Oppo QOTD: What was the first motorized vehicle you operated?

"KnowsAboutCars" (knowsaboutcars) 06/05/2014 at 10:26 • Filed to: None

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Question inspired by Hooniverse commenter !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I'm not 100% sure about this but I think the first one for me was a rowboat with electric outboard motor.

The picture above has very little to do with this question.

The Revengel > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 10:28

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1982 Audi 500. In a parking lot. And it was a blast.

Sn210 > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 10:29

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Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 10:30

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An early 2000's Honda Recon ATV and by god did we tear it up back then.

Party-vi > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 10:30

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When I was 12 my dad taught me how to drive a manual transmission vehicle in our 1986 Toyota pickup (same color and spec as the picture). I miss that truck.

RacecaR > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 10:33

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An old riding mower my dad had for whatever reason. I don't ever remember him using it to cut grass.

My brother and I used to take it for joy rides, until our dad hid the key. Then we had to learn how to hotwire/force start the thing. Then I think it was sold for scrap.

Then I moved to a moped, which was awesome. Opened up the exhaust to get that extra little power, and could get going pretty fast (fast for a 10 or 11 year old).

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 10:34

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My grandparents' pontoon, that looked almost exactly like this. I was about 6 or so when I first drove it without any adult assistance. So many good memories on that thing, spending all day every summer fishing. Actually had my first beer on it. lol

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 10:34

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First one for me:

I was 4. my mom made me get rid of it when I was 8.

EL_ULY > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 10:36

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Yamaha V8, AWD Performance Hybrid! since 2007 :]

At one point drag raced a IS-F.... it was a dead heat

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 06/05/2014 at 10:38

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1983 Honda Z50 was my first ride, first car was a C4 Corvette my dad had at the time and would let me steer while I sat on his lap. Jalop at 5!

KnowsAboutCars > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 06/05/2014 at 10:39

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You always remember your first beer.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 06/05/2014 at 10:39

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I used to steer our minivan when I was 5 lol

McMike > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 10:40

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Depends on the definition of "operate."

I drove on dad's lap in several of our cars before I was 6-7 years old.

Some of the ones I remember...

The Model A dad restored

and the Motorcycle we had at the time.*

For a vehicle I operated 100% by myself, it was Dad's Civic several years later in parking lots.

* I know, right. I would sit on the front of the seat against the tank, hold on to the center of the bars, and rest my feet on the crankcase. We would ride around the neighborhood and some light off-roading.

At some point, Dad thought it was a good idea to give me control of the bike - including the throttle. It was the 70s, we got to do shit like that back then.

I should check in with Mom, see if she ever knew about this. Nothing like a 40 year overdue facepalm.

Edit - I forgot about the old deck-less mower at the grandparents. This isn't it, but it was similar, and that came inbetween the "steering on the lap" and "parking lot" era.

KnowsAboutCars > RacecaR 06/05/2014 at 10:41

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Mopeds can be made go quite fast with relatively small modifications.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 10:43

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I'd had sips of my dad's beer before, but what I would consider my first official beer experience was on that boat. My brother, cousin, and I were out fishing one day, I was probably 9 or 10 at the time, and one of our aunts or uncles had left a can of Milwaukee's Best on there from the night before. We decided to crack it open and share it. So yeah, my first experience with beer was a warm Milwaukee's Beast. It's a miracle that I ever drank beer again, let alone grew to truly enjoy it. haha

KnowsAboutCars > McMike 06/05/2014 at 10:45

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Bonus points for old pictures!

Nibbles > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 10:45

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Honda ATC200E "Big Red". Young children should definitely be allowed to ride deathtraps like these three-wheelers. It builds character.

McMike > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 10:47

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Pulled them from here

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 11:22

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If I remember correctly it was one of these, a Honda 50 mini bike. No idea how old I was the first time I rode it on my own, but I was pretty young. They tell me a got to steer a rental car on the beach when I was two.

Roundbadge > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 11:27

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The first motorized vehicle I operated on my own was a Snapper Comet 26 from like 1964. The picture is not the actual mower...but when it was clean it looked identical.

My dad got me started mowing lawns when I was about 10 (1985), and the general maintenance was left up to me shortly after. I loved that I could lift it up and stand it on end to drain oil or change blades when I was 11-12. Eventually I was spending all my time mowing and didn't have that many customers because they had big lawns. We traded the old beast on a 46" Dixon ZTR sometime around 1988.

KnowsAboutCars > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 06/05/2014 at 11:46

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The legendary Monkey!

Diesel > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 14:43

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It was an ATV that belonged to my uncle. Used to go riding in the hills behind my Grandma's house.

505Turbeaux > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 16:49

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found it at the dump, still have it. Took a points cleaning to fire up

KnowsAboutCars > 505Turbeaux 06/05/2014 at 16:52

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What exactly is that?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Nibbles 06/05/2014 at 16:53

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Big Reds are awesome. We had one to play with for a little while while a relative had it for sale.

Saracen > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 16:54

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A motorboat

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Roundbadge 06/05/2014 at 16:54

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Our first Snapper was from ~74: pretty much the same as that, but had an aux. brake.

