I would definitely suggest taking some driving lessons again and then hiring a car to see how that goes before actually buying one. If you live in a rural area and want to be more mobile that could be easy enough but if it'd heavy traffic near you, I would really think hard about it.
I used to love driving and getting out of town on the open road but everywhere is so busy now. Getting out of town for me means driving across the city centre....navigating endless traffic works, often big traffic tail backs, roads dug up, diversions, huge roundabouts, aggressive drivers that cut in etc etc..
I find myself sometimes feeling intimidated and mostly just sticking to the local roads I know well or else feeling knackered after an out of town visit. Driving needs full concentration and staying very alert. I would say it is no longer a pleasure but I continue as I like the freedom it gives me... a means to an end.
With the current fuel prices I think twice about journeys and make sure I can do several things in the one trip.