What did you pass your test in?

[Clevtrev]

A 1985 BMW 316 2-dr. An unusual choice for a school of motoring car, and of course I thought I was the dogs bollocks driving it while all my friends were learning in Metro's and the like. I passed first time round back on the Wednesday 12th April 1989. Still have the appointment card somewhere!

[red5]

1994 1.0 City X 5dr Metro.

 

With a Verto clutch.

 

[Bren]

My first SD1 - a beige 2000. No power steering (it was giffer spec save for a 5 speed box and sunroof that was held together with silicone) - the parallel parking required a feat of strength.

 

On being told I had passed, the examiner admitted that he had previously owned a 2.6 and that the top end had gone.

 

So no surprises then.

[MrDuke]

A K10 Micra 1.3 GSX. In white, with full orange and brown GSX 'graphics' including a diagonal stripe in the front corner of the bonnet. Google has failed to provide anything similar, so it was probably rare as rocking horse excrement. It was my instructor's car, but left such a deep impression on me that 80s Nissans are probably the only cars I feel truly 'at one' with. I started learning (in '96) in a brand-spanking new Punto; when I changed to the K10 it was like someone had switched on a light. Clearly born to be a sad J-tin anorak then.

[Doctormop]

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Agreed, past in Oct 89 in my instructors F reg Sunny 4 door, a truly forgiving, compliant machine that just did everything a learner could want it to do,

Understandably not the last word in true drivers machines but hard to fault as an instructors car, don't suppose modern Nissans are quite as cooperative.

[rml2345]

2005 Toyota Yaris (OKZ 1147) which had to have a stupid aftermarket speedo fitted for the instructor as only the driver can see the speedo!

 

Passed 1st time with 2 minors 5 weeks after my 17th

 

I bought one like that! Came with dual controls and everything...

 

Passed in some disiesel Corsa of some sort that wasn't too bad to chuck about but had the acceleration of an asmatic tortoise nailed to the floor.

Took three attempts to pass too

[very tall brad]

I took it in my dad's M reg 1974 Moris Marina TC Saloon but learned in his new TR7 which was silly. This was in Feb 1977 when only me and The Queen were on the road. Everyone else was on the bus as far as I seem to recall.

[stuboy]

dec 1993 in a dark blue of this..........

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Toyot ... 071126.jpg

[240gl]

Learned to drive in black F plate 405 diesel the clutch decided to die on the way to the test centre, so I ended being met up with at the test centre with a replacement car and taking my test in a black 205 diesel instead. I started my test expecting to fail, as I hadn’t actually driven the 205 prior to my test, but I passed first time.

[Richard]

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Agreed, past in Oct 89 in my instructors F reg Sunny 4 door, a truly forgiving, compliant machine that just did everything a learner could want it to do,

Understandably not the last word in true drivers machines but hard to fault as an instructors car, don't suppose modern Nissans are quite as cooperative.

 

That wasn't my experience of the Sunny at all, I found it very difficult to drive because there was no feel at all in the controls.

[brickwall]

Ubiquitous BSM Metro with the cone thing on the roof.

[sco14]

I passed my test in July 81 in a 1975 Escort 1100 Popular.

[Andrew353w]

Way back in September 1977, when you had to use hand signals (and I don't mean THOSE hand signals...)

 

The driving school's car was a Mini Clubman, and I passed second time. The first time the driving school's Mini was out of use, so at short notice I took my test in my Dad's Capri... The examiner clearly thought this was not a car for 17 year olds to be driving as their first car & I failed (although, to be fair, I richly deserved to fail....)

 

Passed second time, despite completely f**king up a roundabout on the Seven Brethren industrial estate in Barnstaple and forgetting to wear a seatbelt throughout the test (they weren't compulsory in those days.) The examiner merely commented that I hadn't worn the belt; normally I always did, but was so nervous I'd forgotten to put it on!

 

35 (yes, thirty-five) years later I can still remember the feeling I had on hearing those works "I'm pleased to tell you that you have passed" being uttered by the examiner. And IF I get the job as an examiner, I look forward to making potential autoshiters as happy in the future (although only if their driving's up to the standard required....)

[gtd2000]

I passed my test on the first attempt in early 1985 in Colchester driving a red MKII Ford Fiesta after only 4 hours of tuition with an ex-skinhead driving instructor named "Paul".

 

 

I'd had quite bit of experience in late 1984 "broadsiding" Land Rovers around various parts of London in the snow, the MT section were pretty slack in securing the Land Rovers in Collie as well and gained similar experience.