505Turbeaux > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 16:54

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in Europe it is a Puch DS60, Sears brought them over in the late 50s as the Allstate compact scooter

Nibbles > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 06/05/2014 at 16:55

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They're fun and also scary as fuck when you're hooning the damn things at the ripe old age of five. Or four. Somewhere round there

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 16:55

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Probably a moped we had (don't remember make) followed by a Honda 50. First thing with four wheels, I think a Cub Cadet from the early 70s.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 16:56

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one of these bad boys. I remember being an old gray craftsman but dont remember the model or HP. pretty much Identical to the picture if my memory serves me right. This would of been probably 20-22 years ago.

Alfalfa > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 16:57

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A 1980-something Suzuki quad. My cousins and I used to take turns riding it at my grandma's farm house in Idaho. Good times.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Nibbles 06/05/2014 at 16:58

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We had one of these growing up. this is the second motorized thing I have ever driven. first was a lawn tractor.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Nibbles 06/05/2014 at 16:58

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IIRC one of said relatives broke a bone riding one. Part of the "why don't we sell this..." impetus.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 16:58

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Not counting RC cars and such, my grandpa's 2004 Buick Park Avenue Ultra on a dirt road when I was like seven.

mcseanerson > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 16:59

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1990 Pontiac Transport

Garrett Davis > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 16:59

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16 yr old me with my first car/first true love. She was a 1994 Ranger 4.0 with a 5-speed manual. I quickly put on better tires:

Sold her for a Jeep after a few years. Still miss that truck. Sold it for $2,300 with 275k miles on it. Still ran great. I shouldn't have sold it :(

Roundbadge > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 06/05/2014 at 17:01

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My grandmother bought one for her farm in the early 80's (because when you have a successful formula, you evidently don't mess with it) and I'm pretty sure it had an aux brake, too.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 17:02

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Lawnmower.

The first vehicle I ever drove that could actually move was a racing golf cart that had a snowmobile engine.

The first "car" I drove was a late 80's F-150. The house I grew up in had a 3 acre field that I was allowed to tool the truck around in at the tender age of 13.

Mark - Sixpots None The Richer > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 17:04

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I didn't grow up on a farm, but I learned to drive a Ford tractor when I was about 10 and was allowed to drive alone - on private grounds of course - when I was about 13 years old.

I don't remember the actual model, but it was similar to this one:

KnowsAboutCars > mcseanerson 06/05/2014 at 17:05

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What caused the fire?

jariten1781 > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 17:07

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Around 5 or so was out in one of my grandpa's fields mending a fence when he needed something. He told me to "Go get the red truck". Ran back to the barn that it was parked outside of. Managed to get it in first gear and idled my way back to the field where I got yelled at for taking too long. My older (13ish) cousin was then tasked with teaching me to drive so I could be more useful around the farm. Don't remember what exact model it was but we had a number of late 70s Ford and Chevys out there.

deekster_caddy > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 17:26

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John Deere 210. Looked about like this one (not my pic).

macanamera > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 17:31

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How do you repost an earlier post like so?

KnowsAboutCars > macanamera 06/05/2014 at 17:38

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There's 'share to kinja' option in the drop down menu which you open by clicking that arrow next to the 'recommend' star.

mcseanerson > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 17:53

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It wasn't me

briannutter1 > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 18:01

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The Huffy mower had a 8hp vertical shaft motor on it and a awesome shifting three speed. Top gear and punch the clutch and it would flip over backwards. I snapped a crank running over a stump. The Grasshopper had travel limiters under the steering levers that I promptly bottomed out without my dad noticing it. It would then spin around in a high speed 360 before I'd jam the levers the opposite direction and fry the tires until it stopped. The ex racing Kart was fitted with a 5hp brings and brought up in the middle of the night and presented to me in the third grade. The Very first drive though was a '65 Pontiac Catalina with my Grandpa letting me steer while he ran the gas with me standing up between his legs. I couldn't talk yet and remembered thinking we were going to slow so I pulled up on the shiny lever to the right. This resulted in a massive reverse gear tire fry at 25mph according to Gramps years later. I let my son drive my Vette at age 5 and told him to duck if we way a cop. He told the teacher and she sent a note home with him.

Scary__goongala! > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 18:08

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A four-wheeler. I hit a play set and flipped it. Thankfully since since then my motorized exploits have gone much better.

wiffleballtony > KnowsAboutCars 06/05/2014 at 23:02

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This is a toss up, and the word operate being used loosely. Its between an 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme or the Autotopia at Disneyland back in the 1980s. In either case I didnt have any genuine control of the vehicle because I was barely old enough to tie my shoes. Velcro FTW.

evil2win > KnowsAboutCars 06/06/2014 at 00:32

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Well if you don't count the Bennelli 50 I got when I was 12. When I was 14 My older brother was a recruiter for the Marines and he arranged to let me drive and fire a 175mm self propelled gun.

orcim > 505Turbeaux 06/06/2014 at 05:04

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We had a Puch back in 68'. From Sears. I don't remember driving anything before that, because I was 10 before I had to help with the hay bailing.

sadfasdf > KnowsAboutCars 06/07/2014 at 21:15

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1982 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, when I was ~4 years old. It was idling in the driveway with me in it. I put it into reverse and it slooowly backed into a tree.