a "practice car"?

[visaveteran 0]

I can't really afford a "practice car" as I bought a new car last year that tapped me out. A $1000 for a practice car is a lot of money to me at this point, even if I could find one.

In my area, the driving schools are all run by Hispanics or Indians or other non native born groups, and so they're not always easy for ME to understand, much less my Russian wife. Plus the cost is a rip-off IMO.

I have let her drive in an empty parking lot and she's done fine. The better cars today almost drive themselves which helps. My wife is quite brave when it comes down to it, so I think she'll do fine . The issue right now is she's failed the learners permit test twice. One more mess up and she has to go to school which will cost hundreds. Too bad they don't offer the test and study material in Russian.

More and more, the subway and bus system is looking better and better to me.

[Jeff and Tatiana 0]

I think this was posted in a previous thread, but it is worth a repost. The only state that offers a Russian Language version of the Drivers Handbook I think is California. Here is the link to the site and just choose Russian Language from the drop down in the handbook section. It is a PDF and you are set. The rules are not so vastly different from state to state, but you may want to compare to your own state to mark out the differances for the loved on.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/pubs.htm

-Jeff

Oh and on the car thing. Well I have a truck and a little econo car, so she can choose whichever she wants to try. Right now she is telling me she wants to be up high and try the truck. LOL we will see.

[baron555 934]

I think this was posted in a previous thread, but it is worth a repost. The only state that offers a Russian Language version of the Drivers Handbook I think is California. Here is the link to the site and just choose Russian Language from the drop down in the handbook section. It is a PDF and you are set. The rules are not so vastly different from state to state, but you may want to compare to your own state to mark out the differances for the loved on.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/pubs.htm

-Jeff

Oh and on the car thing. Well I have a truck and a little econo car, so she can choose whichever she wants to try. Right now she is telling me she wants to be up high and try the truck. LOL we will see.

Nope the state of Washington and New Jersey also have a downloadable driver's manual in Russian. Iowa as well but not that many pages.

Alla has print outs of all and I've told her to study those first and then we'll concentrate on the Illinois Rules of the Road. I also have access to the questions via the test available (for a fee of course) via DMV.org.

[1HappyGuy 45]

Teaching someone from FSU is more difficult generally because they have not had the exposure to cars that people in the USA have. My kids grew up going everywhere in cars. Even though we didn't notice, they were learning about the car from us, thus teaching them to drive was relatively easy.

IMO, it is better to teach someone to drive an automatic to give them confidence and pass the drivers exam. However, if you have the opportunity to teach them to drive a stick shift, then do it. Once they learn to drive a stick, the entire world of autos and trucks is open to them. I have two daughters that can't drive a stick, but my stepson now drives a 5 speed 4 wheel drive pickup that I taught him how to drive. First he learned on the family car. I nice big automatic, which he now wishes was his.

As for my wife, two auto accidents in Russia (both with her Dad) has her scared to drive. It is frustrating taking her everywhere, but she says she'll learn soon.

If you are looking for a cheap practice car, try the local junk yard. A lot of auto dismantlers have found new sources of income by taking parts and putting them together for a whole car to sell. Most are in pretty good shape, but loans are impossible to get because of the clouded title problems. Still, this is a pretty cheap way to get a vehicle.

[Jasman0717 9]

I mean, Irina is not 15 or 16 years old (pretty sure I-129 would be rejected), but that when I was learning to drive at that age I did not damage my "practice car" (an old Dodge Colt).

I had a 1951 Chevy pickup that already had paid the price. I got it from my 93 year old grandfather that still drove but not very well

[slim 1,533]

She also has a GPS that sounds off in Russian if she needs.

I've heard you can now download all kinds of voices to relate the directions. Famous people too.

[LvivLovers 39]

I just can not understand how anyone hits mail boxes, fire hydrants, and trees. When my kids were 12 years old they drove better than that.

My wife is VERY careful because she knows the first time she hits something like that she is done.

If your wife is coming after you with a golf club and beating out the back windows with it, I can see how it might happen. I'm just saying...

[Steve S 2]

If your wife is coming after you with a golf club and beating out the back windows with it, I can see how it might happen. I'm just saying...

[SuperDuper! 230]

I can't really afford a "practice car" as I bought a new car last year that tapped me out. A $1000 for a practice car is a lot of money to me at this point, even if I could find one.

In my area, the driving schools are all run by Hispanics or Indians or other non native born groups, and so they're not always easy for ME to understand, much less my Russian wife. Plus the cost is a rip-off IMO.

I have let her drive in an empty parking lot and she's done fine. The better cars today almost drive themselves which helps. My wife is quite brave when it comes down to it, so I think she'll do fine . The issue right now is she's failed the learners permit test twice. One more mess up and she has to go to school which will cost hundreds. Too bad they don't offer the test and study material in Russian.

More and more, the subway and bus system is looking better and better to me.

I agree. Buying a $1000 practice car is a mistake. What condition can the tires be in? How about the brakes? How about the transmission and AC? I dont need to remind anyone here how expensive it is to fix any one of these systems on a car. Unless you yourself are a wiz under the hood, you will be paying a whole lot more soon to keep this junker roadworthy.

Plus, how useful really is a car if it is not reliable? The last thing you want is your honey to be stranded on the side of the road, where a friendly stranger can come along and "give her a hand." If that does not make you pony up at least $7-8K for a decent used car, then she should not be driving yet.

Just a thought.

