Driving a different car

[Justnavigating]

Not really an AIBU . More for the traffic .

I have only ever drove 2 cars since I passed my test 6 years ago . Both were fiestas - one a little newer than the other . My current is a 13 plate .

I am getting a new car and I feel really silly asking this - but is it really different driving a different make ? I can be a bit of a nervous driver at times, nothing major and I do drive everywhere , but I remember the first time I got in my newer fiesta I was so nervous but it was very similar to my old one so I was fine . I’m now looking at a couple Peugeot 208 - it seems similar in size to a fiesta but it will obviously be different , this will also be brand new - does it feel really different ? Will it take some getting used to? Or will I just get in it and be fine ?

I know this seems really silly , hence why I’m asking on here instead of IRL 🤣

Yes, the sales person will be with you in the car. But use them! Ask them questions when you get in the car, get the seat, mirrors, etc all set up the way you need, they'll tell you where the indicators, wipers, etc are. Tell them this is your first test drive and you're a bit nervous - a decent salesperson will set you at ease and remember they do this as a job so they'll have been in a car with plenty of people who've never test driven a vehicle before.

But yes, different makes of cars put things in slightly different places, things look a bit different, feel a bit different, the bite point for the brakes is slightly different in every car, how much pressure you need to put on the accelerator to make it go/go faster varies too. You soon get the hang of a new car, but don't expect it to be second-nature straight away - don't put that pressure on yourself.

My previous car - Hyundai had the indicator stick on the other side to my current car - Mitsubishi. For the first few weeks when indicating I pulled the wrong stick.

Yes it will feel different but you'll quickly get used to it.

One thing I do before driving a new car is just sit in it and find all the controls and just take a look around at where everything is to get familiar. Then I will take a short drive around the car park or some other non traffic area. Just to get a feel for the car and acceleration breaking and all that.

This really helps when I get a rental car, and I am switching from driving on the left side to on the right side.

I don’t think it’s a silly question at all
i I was so nervous going from one car to another. I quickly got used to it and it’s given me the confidence to try anything if I have to

They all do feel a bit different, but for most ordinary cars, you will get the feel of them very quickly. When I was a fairly new driver, I once nearly crashed in a hire car, because the brakes were less effective than the car I was used to ... I think that's the sort of thing that's only really going to affect newish drivers, though.

Going from a ordinary car to a much higher-powered car though - that's a different matter entirely. The first time I drove a sports car, it totally freaked me out and scared me to death. It felt SO different that I was convinced there was something wrong with it!

I hate driving cars other than my own. Drove hire car on holiday a few times so my DP could sample the local beer. Felt like I was driving a tank, although I got used to it.

I would definitely test drive yourself. Whilst can send him for a first look, you need to try before you buy yourself if it's going to be your car.

I’d be the same OP.

I wouldn’t buy a car without doing a test drive first . I agree you can get used to almost any car quite quickly , but that isn’t necessarily the same as liking it when you are driving . I’ve rarely taken the salesman out with me on a test drive , and on the odd occasion I have , he’s sat in the back anyway as I’ve had my husband in the front .

We took a few for a test drive before we bought our current one , because I once bought a car that I wasn’t super happy with on the test drive , but decided that it would do and I would get used to it . The things I didn’t like on the test drive ( largely but not limited to very wide panels between the front windscreen and doors that made bigger blind spots than I was used to ) just irritated me more the longer we had it .

@ladybirdsanchez

Yes, the sales person will be with you in the car.

Maybe decades ago, I seem to remember coming out with you, but certainly the last few cars we've bought, covering the last decade or two, we've done test drives on our own. The salesman just takes copies of your photo driving licence, gets you to sign a damage indemnity form, then pops on the trade plates, gives you a whistle stop tour of the controls and waves you off. In fact, last year we asked how long we could test drive a car and he said we could have it all day as long as it was back by closing time at 5pm so we had it for a full day out!

These have all been main dealerships though. Perhaps smaller/private car dealers do things differently?

