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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be PETRIFIED of my new car?

45 replies

Letmeeatcakecakecake · 11/02/2015 21:35

Have only every driven a teeney weeney little Saxo but second child on the way meant the need for a larger car.

We got a Mazda CX5.

What was I thinking? I hit a mirror driving home (luckily the marks buffed out Blush and I appear to think that I'm driving a bus.

Don't even get me started on trying to park the thing.

How long did it take any of you to adjust to a different sized car? Please tell me that I'll be zooming down the road and throwing it into any little space in no time!

OP posts:
Bearcatt · 11/02/2015 21:40

DH just had a brand new Mazda 6 a couple of weeks ago.
Within 8 hours of him driving away from the showroom I kerbed the back wheel going round a cornerBlush
That man has the patience of a saint. I knew he was pretty pissed off & if it had been him that had done it I couldn't have bit my tongue like he did.

bellbottomedtear · 11/02/2015 21:41

You will I only passed my test 1 year and driving a corsage when do decided that we needed a new bigger car and got a zafira. I found best thing to do is go out early weekend mornings by yourself if possible and drive around and get used to it

DuchessDisaster · 11/02/2015 21:43

I went from a Renault Clio to a tank of a Mercedes (older E class) with no difficulty at all. Could always park well and the lovely power steering meant I could park the Merc on a sixpence.
I think I could easily go back to a smaller car, but I would feel less secure.
My sister, who is tiny, used to drive enormous cars, right up to a Citroen Previa, which is a mini coach, with no problem. Take it easy until you get the feel of the thing?
Have fun!

MumSnotBU · 11/02/2015 21:43

I was so nervous when I upsized to a big car I managed to pull off the gear stick top as I was gripping it so hard.

It just seems normal now.

You'll get there, op.

MrsBertMacklin · 11/02/2015 21:44

I got the knack of my car's dimensions by going out for a few sessions of parking practice in a quiet, small side road (with no houses overlooking it to wonder what the hell I was doing).

Used the sessions to find the reference point on my windscreen for knowing when each side of the car was up against the kerb and the middle of the road, at what point after seeing the kerb disappear my wheels were going to hit the kerb,etc.

TheFirstOfHerName · 11/02/2015 21:45

I normally drive a Toyota IQ. Once every week or two I have to drive a Renault Grand Espace. The contrast is completely ridiculous.

Original poster
Letmeeatcakecakecake · 11/02/2015 21:47

I'm going to go to a private estate tomorrow which is really quiet and have a drive around. My problem at the moment is that I'm scared of the width and the length. I tried to car bay park earlier and was petrified of swinging out and hitting a parked car on the side of the road! Luckily I haven't had to park under pressure yet Blush

Oh god and it actually has breaks that work. Total novelty. My DP feels he may have developed whip lash already [bush]

Glad to read you all adjusted!

OP posts:
fluffyraggies · 11/02/2015 21:50

I love a big car me. Bigger the better. I have, it seems, a natural talent for parallel parking anything - in any space you like - in the blink of an eye Grin (don't ask me to remember a route though)

I agree with a poster who said take the car and practice somewhere quiet for a few evenings. Empty car park?

sillymillyb · 11/02/2015 21:54

If it makes you feel better, I was driving my little fiat punto when I got a job in events and was given a 6.6l monster truck to drive (that had been modified to have larger bloody wheels on so that the speedo wasn't the real speed!!) I only crashed it once on record you will soon get used to it, but def go somewhere quiet and practice. Do lots of corners as your turning circle will be all off kilter to you Smile

Rivercam · 11/02/2015 21:56

I got a new car in December, and am still cautious (swooped small car to medium car). My new car has a much longer bonnet. I have already decided that for my next car, I'm going to have one with a short snout.

My new car keeps beeping when I get close to things. I'm still waiting to get used to that.

ladybird69 · 11/02/2015 22:05

I learnt to drive in a fiesta and thought it was huge, fast forward 10 yrs, 4 kids and 2 dogs later I was driving a Mitsubishi shogun! I agree with late night and early morning runs on your own to get used to size. Now I'm driving a teeny car again :-( really miss my huge truck, you do get used to it.

