My daughter turns 16 in 3 months and I have been avoiding taking her out on practice sessions in my new 550. But the weather was nice this weekend (no snow or rain) so I finally gave in and let her take the wheel for a couple of sessions on Saturday and Sunday.

I didn't have anything to fear. As much as I always focus on the performance side of the 550, this car is so effortless to drive easy - she looked like she has been drving for years.

She loved the direct steering response ("It's sooo easy to steer, Dad"). And she thought the turn signal is cool. It took her just one stop to figure out that the brakes are really good ... not like having to make reservations ahead of time for stop lights as in the Volvo XC90.

Her favorite thing is the HUD. I didn't have to remind her once to watch her speed.

Man oh man, is she spoiled! I learned to drive in a Ford Pinto with a stick shift.

EDIT: See this POST for the cars we all learned to drive in.

 

great for her ! i take my course on a 350000km lada 2100 (43bhp)

 

Congratulations to your daughter on learning to drive. I am sure you felt good about how well it went. And, I am sure, or at least hopeful, that she will be more reserved than we 50's guys were.

Your post took me back to when I learned to drive. I learned when I was 12 or 13 on my grandmother's 1938 Chevrolet--in the tiny town of Franklin, Texas. That was an experience. The car had a manual choke, floor shift, and a starter-tube thing on the floor. In an emergency, it could be started with a crank as I recall. Around the same time, I moved on to my Uncle's 1951 or 1952 Chevrolet. I got my license in Houston the day I turned 14 and was off and running. A few years later, we bought our 1956 Buick Century--8.9 to 60. That car, with my expert help, almost killed me a few times. The main problem in those days was that many cars brakes would go away completely if one had to slow quickly from 80 or 90 mph or so. And, boys will be boys. I think I'll quit while I am ahead here.

 

Can you be my dad too

 

What kind of car are you going to buy for your daughter once she got her license???

 

M5. Everything is better overall and so it must be safer too.

 

Bless her.. she's so lucky!

 

i really disagree with this teaching approch .. i learnt to drive in an x5 and after that i felt i re-learnt how to drive when i drove the toyota corola i felt liek all sort of weird experinces including understrear, overstrear and all sorts of weird things .. i am 19 btw so it wasent to long when i learning how to drive .. i suggest u teach her in a mid grade car .. its always easy to upgrade but not downgrade

 

Congratulations to your daughter on learning to drive. I am sure you felt good about how well it went. And, I am sure, or at least hopeful, that she will be more reserved than we 50's guys were.

Your post took me back to when I learned to drive. I learned when I was 12 or 13 on my grandmother's 1938 Chevrolet--in the tiny town of Franklin, Texas. That was an experience. The car had a manual choke, floor shift, and a starter-tube thing on the floor. In an emergency, it could be started with a crank as I recall. Around the same time, I moved on to my Uncle's 1951 or 1952 Chevrolet. I got my license in Houston the day I turned 14 and was off and running. A few years later, we bought our 1956 Buick Century--8.9 to 60. That car, with my expert help, almost killed me a few times. The main problem in those days was that many cars brakes would go away completely if one had to slow quickly from 80 or 90 mph or so. And, boys will be boys. I think I'll quit while I am ahead here.
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Znod, did you ever drive the truck with 3 speed on the column. That's my favorite. I learned to drive with an Olds Delta 88, and parallel parking passed.

 

Agree! I learn to drive on a 89 Corolla and a 88 Taurus. Boy those two cars were a bunch of fun but you have to do everything yourself on those cars as ABS wasn't even heard of back in those days unless you were in the owner's circle of the MB SE class. Then I took my manual lesson on a 96 Jetta and I am glad I did because now I jump into most manual car and I know how to drive them as the manual cars nowadays are so easy to drive.