What Car Did You Pass Your Driver’s Test In?

Having to set an appointment with my wife soon to go and get her Texas Driver's License got me thinking about the machine I took my Driver's Test in way back in 1987 to get my license. The High School I went to didn't have Driver's Education, you had to take it somewhere else-either at another school or through a company. So I waited til I was 18 to get my license. My Uncle Ed was the one who taught me how to drive in an old maroon Buick Regal. That thing was a land yacht for sure--especially to an 18 year old kid who had never before been behind the wheel. It was kind of him to take the time though-and he was always wheeling and dealing (pun intended) with cars; buying used ones that were in bad shape for a few hundred bucks, and totally fixing them up and selling them for big profit.

My Grandma made him promise that he'd give me my first car when I was 18--and not only did he teach me how to drive, but he made good on his word. My very first car was a Ford Mustang. Red. With a sunroof. And I loved it! Taking my driver's test in it was truly as amazing as one might think. And even being 18 years old at the time, I was able to behave and do things correctly in order to pass, instead of showing off and hot rodding. I remember it took a lot of restraint but I just kept my eye on the prize. Nowadays it doesn't seem like today's teenagers are really that excited about driving or having their own car.

My step sons were content to let their friends drive everywhere in their cars and they just tagged along. Not me. I wanted my own wheels. Back then-your own wheels meant freedom. Because we didn't have cell phones and we weren't endlessly connected to the world--so getting behind the wheel was a true one of a kind experience back then and it was just you, the open road and the radio. You never forget your first car or the car you got your license in for the first time. What was yours? Tell Us!