my wallet on a monthly basis...to the tune of $260/month.

[Satty]

My insurance rapes my wallet on a monthly basis...to the tune of $260/month.

Thats about what I was paying for just the Saturn carrying 2 speeding tickets. Now we pay less than that on the Mini, the Prius and the Buick.

[regfootball]

a banana colored vega was my DT ride.

[FAPTurbo]

My dad taught me to drive, so I learned in the Sierra that I use today, although I did have a local driving school give me a test run in a Cavalier, which did impress me with its powertrain.

The 'Young Drivers' school near me used to have a previous gen Mustang which was very popular, but it seems all they use now are Ford Focus'.

[Camino LS6]

I knew how to drive long before my voice changed - so the driver's Ed thing was strictly for the discount.

By age 13 I had driven both auto and stick cars and trucks.

[chevelle454]

1990 Chevy Lumina Euro. It was in 1989. These were the first Luminas that I saw

[Delta Force79]

I knew how to drive long before my voice changed - so the driver's Ed thing was strictly for the discount.

By age 13 I had driven both auto and stick cars and trucks.

I began driving around the age of 5, by 9 or 10 I was driving totally on my own without sitting on my dad's lap.

No driver's ed for me either, however my road test was in a '99ish Camry Luckily I passed on the first try without a single point deducted.

[Drew Dowdell]

I was taught how to drive when I was about 13 years old in my dad's 1983 Ford F-250 5-speed. I had to have a phone book behind my back to be able to push the clutch all the way in. His theory was that if I could learn to drive that, I could drive anything. It's been pretty much true.

Except Honda 4cylinder manuals. I have a lot of difficulty with those because they have a blank space where the torque should be.

My driver's Ed car, like Camino I took it only for the insurance discount, was a Dodge Aries V6. Took my test in my Mom's 1994 Bonneville. Passed on the first try.

I had bought my Toronado 2 days before my test. Went home, put the plates on it and drove back to school.

[Justin Bimmer]

When I took my test for Class C, perfect score. When I took my test for my Class B license, I missed 2. When I took my test for class A I missed nothing.

[PONTIAC06]

I learned to drive in an F150 from the year I was born...1988. I started driving when I was probably 6, and when I was 13 my parents helped me buy a Sunfire. I drove that (illegally) until I took my test in it. Never took driver's ed...

[daves87rs]

Driving School: '89 Chevy Cavalier coupe (early June, 1991)

Learner's Permit Driving: mom's '83 Pontiac Grand Prix LJ & dad's '88 Ford Ranger XLT (between late June and December, 1991)

Driver's Test - my cousin's '81 Buick Regal coupe (used December 22 & 23, 1991)

My first car - 1978 Chevy Camaro LT (purchased in late August of 1992; used mom or dad's car once I got my license because money was tight)

Driving school and driver's test :1995 Ford Escort 4dr

Trained on: 1993 Chevy Cavalier 3.1 RS, 86 Full Size CHevy Conversion Van w/ 350 V8 dropped in,

76 Chevy Window Van w/305 V8, a few trips in our 82 Ford Escort....

First Car: 1987 Chevy Cavalier RS 2dr/ w2.0. Try driving a four banger after driving those huge engines.... Still loved driving that car though..

[2005 EquinoxLS]

School drivers ed was a brand new 1992 Plymouth Acclaim. Not bad for a Chrysler product but the second I started driving my parents 1978 Impala I knew I had to have a B-body from that point on. I also did a little time with a private firm with a 1989 Cavalier which wasnt bad. Took my drivers test with that and passed. I also had some learning time with the 1985 Caprice I now have.

[the_yellow_dart]

My insurance rapes my wallet on a monthly basis...to the tune of $260/month.

At one point after my rollover, mine was $475/mo. Now it's more like the $260/mo you quote and I'm so happy to be paying that instead of the old price...

On another note, I've inferred from some of your other posts that you took your driver's ed from your schools?? I've never heard of this before. Driver's Ed in Ontario is all done through private companies, and I'd never heard of it any other way anywhere else. Is this the case?

As for my Driver's Ed, I did it in a Civic, then came home and practiced driving in a Suburban.

[Robert Hall]

On another note, I've inferred from some of your other posts that you took your driver's ed from your schools?? I've never heard of this before. Driver's Ed in Ontario is all done through private companies, and I'd never heard of it any other way anywhere else. Is this the case?

Don't know how it is now in the US now , but in the mid '80s, I took driver's ed at my high school..pretty common then, IIRC. My sister did the same at her high school in the mid 70s.

There is a big private company now that is throughout the US (MasterDrive) and probably smaller ones also.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Most schools in the United States not only offered the driver's ed class (course) where you learned about the rules of the road and being a responsible driver, but also offered 'behind the wheel' classes (some did during the entire year while others only in the summer). I was ahigh school student in the early '90s and my district got rid of the 'behind the wheel' course due to budget cuts; a lot of other schools in my area did too - and one of the reasons was due to teh popularity of the private driving schools that could offer evening & weekend hours. Think about the costs a school district had to incur: the teacher(s) salaries, the maintenance & insurance costs of the cars, plus any incidentals. I know the town my cousin lived in had the cars donated by the local Ford dealership on a year-by-year basis - it was free advertising for them. My town bought their cars and kept them maybe 4 years? But it wasn't uncommon in the States for public schools to offer 'behind the wheel' courses and nowadays not so much.

[Camino LS6]

Thinking back, I have a small correction to my story. Before the Citation, there was a Chevette, and I think that was the one stuck in the Jersey sand, not the Saab.

But all of the cars were donated by local dealers for use in the school's program. That may have stopped by now, I'm not sure.

[DetroitNut90]

Driver's ed vanished from schools in Maryland by the time I was born.

After I got my permit, I did most of my driving in my mom's Venture and I took the road test (conducted on a fenced-in, glorified parking lot at the nearby MVA) in my dad's Sonoma. But I did the driver's ed part in a bare-bones 2005 Cobalt sedan, you know, vinyl steering wheel, crank windows, manual locks/windows/seats and the like, but it did have an automatic and aircon. I know your pain, BV.

[cletus8269]

my dad said they had a 77 LTD for drivers ed. puke green with matching interior.

ours was a 98 for taurus. after the class part was over we got to drive the teacher around town so he could do his errands on the clock hehe.

we never even got to watch one of the fear flicks.

signal 30

The other fellow. Check out one of the major sponsors at the top when it starts.

Edited June 11, 2009 by cletus8269

[SAmadei]

Back in high school, we had 3 driver's ed cars - all brand new.

A RWD Cutlass (complete with pillow velour interior).

I put hundreds of miles on the Cutlass and took my test in it. I already knew how to drive so it was pure fun for me, the one other student, and the instructor. He was very cool and took us to a high parking lot above the test center so we could see how the testing was done. Both of us aced it on the first try.

Our high school had an Aerostar. Sucked learning on that. However, my parents had the hot rodded '81 Cutlass... that also had the pillow velor interior... so I took the test in that.

That car had balls... dad took the diesel out and put in a late '70s Olds 350/4 BBL... but because dad was a Chevy guy... and because the engine came from a fullsize Olds, I think it was a 403.