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!