What kind of car do you drive?

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

We've been saving up to buy my wife car but, alas, she still drives a chair.

Awesomely done!

Originally Posted by Jaime_Astorga

I don't have a car and I don't have a driving license (I do have my learner's permit, though). I can get around by walking or using the university's public transportation system (read, lots of buses). When at home for vacations, I don't go out much, and when I do my mother takes me wherever we need to go in her car. It seems to work out okay...

That's why I only got my driver's license when I was over 30. I just didn't need it before that. Everything was within easy biking distance and if I needed to go further, I took the train.

Originally Posted by TallNHairyDave

Well, yes.. there is that.

But apart from that, I mean, look at it. It's GORGEOUS

It's ugly as sin... There are not many cars I find ugly, but that thing...

Originally Posted by HarryT

Are you allowed to do that in the US?

In the UK, if you take your driving test in an automatic, then that's marked as a restriction on your driving licence, and you're only allowed to drive automatics. If you want to drive a car with a manual transmission, you have to re-take your driving test in such a car.

The same here, in the Netherlands. They did change it a few years ago. Before that, if you had an "automatic" drivers license, it was converted to a "normal" drivers license after 3 years. But, now, you will have to do a test again.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by HarryT

They were called "Bubble Cars" here in the UK. I remember them from when I was a kid.

Some of them were even built in the UK.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Are you allowed to do that in the US?

In the UK, if you take your driving test in an automatic, then that's marked as a restriction on your driving licence, and you're only allowed to drive automatics. If you want to drive a car with a manual transmission, you have to re-take your driving test in such a car.

In the U.S., you can often take the test in whatever car you showed up with. If you learn on an automatic, and want to switch to a manual later, you don't have to retake your test.

Of course, in the U.S., you don't even have to prove you can speak English or actually read the signs... in fact, they might as well just give a valid license to whoever shows up with a check, for all the good their testing does. After all, this is America, where people have the RIGHT to do whatever they want, no matter how incredibly stoopid it is...

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

In the U.S., you can often take the test in whatever car you showed up with. If you learn on an automatic, and want to switch to a manual later, you don't have to retake your test.

Of course, in the U.S., you don't even have to prove you can speak English or actually read the signs... in fact, they might as well just give a valid license to whoever shows up with a check, for all the good their testing does. After all, this is America, where people have the RIGHT to do whatever they want, no matter how incredibly stoopid it is...

In Virginia, you do have to show at least 5 forms of identification to prove that you live in Virginia, even if you are transferring a license from another US state. Of course, that doesn't mean you actually have to be able to read/understand said id! My FIL is in his 80's and had macular degeneration in both eyes and can barely walk but he has a driver's license and (if we let him) could climb in his car and take a spin around the neighborhood! It's a crazy world we live in!

[AnotherMichael]

... and a yellow nissan micra.

[UncleDuke]

a rolling wreck of a car that i bought for $250 and paid a parking ticket on it, it may not pass emmissions next time so we see, at least no one dates me for my car, it must be for my charm and good looks, think of it, i paid more for each of my readers than i did for my car, at least one of us has our priorities straight

[GraceKrispy]

I remember learning to drive a standard. My brother tried to teach me around the block, and the next day I drove to camp in it (3hr away)-- using city, rural and toll roads. Belive me when I tell you that *nothing* is more adrenaline pumping and entertaining than trying to start a stopped standard car at a toll booth when you just learned how to do that (badly) the day before and you've got about 15 cars behind you honking their butts (or horns) off.

When I finally made it, I immediately got to meet the other counselors and it was all going great until the head guy came to me and said "uh, grace, your mommy called to make sure you made it here safely."

I really loved living in the Seattle area. I had a car, but I rarely ever used it. I was going to grad school at the time, and we had bus passes. I took the bus everywhere. I love living in places where I can walk and ride the bus. Here, I really need a car to get anywhere, unless I want to prod my kids along 10 miles of narrow winding highway with crazy mainland drivers (tourists) to get anywhere. I don't.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by UncleDuke

a rolling wreck of a car that i bought for $250 and paid a parking ticket on it, it may not pass emmissions next time so we see, at least no one dates me for my car, it must be for my charm and good looks, think of it, i paid more for each of my readers than i did for my car, at least one of us has our priorities straight

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by kazbates

My FIL is in his 80's and had macular degeneration in both eyes and can barely walk but he has a driver's license and (if we let him) could climb in his car and take a spin around the neighborhood! It's a crazy world we live in!

That's why people have to re-apply for the driver's license every 5 years once they reach 65 (or was it 70?), with a doctor's approval! (he'll at least check eye-sight and hearing, no clue what else). Even with a handicap (like a stiff neck so you can't turn your head around anymore), you can still get your license, but you're only allowed to drive in a specially adapted car (in above case, you'll need more mirrors, for instance).

