E30 Zone

I have never driven one. Is it the nightmare that i imagine?

nope not a problem. i have three left hookers at the moment. all of them american. overtaking isnt that much harder. letter boxes are always on the right side of the car, you alwats get out on to the pavement instead of in to the road. only problem is toll booths, car park ticket machines and macdonalds

once youve driven a left hooker for about a day its nothing out of the ordinary if your a confident driver.

First time reversing is an experiance

Dont know about anyone else but I couldnt help but turn to look over my left shoulder

Thinkin about a rhd m3 (conversion) but i have heard some stories about them. just wondering if i could go with a lhd. I've been told you get better feel from the brake pedal (no torsion bar) in a lhd and the steering rack is pretty good too.

Left foot braking is much much easier too

I enjoy LHD not like i drive cars often just seem to like them more. Altho first car i drove was LHD.

Only problem is overtaking lorries.

But things like dartfors tunnel you got to be flexible

took about 2 mins to get used to.

currently own a delta integrale and an m3, plus regularly drive my parents rhd cars, and have a rhd car myself too.

no problems AT ALL swapping between rhd and lhd. when i first got the lancia i did occasionally change gear with the door, but mainly only when going into 1st or reverse whilst manouvering and trying to concentrate on whats around me and where i'm going rather than simply driving around!

use the dartford crossing regularly, just make sure i have a couple of pound coins, line the mirror up with the basket, pull forward a foot, underarm lob your quid in. piece of cake. carpark machines are a bit more tricky, but i've not found one i cant reach by undoing my seatbelt and lifting myself up out of my seat and reaching over a bit.

overtaking can sometimes be a pain, but you learn how to position the car for best effect, hang back more, use curvs for a good view, look down the inside etc. not as bad as many people imagine tbh.

found the dogleg box in the m3 took a lot longer to get used to than lhd cars.

oh, and the driving position tends to be much nicer, the inner arch is such a natural place for a clutch foot rest and seems to mean the pedals can have a much nicer layout.

takes a while to get used to it...I hated my first day ...but give it 2 days tops and you'll be loving it...like harry_p said...the driving position is actually much more comfortable and natural

Driven LHD on a few occasions visiting the US years ago - never bothered LHD driving in Europe.

Moved to Canada Sep 05' and have got used to LHD no problem - it's easy when you are following traffic, not so easy late at night making left turns when there's no traffic.

Had to take a learners test (PC screen), and a full driving test as a new arrival from UK although I have had a licence 30 yrs - you get 3 months grace. I drove a Chevy Equinox SUV (Lexus 300 size) for almost 3 months then got a Chevy Silerado 4x4 truck a week before me test. I was still driving it like it was a forty footer - fortunately the examiner was sympathetic and gave me the OK.

I agree, the driving position is much nicer, pedal layout is so good, you gotta remember that LHD is BMW's standard set up - even down to the slightly raised suspension one side to give a level ride with a single occupant.

Cheers, Neil.

run a lhd 325e for a bit must admit first day was a bit strange but after that i got used to it and strangely enuff actully miss it as it felt good and i was able to fling it about like a pro

Easy! After a few minutes you get the hang of the it.

I found the dogleg box on the M3 more to think about!

Driven one LHD car, and i found it a little difficult to begin with, but within 5 mins was pretty comfortable with it.
Reversing in one is certainly an experience... but if your a confident driver you should be fine.
I think i was a little to causous to begin with as the LHD car i was driving was a virtually brand new Range Rover Supercharged Sport Fooking fast car

like a duck to water!! although i had only been driving a couple of months when i got tyhe m3 so maybe it will be a little harder for someone who has been driving rhd for years

No time at all - and the joy of hanging the mother-in-law over the white lines to play chicken with Artics is unmatched.

I drive a LHD M5 and have had 2 E30 M3's. I adapted within a few miles of driving. I prefer LHD over RHD.

Chris-W wrote:No time at all - and the joy of hanging the mother-in-law over the white lines to play chicken with Artics is unmatched.

if ever there was a reason to go left hooker, thats the one

as everyone else has said
after a few miles youll wonder why the hell we have rhd in the first place
i was worried first time i drove abroad but in minutes i was driving like a native

and you can always reverse thru the drive ins

I have a LHD Fiat coupe which I used to drive to/from Germany on a regular basis. Its easier to park, great for going for tight gaps (stick your wing mirror as close to the parked cars as you can and shoot the rapids!) but a total bitch in car parks, passport control and that sort of thing. Overtaking is more difficult, but it does force you to be good by hanging back and looking around the car in front then timing your overtake better.
The only time I've found it to be worrying was turning right across a sort of baby dual carriageway that had that grey anti-pedestrian fencing in the middle. It all lined up so that I couldn't see oncoming traffic from the left hand seat without sticking the nose right out - but that was once and I know what to look for now.

