I have no desire or need to illustrate my intelligence or lack thereof with idiots that assume too much.

Look, I don't blame half of you for being skeptical or jumping to conclusions, there's more than a few irresponsible boy-racer fast-and-furious wannabes that could ask this same question.

The difference is I don't want to do this for any other reason than to know how the car will react in stressful situations to harsh steering, throttle input, brake application... especially in inclement weather.

Auto-Xing and/or driving schools aren't a bad idea, but I'm not terribly competitive and I'd rather get this very basic and useful information without spending a few hundred $$$, at least for now.