I'm in my 30s and I don't know how to drive. Never had any interest in cars and never learnt to ride a bicycle either. Living in the city my attitude has made sense given running a car here would be ruinously expensive and I also don't have any friends or family who can teach me.
However, I'd now like to learn to drive as it opens the door to not living in the city and would be handy for work. So do I just dial the number of an intensive driving place and say "Yes hello, I would like one driving please" or should I take some extra steps? Should I learn how a car works or pass a theory test before I ever get behind a wheel?
I've always wondered what would happen if you did the pictured act?
I assumed the gearbox would pretty much spit the stick straight back out of the reverse slot into neutral, whilst making noises like a rock tumbler.
>>4596 You'll destroy the transmission and/or the engine.
There was a car in the 90s - the Jaguar XKR I think - where a journalist took it out on a track for a review and "accidentally" did what you describe at speed; complete write off.
You'll need to apply for a provisional license before you can start taking lessons. You can do this online and you should get your license within about a week. Passing your theory test ASAP will make things quicker and easier, but you don't need to do this before you start lessons. There are loads of books and apps available to study for the theory test.
Unfortunately there's currently a massive backlog of learner drivers after lockdown, so you might find it difficult to book lessons or a test. Unless you manage to grab a cancellation, you're likely to be offered a test date in 2022.
If you need your own transport now, you can ride a scooter or small motorcycle on a provisional license. You need to take a Compulsory Basic Training course first, but this only takes a day and you don't need to pass a test.
>If you need your own transport now, you can ride a scooter or small motorcycle on a provisional license.
I just noticed that you said that you never learned to ride a bicycle, so scratch that off the list. If you'd like to learn to ride a bicycle, there are plenty of instructors who offer cycling lessons for adults - many local authorities even offer free training.
Any car from the last 40 years or so, you simply couldn't do it, it's mechanically locked out, at least to the point where you'd have to apply a LOT of force to do it. Assuming you've defeated that mechanism, a violent gearbox disassembly will occur.
Read the highway code and digest it. Get one of those practice theory test things and swot up on it for a bit, then book your theory as soon as you can, it's useful to have all that knowledge under your belt before you start lessons. If not, your instructor will have to waste time teaching you the concepts involved and then you're only wasting your own time and money.
After that yeah just start lessons. There's no rush, it's mainly about getting hours in behind the wheel. Some people take to it pretty naturally, some people really struggle, but the thing to remember is it's less about actually knowing how to operate a vehicle than it is about knowing how to use the road safely. That's the number one objective. Situational awareness, observance, all that- You have to judt spend enough time actually driving that you can work the pedals and change gear etc as second nature, and then your brain is free to concentrate on safety.
Best of luck m8. We'll go on a cruise in our Corsas when you pass if you want.
I think he got away with it because it's a pickup truck - the transmission is overbuilt and there's very little weight over the rear wheels. I doubt you'd be so lucky in a car, particularly FWD.
>>4605 What happened is that the wheels lost traction instantly so it's not putting as much torque onto the engine as you'd think. Most of the brunt is taken up by the clutch which would be burning up very quickly while you do this.
If you tried this in a FWD a side effect would be that you would completely lose steering and go into a spin.
Should I learn to drive before I even think about buying a home? At the moment I invest all my savings in funds, I've tried different categories to keep the money split up but in my mind it's all for property and I'm therefore reluctant to take anything out once it goes in. In fact I can't, because I look at the total on my screen and feel proud of myself - I get invested in that number.
I already have about 23k together but probably want to get that to 27k by around January/February to buy a 10% on a 200k home with all the additional bullshit. I mean, it's not that much to learn but it does add up and there's the temptation I'd need to avoid to then buy a car. Perhaps I should instead buy the home so I have more flexibility with savings and live somewhere more car friendly - even if it means a nuisance in moving costs and getting somewhere more central (thereby smaller).
>>4609 I'm aiming for the house first, but that's because I work somewhere where houses are cheap, so I can buy a house right by work and just never see my friends again for several months. Cars have all manner of running costs too, so if you like watching your bank balance go up, it will go up much more slowly once you have to pay for insurance, and petrol, and parking, and an MOT, and so on and so forth.
And if you're looking at buying a house, please remember that banks will only lend you a certain multiple of your annual income. The deposit is pointless if it doesn't make up the rest of the house price. My own numbers are around £28,000pa with about £30,000 in the bank, so I can't buy a £600,000 house with a 5% deposit because banks will only lend me £28,000 x 4.5, or perhaps x 5.5 now. Assuming I can get the x5.5, that's £28,000x5.5 = £154,000, plus the £30,000 I have, so the most expensive house I can buy would cost £184,000. I'm sorry if you know all this already.
