I broke off my key in the ignition, so I wired up a flip switch and push button on the dash, one on either side of the steering wheel. Get in, flip the switch, and push the button, and you were off & running.
Then, my brakes died completely, and I was a poor college student, so I didn't replace them. Even the parking brake was nonexistent. You could pull the handle or stomp the brakes, and the car completely ignored your command.
I simply used the stick shift to slow down. I lived in the hills of Tennessee, so I'd see a stop coming up, my technique was different whether I was driving uphill or down.
- If driving downhill, I'd downshift to slow the car to a crawl, and then flip the 'off switch' to hold it in place. When I needed to start again, I'd clutch, flip the switch, and press the start button, and start driving again.
- If driving uphill, I'd downshift to first, allowing the car to slow down, and then rev the engine just enough to hold me still on the grade. When I needed to start again, I just pressed the gas a bit harder.
I drove it like this for 1.5 years. Needless to say, I was a very careful driver, and I planned every step of my trip. I usually routed my trips to be on the most advantageous roads to meet my driving needs.
During the whole time, I had no car key (remember, I broke it off in the ignition), so I never locked the car. My motto was, "If you can figure out how to start it, you can take it. If you can figure out how to stop it, you can keep it."