 

Funnily enough, I'd also gained a bit of experience, over the years sneaking out my parents cars

 

Still like telling people I passed my test after only 4 hours though

[sporty-shite]

Ubiquitous BSM Metro with the cone thing on the roof.

 

Me too. October 1988. And it was BEIGE.

[stilo_active]

Can't remember the year of the car but I passed my test in a 205 Turbo Diseasel. Loved it, but I can never get over Peugeot using STDT as a trim level.

[whitevanman]

I passed my test on the first attempt in early 1985 in Colchester driving a red MKII Ford Fiesta after only 4 hours of tuition with an ex-skinhead driving instructor named "Paul".

 

 

I'd had quite bit of experience in late 1984 "broadsiding" Land Rovers around various parts of London in the snow, the MT section were pretty slack in securing the Land Rovers in Collie as well and gained similar experience.

 

Funnily enough, I'd also gained a bit of experience, over the years sneaking out my parents cars

 

Still like telling people I passed my test after only 4 hours though

 

 

Hah... you were one of the trouble makers my other had had to deal with.......

[theorganist]

In 1993 in a G reg white Rover Metro 1.0 City X, not a BSM car but a local independant.

 

I can still remember it and would love to own one, one day. I remember it seemed very quiet and smooth to drive and well screwed together, probably if I drove it now it would spoil the illusion!

[drum]

Mine was May 27 in 1986 in a Nissan Cherry

[Pete-M]

Mine was July '88 in a Nissan Cherry SGX. D reg. Same as this I think.

 

 

Learned to drive properly in my mums little, yellow, '80W reg VW Polo... the piddly little 895cc job. Loved that. Every corner was an exercise in maximum momentum conservation. Got it up to 96 mph on the clock once, it never was quite that quick again. Used to average about 26 mpg... Eventually died because it needed sills and a bit of tidying and it wasn't worth keeping. Went through brake pads and tyres like an F1 team. Poor little thing. Faithful though, it survived a good few years of being thrashed up and down the country as my car would often be broken... Eventually replaced by a C plate 1.2 Nova Merit 4 door in faded Mexico red. I think it was Mexico red, something like that. That had similarly bad treatment and survived 70,000 miles of a mix of stop start and maximum attack with minimal servicing. Once again, brake pads and tyres mainly...

[Rocket88]

Bedford RL............in 1975, serving in H.M.Q.'s layabout division. 2 hour test, in a wagon with no power steering, no power brakes, a crash gearbox, and it was snowing.......

[purplebargeken]

Did most of my lessons in a Triumph Dolomite 1300 - Russet Brown, can't recall the year but it may have been an R or S reg one. The examiner then sold it and bought a brand new Nissan Sunny which had the indicators the other way round and was so bloody quiet you couldn't tell if you'd stalled the bugger. Still, I managed to pass my test in it first time and that was in late autumn 1981 when I was 17. Took the test in Widnes, when it was pissing down and at lunchtime when the market was in full swing. Widnes is such a bloody shitehole.

[fotorabia]

I sat in a room with a bunch of Maori kids in Wanganui NZ..had to do a multiple question over n over until we got 100%..then a week later off to the AA to do the same test and got my learners...I then proceeded to teach myself in the Vauxhall Viva No 1 that I had but took it no further..the licence that is...then when I moved to Aussie Nrthrn Terrortries..i was able to transfer my learners...then to get the P plate..all i had to do was drive around the desert devoid of traffic accompanied by a bored policeman in the white Merc 230..after one year the NT P plate becomes fully valid which is in a few weeks...

[eddyramrod]

In 1977 at the age of 18 I started having lessons from a friend of my dad who had a one-man driving school, using a lovely* new Escort 1.1 Popular, WCK 726R. I hated that thing so much that I looked around for a school that had something else - anything else! - and went to BSM for a burgundy Mini (MLK 643P, I think). Just before my first test in April 78 they transferred me to a different instructor as mine was away; the new bloke had a green Escort. Fail. When my instructor came back they gave him a new car: UYM 717S, a Peppermint Green mk1 Fiesta, which I loved to bits. It was everything the Escort wasn't. Second test booked for June: again my instructor was away before it, so they gave me someone else, who fortunately also had a Fiesta, and my man came back in time. In fact his first job on the Monday was my test. So I passed in UYM and therefore remember it fondly.

 

In 1998 I finally had the chance to go for my HGV, so I did the rigid stage in a Volvo FL6 that was about 9 years old. My boss then offered me Class 1, but I procrastinated, wanting to acclimatise to the big rigids first. Then I realised most artics have sleeper cabs, and I didn't want to live in the bugger so I never did it. While we were in Cyprus my HGV lapsed (50th birthday) so I'm back to sub-7.5 tonnes, which is fine.