Rascal's Learning to Drive

[ExSurveyor]

Well done Robin, 

[grendel]

well done Robin.

[Maxwellian]

Congratulations 

[ChrisB]

Mazel tov Robin. It will give you freedom and change your life for the better! No more being tied to the Greater Anglia Timetable.

[Jbx5]

Well done Robin you will be spoilt for choose now on places to go enjoy.

I will look out for you in the big 7 series !

John

[Ray]

Congratulations! 

[TheQ]

Congratulations  now you have to watch out for tacking boats cars on the river road it's is getting near Christmas and New year... Hic .

PS you thought you had problems getting boat insurance, wait till you try Car insurance for a new driver...

[Hylander]

8 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

 

"I can say you have passed with one minor"

 

Well done Robin.    When you were not around to tell us the news I assumed you were winging your way to Scotland.   Is that still the plan or will you wait until the better weather next year?      Whatever,  well done, what a good feeling to pass your test,  the world is your Oyster as they say.    No stopping you now.    Are you going to treat yourself to a lovely brand new car?     What exciting times.

[JamesLV]

45 minutes ago, Hylander said:

Well done Robin.    When you were not around to tell us the news I assumed you were winging your way to Scotland.   Is that still the plan or will you wait until the better weather next year?      Whatever,  well done, what a good feeling to pass your test,  the world is your Oyster as they say.    No stopping you now.    Are you going to treat yourself to a lovely brand new car?     What exciting times.

He's already got the car, it's not what perhaps most people would buy as a first car, but then when is Robin ever 'most people' ?

[grendel]

well now you can drive, you can do like I have today - walk 6 miles to get the one socket you need to fix the car, same place twice, once for the tool shop that opened at 7am, then again for halfords opening at 9am.

[Meg]

Hi Robin

Very well done. If you are coming out to Fenland be aware bad roadwork delays around March Isle of Ely way. I think you should now aspire to an Indian motorbike! Back in the day mine was a 150cc Lambretta scooter all chrome, still got the licence but not the good hips needed for a bike!!

[coolcat]

Congratulations Robin. 

Many years of happy motoring await you Sir 

[jeffbroadslover]

Well done Robin !

Have you ordered the blue fendoffs for each corner of the car ?

Jeff

[Jonathan]

Well done Robin.  Great news.

Just cruised passed Independence.  Sitting in Brooms now using their Network!

[KatieR]

1 hour ago, jeffbroadslover said:

Have you ordered the blue fendoffs for each corner of the car 

OMG!!!!!! What a brilliant idea.....

To keep Griff happy, they must be able to be be pulled up for all usual and straightforward journeys, but mandatory deployment for all supermarket car parks should be in place....

What is it with those places? it's like being on the dodgem rink at a fairground...I am always on complete alert if I enter such areas as it seems to draw more than it's fair share of "less spatially aware" drivers....

IMHO obv 

[YnysMon]

Brill post Katiew!

[LondonRascal]

Well, that went better than I had thought it may - despite some busy periods and a few hold ups on the A47 things went really well.  I have added a few customisation's to the car already, including putting bulbs in for the Indicators (costly option on new BMW's hence why so few have working ones).

So the first drive is over and I have discovered there is an issue - car parking. The 'barge' is simple enormous being a long wheel base so bays are too short, it is also so much wider than the little Audi A1 I was learning in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Broads01]

Congratulations Robin. I'm a complete convert to autos, having bought my first one last year after 28 years exclusively in manuals. I would never go back now - autos are so much more suited to modern traffic conditions and such a more relaxed driving experience. 

[KatieR]

Looking very confident there Robin, quiet and smooth, making ground nicely. As long as you stay calm, and take it all one step at a time without rushing then you will be all good! 

[SwanR]

At least having done the A47 you have proved that you can drive in a straight line! And it was a bit cheaper to fill up than Independence!  

[grendel]

9 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

car parking. The 'barge' is simple enormous being a long wheel base so bays are too short

Tell me about it, car parking bays should be a standard 2.4m x 4.8m, this is the standard they should be designed to, many supermarkets amend these sizes to as little as 2.1m x 4m to squeeze as many parking bays as possible in, this leaves little room to open doors and leaves many bigger cars entirely filling a space widthwise, and overhang the ends of the spaces, I know your pain as I drive a volvo estate - these used to be a big car, though even a mini nowadays is taller and nearly as wide and as long (and minis used to be a tiny car).

Quote

from wiki -In the United Kingdom the recommended standard Parking bay size is 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) wide by 4.8 metres (16 ft) long. Recently there has been some controversy about most UK parking spaces being too small to fit modern cars, which have grown significantly since standards were set decades ago.^[7]

^{at 2.05m x 4.71m my volvo should fit into a standard parking bay, but in supermarkets I usually seem to be hanging 0.3m out of a parking bay.}

[eddybear]

Congratulations Robin really pleased for you, I guess you're lucky that the examiner didn't fail you for mucking up the form, Oh well it's all over now happy driving regards Ted

[Maxwellian]

My son borrowed my automatic yesterday for the weekend..... when I got it he called it a go cart! I had to go from North Hampshire to Borehamwood to see CIN. M25 was solid from M3 to A1 and I was in my wife’s manual car. Never again, bring back my go cart. 

My go cart has working indicators. My wife does say I will have to give the BMW back as I keep using them. What I cannot understand is why standards are slipping and the authorities are letting other makes of car use my BMW lane on the Motorway. 

 

[grendel]

it all depends on usage, if I was regularly driving in heavy traffic I would get an automatic, in fact I was seriously considering it when replacing my car recently, but as it happened a manual came up at the right price (under £1000), and I will put up with the queues on the A2 and M25 dartford crossing. for the rest of the trip cruise control works for me.

[TostockTimonier]

Well done Robin, stay safe and enjoy the freedom it will bring