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I'm not sure' date=' but if you skidded on your emergency stop, would you still be able to pass if you controlled the skid? Just curious, as I've never skidded on an ES.[/quote']

Yes cos I passed in the wet, and started to skid, but controlled it and was given credit by the examiner for it.

I didn't control it first time as I panicked.

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I would use public transport, but where I live there's only a bus every two hours to the nearest town, and they stop running at about 6. Also, it costs about £18 for me to get a taxi home if I'm out, so it's really quite a steep cost. Also, I just want to have passed my test so that I don't have to sit around in the common room all day when I've only got a class first and last at school. Sack that! As soon as I've passed I'll go in, register go to my first class and then I'll be gone! After signing out of course. That means I'll get like an extra 4 hours sleep every day. I can hardly wait!

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I just got an insurance quote for a car I was gonna buy off eBay' date=' 2900 fucking pounds! Can you believe that shit!!! As you're still 17 I'd stick with public transport/cycle.....be another 2 years before I'm even going to think about looking for a quote, let alone buy another car. I love walking miles in sub zero temperatures aswell...:swearing: :swearing: :swearing: :swearing:[/quote']

Are you under 25? if so Norwich union are trialing a pay as you drive insurance scheme, pay 200 quid up front then you only pay insurance for when you drive your car, failing that add a driver that has been driving for years, as the second driver. I got insurance for a R reg rover 400 at 545 with a years ban and 3 points on my licence, just cause i put my mum's name as an additional driver. Also try www.confused.com to search for the best insurance quote.

I have an awful problem as far as driving - I can drive fine' date=' but I'm used to driving my mum's car[/quote']

The porblem with that is when you pass you won't be driving your mum's car forever, hell she probably won't be driving it forever, you have to be competent driving any type of car, they basically are all the same (save automatics, the lazy mans car), if you can drive your mum's car fine you should be able to drive any car as long as you know the little idiosyncracies of the car you are about to drive.

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The porblem with that is when you pass you won't be driving your mum's car forever' date=' hell she probably won't be driving it forever, you have to be competent driving any type of car, they basically are all the same (save automatics, the lazy mans car), if you can drive your mum's car fine you should be able to drive any car as long as you know the little idiosyncracies of the car you are about to drive.[/quote']

Biiiiiiig difference between the clutch on my mum's car and in a pissy little Corsa or whatever though, which is part of the problem. To get used to another car to test standard would likely take as long as starting from scratch - so really, i'd rather not have to pay for howevermany lessons that would take.

That, and I don't like when instructors use the dual controls without reason, like the idiot I had..despite explaining that I have loooads of road experience and don't have an issue with judging traffic/etc, he still insisted on using the controls as if I was, as they say, "a n00b".

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Yeah, I think I can see both points there. When I got my clio I was used to my mum's car, but I got used to it within 20 minutes of driving :)

Although my ex instructor's car was a ford ka and I absolutely hated it. I just thought it was a crap car, the clutch was shit and I hated the instructor.

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It just depends on the person i think, some people can get used to other cars more quickly than others, even thought i haven't been driving for long i have had to get used to a few different cars. I started off driving a Small Transit van, and also driven a pug 206 and megane, and now driving an L200, its good experience if you can drive a few different cars before you pass your test, just incase you have to change cars at short notice before your test as i did. i think alot of people are worried that they cant drive other cars e.g. learnt in a corsa i wont be able to drive any other type of car, you know that frame of mind, not saying it applies to everyone though, alot of people complain about the clutch, my advice is when you get in a new car just sit in it with the engine running in first gear with the handbrake on (obviously) and just lift the clutch up and down until you get a feel for the height of the bit point on the car.

As for instructors using Dual controls, there is nothing you can do to stop them doing that, just hope your instructor only uses them when they need, or as a last resort, during the six months of my learning to drive my instructor only used the dual controls twice, thought that was quite good in my opinion.

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I was also with roadwise, but I got Mike Carrison and he was an asshole. He kept insisting that I needed to book at least 45 lessons, even though I'd done a lot of what was needed after 12. Then when I booked my test, he spent the last 5 weeks I was with him telling me I was a shit driver, to cancel my test and to book more lessons with him. It kinda damaged my confidence.

