Learning To Drive - Lessons VS Cheap Car?

Hey all,

I realise there is a learning forum, but I reckon that anyone visiting that forum is either currently learning, planning on learning, or has very recently stopped learning. I imagine the vast majority of users here are experience or qualified (? not sure what word to use there!) drivers.


So I just thought I'd throw out a question for ye guys. I'm 23, have no interest in learning to drive, never really had, but plan to learn to drive very soon, as I reckon that it's only going to become more and more expensive as time passes by.

I got my learner permit before the new regulations came in (so legally I don't need to have any lessons by an ADI).


Now, on to my question;

I reckon I'll pay about €250 to €300 euro for ten lessons with an ADI. There is no doubt these lessons will be greatly informative. However, i have no car to practice with between lessons, so I fear that anything I learn will ultimately be forgotten, and i'll waste three or four lessons learning things that, had I a car to practice in, i could competently learn in one or two lessons.


I mooched about Carzone, and I could pick up an old car for less than €500. There's an empty open area near my house that I could practice in that would be safe. My brother could give me informal lessons and I could go from there. As I'm not the most enthusiastic about learning to drive, having my own practice car, means i could use it when I feel in the humour for it, and when I am not in the mood, it could sit and rot away, and I wouldn't have missed a lesson or such.


So I'm wondering, what would ye guys recommend yourselves? I'm very much swaying towards the crappy-car-until-I-learn option, but I'm not sure if there's anything obvious that I'm overlooking here or not.

just thought I'd ask for other people's opinions on it. Apologies if this has been asked before.

Anan1

Wait until you can afford to do it properly. It might get a bit more expensive as time passes, but you'll have more money too.

Alanstrainor

Get lessons.

You might get some benefit out of the open area near you at the very beginning, to learn how to start off, and practising clutch control etc. But after that it will be very little use to you.

If you wanted a car to drive on the main roads, you need insurance, tax, valid NCT and money to fuel and maintain the car. That would bring the cost up to thousands very quickly if you are just starting off.

Alanstrainor

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Get lessons.

You might get some benefit out of the open area near you at the very beginning, to learn how to start off, and practising clutch control etc. But after that it will be very little use to you.

If you wanted a car to drive on the main roads, you need insurance, tax, valid NCT and money to fuel and maintain the car. That would bring the cost up to thousands very quickly if you are just starting off.

Valid points, but the thing is; I don't really see myself doing much real-life driving (ie; going to and from places in a car).

I tend to cycle everywhere, which I don't mind at all. I'm unemployed and in a bit of debt (nothing too major, though, thankfully), so it'd be quite some time before I could afford tax, insurance, etc... I'd really need to be working, first.

I'm really just looking to get to grips with a car, driving it, getting familiar with moving around the place and such, with the intent to just passing the driving test (though I would do a pre-test with an instructor, regardless of which way I go with my current decision).

thom119

If i was in your position i'd wait until you have the money and do it properly. Get lessons and a crappy car to learn in.
I found my first few lessons invaluable in learning basic things from the instructor and helped my confidence a lot. Then when I felt I was able to I went out on my own in my car which helped a lot too

As you said there's no NEED for you to get a car, so give it a while until you can really afford it.

Alanstrainor

Deleted User wrote: »

Valid points, but the thing is; I don't really see myself doing much real-life driving (ie; going to and from places in a car).

I tend to cycle everywhere, which I don't mind at all. I'm unemployed and in a bit of debt (nothing too major, though, thankfully), so it'd be quite some time before I could afford tax, insurance, etc... I'd really need to be working, first.

I'm really just looking to get to grips with a car, driving it, getting familiar with moving around the place and such, with the intent to just passing the driving test (though I would do a pre-test with an instructor, regardless of which way I go with my current decision).

If it's just a case of learning to drive, i would just start to get some lessons. You'd learn a lot in ten lessons. Then apply for a test, and on the run up to it do some more lessons and give it your best shot. I know plenty of people who have done this and passed. It's not the easiest way, but it is certainly possible.

Buying a car for 500, that could potentially just be let rot outside your house, is a lot of money to burn. It would pay for your lessons, test with change left over.

Del2005

Deleted User wrote: »

I mooched about Carzone, and I could pick up an old car for less than €500. There's an empty open area near my house that I could practice in that would be safe. My brother could give me informal lessons and I could go from there. As I'm not the most enthusiastic about learning to drive, having my own practice car, means i could use it when I feel in the humour for it, and when I am not in the mood, it could sit and rot away, and I wouldn't have missed a lesson or such.

Silly idea. How will you get the car to this place and how do you access this place? Once it touches a public place it needs tax, NCT and insurance.

Unless it's your own field with totally secure access it's considered a public place.

So to drive you're €500 car you'll need to get insurance, not cheap for a 23yo Male, tax and get it to pass an NCT. And then hope that when the mood takes you there's someone else with a full car licence is also in the mood.

€500 on lessons will stand you much better then a field car in the long term.

Get a bunch of lessons and apply for your test ASAP. Once you pass the test you can still get lessons from an ADI to keep your skills up and you'll be better off then buying a field car.