I passed my Driving test!

[worir4]

Today I passed my driving test first time with only one minor mistake!

I was quite nervous before but during the test it wasn't so bad. 

I thought that if i can into space, then I can into road

Edited February 19, 2016 by worir4

[cantab]

Nice one. I took two goes, nearly blew through a give way that I didn't see on my first try.

[Just Jim]

2 hours ago, worir4 said:

Today I passed my driving test first time with only one minor mistake!

I was quite nervous before but during the test it wasn't so bad. 

I thought that if i can into space, then I can into road

Congrats!!!   Just bear in mind most cars don't come with boosters... 

[Tex_NL]

Congratulations. Getting a drivers license is one of the major milestones in life.
But now that you have your license don't think you now know how to drive. Yes, you know the basics. But real knowledge comes with experience.

[adsii1970]

15 minutes ago, Tex_NL said:

Congratulations. Getting a drivers license is one of the major milestones in life.
But now that you have your license don't think you now know how to drive. Yes, you know the basics. But real knowledge comes with experience.

Yes, it is... then you have the second next major milestone - realizing car ownership is not cheap...

[worir4]

I think i will do a pass plus course. It gets 40% off some insurance companies so hopefully I won't have to pay more per year in insurance than the car costs. 

Speaking of cars, lucky for me, my Mum is getting a new car soon so i might be able to get her old one. Then again, I don't really have many places to drive to.

[Robotengineer]

Congrats! But don't you want to onto road rather than into road?

[adsii1970]

23 minutes ago, worir4 said:

I think i will do a pass plus course. It gets 40% off some insurance companies so hopefully I won't have to pay more per year in insurance than the car costs. 

Speaking of cars, lucky for me, my Mum is getting a new car soon so i might be able to get her old one. Then again, I don't really have many places to drive to.

That's a great start; let me offer you some additional advice -

When I had my first vehicle, the same model as the truck above except mine was black, I was 18 years old. While I did a great job saving up $1000 for a down payment on a used truck, and another nearly $700 for the taxes, tags, and car insurance, I never thought about saving for car repairs. Soon, life jumped up and hit me as a clutch and pressure plate soon had to be replaced. From that moment on, I went to the library and found the Kelley Blue Book and looked at the wholesale value of my truck and decided that I would save 1/3 of the value of my truck just for repairs. Never got caught off-guard again. Oh, and the link I gave you is for the actual website. Wish they would have had this neat website when I was a teen...

Anyhow, happy travels!

[Tex_NL]

My first car was a '95 Ford Fiesta very similar to the one below. Pretty small but also light weight so it was cheap in taxes and insurance.

For a first car a small and light weight used car is a good choice. If you do hit something, and you will, with a brand new car it's a pain and can get expensive very quick. In an old car it's 'just another scratch'.

[cantab]

In Britain at least the biggest impact on your car insurance costs isn't what you drive, your age, or even your experience. It's where you live. If you, like me, live somewhere the insurers hate you'll be paying five or ten times what someone living where the insurers like will pay.

[adsii1970]

I remember those! Never had one. I drove my truck until I was rear-ended in 1993 by a Wonder Bread truck that ran a red light, not realizing that I was in front of him! Anyhow, took the settlement and bought a Chevrolet Corsica. One of the worst cars I ever had.

Yes, I did buy it new, but it had so many problems. The first recall notice was because the anti-lock breaks on the front could actually lock up - and mine did! Lock up not in what normal caliper brakes do, but lock and freeze! Had to call a tow truck because I could not get the brakes to release. It was the beginning of a love - hate relationship - I loved to hate that car!

[Tex_NL]

In the Netherlands location is also a big factor in insurance cost (obviously age and experience are too). Fortunately I live is a mostly rural area. Lots of tourism and all benefits of a metropolitan area but for some reason insurance companies think it isn't.

