A lesson in driving from Dave

I didn't think that I would be driving while I was here and I am quite content with the bus system in Brisbane. But when my housemate, Dave, offered me his beloved Datsun Sunny to drive while he was off in Canada, I thought it might be a fun adventure. Plus his sister, Bel, told me that this car is gold to Dave and he has basically offered me a piece of his heart. How can you say no to that?!

The deal was that if I were going to drive this car, Dave would need to give me a lesson or two. He was quite willing to do so and we made the first attempt this past Saturday. I had geared myself up to sit on the right and to drive on the left while shifting gears with my left hand. I had been paying attention to the flow of traffic over the past 2 weeks and had even practiced "air-shifting" so I felt quite mentally prepared.

What I wasn't prepared for was Dave walking out to the car with a cooking pot of water and a jug of brake fluid. The driving lesson commenced with, "Now Julie, before you drive her, there are a few things you need to know." Let me see if I can recall all that needs to be remembered when operating this precious vehicle:

• The radiator has a leak (hence the pot of water) and I will need to top it up about once a week
• The brake light tends to come on. When that happens, check the brake fluid and top up...for it also has a leak.
• The oil may leak too...so check it. Dave has changed the oil about once a year. When he pulled up the dip stick, I wondered if maybe the year was up.
• To pop the "bonnet" (hood), I need to use pliers since the nob has long since fallen off the release. Dave courteously left me a pair in the car.
• It takes a LOT of loving urges to get the car to run. Once it's going, it purrs like a kitten.
  
• The heat works great! But do not turn on the headlights and the heater at the same time. The heater will short out the headlights. (So far, in Australian winter, I have experienced that it is at night when you most need heat...and lights...guess I will brave the cold)
• When I turn off the car, make sure the lights are in highbeam position. Otherwise, the lights will turn on by themselves and will drain the battery.
• To roll down the driver's window, just grab onto the locking pliers conveniently attached to the door. Although it still doesn't roll down all the way. I didn't ask why.

So add that to simply driving on the left side of the road and you can imagine my spinning head as we pulled out onto the street. You can also imagine both Bel (sitting in the backseat, for she wouldn't have missed this for anything!) and myself laughing our heads off as Dave added one more thing to remember about the car.

Thankfully our street is one-way, so the first few meters were no sweat. However, when it came time to signal, I discovered the windshield wipers instead. Numerous times. Upon approaching a round-about, I quickly learned that there is no power steering (there is no power-ANYTHING in this car) and had to really work to get around the curve. We drove to 2 destinations: the Daisy Hill Koala Center and the Hyperdome (mall). Dave was a good teacher and I managed to get us there and back alive. Dave also gave me the names of a few guys from church who can come to my rescue if the need should ever arise.

Thanks for the adventure, Dave. And I'm sure there will be many more!