Brum Brum Lessons.

[Doomy]

Right im 26, working with my GF's dad as a supervisor welder and hes taking the piss out of me and her paywise, and every other person in his factory because he can. I want to get a new job and with a driving license all will be well, i can earn much much more elsewhere and only 15 miles away. I need to drive there because there is no actual public transport at the times i need.

So this is pretty urgent, i havent taken a single driving lesson ever in my life, (apart from when i took my mates car around the ASDA carpark and hammered his front left wheel to pieces, incidentally when this happened i was allegedly hammering some guys skull in with a hammer in Kettering so im glad i did it, 4 witnesses, +the 1000 people at the night club i was working at just prior to it).

I want to learn in a week, i know the intensive week courses are supposed to be ok, i was just wondering if anyone had or is doing one of these. I have to wait a few weeks for the credit card to clear to 0 and then ill whack £500 on it for that very reson but if anyone has any suggestions as to who/why i should do this let me know please.

 

[Will]

15 miles...you could cycle.

 

[Doomy]

15 miles...you could cycle.

Not proud of this, but yes you are right, i could easily (cough) ride 15 miles to and from work every day. Thing is in my mates BMW M5 hes hit 150 mph with me in it which is great and all that (bad aswell, havent let him again) but every other twat drives at that speed. And its a LOT of hills.

 

[Deadmanwalking]

Intensive courses are shit.

They really are. Their is soo much more to driving then the technical, learn what to do when side of it. Road sense can't be taught only gained with experience.

Do it the normal way.

 

[Clown]

You can still gain experience on your own.

 

[Will]

Not proud of this, but yes you are right, i could easily (cough) ride 15 miles to and from work every day. Thing is in my mates BMW M5 hes hit 150 mph with me in it which is great and all that (bad aswell, havent let him again) but every other twat drives at that speed. And its a LOT of hills.

I have to admit, my daily cycle is only 6 miles each way. But you'd be amazed how quickly your body gets used to anything you do regularly.

And if you have cycling as an option, then you are not held back by the lack of driving license any more, you can get the new job, and learn to drive the old-fashioned way if you want to.

 

[Clown]

Motorbike! It's cheaper and stuff.

 

[Doomy]

Surely the 30+hrs they give you is far more beneficial than the occasional hour once a week?

 

[Doomy]

I have to admit, my daily cycle is only 6 miles each way. But you'd be amazed how quickly your body gets used to anything you do regularly.

And if you have cycling as an option, then you are not held back by the lack of driving license any more, you can get the new job, and learn to drive the old-fashioned way if you want to.

Yeah im sure after a few years that would be the case. Unfortunately my kind of position is greatly enhanced with a driving license. I have been so stubborn about not wanting to go out on the roads in a car but its getting to the point in my career that im just shooting myself in the foot not having one.

 

[Deadmanwalking]

Surely the 30+hrs they give you is far more beneficial than the occasional hour once a week?

I have 2 hours a week and i did have 3 hours a week at the start.

The rest is all practice with my rents/friends. And most of the lessons are just him telling me what i am doing wrong in terms of picking up faults etc. And the practice, in a much safer environment.

If you only have a few hours a week with the instructor after the first 2 weeks or so you can go out with a friend/family member and just get the hours of practice needed in.

Oh and clown, no you can't as until you pass you need someone with you over 21 full license etc etc. And you won't pass without the practice. Or the road sense.

 

[Whipped]

Last time I talked to BSM (Last November) they had stopped doing intensifve courses. The most the can offer is as many lessons a week as the instructor can manage. I had one lesson and he was ready to put me in for my test. Really should have that second lesson now

 

[Stimpy]

You can pass in a week on one of those intensive driving courses and if it's urgent it really is the only way to do it, one problem though once you have passed you will be a really shit driver only with a license, doing it 2 or so hours a week is the best way, having 8 hours of lessons a day you just can't take it all in. I have 2 friends one who did an intensive course passed and then two weeks later wrote off his dads Golf, have another friend who did the same thing in the army, I went in a car with him when he came home on leave, never been in one with him again (I like living).
When my friend went on his course they had a pass or we will refund you all your money policy (dunno if these courses still do that) I mean how dodgy is that, they must have their own examiners or something to have a policy like that.

 

[venus]

im with stimpy on this one....my ex bf did an week intensive motorbike course passed his test and about two weeks later he wreaked the bike. Although he had passed his test his road sense was crap. I know that one-two hours a week seems bollucks (when you could just do it all in a week )but it does pay off in the long run. You will be a more experianced driver and you will be well used to the other idiots on the road.

Personally i would advise that you learn by doing it the old way: take the once or twice a week lessons and practice loads.

 

[Doomy]

I dont have the time. I need more money, i need a new job and i need to get out of where i am. There really is no option here, my work is trashing my relationship with my GF, working with family should have its perks, i have now learnt that this is utter bullshit (at least in my case).

I am scared of the roads, im never gonna drive like a loon, town i live is fairly safe road/idiot/boyracer free and i just need to get my ass in gear.

AND i can get the gold medal with the gt1 toyota in monaca on GT3. Pffft.

