Cars never really struck me in a way that made me feel like I needed to own one. Though some of my high school classmates got cars as gifts from their parents, I never felt the desire to have one of my own.
I did want to be able to drive, however, and was able to get my driver license when I turned 17 in 1964. At that time, the New York State law was that you could drive at 18, but the age was reduced to 17 if you took a class in driver education.
Getting a license was a rite of passage and served as having a source of identification. For those of you who did not live in that era, we are talking about a paper license that did not have a photograph. In other words, ancient history.