[Randox]

Now I wonder if we have location based insurance in Canada too. If we do, it must not be a big deal, I've never heard of that. Sounds silly. I do remember that prior to turning 25, the last time I looked at owning a car of my own, the liability insurance rivaled the value of the car I was planning to buy (I would have paid more for that insurance in two years than the car was worth when I bought it), so I didn't end up getting one. That's the part no one told me about. You can get a cheap car that's insured for peanuts, if you bother insuring it at all (insuring the car is totally optional). It's the personal liability insurance that's mandatory, and it's going to cost you a fortune if you're young no matter what you drive or many accidents you've never been in.

 

Anyway, congratulations on passing your test, on the first go no less. It's a great feeling, and assuming you enjoy driving, you're in for a lot of fun to come I expect. I've been driving for years, and I still love it every time, except rush hour traffic. Fortunately I've thus far lived in places and taken jobs that have me going against rush hour traffic, so I get to wave at it as I drive by

[monstah]

Congrats! Took me four tries 

I strongly suspect two of those were more due to prejudice against long-haired dudes wearing black, specially since, for the last one (the one I passed, that is), I specifically took the care to dress myself as, as my now wife put it back then, 'a church boy'.

I did totally blow my first attempt, tho...

I am a good driver nowadays, mind you, but back then I was scared as heck of driving!

Edited February 19, 2016 by monstah

[adsii1970]

Just now, monstah said:

I am a good driver nowadays, mind you, but back then I was scared as heck of driving!

So that's why your local police department has ordered a bulk pack of pre-printed speeding tickets with your name and information already on them?

[Dispatcher]

Congrats!  I recommend that when you purchase a first car, that it simply be a reasonably cheap but nice vehicle.  I went through the new vehicle phase a few times, but now I'll always buy used.

Keep in mind what you want to use the vehicle for, as that should influence what you get.  If you just want to show off and impress anyone, you'll want something sleek and sporty (and insurance will be higher).  If you like to off road, you'll want a 4 wheel drive.  If you like to haul things around, a pick up truck might be the thing.  Of course, if you just want to get around, anything will do.

You don't have to buy a junker; just be aware of what you are getting.  There are plenty of websites which will give advise on how and what to look for.

[Guest]

Congrats!

[worir4]

Thanks all for the advice. I think i will be privileged to have a Hyundai I20. Not sure yet though.

See you guys on the road!

[StrandedonEarth]

Congrats! Have you warned the local people that you're on the loose yet?  Just like I had to when my daughter finally got her 'Newbie' (novice) license to replace her 'Lamer' (learner) license 6 weeks ago?

[Dman979]

Well, this is making me feel bad. I still haven't gotten my license yet, and I'm almost ready to leave for college. On the plus side, I know my way around the (major) city-I-live-in's public transit like nobody's business.

Anyway, congrats to @worir4. Safe driving (but not near me )!

[adsii1970]

32 minutes ago, Dman979 said:

@worir4Well, this is making me feel bad. I still haven't gotten my license yet, and I'm almost ready to leave for college. On the plus side, I know my way around the (major) city-I-live-in's public transit like nobody's business.

Why? Everyone is different and everyone has different circumstances. I had a guy in the apartment next door when I lived in Carbondale that never got his driver's license until he was 30. He had the ability to bike (as in ride a bicycle) everywhere he needed to go locally. If he couldn't ride a bike, he used the city bus system, and if he needed to go long distances, he either took Amtrak or a flight out...

[worir4]

18 hours ago, cantab said:

In Britain at least the biggest impact on your car insurance costs isn't what you drive, your age, or even your experience. It's where you live. If you, like me, live somewhere the insurers hate you'll be paying five or ten times what someone living where the insurers like will pay.

Hey man, don't feel bad. Public transport is the best! (Except for when it is late).

[cantab]

9 hours ago, Dman979 said:

Well, this is making me feel bad. I still haven't gotten my license yet, and I'm almost ready to leave for college. On the plus side, I know my way around the (major) city-I-live-in's public transit like nobody's business.

Anyway, congrats to @worir4. Safe driving (but not near me )!

I didn't learn until several years after graduating. Cambridge University virtually bans students from having cars, justifiably so considering what the city's roads are like, and my mum doesn't drive so it's not like there was a family car to learn in at home.