First Time (OT)

[RobertKB]

How old were you? What was she? How did you do? Guys, I'm talking about the first car you drove. Just wondering what your first driving experience was. I was twelve and she was a Model A Phaeton. Old guy who lived nearby let me and my four year older brother drive it. It was a really nice car but not that old then, 1961. Sometimes wonder what happened to it. How did I do? I got it going, could actually steer it, but could not change gears so we roared around in first. Didn't do any damage although I narrowly missed a tree. Still pretty vivid in my mind. How about the rest of you?

[BobT-47P15]

Age 16 (1959), grandfather (on Dad's side) who lived upstairs in the same house as we did bought me a 1947 Chevy Fleetline 2 door fastback....cost $115....from the back row of a local Mercury dealership. He said "I bought your dad his first car, so I will buy you one". It ran pretty good, was in fair condition. Of course, I really wanted a coupe, but drove that car for several months.

One day I drove it from my hometown of Aurora, Missouri to Springfield, a trip of about 35 miles. About a fourth of the way back home, the timing gear went out. So, there I sat by the side of the road. No cell phone, not enough money to hire a tow truck. Then, along comes a fellow I knew from high school....maybe two or three years older than me.....driving his '52 Olds. He stopped, asked what my problem was, then said he would push me back home.

That was an interesting trip. The bumpers on the two vehicles matched up real well (thank goodness I had rear bumper guards). He would get going about 50 miles per hour-----then the rear of my car would start to shift to the left or right just a bit. He would let off the gas.....my car would jerk and straighten out.....then he would ease back up against my bumper and continue pushing. Went thru this process several times......I'm sure the old knuckles were white. Amazingly we got back home without any poblems. Didn't seem to hurt either bumper any. Don't think that trip would happen in today's world.

[John Mulders]

Age 18 (driving license age in the Netherlands)

The car was a 1963 Autobianchi Bianchina , based on a Fiat 500.

I got the car as a payment for fixing up a wooden rowboat (strip and laquer it).

Now I am 6'4" and the car is a mini-compaq one so I had to modify the chair rails so the chair could get back.

First thing to do were the brakes (see a pattern here?)

Could not find the MC at first , found this to be only inches behind the front bumper so that is were your feet were as well....

The car had no synchromesh (so I had to "double clutch") and had a two cylinder air cooled 500 cc engine.

The car was so small I could squeeze it through places other cars could not go (and parking was a breeze).

Had the best times in that car and unfortunately , when I got a slightly bigger car, had it towed away.

John

[JerseyHarold]

T'was the Fourth of July in 1969, the car was our '65 Dodge Coronet 440. Drove it around the empty parking lot of a discount department store near our home. I was 15 at the time.

[Joe Flanagan]

1967 Chrysler Town & Country station wagon. Metallic blue. Two of my brothers had smashed it up before I got it. My mother let me drive it around the town dump. Now THAT'S sentimental.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Probably the farm Jeep way back in the pre-teen era...driving trucks and stuff for farm use is very common at a very early age. ..drivers permit at age 14..license just a short 6 weeks later...first day with new license solo..age 14..cop pulls me..no infraction...spot check for he said I looked to young to be behind the wheel. Today I say 14 is too young..back then I was elated...

[Dwight Pectol]

My first car was a 1930 Model A 4 door Town Sedan. My Dad bought it for me when I was 13 years old in 1965 for a project for us to work on. I had to work for the money to fix it up and by the time I was 17 I had the motor rebuild all new wire harness and a new paint job. Then In 1971, my senior year in high school, I recked it in the high school parking lot. I had just order all the mohair for the interior but I sold it after that. My next car was a '68 GTO, What a difference between the Rattle A and the Goat.... DW

[Brad Lustig]

How's this for unsexy? A 1986 Chevy Winnebego conversion. I remember starting off by using my right for the gas and left for the brake. Actually, later in highschool, I won a few stoplight drags with that van against some of my friends. Fiberglass top and 350 V8. My parents still own that van and time has not been kind to it.

[Young Ed]

I believe the first car I ever drove was dads green 1960 Falcon 2dr. This was late 80s or really early 90s and the car had only 30K miles. He let me drive it across the street into the garage. Sometime way back then I also drove the other 51 ply convert he had for a while but I think I was only steering and he was doing the pedals.

[PatS....]

My Dads 1963 IHC. I used to go to work with him alot in summer and weekends. Had to sit in the middle of him and his swamper. He let me shift the gears once in a while.

When I was 9 he took me to a seldom used road nearby and let me drive.

I was stoked.

Took some time to get the hang of the clutch, but from practice shifting, I knew the gears. Of course my mother hit the roof. He still let me drive quite often, but told me not to say anything...I didn't.

[Allan Faust]

Well, now I know I'm young..... wish I had access to some of my father's cars..... the first one I drove was a boat... a huge boat... started off when I was small game hunting with my father in the back roads, ended up with me driving it exclusively when I turned sixteen.... a 77 Ford Custom 500..... I remember racing a buddy with a 85 S-10 with the four banger... toyed with him on the highway until the straight stretch, then left him in the dust, and me with an expensive gas bill...... that thing drank through a huge straw.....

