'Older' learner driver

[Yorkshire Andy]

A manual car is "easy" once your used to it the more you do the more instinctive it becomes ... Anyone who has been driving years finds it very hard to explain as it becomes instinctive

Everyone stall's a car especially one that's strange to you as although they work the same the clutch bite point and feel varies between care of the same tyre nevermind different brands due to use..

If you've not driven before find some private gated land with owners permission and find someone willing to let you master starting and stopping as that can eat up a couple of driving lessons at £30odd a hour

[jansman]

Thank you for all your responses!

I see your 39 and raise you 49..... and still not driving.

I'm actually still 38... until next week!

If I'm being arrogant I'll probably pass first time (if I'm being less arrogant, second) and I'm 99% sure I wouldn't have when I first started learning at 19 due to being 19 mostly so look at it as an advantage.

I did a crash course through the Military, all the lessons and test within the week. Past first time.

I think I'd need more than a crash course and I don't expect to pass first time. I've looked into learning before and crash courses are *expensive*. I've found a fairly affordable driving instructor through word of mouth. According to his website he doesn't 'do' intensive courses because he doesn't believe the knowledge sticks in such a short time. I'm inclined to believe him. I'm going to take my time and not rush it.

Assuming you have basic co-ordination technically it's not that difficult: in my experience it's all about the feet - the combination of clutch, accelerator and brake - steering is the easy part. A harder part is about understanding traffic flow and awareness. That said, having lived in London you will actually be more used to how traffic (including cycles and pedestrians) flows and works than you realise.

See it's this bit that I'm a bit nervous of. I want to learn in a manual, but it's the coordination that might fail me! You're right though that living in London gives a bit of an advantage with knowing about traffic flow. I used to cycle in London (very briefly!) so I had a crash course in traffic then!

I've been quite lucky. I sent a slightly throwaway text to my friend earlier asking how much it costs her to run her car. An hour or so later I was rewarded with a torrent of texts outlining how much tax and MOTs and all of that gubbins costs! I'll get a spreadsheet up and running shortly

My mother passed her test at 40 odd,and her MOTORBIKE test after that! You can do anything if you want to.

My grandmother had a little 'putt-putt' hairdryer motorbike that she went *everywhere* on until she was really quite old. It was her bit of freedom. I agree that driving will be liberating. The costs however, will not be!

After passing her bike test she bought my my Norton Commando 750 off me( I went over to Kawasaki).

[diamond lil]

Wow lol good for mum I passed my bike test at 40 after driving them for years on an L plate. I never did master a car though, had a few lessons and hated every minute of them. You need 3 hands and 5 feet to drive a car!

[Mortblanc]

Talk about a variation in cultures!!!

I was at the license center the day after I turned legal age to obtain a license, passed the first go and have been behind the wheel for 51 years!

Same for my two children, and they were capable drivers by the time they were 12, though not licensed until they were 16.

I taught my wife to drive after we married when she was the ripe old age of 21.

I taught my sister to drive at age 15.

All of them learned in 4wd rigs on greenlanes, in open fiends, and boulder crawls. The written portion is usually not a problem for a generally bright person.

And please fellows, it is alright to embrace the automatic transmission. It is not "new technology" at nearly 100 years use, and it is part of the British heritage, invented by a Canadian!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_transmission

The automatic takes much of the risk out of the equation for a new driver since all they have to think about is the rules of the road and keeping the vehicle where it belongs on the roadway. although all the folk I taught to drive learned to use a manual transmission each of them tested in an automatic just to simplify the process and give them an advantage.

[Jamesey1981]

I don't know how it works in the states, but here if you take your test in an auto you can only drive an auto, (you actually have to take the whole test again if you ever want to drive a manual) and then you're hugely restricted as to what you can drive, around 25% of cars here are automatic (at a guess) and most vans are manual, so taking your test in an auto is a last resort if you genuinely can't work a manual or can't be bothered to learn.
I like automatics, but I have a manual licence so I can drive them if I need/want to.

[jansman]

What Jamesey said! Americans call it 'stick shift' I believe.My brother in law has an auto license only.Limits him greatly,as the whole family are insured to drive each other's motors - except him! Anyhow,that's the cultural difference.As it should be.

[Deeps]

What Jamesey said! Americans call it 'stick shift' I believe.My brother in law has an auto license only.Limits him greatly,as the whole family are insured to drive each other's motors - except him! Anyhow,that's the cultural difference.As it should be.

My old man got into automatics in Australia and had them ever since. My brother prefers them too. When I get my shit in one sock and get round to my licence I'll be doing the manual test, as you say, it covers you for both and Mrs Deeps has a manual so we'll probably be sharing to start. By choice I'd prefer an automatic, I'm not sure why manual's are so popular here to be honest.

[Le Mouse]

Talk about a variation in cultures!!!

I was at the license center the day after I turned legal age to obtain a license, passed the first go and have been behind the wheel for 51 years!

Same for my two children, and they were capable drivers by the time they were 12, though not licensed until they were 16.

I taught my wife to drive after we married when she was the ripe old age of 21.

I taught my sister to drive at age 15.

All of them learned in 4wd rigs on greenlanes, in open fiends, and boulder crawls. The written portion is usually not a problem for a generally bright person.

Well you were all very lucky to have access to the land and the vehicles to learn on! I was not. I grew up in a family where only my older cousin could drive and she sure as hell wasn't going to teach me!

Anyway I will be learning in a manual because as has been said by Jamesey, you're really restricted if you only drive automatic.

[jansman]

Get a proper instructor. Then learn. If you want to learn anything ,no matter what your age ,you will learn. My dear wife is testimony to that.She has achieved so many things in 4 years,and I am so proud! Not only has she qualified as a teacher,she is now training to become a Union Rep.This is a woman with real confidence issues.

Le Mouse ,if you want to drive, do it! You can.Do it!

[Brambles]

Another non driver here. I used to have a full bike licence but had to hand it in for medical reasons. I suppose I'm very lucky where I live as there's buses every ten minutes and a train station a short bus ride away, but then again, that's one reason why we chose this area. The only times I would like my own vehicle is when I need to buy or move bulky items.
The brambling is finally planning to learn to drive.....eventually, he's a bit like Deeps

Oh and good luck mouse, you'll breeze it!