What was your first car?
A Honda Civic hatch that I found for sale in the paper. I went out and did the whole deal myself, but I was just so nervous about the whole bargaining experience that I think I probably paid a few thousand dollars too much for it. But it was my first car and it was great.
How did you find the experience of learning to drive?
I got my driving licence the very day that I was allowed to. I loved the idea of being able to get myself around and the freedom to go wherever I wanted.
So your early driving days were generally smooth?
Yeah, they were. Let me follow that up by saying the reason I got my second car was because the first one was a write-off. It was a head-on, but only because we were both turning a corner in the opposite direction at an intersection. The bloke I had the accident with was with his mate and they'd just picked up pizza and were going home to celebrate the end of their exams. So I felt awful, even though it was kind of no one's fault.
Did the pizza survive unscathed?
I don't know, I wasn't offered any, surprisingly (laughs).
What came next?
It was a far less reliable FB Holden. I'd seen it for sale on the side of the road and just loved it. It was the most gorgeous thing. It was two-tone, bench seats, three on the tree. I basically ran it into the ground, but it was just awesome. It made every journey fun.
What are you driving now?
A Nissan 350Z that I've had for quite a while now. It's great fun to drive. It's small and light and nippy. But it's the most impractical car in terms of storage and transport. I can just fit in my golf clubs - just. I've really enjoyed it, but I think my next car will be something with a fair bit more space.
What's your pet road peeve?
General aggression on the road is awful. But I feel like people who are really timid drivers are just as dangerous. Like the person who puts their indicator on but they're still hundreds of metres before they have to turn, and then puts their brakes on and freaks out. I think another problem is a general lack of road-rule knowledge, like things to do with roundabouts. I tend to find if you get into trouble at any point it's because of those two reasons.
