I've decided to finally learn to drive

Mimsy

Mimsy

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I've always been nervous about learning to drive a car, and I never really had to since I use the subway or walk everywhere, but I just now this second decided I'm going for it. Better late than never!
 
Mimsy said:
I've always been nervous about learning to drive a car, and I never really had to since I use the subway or walk everywhere, but I just now this second decided I'm going for it. Better late than never!
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:thumb:

but here's a thing - if you're not going to own a car or drive a car for quite a while after you get a license..... there's really no point in doing it now because what you learn will be rusty.

it's preferable that you do this if you plan on driving on more frequent basis so that what you learn will stay fresh in your memory and muscle memory.
 
Good luck with learning how to drive. You'll find it easy to do. :)
 
Jiro said:
:thumb:

but here's a thing - if you're not going to own a car or drive a car for quite a while after you get a license..... there's really no point in doing it now because what you learn will be rusty.

it's preferable that you do this if you plan on driving on more frequent basis so that what you learn will stay fresh in your memory and muscle memory.
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Burst my bubble, Jiro!!!

Well, I won't be getting my own car any time soon. My parents pay $420 a month for parking garage at our building and that's with a discount for a year's contract. No way I can afford that.

Your point does make sense, though. Thanks for the input.
 
Mimsy said:
Burst my bubble, Jiro!!!

Well, I won't be getting my own car any time soon. My parents pay $420 a month for parking garage at our building and that's with a discount for a year's contract. No way I can afford that.

Your point does make sense, though. Thanks for the input.
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if you're allowed to drive your parents' car.... then :thumb:
 
Mimsy said:
I've always been nervous about learning to drive a car, and I never really had to since I use the subway or walk everywhere, but I just now this second decided I'm going for it. Better late than never!
Click to expand...

Congratulation, you will get used with driving eventually. I have been car driver for almost 10 years now.

Jiro said:
if you're allowed to drive your parents' car.... then :thumb:
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Are you going teach her how to use motorcycle? :lol:
 
I can already see this: First Lesson- asphalt ballet! Demonstration!

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Great. why not going to long island and get practice on your driving skill over there. :)
 
Mimsy said:
I've always been nervous about learning to drive a car, and I never really had to since I use the subway or walk everywhere, but I just now this second decided I'm going for it. Better late than never!
Click to expand...
It's not too late. I didn't learn to drive until I could afford to buy a car at age 22. I bought the car first (a used VW Beetle convertible for $850, standard shift), then learned how to drive on it.

Happy trails!
 
I don't exactly disagree with Jiro, but I think it's a great idea to learn. Especially if you take the test, get your permit, then take the other test and get your license. Then if you do get rusty, you'll just have to freshen up your skills and knowledge, but you won't have to go through all the red tape of testing again.

And in the meantime, you'll have a license, which is just nice to have. (It's such a common form of identification.)

I had a car when I was young, but didn't need one in college or grad school, so I went for years without one. When I got my second car it was actually really easy to start driving again. Then, years later, I decided I wanted to see how much I could get by on my bike and I drove my car very rarely for a year (I just took it out once in a while so it wouldn't suffer too much from sitting too long, but sometimes I'd even forget to do that.) And again, if I lost any skills, I think they came back almost immediately.

The only thing that I had to focus on a little was driving a stick shift. My second car had a manual transmission but my third was automatic. After years of driving that, I had a relative who wanted to learn to drive a stick on her parents' car. I wanted to help her but wasn't sure how much I'd remember. It really only took a few minutes of driving around to get the feel for it back. (And if you get a chance to learn to drive a stick shift, go for it. It's so much fun, and it's a good skill to have if you ever need to drive one. I really miss mine - it's nice to have control over what gear you're in. Especially in icy winters around here with our Pittsburgh hills:0)

Anyway, good luck, and good for you!
 
i like to learn to drive but everyone say i to old,do you think 60ish to old?
 
amylynne said:
And again, if I lost any skills, I think they came back almost immediately.
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I'm going to put this to the test in an hour... I haven't driven at all in a month, and haven't driven in Canada since 2008. Past experience tells me a few minutes just getting used to how the rental car responds, and maybe a little while being cautious getting used to the flow of traffic, by the time I return it it'll be fine.

I suggest you go for it now Mimsy, even if you don't use it much at first, just remember to go and practice every now and then. Offer to run errands or drive your parents places or something, just to gain experience. Good luck!
 
caz12 said:
i like to learn to drive but everyone say i to old,do you think 60ish to old?
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No.

Learn to drive, then go back and laugh at the people who told you that.

(A student of mine told me she thought I was too old to learn something new when I was 23. 23! Nothing specific either. She just thought that since I'd finished college, my life was already determined. OMG. I have learned so many things since I was 23. People say stupid things sometimes.)
 
Congrats. Learning how to drive in NYC should be a breeze....you will be an expert after about 3-4 days...:shock:

I had a dorm buddy in college that was from NYC. Did not know how to drive. (Moved to US from Korea recently) Barely passed his driving test. Parents buy him a brand-new car and let him drive it back to NTID. We joined him in his new car one weekend, and his driving was atrocious at best, we all wanted to kick his ass.

He goes home for the summer, and we meet up again in the fall. His driving was now top-notch from practicing in NYC over the summer.

Unfortunately he also became a typical NYC driver....rude & aggressive....and his brand-new car became a typical NYC car....dents, scrapes, etc....:lol:

So, bottom line is, you can do it. When all is said and done, you will look back and say "that wasn't so bad".
 
Wow. I remember driving in NYC. Very exciting. My first time, I was going to a party in Brooklyn (coming from Pittsburgh) and it happened to be Cinco de Mayo. So everything's backed up forever to get into the Holland Tunnel. You'd get to an intersection and the light would be green but everything is stopped. The car in front of you is just past the intersection and you can either pull up behind him and have people honk and yell at you from the sides (assuming nothing moves before the light changes) or you can wait at the light and have people honk and yell at you from behind. That moment was a big deal for me. I thought, "People are going to violently scream at you no matter what you do, so you'll just have to make your decision and let them deal." Which turned out to be a really good experience for me;)
 
Jiro said:
:thumb:

but here's a thing - if you're not going to own a car or drive a car for quite a while after you get a license..... there's really no point in doing it now because what you learn will be rusty.

it's preferable that you do this if you plan on driving on more frequent basis so that what you learn will stay fresh in your memory and muscle memory.
Click to expand...

Sorry - I disagree with you here. I say once you have your lincense, you never know what life will throw to you down the road. What if mimsy flys somewhere and need to rent a car? What if she gets a job offer and move in that area has only cars for transportation? What if her folks gets into an accident and cant walk and needs to be chauffeured somewhere? list goes on and on.

A lincense is a great way to prove your identity and there are so many things out there that life is easier with a lincense as a ID in hand. With a lincense you are free to have that as an option in life.

Once you learn how to drive and wait a few years and start driving - its kinda like riding a bicycle - with common sense you will be fine even if you are rusty.

Mimsy- go for it!!!
 
Just to update (slightly off topic) but my and other people's theory was correct. My rental car turned out to be a Dodge Grand Caravan (so, very large) and by the time I got it to the exit of the parking lot I felt confident handling it. Had a blast driving it around today, it's a big fun thing and the kickdown will make the tires squeal!

Mimsy, even if you don't drive very much, you will at least have been taught to the correct standard and will know your way around a car's controls, so it isn't something you will ever forget how to do.
 
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