KEF

a fwd jag?

apart from the new X type I wasn't aware of there being such a thing, what model was it?

NoVa

sorry didnt mean to put fwd. it's a xj6. Its very comfortable, but i like to hear the engine.

cueball

I might be able to give a little insight, being a farily new driver. The very first time I drove a car was in a parking lot with my dads escort. That car was crappy. You could barley tell what gear you were shifting into because the stick was so worn out. When I got my permit I drove my moms minivan at first because I was hesitant to drive a stick on the road my first time out. After getting comfortable with driving in general I started driving my dads Elantra. As crapping as it sounds it was like a dream driving a little car with a manual instead of a minivan. Right now I am driving a 95 GTI while my sister is in Spain.

What I am trying to say out of all of this is that gradually stepping up in cars is a great way to learn. I still can get some enjoyment out of driving a civic. All I have to do is think about driving a minivan and it suddenly seems like I am in a sports car.

jtimbck2

Let me tell you a true story.

It was a dark and stormy night...wait, I'm not to that part yet.

Way back in '96, a friend of mine named Peter bought a brand new Integra with a 5-speed manual transmission. This guy had never driven a car at all (didn't have a license) until 6 weeks before he bought it (he grew up in the DC area and always took the Metro). Peter was 20 years old at the time.

I test drove the car for him before he bought it since he didn't have a license yet (talk about a weird scene, me in the driver's seat, the salesman in the passenger seat, Peter in the back. Anyway, he decided to buy it a couple days later. Another friend drove him to the dealership, stopping by the DMV on the way to get his driver's license!

Peter drove his new car home without too much incident (other than stalling, then spinning out after stopping at a stop sign on a hill, that kind of thing).

Later that SAME evening....

It was a dark and stormy night. Peter attempted to parallel-park his new car (remember, he just got his license, learned to drive stick, and bought his first car THAT DAY). He did $1500 damage to his car and $600 to the car he hit while trying to parallel park. His insurance went immediately from something like $1600/year to $2400/year.

What's my point? I don't know. But it seemed appropriate to this thread.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Peter's still driving that same '96 Integra (9 years later). He's only washed it maybe 10 times the entire time he's owned it. This car *used to be* white.