An S3 with a slightly different use

[wideboybloke]

I learnt firstly on a Mk 1 Cortina. Then the Mk 1 Escort was introduced and the driving school bought one so I completed my 12 lessons on that. Test then cost £1 and Dad said he'd pay for the first, but I'd have to pay for any subsequent attempts. There was no need for any, luckily.

 

[Scottk]

My daughter starts lessons in the new year. We are pretty nervous about it! For sure, I will be getting her some extra lessons after she passes as I think it is ludicrous that a newly passed driver can go on a motorway without any previous experience. Don't think we are doing them any favours-it's a scary enough place at the best of times. Must be quite terrifying for a newly passed drive.

 

[Pinky1959]

I learned in my mothers mk3 Cortina the instructor came out in our car .My first car was a mk1 Escort it cost me £350 and I hammered the guts out of it , , I ended up putting it into a garage to get the handbrake adjusted and got a bill for £380 , The mechanic says it was the worst brake system he had seen in 30 years of fixing cars Ive learned to drive off the brakes since ....
I thoroughly agree with what you say re the time the test takes and being ready to drive , I think everyone should do some sort of advanced driving after they have passed the test say 1 years driving then have a year to complete the advanced test .
I thought I was a good safe driver until I did my Ambulance driving course which opened my eyes to what I was doing wrong and gave me a new standard to drive to , Well worth it .
I hope you get the car and you will gets lots of student s . Good luck ....

 

[Jassyo06]

I was learnt to drive,the old fashioned way by slowing one's speed Down, by using one's gearbox First,..then the Anchors...far more efficient....But One still try one's best with S-Tronic...but its a disobedient Hoe...and sometimes....a pain in one's Homey's Knackers...lol

 

[Simon L]

I was learnt to drive,the old fashioned way by slowing one's speed Down, by using one's gearbox First,..then the Anchors...far more efficient....But One still try one's best with S-Tronic...but its a disobedient Hoe...and sometimes....a pain in one's Homey's Knackers...lol

Oh I agree old boy, the ol s-chronic can really grate on one's nads when fast approaching a roundabout with no manual gearing to assist dontcha know dontcha know what what!! lol

 

[Ignition1]

I was learnt to drive,the old fashioned way by slowing one's speed Down, by using one's gearbox First,..then the Anchors...far more efficient....But One still try one's best with S-Tronic...but its a disobedient Hoe...and sometimes....a pain in one's Homey's Knackers...lol

This!

Might just be me but I hate using brakes heavily - because I don't want brake dust making my wheels dirty! Changing down gears probably sounds alright in an S3 but think strangled cat in a 1.4 - hence I don't do it much.

 

[Simon L]

This!

Might just be me but I hate using brakes heavily - because I don't want brake dust making my wheels dirty! Changing down gears probably sounds alright in an S3 but think strangled cat in a 1.4 - hence I don't do it much.

Yeah, very good point mate...................if there's one thing that drives me completely nuts it's the sodding brake dust on the front wheels!!

 

[Ignition1]

Yeah, very good point mate...................if there's one thing that drives me completely nuts it's the sodding brake dust on the front wheels!!

I can't stand it - braking hard - especially when driver in front missed a turning and thinks emergency braking might rewind time. Grrrrr

 

[NVM]

This has to be a first though. Hats of to you for giving the students the oppurtunity... They'll have to wait till 25 to get a decent car these days

 

[driver_tim]

I learnt in a couple of 1.25l Fiestas.

I guess there's probably something to be said for letting new drivers experience a powerful car like an S3 under supervision. It will probably prepare them better for driving faster cars in the future compared to someone who's only driven a stereotypical low power driving school supermini.

 

[S32B]

Peugeot 106 Junior here! Once people know they'd be learning to drive in an S3 your diary will be full

 

[JayDZS*]

There's a driving instructor round by me with a Focus ST currently, it's a strange sight when you see it on the road!! I learnt in a Ford Ka, would love to have learnt in a nice car, let alone a ST or S3!!

 

[Wondering Soul]

There's a driving instructor round by me with a Focus ST currently, it's a strange sight when you see it on the road!! I learnt in a Ford Ka, would love to have learnt in a nice car, let alone a ST or S3!!

I learnt in a new Fiesta 1.6 TDI (2007 model at the time) and enjoyed the experience to be honest. Car was great and really quite responsive when I look back!

Wish I could've learnt in something like an S3!

 

[Ozmosis]

Interesting thread! Nice to see someone with a nice learner's car. I think in today's society it is good that there is the possibility to learn in something with a bit of poke. Need to learn that the accelerator pedal is not an ON/OFF switch!

I do not understand why motorway driving is not part of learning in 2015. Ok I understand that not every town has direct access to a motorway, but surely dual-carriageways with national speed limit are available?

I learned back in 1991, in a beautiful (ahem!) Gold Nissan Micra. I did an intensive course over three full days, after a 1.5 hour assessment to see if I needed a three or five day course. Passed first time. Female driving instructor, very nice lady who was patient and brilliant. Learned clutch control in a multi-storey car park! Drove all the way to the top, reverse parked and then all the way down and out. Worked a treat...

 

[Wondering Soul]

I'm also a believer that motorway driving should be covered. I learnt to drive in Plymouth which has no direct access to an M-road at all. Nearest is the M5 junction at Exeter for us down here. We have a road called the 'Devon Express Way (A38)' which connects various areas to the M5. The road is a major A road dual-carriageway and has between 2 and 3 lanes in each direction depending on your location on the road. It has a fixed 70mph limit almost the entire length (250+ miles I think). However, the majority of traffic on this road near Plymouth City is freight and industrial leaving the city heading to the outskirts of Plymouth. Therefore it is rare when in and around Plymouth that you will see a steady traffic flow at anything above 45 mph on this section. There is a lot of lane changing as exits are very frequent and have little to no slip-way run-in/out either.

I never set foot on this road with my driving instructor at all, despite the fact it is not a 'Motorway'. I had used several 60mph zones that we have locally, but never anything more. Personally I think they need to teach some lane discipline, regardless of the road your on, which seems to lack in some people these days! It's rare I do more than a few hundred miles on the motorway in a year but even the short journeys I have done, the most common occurrence is middle lane hogging.