Getting my 1st car today, nervous!!

[StormsDontLastForever]

Need some advice please, I'm getting my 1st car today and I'm so nervous, to the point I now have a headache and feel sick. What if I can't drive properly?? Only passed my test 2 weeks ago. The nerves are unreal lol

Christ.

You dont sound like a safe driver at all.

Hand your license back!!

Congrats! That’s great news!! I’ve been driving a loooooong time and test driving new cars still makes me nervous. What are you getting? Just take it slow (as in, build up your distance/duration driving slowly; don’t actually drive slowly).

@Plonthy what because I feel nervous for my 1st time going it alone? Surely other people in the world have felt the same!! I suffer from anxiety so I feel worse than I should! But thanks for ur advice

@ReeseWitherfork thank you so much! Yes I am nervous because the car I learned to drive in is different to the one I have bought. Have bought a little corsa for my first car, not too big and not too small.

Ah I had a corsa once upon a time! It was a lovely little car. Is someone going with you to collect it? I found driving with no one else in the car a lot more relaxing than an instructor sat in the passenger seat. Have you done any additional lessons to learn to drive on the motorway? I think I did a few bonus lessons years ago which covered that and night time driving (maybe more... no idea).

You’ll be fine. Better to do it now a couple of weeks after passing your test than months or years later.
Take someone with you if you can, lockdown rules permitting.
Ask the sales person (or previous owner of it’s a private sale) if there are any little quirks you need to know - like when putting it into reverse sometimes there’s a little collar around the gearstick you need to lift up at the same time.
Look to see which side the petrol/diesel goes in as it may not have much fuel and you might have to fill up on the way home.
Make sure your seat and the mirrors are adjusted properly.
Don’t drive away until you’re ready, and know where the indicators are, how to put the lights on, and have had a little practice with the gears and the clutch to find out where it bites.
Congratulations!

@Plonthy why? She's nervous but and I'm sure she wouldn't actually drive while panicking, she's probably sitting on the sofa nice and safe and then when she's ready she can give it a go. It's not that hard to be kind so someone having a wobble!

OP, My first scooter (the motorcycle type) was crashed by my dad the day I got it, I was quite pleased I wasn't the one to damage it

That’s unfair Plonthy.
Op, I was terrified when I got my first car. and I didn’t even have to collect it from the garage - my dad got it for me as I’d just started a new job (19 years old and needed the car for work but had passed my test six months earlier and felt like I’d forgotten everything).

I like papergirls advice. Definitely work out where the lights / air controls / volume for stereo / hazards are etc before you start.

I bet he was mortified, Older.

I’d keep the radio off - too distracting when you’re just starting out.

@Papergirl1968 little bit especially as it was a stupid mistake, you can't rev the engine of a automatic that doesn't have neutral, he tried and it shot into his own motorbike and forced it under a van 🤣

I was surprisingly not upset by it.

I find the faster you damage a car (or motorbike!) the more relaxed you can be going forward. Not waiting for the first dink if you’ve already done it.

Of course, forcing it under a van may have been going a bit far 😂

Not much help but ive had my own car for a month now and I'm out and about whenever dh is off as I haven't even passed yet so can't drive alone 🙃 the more you get in your car the more confident you will feel

Older, that kind of reminds me of my dad who went mad at me for catching the front wall as I turned into the drive - only to do it himself a week or two later.

@Plonthy

Christ.

You dont sound like a safe driver at all.

Hand your license back!!

You sound like a delight.

OP, you'll be fine! Congratulations on passing your test

You will be fine once you have built up some experience. Make some time for a few practice drives when the roads are quiet (first thing Sunday morning is good). Dont do "difficult" roads until you are used to the new car and feel comfortable with the controls.

Of course you can, you passed your test, no one was telling you what to do then. If you want my advice, pick it up alone. An audience does nothing for the nerves and dont expect to be able to park it right away. My car is a lot smaller than the one I learnt in and despite it being easily my best maneuver I could not parallel park it for the life of me. I was used to having a bit more boot, my car is tiny and my instructors car was like a boat.

You just have to get used to it is all.

It’s only natural to be nervous but you’ll be fine I’m sure!

Perhaps you could bring someone with you? Like a family member who has been driving for a while?

Didnt mean to hurt you OP.

Only reacted to your comments.

Be brave, you will be fine.

Thank you everyone. Got my car, and have been out for a drive & all is well 😁 wasn't as nervous as I expected. Thank you everyone for you're kind words

Well done, hope you have many years of happy motoring.