62 replies to this topic

[E.L.M.O]

The fact is that 90% of young men think they are good at both driving and sex. Both need experience.

PMSL And both can involve putting your stick in the wrong hole if your inexperienced!!!!

If you need experience, buy an A8...bit of go and a decent size rear seat!!!!!

yeah........ but the back seat doesnt go down because its a alloy space framed motor the rear seat is structural, Plus the audis seats are half leather, half alcantara (which isnt easy to get stains out of! so you might be better off with a Honda accord?!! (pretty sure it was an accord right?!)

yeah I wouldn't like the thought of a 17yr old in a 4.2 V8 A8. Plus its auto and I think its best for people to rack up experience in a manual car.
I worried when Hanna first started to drive it. But she took to it well, which is good because shes generally the exception to the rule as she is still fairly young when it comes to driving age, but had covered a fair few miles in her short driving history due to her parents living a fair distance away and her diving back and forth a lot when she first started driving, its racked up a fair bit of experience for her.

[mattdc2r]

think another major factor in youngsters having accidents, is how much time they spend in their cars. They may not. Over as much milage as your average sales rep, but much of what they do cover is spent in and around town centres lapping or driving like lunatics on backroads in a bid to beat their mate in his 1.1 Saxo wiv da big bore zorst and d massif rims from halfuds isn't it.

I agree that new drivers should be restricted to what they can drive, just like motorbikes. Seems backwards that bikes are restricted, when generally the rider is only a danger to themself, but cars carry passengers and are likely to cause more damage when driven into something (like a bus stop).
Only mention the bus stopas here in Staffordshire about 15 years ago, a young Asian lad killed several people who were at the bus stop. Think he was 18 and driving a Porsche that mummy and daddy has bought him.

Edited by mattdc2r, 07 February 2011 - 06:31 PM.

[Darkscamp]

This is my take on it, regardless of age;



A GOOD driver can admit that they are always learning and drive accordingly with what they have learnt.


A BAD driver already knows everything about driving.

[maryquant]

Just adding my 2p worth.

I passed at 21, since then I have done Pass Plus, 15 double lessons after I passed my test, IAM courses, Skid Pan hours and even a training week in evasive, defensive and protective driving (dont ask lol) I have a part time job driving people and cover around 500 miles a week through work.

A few weeks ago during the bad weather I lost control at 20mph pulling away from my house, tried to avoid hitting a parked car and in turn did a bonnet plant into a wall and a face plant into the steering wheel.

If I was to say that I was a better driver it would be because I concentrate on the road as much as I can with as few distractions as possible, have good observation skills and judgement with distances - but nothing prepares you for the unexpected.

A 17year old can be a better driver the moment he walks away from the test centre than say a 80 year old who wont admit that his reaction times have been affected by his age. Even so, no driver is invincible, no car is perfect and no one can predict the unfortunate events. The faster the car, the more risk is introduced and the more learning needs to be undertaken - no matter how "good" you are.

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."

[MateyTheMini]

For a first car!?

It's too big for a first car, need to start off small and work your way upto large cars!

[bobs]

When I was lucky enough to even have a car not full of rust and dents at 17 i'd still be careful with it!

If on the other hand I had that spanky new Jag at 17, I'd cruise around at 20mph so everyone could see me! vain? yep, I'm 17 again.

Besides, I don't like the colour.

[minibarnerz]

i passed my test on 1st attempt at 17, i thaught i was the best driver, i drove staedy and sensible, only overtook where safe to do so and never messed around.

i have now been driving for nearly 10 years. looking back, i drove faster than i should, was quite poor at driving, did stupid things and overtook in places i would NEVER do now, even tho my car has twice the power of my 1st car....

no one at 17, 18 or anyone who has just passed thier test is going to be safe to drive a car with that much power.
and i agree something needs to be done to stop the deaths cused by young inexperienced drivers on the road.

i was one of the fortunate ones, never injured myself or anyone else.

[starletman]

its only a mondeo really isnt it......and their values go down faster than a Taiwanese lady boy..........Mr Clarkson told me........


at least the minis go up in value

No
The x type uses a mondeo floor pan and running gear both the mondeo and the x type are fwd bar the 3.0 petrol thats awd, the xf is a different animal it replaces the s type and uses the v8 petrol or v6 twin turbo diesel that originally came out in the s type, and 25k??? you will be lucky to get change from 32k for a base model new although it will only be worth half that in 3 years.

Give me a series 3 xj6 or xj12 any day.

[M44K TS]

Too much power for a 21 year old.

Not the case of too much power, more like driving like an idiot.

I had a 225bhp* Volvo 850 T5 when I was 19, nothing bad ever happened when I was driving that.

(*with the boost whacked right up to the fuel cut, 12/14psi so 250bhp?)

[GTIAlex06]

alright for a 71 year old....hardly a 17 year old.

[Burnard]

Have to say (as a young driver) that i agree with pretty much everything that has already been said.


