patemaan

Guys


Another driving license question, , i know i know.... so I am in Seattle, WA. I would like to obtain a DL, will my UK driving License suffice to obtain a USA/WA license over the counter or will I have to take the damn test

I was told from a expat in my office that they should do an exchange here...

any advice would be nice..

cheer mi dears ...

PM

AmerLisa

I would expect you'd have to do the damn test. But don't sweat the small stuff, its not that hard. Hope you have your SS number handy, I think you need that to apply for a driving license here.

Irn-bru

I didn't know you were actually in Seattle just now, so how are you liking it? you will be able to get around and see which bits suits you

My OH had to sit the written one not the driving part.

I didn't have to do any as I postponed getting my driving licence the 1st time here and it was still in date, much to my OH chagrin

patemaan

Hey Guys

I am in Tukwila... I see what you guys mean't but I couldn't find anything downtown. It just too expensive and no furnishing so have taken a long stay hotel, expensive though :curse:

I had some guys on craigslist try an scam me for a 1 br in U-district, they said they were not in Seattle, his wife in NJ and he was in Italy. they seaid send the money via Western Union and they will send me contract with keys..(yeah Right!!!)

I said send the key, I will go there and take a look and then transfer you money on bank to bank or paypal.... no keys turned up and communication went dead!

so now i've been here a week, woooh, on Monday I headed out to Renton Wal Mart, I was told it was good, so travelled by the excellent bus service to Renton via the airport, Nothing, no fruit or veg. So then i was told to go to Federal way wal mart... back to airport then federal way....Damn same thing... so got a few bith and came back, I started at 9.30am got back at 16:30... :curse: (bus service was great )

so now I will head to safeway for shopping which is still a distance...what a pain.

I also checked out Downtown Seattle, it reminded me of birmingham for some reason...but will go downtown again this weekend to take a better look...

Work is great, my team mates are so nice, they all came up to me and introduced themselves and they go out of there way to help with questions about work and out of work...amazing...if that was uk you's get a he's new... give him the sh*** work etc etc

people here are so nice...I was in TX for a while...the Texans are also so nice... in fact the Americans are real nice people, no yobo culture... I was expecting "oi you **** ****" ... but its great here...

I'm a little worried about the winters, i left UK because of the weather, I'm asthmatic but feel so energetic here, i have had no breathing problems whatsoever , I hope I don;t have any medical problems in the winter.

I've only been here a little while, missing my family though back in the UK...could do with some bangers and mash with gravy or fish 'n' chips, but most of all the shiesh kebabs on a Friday night at my local indian pub and a pint of Guinness

so there you have it...

many thanx for the info guys much appreciated... any other tips welcome, especially if you know someone renting a 1bdr fully furnished on month to month basis...

PM

AdobePinon

Germans get to do an exchange in several states. Never heard of a Brit being able to do it though.

Thou shalt take the test!

Irn-bru

Well caley said there was always stuff going in capitol hill in craigslist so keep an eye out. Shame you didn't mention walmart as I could have told you the nearest one that does food is puyallup.

don't know where you are in Tukwila but is Fred Meyer not nearer to you (benson plaza, 108th avenue goes into petrovisky road), you may find a more one stop shopping as Fred does food, bedding, kitchen ware etc.

You mentioned Indian a while back there is a OK but not that cheap one in Renton they add a lot to the entree price, rice naan etc http://www.naanncurry.com/. Its OK but after being spoiled in the UK well....
There is also a vegetarian Indian there also http://www.pablacuisine.com/mainsite/rentonloc.html (haven't been to that one).
There are a couple of Irish pubs in Renton.

I am so glad people are nice and supportive to you makes all the difference, and yes people are lovely here.

You don't get much snow in winter but it does rain which won't help your asthma much, the weather is lovely and dry and warm at the moment.

Re Seattle and Birmingham see what you mean. Like most cities I don't think it is picturesque, unless you go by the water. Keep clear of Pioneer square after dark.
There is a lot more to do down there in Seattle and each area is quite different in its 'feel' once you start exploring.

hopeful_Mark

Hi Patemaan my partner lives in Seattle so I have been spending quite a bit of time there, for bangers and mash best place I have found is Fado it is an Irish pub on first avenue downtown just past the art museum, there is also the george and dragon pub do a search for it they have a website.

patemaan

guys

this link for driving test in Seattle is this all you have to learn?

http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/driverguide.pdf

on the section "inside back cover" is that all the signs you have to learn?

by the way does anyone know how much it is for the test , will I have to book or just walk in?