Allan

[bob westphal]

In 1952(I was 12) I had freinds that had a farm. I drove their John Deere tractor. After I got that down they let me drive their '31 A tudor. I was so small that they put apple boxes behind me on the seat so I could be far enough forward to reach the pedals. I was almost standing. Some day I'll tell about how I bought my first car for $6 at 12 years old.

Bob

[1just4don]

I started out driving the tractor and baler up and down the windrows of hay when I was 6 or 7. NOTHING more boring and hot and lonely than driving a baler. The 'bosses' were on the rack being pulled on the back stacking the bales. Only supposed to turn one way and always went to wrong windrow and getting yelled at constantly for doing something wrong,pull the torque put the torque forward, step on the clutch(Cabs were nonexistant then) AND when I choked it off OR sheared a pin from hitting too big of wad,,,oh boy did I hear about it!!! I say this is why I can sleep anywhere, any time,,,even in church,,,sitting too still.

Fast forward to the next summer and 'bosses' were combining barley for somebody,,,my job was to drive the grain truck around and around the field following the combine so it could be unlooaded when full. I drove and steered, cousin did the pedals on the floor, cause legs werent long enough to reach and see over the wheel or even thru it!!

Was just thinking about this the other day. Was herding cows down the road one time and remeber getting to drive. Break neck speed of about 2-4 mph,,,thats all the faster the cows walked and you didnt dare bump them!! I recall the car I did that with had a hand throttle but dont remember any car that had one of those. So must have either been grandpa's or some old beater we didnt have very long.

My first school car was the old family 51 Plymouth 2 door sedan. That crappy puke,light green. The front end was soooo far out of line it squealed the rubber off going to town on the pavement. Squealed constantly driving in a straight line. "MY" job was to change tires weekly,sometimes more, because thats all the longer a 'bald', VERY bald tire lasted, always blew them out thru the plies threads,biased only back then. Had to use bumper jack to break bead,couple old lug wrenches,cause tire irons cost too much, to manuelly take them off the rim,,,Invarably I would 'pinch' the tube someplace putting them back on and find out when you pump on those old tire pumps for half an hour and it hadnt started up yet. NO air compressors then,,,too fancy!! Sometimes had to stop and fix the hand pump first cause it would quit pumping. Wore out alot of leathers that way!!

Got tired of changing tires constantly and found my 'own' 4 door plymouth in a grove,scooped out about a foot of leaves,drug it around till it started, drove it home, and drove it for another year or two,,,even with a cracked frame that flexed badly when on country wash board roads,,,all were that way THEN!!!Spose that was why it was originally parked. This car cost me a whooping $25. I could barely afford it then!!!

Eventually graduated up to a 'huge' Dodge 4 door(good for hunting) fluid drive sedan. Thought I died and went to heaven. What a ride,,,what a car. Had huge v-shaped mud grips on the back and 16 " wheels and tires on front,,,had an extra few inches clearance under it and 'needed' every bit of it. I remeber once was in a snowstorm blizzard and went thru this cut 10' tall walls of snow on each side,wind blew the middle back in. Dad was with me said "oh crap we are stuck". I said NOT YET WE ARENT! Floored it,broke snow drifts with the hood ornament all the way thru(like 100 yards) but kept on chugging thru. That car would and did go thru anywhere. Spring of year,zero maintance cow trails,hunting again,mud over a foot deep, chugged right thru for a whole mile up and down slick clay hills,,,dont think a four wheel drive could do that today!!! This car 'refused' to keep a muffler on it!! Course driving 'thru' tree groves and pastures all night hunting jackrabbits and racoons (and a few illegal species)didnt help!!! I remeber hanging out the passenger window, spotlight in one hand, shotgun in other,,,door swung open cause the latches in rough pastures didnt hold,,I was swinging out in no mans land trying to shoot this rabbit,when I shot the door swung back closed then open again on sharp left hand turns,,,"STOP, I yelled,let me back IN!!" while propped in the window sill. Response---no -no have to get this rabbit first,then you can get back in. Meanwhile I am looking down and the wheel center breaks out of my front wheel and the tire is sliding under the car like a skid,,stop stop the wheel broke off,,,not till we get this one. To say we had crazy(mostly younger unlicensed drivers back then) would be an understatement.

IF only I didnt abuse this car and kept it in a garage(unthinkable back then)and had it NOW!!! All I have now is the memories. What was the 'deluxe' model of 50 or 51 Dodges?? Was that a coronet?? What ever it was, thats what this was. Had tons of bells and whistles,,,I even added a oogah horn on it and could call cows from half a mile away,,,sounded like a bull in heat!!! Sounded it by pulling a baling wire,under the dash!! I still DO have the horn!! Other kids thought that was the coolest thing!!