The thing about company car insurance is its more the company who sets the age limit, not the insurance.

The company my dad works for set a minimum 25 age limit on their cars however...

About 4 months after i had passed my test they allowed me to drive the car whilst on holiday.

This was driving a 2.2 turbo diesel Honda accord estate, which is a HUGE car, with big over hangs from the wheels, especially compared to what most 17 year olds have, and is also quite a bit more powerful.

I was driving this on roads i had never driven before, in Scottish weather, as you can imagine, not that predictable.


Needless to say, i didn't crash it because i knew all of that, and was aware of the fact that it is dangerous, and high risk in a car im not used to.



I may have passed my test with only 14hours of on road tuition and been the third person to ever complete black level training at brooklands, having completed near enough 40hours of training with an instructor, both on track and road (before and after my test), I know it gives me a huge advantage when it comes to car control when compared to most 17/18year olds.
But it does not mean i drive like an idiot, it means i know what it is like when the car lets go, and what the surfaces feel like before i get into a situation when it does let go, and to be honest, i don't want to be sliding sideways on the road because i could easily wreck the car i have put so much time into, and also get into a serious amount of trouble for it. I just save it for when i get a chance to go on the track.

I genuinely think everyone should do advanced training of this sort because it is really useful on the road.


Chris

[oli8925]

A GOOD driver can admit that they are always learning and drive accordingly with what they have learnt.


A BAD driver already knows everything about driving.

Aye! I've found the people that think they are a really good driver will be overly cocky and stack it before others do. As far as young drivers go, I think everyone is guilty of being too cocky about their skills to some degree and as such most drivers will have an accident or two and learn from it and realise they are not experienced or good enough to be driving everywhere full throttle. Myself included in that, now I'm 21 I can see how much of an arse I was at times and how much I still have to learn.

With reference to the 17 year old that does oval racing, driving on the road is about so many more things than car control and simply can not be compared to circuit racing, and it does take experience to see that. You may be a very capable driver when it comes to car control and many other skills, but with an overly cocky attitude like that it really wouldn't surprise me if you've had an accident where you were at fault by the time you're 19 or earlier. In the grand scheme of things you are still at the bottom of the driving ladder and you can't under-estimate on-road experience. Hopefully you will learn this for your sake as many of us have had to, as someone said some people go through life thinking they are a driving god and are a danger on the roads

[the_r_sole]

the only experience i have had of a young guy that had done an advanced drivers course, was the boy that drove into the back of me because he was going too fast in the snow and failed to see the brake lights and hazards on the two cars stopped at the edge of the road!!
the first thing he mentioned when looking at the crumpled rear of my car was "i'm even an advanced driver" i pointed out that this hadn't stopped him driving his audi into the back of me!
turns out the boy was driving an audi s4 that his dad had provided for him, i'd say he was 20 at the oldest - but don't think it's only age related, i know some really cocky 30 year olds too!!

[lapider]

to be honest most people are not going to like the fact that this juys got a jag at 17 because they the average person had a powerless mini as there first car and probbily wont be able to afford a car like that till there 50s. i bought a mini about two years ago i paid for insurance and the car for it is my car my dad paid for tax and mot but it is me that has to sort out the tax and mot every year. its a 998 so i cant go very fast but i have learnt some valuble lessons in driving that arnt coverd on a test from my mini EG how to emergancy brake without locking up the wheels (my instructors car had abs) how to temporerily fix a car with no ligts on the side of the motorway at night whilst its tipping it down. my frends got a brand new fiat 500 and says that he jelouse of me for driving a car that is completley my own. to be honest if i saw that guy in a jag id think nice car but i wouldnt stare at it cause thats what they want theres a guy near me whos 18 and has a white aston martin vanquish, yeah i think its cool but im never going to show him i think its cool.

[Sam Walters]

to be honest most people are not going to like the fact that this juys got a jag at 17 because they the average person had a powerless mini as there first car and probbily wont be able to afford a car like that till there 50s. i bought a mini about two years ago i paid for insurance and the car for it is my car my dad paid for tax and mot but it is me that has to sort out the tax and mot every year. its a 998 so i cant go very fast but i have learnt some valuble lessons in driving that arnt coverd on a test from my mini EG how to emergancy brake without locking up the wheels (my instructors car had abs) how to temporerily fix a car with no ligts on the side of the motorway at night whilst its tipping it down. my frends got a brand new fiat 500 and says that he jelouse of me for driving a car that is completley my own. to be honest if i saw that guy in a jag id think nice car but i wouldnt stare at it cause thats what they want theres a guy near me whos 18 and has a white aston martin vanquish, yeah i think its cool but im never going to show him i think its cool.

Mine wasnt, i would honestly say though, i would that mini over the car in this thread.

Only luxury car that does it for me at the moment is the BMW 135i saloon. Gut metal with a red leather interior.

Edited by Sam Walters, 23 February 2011 - 01:37 PM.