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naomi

I believe you have to take the written test and the physical driving test (that's what I had to do a few years back). I failed the first written test, doh! I don't think you have to book the written test, but I think you have to book the physical driving test. Naomi.

dagenham-dave

Hi.

I'm in WA state. Just took the written test today in order to get a learners permit. It's not all that hard really, if you've passed the UK theory test you should do okay on the WA state one. One thing, make sure you know the rules about when/when not to pass a school bus. Everyone i've spoken to said it came up on their test and sure as hell it came up on mine!

Good luck with everything down there. Once stayed in a hotel in Tukwila. Seemed nice.

Edit - I didn't have to book the written test. Just had to show up at the DMV. Expect to wait a few hours though. My testing fee was $20 for the written test, which is good for 2 attempts. I believe the drive test is another $20.

kins

You have to do written and driving test, and it takes a lot of sitting around waiting.

I nearly ran someone over on a crosswalk while doing mine, and not only did I still pass but the guy said I got one of the highest scores he'd ever given.

The theory test was harder than I expected though.

I did 7 months in Seattle, lived in Capitol Hill - if you get an apartment there make sure it has a parking space because ours didn't and it was so difficult to park we ended up buying a scooter instead.

The shopping in the centre is great. Pike Place is fun for a visit. Ferries to the islands are a nice Sunday thing to do (we saw a whale in the harbour), or for a longer journey go up to the San Juans.

We went to baseball matches, jogged at Green Lake, skiied at Mt Baker and Stevens Pass (there's a weird German town up that way too - good for a laugh). The Space Needle is best at sunset. There are loads of great, cheap restaurants.

The thing I miss most is the view of Mt Rainier at sunset.

klebe82

I took mine this Saturday and it was easy. Key is to go through the school bus rule and titbits like within how many mts do you have to switch your headlights off, etc. Remember the numbers!

It's $20 per test. Go early to minimise the wait time. You need to pass the test to book for driving test.

I work in Tukwila too. I live further north in Kirkland and commute to work. I'm driving against the traffic so its not that bad.

caleyjag

Cap Hill is the coolest place in town if you are young, in my opinion, but of course it depends on the particular scene you want.

I wouldn't even bother trying to look for a place downtown. Overpriced, sketchy people everywhere, inferior bars and parking will be a nightmare.

I can show you around Cap Hill if you like, so you can get a feel for it. If you just go to Broadway on your own then of course you probably won't like it, (Broadway is noisy and dirty) but if you come a bit off to my area you will see it's actually pretty excellent.

Much better than living downtown, but not much further away. If you are getting a car it's a no brainer. Cap Hill or Queen Anne for you.

I am free most evenings this week and next, if you want to grab some pints and see what I mean. Cap Hill places come up in Craigslist all the time.

patemaan

hey guys

many thanx for the tips I appreciate it, one more thing, how do i go about finding a good dealer for a car. also my credit is low, should i buy from a garage second hand or auto trader, automatic or manual.

as petrol is high, oops GAS maaaaaan... lol i would like an economical but comfotable car, Mazda 3 or Mazda 6, or a Honda. I prefer Jap cars...

can you guys give me tips on how you bought a car here?

thanx

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dagenham-dave

Having just bought a car after months of looking, my advice is steer clear of the dealers. I don't know what your circumstances are, but my wife (USC) didn't have any credit when she moved over to the UK with me. So when we spoke to the dealers they wanted 1/3 of the asking price down at first, then 60 months of payments which worked out at near double the asking price of the car! Fair enough, my wife has no credit and neither do I, but that seemed pretty hefty to me. You never know, you may have a better time with them than we did. Be cautious, they're a HELL of a lot more pushy than car salespeople in the UK. We spoke to 2 separate dealers who both used every trick in the book into making us think we'd actually bought the car! Bastards...

We just last week bought a 1995 Honda Civic we found on craigslist.com. My advice would be to check that out, and autotrader.com. Buying privately is more of a relaxed venture. Sure you don't get the manufacturers warranty but you don't have to go through all the crap the dealers put you through. One piece of information nobody told us, if you're buying a second hand car privately, when you come to register the vehicle in your name they'll slap on the 8.4% (ish) sales tax! I'm convinced this practice is illegal; the first people to purchase the car paid sales tax, surely an item cannot be subject to sales tax more than once!

Anyway, hope that all helped. I've been driving for 5 days now and already i'm used to changing gears with my right hand!

David