TheFirstOfHerName · 11/02/2015 22:14

Love the attempt at a [bush] emoticon.
I don't think MN is that liberal yet...

Babyroobs · 11/02/2015 22:18

I'm petrified to drive my new car. I have driven an old Zafira for the past 10 years but now have a Renault scenic- the handbrake is a button, the ignition key is a like a credit card and the gearstick is in a different place. I just want to keep my old Zafira even though it is dying !

MrsBertMacklin · 11/02/2015 22:19

My 'make you feel better' incidents.

Backed into a bright yellow JCB/digger in Battle Abbey car park, lots of tourists pointing and laughing.

As part of my driving training, took car out into central London on a Saturday night. Smacked into the back of a double decker bus trying to move lanes on Hyde Park roundabout.

Completely killed electric wing mirror and made huge scratch on paintwork the second day of owning the car. Cried A Lot.

Best of all scraped paintwork on a very expensive, very new car while trying to park at a hotel. Went into the Reception, the owner was someone famous (UK famous, not superstar). Cried A Lot Again.

Mammicar · 11/02/2015 22:20

I've gone from a Zafira to a smaller second car. Still have the Zafira which I can park no problem. In any space. However the smaller car I can't park for shit! It's what your used to and in a few weeks you will be swooping into spaces!

ErrolTheDragon · 11/02/2015 22:21

Also love someone driving a corsage. I guess that does have an emoticon: Flowers.

The first car I ever drove after learning in a Metro (yes, it was a while ago!) was the company Passat estate. I found it fine - perhaps because the fact it had a decent gearbox made it easier to drive.

My new car is quite large but it has all-round sensors which I love, on account of being too small to see the extent of a car. In theory it can park itself but I've never had to try that.

championnibbler · 11/02/2015 22:27

don't worry. its just a process of adjustment. practice were you can in quiet places, as you said, and you'll develop your instincts as to the size and width of your new car.
stay cautious and within a few weeks you'll be fine.

lampygirl · 11/02/2015 22:48

Hire yourself a van for a week and drive it around. Once you can reverse park a XLWB sprinter all cars are small in comparison. Having to drive vans at work has done wonders for my spacial awareness (I was reasonably good to start with with parking etc)

Went from a Ford Ka first car to a BMW 5 series estate, but because it's smaller than the van still manoeuvring it is easy.

You will adjust, you just need to learn where the wheels are in relation to the corners of the car.

Janethegirl · 11/02/2015 23:07

Be careful as my Ds has just started driving my car, same manufacturer as his but bigger and he has just scraped it on it's side as he forgot it's bigger.
Had to be nice to him as he was so upset but I really wanted to kill him!

Janethegirl · 11/02/2015 23:09

Lampy my son does drive a van at work and it didn't stop him damaging my car Sad

BikeRunSki · 11/02/2015 23:14

I changed from a smallish Fabia to a Golf estate 3 weeks ago. It was delivered at 10am and it took me until 4pm to summon up the courage to drive it. It has a switch instead of a traditional hand brake, and on Day 3 I very narrowly avoided rolling into another car parked on a hill, and crushing it into a wall, because I couldn't get the hang of it. Then I avoided parking in hills for a week, which is tricky round here. This week I'm getting the hang of it, and have even done a little light parallel parking.

Nohootingchickenssleeping · 11/02/2015 23:27

You can get parking sensors fitted for £99. They might be a good investment if you're still not used to the size of the car in a few weeks.

weeblueberry · 11/02/2015 23:40

Second the parking sensors. I went from a Yaris to an Octavia estate and THANK GOD for the all round parking sensors. Without them Id probably never have really got my head round the fact that actually my new car isn't any wider than the yaris, just longer. But that feeling throws you quite a bit...

JackieTheFart · 11/02/2015 23:46

God you're all so nervous! I don't have a car so only have hire cars for work and personal, I've never had a problem!

I went from a three door corsa to a fiat multipla with my own cars.

You'll get used to it Smile

littlepeas · 11/02/2015 23:47

I went from a Toyota AYGO to a Freelander, to a VW Sharan, to a XC90…..you will get used to it! I had/have parking sensors in the latter 3.