Teaching my 15YO to drive my A

eagle

eagle

Well-known member
Took my 15 year old with her learner's permit out last night for some "stick shift" lessons. She did really well, went to a restaurant a few miles away and had dinner, it was dark when we were done so I drove home. Took her about three stop/go times to start getting the feel for the clutch engagement. I told her to just wait between gears, and she had no problem with shifting. I think a lot of the time kids get a bad rap but if parents/grandparents were more willing to spend time teaching them they'd love to learn.
 

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Over here, a young person is able to get a learner's permit at 16. My grandson is 16 1/2, has his permit but hasn't spent any time behind the wheel of any car. He is not alone. Many younger people are not bothering to learn to drive at all and that is not good for the old car movement, IMO. Never the less, Good on you eagle and learner daughter
 
Gene F said:
Good for you. My local chapter had an event where the ladies were taught to drive the A.
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There are a couple of regular events held here especially for women to drive. Our club also runs an annual event called the B40 rally. Drivers must be under 40 years old and the cars not later than 1940. Both are hugely popular and are being copied interstate.
 
Both of my daughters had to be able to drive my A before they could do anything else. They both like to tell people they learned to drive in a Model A. They are 37 and 40 now.
 
I live on a farm where we use to raise Clydesdale horses, the horses are gone (getting to old to do the chores) but the Model As are still here. I always start the kids driving when they are 8 years old. When we had the clydes I needed someone to drive the tractor while I pitched the hay bales on the wagon, that's where my son first learned to drive. The two grand kids, now 11 and 15 started early also. My 15 yr old adopted my '29 Coupe at 8 and the first thing I did was teach him to drive it around the farm. The 11 year old fell for my '29 CCPU when he was 7 so he was a bit ahead of his brother. I started him on a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee that has been his to drive, since he was 7, when he got that down safely I had his 12 year old brother teach him how to drive the '29 CCPU when he was 8. We run autocross and track days with the SCCA (Miata, Mustangs and 1st Gen RX7) and usually take one of our race prepped vehicles in our enclosed trailer. The grand kids drive them both in and out and have been for years. We have all had a great time doing this and have never scratched a fender...
 
Good for you eagle. I let my 15 year old great grandson who has his learners permit drive my modern car with me in it. He wants to drive my '28 roadster and I'll let him soon. He is the only one in my family who interested in my old Fords and helps me working on them. I plan to give him the '28 some day.
 
As a teacher, I can absolutely confirm a lot of the issues with teenagers could be solved if parents were simply willing to spend time with their children. Good job.
 
Methinks it's better for the youngsters to learn to drive w/a standard transmission before learning w/an automatic transmission, makes an easier transition. That's the way both my kids learnt.
 
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I always enjoy watching Jack Bahm (RIP) teaching young people how to drive the Model A.. my grand-daughter started with the Model A at 15, really priceless memories.!
 
That's the way to do it.
When our Daughter graduated High school we did not have the Model A, but we did let her take our '57 Chevy, she was quite popular, heard she was doing burn-outs and doughnuts in the parking lot.
Yep...she takes after her Dad
 

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Synchro909 said:
Over here, a young person is able to get a learner's permit at 16. My grandson is 16 1/2, has his permit but hasn't spent any time behind the wheel of any car. He is not alone. Many younger people are not bothering to learn to drive at all and that is not good for the old car movement, IMO. Never the less, Good on you eagle and learner daughter
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Lots of kids here who are eligible to learn to drive at 16 don't do it. When I were a lad, it was 15 years 8 months and 1 day (where they got that I'll never know) but I was camped on the courthouse steps the night before waiting for them to open so I could get my learner's permit.

As far as I'm concerned, if a kid doesn't have a need for a car because he has access to public transportation, or rides his bicycle, whatever, that's fine. But if he's not learning to drive because he can just whistle or wave his royal hand, and his parents leap to attention and say "Sala'am, sahib!" and take him wherever he wants, that's pitiful all around.

Lannis
 
My father gave me his 1930 5 window before he passed...It hadn't been running for 30 years and my 3 kids remembered dad taking them for rides and they all were in the rumble seat...I got it running on my mothers 84th birthday (she has Alzhimers) and we went for a ride around the block...Mom remembered the good times she and dad had in the car...A couple years later my 10 year old granddaughter drove it down my driveway...I had to take the seat out to have enough room to have her sit on my lap and turn the steering wheel...She had "Bumpa's" cap on driving the car...I have been working through mechanical issues one by one and the car will be Payton's when she is old enough to drive it and I put her name on the registration as a co owner in case of my early demise...Payton will be the 4th generation to enjoy the car so I understand very well the pride you felt in the original post...
 
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