On the last lesson I had with him, it was in my mum's car (first lesson in my mum's car with the guy, 'cause I told him I didn't want to do my test in his car :p) and as I was coming to the end of my driveway he told me to creep out to see 'cause it's pretty blind. I proceeded to creep out into the path of a fucking tractor. The tractor then proceeded to nuke the front of Ma Smith's shiny punto while old Mikey started yelling with joy, because he had been proved right that I was a shit driver - even though he should have said "stop" or put on the handbrake or something before the tractor hit the car. The guy said stop as the tractor hit instead though. Then when I went inside to get my parents to look at the damage to the car, he started telling them how much I suck at driving and that he didn't understand why I didn't listen to him when he told me to cancel my test as I would surely fail unless I booked 20/30 more lessons. All of this took it's toll on my confidence, of course so that was a bit shit.

But ah well, in the end I sacked him - that lesson was the worst, my mum and dad forced me to finish the rest of the lesson in his car, and I was getting so pissed off because instead of making sure I was alright or trying to calm my extremely shaken nerves, the prick started trying to force me to book all those extra lessons! When I told him that I quite simply wouldn't be able to afford more lessons, he went on a rant about how I was crap and would fail etc, to cancel the test, that the national average for lessons was 45 and how could I expect to pass having had only 17 lessons. I then asked him if the average person drove a lamborghini diablo in their test, which they must be able to afford if they can spend that amount of money on driving lessons. He wasn't too happy about that, but oh well.

Anyway, I went off topic on a bit of a rant there I guess. Uhhh, my advice - if you go with roadwise, don't go with mike carrison. The guy is a dick. A lot of my friends have gone with Graham Coutts and said that he was really good, also Ian Allen is meant to be a good instructor. Oh, and Coutts drives a 1.8 Turbo Diesel Focus, and from what I've heard he doesn't mind if his students put their foot down a bit so I guess that would be good banter.

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My instructor is Dave Watson - owner of Roadwise.

He is awesome!

Makes everything so easy, doesn't knock your confidence. Teaches everything so well - the way it should all be done.

He said I was ready for my test after 16 hours (having never driven before starting lessons, and also - to this day - having never driven outwith the lessons) so he must be doing it right!

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I would suggest Roadwise. I had a guy called Mark Donald and he was a dude....he also likes Eric Euan lol.

I had Mark Donald when he was at BSM. You're right, he is a "dude". A really nice friendly guy who struck an honest balance between confidence-building praise and criticism when it was due. Never lost the rag or went a bit weird like a lot of instructors seem to, according to this thread. He likes the Ramones, too.

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Speaking of driving... I did some lessons and sat my test (and yes' date=' failed... but only ever my like one minor Grrrr) a few times a whiley ago, I don't reckon it'd take me long to get back into it. I'm looking to do one of those intensive weeks of lessons and then sit my test at the end of it.

Does anyone know anywhere that's good for this? I'm looking to do it in the summer and probably with a company based in the city as driving in very heavy traffic is what scares me most and what I need to work on.

Any suggestions?[/quote']

My friend tried the intensive week driving course. Sat her test at the end of it: 2 majors and 18 minors.

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Me too!

I had Mark Donald when he was at BSM. You're right' date=' he is a "dude". A really nice friendly guy who struck an honest balance between confidence-building praise and criticism when it was due. Never lost the rag or went a bit weird like a lot of instructors seem to, according to this thread. He likes the Ramones, too.[/quote']

I had Mark too! He was awesome. I could drive well but just couldn't relax enough to get into the swing of it. Mark suggested one day that we pop an old eighties mix tape of his onto the stereo. We shot the shit about music for a while and before I knew it I'd totally chilled.

Good to hear he's still playing that eric euan cd I gave him.

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  • 3 weeks later...
I passed 1st time round 2 weeks ago with 7 minors' date=' I didn't see what the fuss about tbh..was fairly easy

what the test does not prepare you for is how to deal with elderly drivers...scary bastards

im thinking of pass plus soon, anyone got the info on prices? duration?[/quote']

not completley sure. think it could be 45 per "module" of it (i really have no idea how it works).

however, i DO know that if you qualify as a young driver, below 21 i think it is, you can apply for a grant to help you along. think it goes from 45-60. just incase you didnt already know that like.

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I passed 1st time round 2 weeks ago with 7 minors, I didn't see what the fuss about tbh..was fairly easy

The fuss has to be the boy racers that cut you up at roundabouts by launching through them at 60mph when you're already half way through :swearing:

2 minors otherwise so I was doing well. Still pissed off that I was failed for him cutting me up (he went through after I had went btw).

Regarding Pass Plus -

Roadwise do it. I don't know if anyone can do it or just people that learnt with Roadwise or whatever, but it's 185 and then the grant is 45 so it ends up at 140. This is more expensive than some others (I think) but has the element of skid testing included too. :up:

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