What was it like the first time you drove a car?

Considering this happened fairly recently, I can recount this event pretty well. I remember that when a got my permit in the fall of my sophomore year, I was elated. I was so excited to get to drive. Finally after having my permit for about two weeks, my mom took me over to a parking lot so I could get a feel for the car. I had never driven previously, and the car I was going to drive was a 1996 Dodge pickup truck. To make matters even more complicated, it was a stick shift. I assured myself that this upped my cool points and somehow evened out the fact that the car was light purple and green in color. The parking lot was spacious and had a roundabout that I could just drive slowly and continuously in. Simple enough, right? WRONG. I quickly learned that on manual transmissions, especially old ones like the one I had, it takes a great deal of finesse in order to not only start the car, but to get it in motion and keep it there. Much more complicated than an automatic. My parents did own an automatic car, but it was our relatively new Chevrolet Suburban and they decided that that was just too much sheet metal for a new driver like myself. And besides, it was good to learn on a stick anyway. After about a week, I was finally able to shift smoothly and consitently without too much trouble, and the monotiny of driving in the parking lot or back to the house on the same roads just got a little tiring. The real anxiety and exhiliration came when I got my license and was able to drive by myself. It was an invigorating experience, and to this day still makes me feel like more of an adult and gives me a great sense of freedom.