Edited January 2, 2010 by Hopp

[justashooter 430]

All I can say is...wait until they get their first traffic ticket!!!!!!!! ROFLMAO!!!!!! And be SURE to tell them NOT to try and bribe the cops in the USA!

my wife got a chinese liscense (paid $200 for a dozen eggs at the shop across the street from the dirving department) and an international translation. when she arrived USA i tried to teach her how to drive in the 30 days before i had to go to india for 4 weeks. not much luck on that. i told her to get my brother to take her around every few days, and to read a lot. at the beginning of a big snowstorm she decided to go shopping.

one dented fender later she called my brother to help her out.snow is slippery, ya know. he asked her where she was. she told him she was "at the Giant near the big hill". he went to shrewsbury, and called her when he couldn't find her. the woman she hit told him they were in red lion.

she asked my brother what would happen next. he told her the police would come and file a report. she asked him "how much should i pay them". he told her to put her wallet away till he got there.

she called me as soon as she got home. it was 2AM in bhopal, and i was in day 11 of an 18 day oddessy involving 22 foundry shops in 19 cities. i had slept about 3 hours a night on average and was in the throes of "viral fever" (indian malaria, which is not quite as bad as chinese malaria).

she bashed my new yorker 3 times in parking lots in the first year before telling me she was done having accidents, so i bought her an el dorado. i tried to get her to drive the F150, but she refuses to drive it to this day. on a positive note, she does like sitting real close in the middle when i drive it. she likes the way her pony tail swings in the wind thru the sliding window.

it's worth the effort. never look back. just relax and enjoy the ride, and you'll laugh about it at christmas parties in later years when people tell the stories.

[Gary and Alla 3,696]

I just can not understand how anyone hits mail boxes, fire hydrants, and trees. When my kids were 12 years old they drove better than that.

My wife is VERY careful because she knows the first time she hits something like that she is done.

Your kids knew more about driving at 12 than my wife. She also had to learn to drive in a Vermont winter... road curves, car doesn't and that is where they put the fire hydrant. It happens. There are trees everywhere. She had two very distinct problems when learning. One was maintaining speed, she simply couldn't get it. She would gradually creep up in speed until I said something and then slow way down. The other problem was continually drifting out of her lane, usually to the right. Drift out to the right, hit the snow pile on the edge of the road and it sucks you right off the edge...good bye mailbox! Sometimes it would happen faster than I could correct her for it. Almost all two lane roads, no shoulders to speak of...I am just glad she didn't hit bike riders, joggers, etc. She was afraid of that and gave them wide berth, thank you God. I guess she didn't worry so much about mail boxes.

[Neonred 3,948]

Your kids knew more about driving at 12 than my wife. She also had to learn to drive in a Vermont winter... road curves, car doesn't and that is where they put the fire hydrant. It happens. There are trees everywhere. She had two very distinct problems when learning. One was maintaining speed, she simply couldn't get it. She would gradually creep up in speed until I said something and then slow way down. The other problem was continually drifting out of her lane, usually to the right. Drift out to the right, hit the snow pile on the edge of the road and it sucks you right off the edge...good bye mailbox! Sometimes it would happen faster than I could correct her for it. Almost all two lane roads, no shoulders to speak of...I am just glad she didn't hit bike riders, joggers, etc. She was afraid of that and gave them wide berth, thank you God. I guess she didn't worry so much about mail boxes.

Oh yes, I forgot about winter driving. It has been a very long time but I did grow up and learn to drive in upstate NY, not far from Vermont. I so much wanted to transfer to UVM until I visit in January one year. I remember it was so cold my feet went numb. I ended up transferring to the University of South Carolina instead.

[clueless_in_usa 8]

Practice cars make sense in states where you are charged a higher premium if you are a new driver, and such premium is multiplied based on the value of your car. If I were to add a new licensed driver to my policy, my insurance premium would probably double. It is cheaper to have her get her own insurance with a cheaper car and add her as an authorized driver on my policy (no effect on my insurance premium).

Besides, by having a practice car you can drop coverage that you would never skip on a more expensive car, thus reducing the total expense. A practice car does not have to be unsafe, or a piece of $hit for that matter.

[Martyshk 137]

I know I may not be right, but once she's here, we're going to get a brand new car.

She'll be here during spring-summer, so she'll learn how to drive in normal conditions (she's taking lessons back in Ukraine at the moment - on a stick shift too).

Once winter rolls around - I'll have to teach her, I guess. It's a whole different story. But we don't get a lot of snow, and streets are plowed very fast.

I know a new car is not a good choice, I do. But she wanted a MINI for so long, that it's not even a question for me. She's giving up everything to come here and live with me, sh~t, I can splurge on a car. Plus, with my credit I can get really really low interest rates on a new car too.

All in all, we'll see once she's here. For now, I'm just praying for the visa to go through - will worry about the car later!

[Gary and Alla 3,696]

Oh yes, I forgot about winter driving. It has been a very long time but I did grow up and learn to drive in upstate NY, not far from Vermont. I so much wanted to transfer to UVM until I visit in January one year. I remember it was so cold my feet went numb. I ended up transferring to the University of South Carolina instead.

Chicken!

My wife is a student at St. Micheal's, not far from UVM and one of our very good friends is the head of the Russian department at UVM.

Right now. Alla's car is buried in snow in Burlignton. She abandoned it there at a friends house on Saturday during a heavy snowstorm. I picked her up on my way back from taking our son and his friends to the ski slopes and we will pick it up tomorrow. LOL She drives in the winter...to a point, but hit enough mailboxes, etc. to now be cautious. Besides, now she has a new sports car, she graduated from the demo-derby and doesn't want to bash up the new car.