Driving Test

Recently I borrowed my mother-in-law's car, a 1997 VW Golf, which turned into a driving test pulling from my twenty years behind the wheel. (Yes, I did just have to sit here for a few minutes and do the math.)

Test 1:
Find reverse.
On a VW with a stick, there's a trick to this. Lean down on the stick shift while shoving it to the left of first gear. Reverse out of the driveway.

Test 2:
First gear, second gear, third gear.
The cars I've driven regularly for the past decade have been automatic transmission. Fortunately I learned to drive manual -- after burning out the clutch on the Ford Aerostar van, I was moved to a Toyota Corolla -- and quickly re-recognized the certain noise of the engine as the next gear was needed.

Test 3:
Starting on a hill.
The first stop sign was a hill start, with a left turn onto a plateau of road where the cars crested the hill to my right and left, usually well above the posted 35 mph speed limit. With the emergency brake and playing the clutch and gas, I moved into my lane without stalling.

Test 4:
Fill 'er up.
Which side was the gas tank on? I guessed, the same as my 2002 Golf? I guessed right. But how to open the tank? There was no lever or lock button inside the car. I went outside to investigate. It was simply a push-the-tank-door operation, and the screw cap inside was not attached with a cord. I put it on the roof of the car, mindful of the time when my boyfriend (now husband) sprinted across a highway to retrieve one that had blown off the roof.

Test 5:
What speed?
I headed to the highway, worked my way up to fifth gear by ear, looked down at the dash board, and saw I driving at 0 mph. The speedometer had been working fine until now, so obviously it was a quirk of car age. I'm not a speeder, so generally if I'm going slower than everyone else, I'm going the speed limit. However, on the highway, how slow is too slow? After a few miles, the speedometer needle suddenly rocketed up to 55 mph, though now I was rather distrustful of it. I was glad to get off the highway.

Test 6:
Turn right.
Blinker to the right. It had a fast clicking sound. On VWs, this often means the outside indicator bulb is burned out. But at the next right turn, the blinker clicked at a normal speed. Later, it made no noise at all. When I parked, I left the car running and walked around it to inspect the lights, everything was working.

I whispered to my husband that I'd like to take the car to my favorite auto shop and have them look at the blinker, but I was afraid they'd find fifty other things wrong with the car and not let me have it back. My husband urgently insisted I NOT take the car anywhere near a mechanic. Back to his parents' driveway, ONLY.


Did I pass?
I did not stall out once.
I did not get pulled over and have to explain that the name on the car's registration and my driver's license are the same but the addresses are not the same because the car is actually owned by my mother-in-law, and yes, we share a name.
I returned the car with a fuller tank.

Yes, I passed.