Learning To Drive?

[Coltimar]

Its all about the confidence

QFT. I drove for years before I was old enough and never got caught because I lived on a farm and was comfortable driving. My first job on the farm was driving the truck pulling the hay wagon. Age 8, lol.

[Vyndree]

The ironic thing is that I had a permit when I was 19 or 20 and never ended up using it... Just got too busy with college. So I know I can do the written test just fine and get the learner's permit (which I'd like to get, particularly since I have no clue how to drive).

My bigger concern is the "chicken and the egg" -- if you need a license to get a car, but need a car to learn to drive and get a license... which comes first?

I can try calling a few auto insurance companies and see what they say... Suvega offered to buy the car in his name and under his insurance, and then xfer the title to me after I get my license, but there's a tax for changing ownership of a car and it just seems silly to pay when it's really my car in the first place. I'm not planning on flunking any driver tests, so the "no license" thing would just be temporary... Hopefully some insurance company can work with that.


I figure if I can multibox, I can learn to drive... It's just the matter of getting a car to learn in... And I wince even imagining taking a driver's ed class with a bunch of 15-year olds.

[Pact]

If svegua is older than yourself than why change the ownership at all?

In australia your insurance goes down for persons aged over 25. And even moreso depending on how long they have been driving.
Just get him to put your name down as a driver of the car on the insurance paperwork. Once you get your Learners anyway.

[suicidesspyder]

Well in connecticut i know they changed the law again. You need to have insurance now to even get behind the wheel at all. So even for student drivers they need to be on an insurance plan of their own or parents. This is to cover them incase of an accident. Yes you can buy your own car and all but need someone with a license to drive it off the lot same as a motorcycle but not sure about other states. So like said before call insurance companies and dmv and find out from them what they have to say. Always go by them not by us lol we all have different rules and statutes from state to state. So only 100 percent right answer comes from insurance companies and dmv. But with driving get your learners permit insurance on it practice to drive with your other half in the car, then get a drivers ed book to read over maybe dmv might have one. After you feel comfy goto get your training from driver instructor then take drivers written and driving portion pass= license. Then to dmv take your pic recieve your license make sure your car is there and drive it home woot.

[Vyndree]

If svegua is older than yourself than why change the ownership at all?

We aren't married.

By owning my own car I'm building credit and equity. We already have to jump through funny hoops on our home purchase because we're not married. :P

In australia your insurance goes down for persons aged over 25. And even moreso depending on how long they have been driving.
Just get him to put your name down as a driver of the car on the insurance paperwork. Once you get your Learners anyway.

If I own a car, can Suvega insure it you think? Even if he doesn't own the title?

Although Suvega's still only 24... I'm only a year younger.



I'm not planning on driving illegally, I just want to own the car I learn on so that I'm the one responsible for any damages.

[keyclone]

if you are looking to learn, here are a few thoughts:

o playing a driving game with a steering wheel (think old arcade, free-standing, sit-in style boxes) can help a little on hand-eye coordination and foot controls (really, i remember seeing studies on this in the 80s)

o if you are thinking of buying a car to learn with... get a 'beater'. something you don't care too much about, but will protect you and function properly. it should last 6+ months, be functional, and be safe. you should be able to find one for $500 (recommend: automatic transmission)

o put both yourself and suvega on your insurance (its not for your car repairs... more for other cars/people)

o when you get the car, have suvega drive you to a LARGE, EMPTY parking lot... put you in the middle of it... then switch seats. have fun with it.

and if you are nervous about hurting the car... remember it's a beater. if it'd make you feel better, when you get it... kick one of the quarter panels hard... dent it. then you'll be less worried about hurting it. (sounds weird, but maybe growing up in the automotive field gave me a different perspective.. either that, or i'm just a bit whacked)

oh, and since you are in the NW... the first time it snows... DO NOT DRIVE. instead, have suvega take you and the beater to the big empty lot... and practice doing donuts (this was SOP for the first snow every year growing up in Boston)

once you are feeling secure with your driving... toss the junker and get a real car

and of course... you need to get something cheesy for your first beast:

or




edit: oh yea... we want pictures too !