@Theraffarian

I wouldn’t buy a car without doing a test drive first . I agree you can get used to almost any car quite quickly , but that isn’t necessarily the same as liking it when you are driving

Yes, I agree. We've just bought a brand new one. We'd test driven a similar one a couple of weeks earlier and liked it but wasn't the colour we really wanted. The salesman phoned us a few days later saying they had one in the colour we wanted in their pound that had been pre-registered a few days earlier. We asked to test drive it, but the salesmen tried to persuade us we didn't need another test drive as we'd already driven a similar one

He seemed a bit put out that we insisted on driving the actual one we'd be buying - it wasn't as if we were ordering it from the factory, it was in their car pound and had been pre-registered. All it involved was moving a couple of cars in front of it to access it! Neither of us could believe how different it felt on the test drive. It was still fine and we were happy to buy it, but it was definitely different!

Thank you everyone ! Think I’ll certainly have to do the test drive !

Another question - what about going from a small car to a BIG one ?? Is it harder / easier ? Is it difficult to park??

Silly , as I’m so nervous , but I’m also looking at bigger cars now as I really like the look of the 2008 !! But it looks so big !

Not really an AIBU . More for the traffic

I see what you did there 😜

I'm not a confident driver at all, but I'm going to go against the grain and say it's surprisingly fine to swap between cars. Circumstances have meant that I've driven 7 different cars over the past two years, all of different sizes. Yes they all feel a bit different but at the same time it's just driving and I can do that so it's fine!

The usual one for me is that reverse is different in every brand but probably not an issue with an automatic.

We went fiesta to Astra to Hyundai Tucson and each time I was pleasantly surprised at the bigger car and how it was fine to drive. Get a reversing camera if you can and then it'll be easy peasey.

I'm a coward and make DH do the test drives though! You can woman up and do better than me though I'm sure.

Ah I didn’t realise I was so clever 🤣

They both have a reversing camera - I’ve never , ever used one before ! Some people tell me it makes it easier but others say you rely on it too much ! ( I’ve never bumped my car yet my mother in law who has cameras has hit 3 posts when parking using them - that’s just this year 🤣 )

You will get used to quicker than you think.

Parking is different in every car. I am a nervous driver and went to practice parking a new car in an empty car park like I was 17 again so I knew I would be happy doing it in a busy car park. Parallel parking is another matter. I learnt in an old Ford KA (when they were absolutely tiny!) and could parallel park no problem. Then got a Seat Ibiza and I could never get the angles right on it 😂

Having made the same mistake myself, I would advise practicing opening and closing the petrol cap at home before going to fill up for the first time. A queue of angry people at ASDA will thank you for it 😂

If you're driving an automatic you'll be fine, there'll be little difference actually driving.

I've driven everything from an original Mini, to an eight seater people carrier. I always preferred the people carriers for the ability to see easier, but my favourite car was a sporty little Merc which you couldn't see to park, but was like shit off a shovel to accelerate. 😂

It just takes a few minutes to adjust, you'll be fine.

Having always been a really nervous driver and only ever having driven Polo's, a few years ago we were reducing to 1 car because my DH had been given a work van and having a small child needed more space so we got a Peugeot 2008 which I loved and didnt actually feel that much bigger at all, we've then had a 2nd child and increased size further to a Nissan Qashqai which I feel so much safer driving and has helped my confidence when driving so much to a point I'd even consider something bigger in future :)

All cars are different. My current car I test drove it and felt comfortable straight away, but other cars have taken some time getting used to.

IMO nearly every car I've had has been a bit easier to drive in some way than the previous one - partly because we've got better cars as we got older, and partly because the technology improves.

I swap between 2-3 cars, all with controls in different places, I regularly flash my lights instead of cleaning my windscreen 🤣

I drove Fiestas for a very long time then got a Peugeot. I still haven't quite got used to the lights and indicators being different and I've had it years.
Should have got another Fiesta.

You will be fine but don’t be afraid to take time to familiarise yourself with the car before driving it out of the garage. Make sure the seat is set right & steering wheel adjusted, that you know where indicator & wipers are etc. The biggest possible difference is that the indicator/wiper controls will be on opposite sides to the fiesta.

I’ve driven lots of different cars over nearly 40 years and I occasionally get confused in my current car as to where the rear wiper button is!!