Passengers hate it tho

I've got a LHD E30 and it took a little while to get used to at first. I grabbed for a gearstick in the door pocket a few times and this comment rang a bell -

First time reversing is an experiance

Dont know about anyone else but I couldnt help but turn to look over my left shoulder

but after a while you get used to it. Familiar corners are a little strange as your sightlines are different but I like getting out onto the pavement and it dissuades me from McDonalds drive-thrus which can't be a bad thing. Parallel parking is also dead easy because you can open the door and line yourself up perfectly.

I love LHD, snide european plates look much more authentic on a cack hander and it saves me a fortune in speeding/parking/ congestion fines ! F*CK KEN !!

My van is LHD, I jump from car to van all the time and have to say that even from the 1st mile, my brain just adapted straight away, I don't even think about it.

It's cool for chatting to birds on Friday M25 traffic jams....

As suggested before it was harder getting used to the dogleg box......car parks and Mac Ds drive throughs are a pain

DanThe wrote: Dont know about anyone else but I couldnt help but turn to look over my left shoulder

I thought it was only women who reversed looking over the shoulder!?

I prefer to use the mirrors!

reversing was the most wierd thing I had experienced but driving forwards was easy, just the dogleg box got me confused.. trundling along in 4th all the time thinking it was 5th. not hurt my hands yet though!

When I get an e30 i would like it to be LHD because it feels unique.

Hanging back to overtake in a LHD car is all very well on the right (straightish) road but difficult on tight A and B roads. Not really the best for cutting through traffic to be honest. A bit irritating when you've got someone on your bumper who can see past the lorry/4WD blocking your view from the left hand side. Occasionally helpful though coming out of right hand bends as you'll see what's around the corner a little sooner than a RHD driver.

Hasn't stopped me having five LHD cars though.

Thanx everyone. A little suprised to hear that some think that it actually better!

I wouldnt ever say its better but its deffo no worse!

Imagine what you are coming from? I had RHD, normal 5 speed box (but with reverse bottom right) and indicator/wipers on opposite sides!

Still only take a few mins!

If youre going shopping, dont park in a multi story....if youre going for a big mac take your girl friend/wife

Sorted!!!

Im thinking about getting a 993 LHD because I can get one so much cheaper! Who cares if I wont be able to sell it for the going rate cos Ill keep it.

kepk whacking the door every time i wanted to change gear (weird reflex thing) and even now after 3 years of LHD i sometime go to change station on the radio with my left hand.. even the way i hold the wheel is still RHD but i prefer it

Getting use to LHD takes a bit of time before you are confident to overtake. If you look down the left can give a lot of blind spots. You need a m8 telling you it safe to go can be dodgy.
My first E30 had no electric windows, bit of a mare at tolls and car parks. Went in backwards once, but nearly hit the barrier.

I never found overtaking in the Integrale a problem. Jumped in it and drove straight away.

The biggest "Oh I don't like this" moment tends to be the first time you reverse!

My mate bought LHD Alfa Q4 2.0 16v Turbo 4x4. Drove it 200 miles without a problem then reversed it up his drive, went over the grass and into a bush - it was hilarious!

best thing about RHD is i could play my guitar on the long haul from Bolton to Plymouth in my mini at 60mph at night.... but those were in the days when we were allowed to remove our hands from ten to two position without making headline news

always confuses me when i am back in blighty for me hols when turning out of heathrow national rent a car in my Vectra and forgetting which side of the road i am supposed to be on oh well its a good excuse for loads of undertaking on the M25.. plus a bahrain license helps things too!!! UK one safely stowed at home in bahrain where the points man cannot get to it!!

mrLEE30 wrote:always confuses me when i am back in blighty for me hols when turning out of heathrow national rent a car in my Vectra and forgetting which side of the road i am supposed to be on oh well its a good excuse for loads of undertaking on the M25.. plus a bahrain license helps things too!!! UK one safely stowed at home in bahrain where the points man cannot get to it!!

My dad came over this week from spain.

Almost every juntion he went on the rong side of the road scared the living shit out of me especially when there was a lorry coming