Sorry for the length here,,,guess I got carried away!!!SOB if you wish!! Least they are Plymouth and Dodge memoreies!!!

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!! -don--

[Guest mikeys toy]

My first solo trip in a car;

I was 12 and I had a weak battery to put in the Cricket. My dad parked it up at my Grandpa's house due to a scored piston, but it still ran. My grampa was up at the coffee shop visiting his 'cronies' and grandma was still sleeping.

I put the battery in; but it was too weak to crank it. I spent about 30 minutes chiseling out all the change that was decopaged into the center console with spilled coffee. I pulled the choke, turned the key on, and rolled down the yard. My heart was pounding, the car hadn't been started in 2 years; would it start?

My fears were answered in a cloud of smoke; The little Cricket rattled to life. I kept my foot on the gas, leaving it in 1st untill I was on the street then gingerly shifted to second. I got to third by the time I got to the stop sign, and when I let off the gas, it popped out of third.

I almost stalled it pulling away; I'd never driven a stick before. But I eventually got it into 4th, going a good 45mph to the gas station. I pissed off the clerk with my glazed, crusty pennies, nickels, and dimes.

I put 2.56 worth of .89/gal gas in it and drove back home.

Grampa never found out.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Grampa knew...he was kind enough not to say anything..

One of my memories of my grandpa was asking to use his knife..wee squirt and my intent was to go to the crib, get some old fodder and make boats to play in the creek...he would alsways caustion me not to cut myself..he always got back a bloody knife. He'd laugh..call me by his pet name (which probably only three other living soles know)

[40phil41]

The first car that I owned, and drove, was a 1950 Ford 4 dr. that I purchased at the age of 12 using money earned from a paper route! I spent the next 4 years taking it all apart and re-assembling. No I didn't know what I was doing but I was, and still am, in love with old cars. Had the original flathead 8 but installed bucket seats and a 3 speed floor shifter (small chrome piston grip). All of the chrome was shaved and I swapped the hood and grille for those from a '49 meteor (i.e. got rid of the centre 'spinner' look). Two major complaints with this car; it ate fuel pumps and the electrics were terrible. But boy would I love to have that car back today. Have no idea what happened to it when I sold it for $115. at age 18.

Phil Ellis

[james curl]

Medum blue 33 Plymouth 4 door sedan in 1950, was 14 years old and worked that summer for my old man and he got the car as partial payment. Lasted about 6 months then threw a rod crusing down the highway about 50 MPH. Next car was a 29 model A roadster that I got my first ticket for excessive noise, would turn the key off, pull out the choke at full throttle and then turn the key back on, blew the whole bottom out of the muffler. But what else would expect from 14 year olds?

[Guest mikeys toy]

my buddy Jim has a '50 4dr sitting out in his pasture

he's got a chopped '49 and a '51 2dr as well

[Lou Earle]

My first- at 15 in 1957- 48 Plymouth 4 door My mother was a traveling home nurse in then rural VA. she drove it (mostly dirt roads) and my older brother drove it then I got it!! We put 2 rebuilt engines and one body on that frame( mom hit a chicken truck fully loaded. Hated that car!! Wanted a 57 Chevy I mean who was kool - not the kid driving the 48 plym 4 door!!!. Odd thing Now I have 4 46-48 Plymouth's and just sold a 57 Chevy to buy my 48 Plym.convert !! My my how times and people change.

Lou

[Johnny S]

Year was 1966. I was working on a farm owned by a neighbor. He had an old Willy's or Jeep pickup. We were building fence.....I was about 13. He hollered at me....."Go get the truck and bring that wire and those fence stretchers only hear....NOW!" Oops...ya don't have to tell me twice....took me a couple of "false starts" but I jerked it over there in reasonable time. Didn't go into the Creek, didn't tear up the truck or the fence....and had a smile on my face a mile wide. Made me feel all growed up ya know!!

[Woody Branham]

This discussion takes me down Memory Lane. I just turned 60 in Aug. The first car I owned at age 15 was a 1939 Mercury Convertable. Saw it sitting in a neighbors barn behind their house. Traded my bike and $15 boot for it. Had a friend help me pull it home. It never ran. I knew nothing about cars and due to my Mothers illness I could not get my Dad interested enough to help me. My next one was a running 1941 Plymouth 4-door. That was 2 years and after my Mothers death. I paid a whopping $50 for this one. It had no grill or front bumper and at night the headlight beams would bounce up and down as I drove. I bought one like it about 18 months ago. Have not had time or $$$ to do anything with it yet. I also now have a running 1950 DeSoto that I got 3 years ago. I check out this forum daily and really enjoy being here. Regards, Woody

[Normspeed]

My first drive was at around age 8 or so, my dad put me on his lap and told me to take over the steering on his 46 Ford tudor. Then he proceeded to go up our little country lane like a bat outta hell with me steering. That little street started looking pretty darned narrow in a hurry! I didn't sideswipe anthing though.