[Stabface]

OK - this is how it works in WA. To legally drive a car by yourself you are required to have 2 things:

- A drivers license.
- Proof of insurance.

It is probably possible to legally get a license without insurance but it would be difficult and not likely to happen. Proof of insurance is asked for at the DMV when you take the driving test. This could be insurance on the vehicle itself so long as you as a driver are covered under the insurance policy. For example a company vehicle insurance policy might have blanket coverage for all employees. You can get a learner's permit without insurance, though. You will need to be covered, somehow, to drive even with the other restrictions on a learner's permit.

You can get insurance without owning a car (which is called a Non-Owner Policy). This will allow you to legally - from the DMV perspective anyhow - drive any car you are otherwise legally entitled to drive. My company specifically has some salespeople covered with such a policy, as they are constantly flying around the country and rent cars, it is cheaper than getting insurance from the rental places.

You can buy (or sell) and get insurance on a car without having a license. For example a collector's car or show car that is never going to be driven on streets will still obviously have insurance on it. You will generally need / want to list some people(s) as the driver of the vehicle, though; I do not think it is a requirement but a blanket policy is likely to be very expensive. A joint policy would probably be smart here as keyclone says, even as a passenger it can afford you some extra protection in the event of an accident. But, talk to your insurance agent about this.

The vast majority if not all lending institutions will have minimum insurance requirements above and beyond what WA requires you to have, in order to get financing on a vehicle. Not an issue if you pay cash, but this is probably not a good idea.



Anyways. Here's what I'd do.

Study for the written test and get a learner's permit. This simply requires paying $, passing the written and vision test. No insurance or vehicle or anything like that.

Get insurance - either your own policy or add yourself to someone else's. This will be expensive no matter what. Sorry.
You are now legally able to drive a vehicle on the highway with the restrictions placed on the learner's permit.

Find a friend who will let you set up keybindings... I mean, sit in the driver's seat of a vehicle and become familiar with all the controls.
Or failing that, I am sure you can go to *any* car dealership -- tell them you have your permit, you're looking to get your license soon and are shopping around for cars to purchase in 30-60 days out. They will be more than happy to let you sit behind the wheel of any vehicle on the lot, paw through the owner's manual and become familiar with the vehicle.

Sign up for and take a Driver's Education class. If you pass it with less than close-to-perfect, or don't feel comfortable driving after you're done, consider taking it again!

Find someone who will let you drive their automatic-transmission car to practice. Take it easy... avoid rush hour, major highways, unfamiliar areas, that sort of thing. If Suvega's car is an automatic and he won't let you drive it at this point -- at the very least in an empty parking lot somewhere... (I bet Microsoft has one somewhere after hours / Sunday morning?) -- dump him! Just kidding ;-)

Practice parallel parking -- it's probably what the most people struggle with and I'm almost positive you'll be asked to do it during your driving test.

When you feel you are ready, bring all the required stuff to the DMV, take the driving test and get your license. If you don't pass it, DO NOT FREAK OUT. It's fairly common. Work on whatever you had trouble with and try again (I believe there is some minimum waiting period between attempts).

Throw a party & invite your friends to celebrate -- just don't drink and drive.


Good luck - it's really not difficult, you can do it!

[Jafula]

oh, and since you are in the NW... the first time it snows... DO NOT DRIVE. instead, have suvega take you and the beater to the big empty lot... and practice doing donuts (this was SOP for the first snow every year growing up in Boston)

Yeh baby! Wooooohooooo. :D

[Coltimar]

I figure if I can multibox, I can learn to drive...

Yeah, with you being a woman IRL and all, thus possessing far superior multitasking abilities, I wouldn't be surprised to see you driving 2, 3 or even 5 cars at once soon!

[elsegundo]

buying a beater vs paying for behind-the-wheel training...

with behind the wheel training, you dont have to worry about gas, insurance, selling the thing later. costs about $200 for lessons and usage at the dmv for your test.
with buying a beater, you can practice whenever you want. costs about $500-1000.

consider getting behind the wheel training. it might seem like a lot of money, but it saves you a lot of hassle. plus, in the end, you get a license (if you pass) and you can buy whatever car you want later on.