 

[JBP|]

right i passed my test with an intensive course(2 hours a day for 10 days), i dont think youll do it as fast as you would like

here are the easy steps i took

1] pass your theory test (do this before yo do anything else)
2] arrange a 2 hour trial lesson with the instructor of your choice
(tell him what you want to achieve and he should be able to tell you within reason how many hours lessons you really need)
3]book your practical driving test (there is usually a longer wait in the summer than in the winter)
4]go back to the driving instructor and book up your lessons (your last lesson should end about 15 mins before your test, giving yourself time to compose yourself or have a few quick ciggies)

i passed first time btw and have not had a crash in 6 years of driving

 

[venus]

I dont have the time. I need more money, i need a new job and i need to get out of where i am. There really is no option here, my work is trashing my relationship with my GF, working with family should have its perks, i have now learnt that this is utter bullshit (at least in my case).

I am scared of the roads, im never gonna drive like a loon, town i live is fairly safe road/idiot/boyracer free and i just need to get my ass in gear.

AND i can get the gold medal with the gt1 toyota in monaca on GT3. Pffft.

The only thing is that there is normally a very long wait for the practical test. Im not sure how they do it for intensive courses but normally there can be up to a 8 week wait for a test

 

[Deadmanwalking]

It's a 12 week wait down here (Brighton).

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Aye, for tests they're massively in demand: and they keep responding to the huge demand by closing more and more of the centres down. Woo!

 

[Catsby]

Catsby recommends the MOPED option, which appears to have been overlooked.

Catsby believes they are like fat birds. Everyone wants to ride one, but doesn't want their mates seeing them on it....

 

[Stimpy]

A friend has his test this coming saturday he's waited 9 weeks for it, it's not even the closest test centre for him either he going to a test centre an hours drive away because the closest one had a 13 week wait, apparently they have just added two extra test times in the last couple of weeks though, one at something like 7.44am and one at 6.44pm or thereabouts.

 

[DaGaffer]

Catsby recommends the MOPED option, which appears to have been overlooked.

Catsby believes they are like fat birds. Everyone wants to ride one, but doesn't want their mates seeing them on it....

Catsby makes a sensible point. Get a scooter or a 125 and you can be on the road with one day's CBT. Then you'll have wheels to get to your new job, and have the leisure to take your driving lessons the more conventional way. Plus, riding a bike gives you more road sense than riding a car alone ever will.

 

[Doomy]

Catsby recommends the MOPED option, which appears to have been overlooked.

Catsby believes they are like fat birds. Everyone wants to ride one, but doesn't want their mates seeing them on it....

Thats actually a good idea tho thinking a little bit more its more or less the same as a bike on a big dual carriageway. Its not something i fancy much.

 

[~Yuckfou~]

Thats actually a good idea tho thinking a little bit more its more or less the same as a bike on a big dual carriageway. Its not something i fancy much.

Don't use Dual Carriageways then. B roads are much more fun on 2 wheels.

 

[Doomy]

Ill look into it. I am afraid of 2 wheel transport where other road users are concerned. Its a really good idea and hadnt really crossed my mind as car (read: old banger) seemed like the safest/cheapest/obvious solution.

Now point me at some kickin rad mopeds!

Actually, a car is STILL the most sensible solution as a driving llicense in my filed of work is pretty much necessary when it comes to getting bigger, better pay. But as a stopgap......

 

[Deadmanwalking]

125 Aprilia.

Depending on how much you weigh however you may not be able to hit above 80 odd

 

[Doomy]

I weigh just over 10 stone so 80 it is

 

[throdgrain]

Them 125 'prillas do like 100mph, even with a fatty 14 stone fuckpot like me on em.
Thats an RS125 btw, dunno about owt else

 

[Deadmanwalking]

I can only get to 70 on my mates RS125.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Catsby makes a sensible point. Get a scooter or a 125 and you can be on the road with one day's CBT. Then you'll have wheels to get to your new job, and have the leisure to take your driving lessons the more conventional way. Plus, riding a bike gives you more road sense than riding a car alone ever will.

Do you have a special seat on the top of your car that lets you ride it? I want!

 

[Gumbo]

And don't forget that motoring costs you money, lots of money. There is no such thing as cheap motoring. Remember to do a little maths on how much you will earn by having a commute. Once you factor in a grand for insurance for a noob, steeply rising fuel costs, Road Tax etc, the pay rise is going to need to be a healthy one.

Bike option may appeal on this point too as it's a damn site cheaper.

In your position, my preference would be CBT and 125, whilst plodding my way through getting a full car license. That way you can start earning the bigger bucks without immediatly losing it all on motoring costs, whilst at the same time getting the drivers license which seems essential for your line of work.

I'm not a fan of intensive courses really. Not so much for the lack of practice aspect, but because I don't think it would give you time for what you are learning to sink in. I didn't drive outside of my instructors car whilst I was learning, (12 hours, passed first time, one Ice/Tree intersection incident in 12 years) but I feel that my one hour a week gave me plenty of time to adjust to all the new stuff I was learning.

Bloody Hell! I've been driving for 12 years, I am so old