Originally Posted by UncleDuke

i paid more for each of my readers than i did for my car, at least one of us has our priorities straight

Good point there!

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

I really loved living in the Seattle area. I had a car, but I rarely ever used it. I was going to grad school at the time, and we had bus passes. I took the bus everywhere. I love living in places where I can walk and ride the bus. Here, I really need a car to get anywhere, unless I want to prod my kids along 10 miles of narrow winding highway with crazy mainland
drivers (tourists) to get anywhere. I don't.

That's why I didn't even have a car. No need for it, as everything could be done by walking, biking, bussing, or training...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

That's why people have to re-apply for the driver's license every 5 years once they reach 65 (or was it 70?), with a doctor's approval! (he'll at least check eye-sight and hearing, no clue what else). Even with a handicap (like a stiff neck so you can't turn your head around anymore), you can still get your license, but you're only allowed to drive in a specially adapted car (in above case, you'll need more mirrors, for instance).

It's similar here in the UK. A driving licence is valid up to the age of 70, after which it has to renewed every three years. It's a "self-certification" process, but you have to agree to let your medical records be checked.

[Sweetpea]

Hmm, I just checked up.

It's 70 and the medical examination is mandatory. It will also take a while, and either you'll get your extension, or you must be examined by medical specialist/need to take a new test/won't get it...

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

I remember learning to drive a standard. My brother tried to teach me around the block, and the next day I drove to camp in it (3hr away)-- using city, rural and toll roads. Belive me when I tell you that *nothing* is more adrenaline pumping and entertaining than trying to start a stopped standard car at a toll booth when you just learned how to do that (badly) the day before and you've got about 15 cars behind you honking their butts (or horns) off.

When I finally made it, I immediately got to meet the other counselors and it was all going great until the head guy came to me and said "uh, grace, your mommy called to make sure you made it here safely."

I really loved living in the Seattle area. I had a car, but I rarely ever used it. I was going to grad school at the time, and we had bus passes. I took the bus everywhere. I love living in places where I can walk and ride the bus. Here, I really need a car to get anywhere, unless I want to prod my kids along 10 miles of narrow winding highway with crazy mainland drivers (tourists) to get anywhere. I don't.

In my younger days, my roommate and I were driving the turnpike from Maryland to Chicago in my manual Toyota Celica. She had never driven a stick but wanted to take a turn at driving. She did fine until we hit the toll booth between Ohio and Indiana. She stalled the car and couldn't get it out of first, so we decided to switch places. When we opened our car doors, my little dog jumped out of the car and started running between the toll booths. We went into chase mode and luckily caught her fairly quickly. Hair raising and adrenaline pumping!! Needless to say, I drove the whole way home and my roommate never drove my car again!

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Are you allowed to do that in the US?

In the UK, if you take your driving test in an automatic, then that's marked as a restriction on your driving licence, and you're only allowed to drive automatics. If you want to drive a car with a manual transmission, you have to re-take your driving test in such a car.

Here in the US (or at least in California) you do not need to pass the test with a manual transmission to drive one.

A side note on the large SUVs: I was getting some business done at our Department of Motor Vehicles one day and since there was a fair amount to do I spent some time chatting with the lady taking care of me. She told me that people rarely take their driving exam in an SUV. They are almost always done in regular cars. She said she (and many of her coworkers) wished that there was a requirement to take the test in one if you were going to drive one. Unfortunately people feel like they're so much safer in them due to the size and don't realize that most don't drive like a normal car.

[GraceKrispy]

Originally Posted by kazbates

In my younger days, my roommate and I were driving the turnpike from Maryland to Chicago in my manual Toyota Celica. She had never driven a stick but wanted to take a turn at driving. She did fine until we hit the toll booth between Ohio and Indiana. She stalled the car and couldn't get it out of first, so we decided to switch places. When we opened our car doors, my little dog jumped out of the car and started running between the toll booths. We went into chase mode and luckily caught her fairly quickly. Hair raising and adrenaline pumping!! Needless to say, I drove the whole way home and my roommate never drove my car again!

what a great visual! It would have been nice to have someone in the car with me for support! It was scary being on my own and not being able to move, with pretty ticked off drivers behind me!

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by Alisa

Unfortunately people feel like they're so much safer in them due to the size and don't realize that most don't drive like a normal car.

The little Suzuki jeeps got a bad reputation in the UK because of that. People would buy them without realising that a small, high car might not corner as well as their hot hatch, chuck 'em round corners and, rather unsurprisingly, roll them. I've seen the results where the driver thought he could make it out of a side road in a very small gap in traffic. Had he been in the car he crashed into, he might have done...