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Offline si

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What is Better?
« on: December 15, 2004, 02:00:17 am »
What is better?

Right hand drive cars on the left side of the road?

Left hand drive cars on the right side of the road?

Or even right hand drive on the right  (like some old british cars here...) or left on the left.

Have you guys experienced driving the "wrong" way?

I'm happy with our "right" way because it give me the opportunity to shift with my right hand as I am right handed.




It does make me wonder though how much more we as consumers have to pay for a car which is offered in both left and right hand drives - to pay for the greater engineering or development costs?
hmm
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Offline Drivesideways

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What is Better?
« Reply #1 on: December 15, 2004, 02:26:37 am »
I don't think engineering and development costs to create left- and right-hand versions of the same car are anywhere near what they would have been years ago now that most of the design work is done in CADD.  And with the amount of platform sharing that goes on now, those costs are spread across much bigger markets than they used to be.  

Think of it this way...

- Old school: a design team in Germany for Opel works years and years on drawings, models and mockups developing a car for the left-hand-drive European market, while a team in England for Vauxhall works years and years on drawings, models and mockups developing a car for the right-hand drive UK market.

- New School...one team in US/EU/Asia...wherever...spends half the time designing and with a few mouse clicks there's a Vauxhall, there's an Opel....

At least that's my perception as an outsider.
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Offline ovr50

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What is Better?
« Reply #2 on: December 15, 2004, 02:37:39 am »
In 1977 I spent a month in Australia where I rented a car and drove over 4000kms. It was, obviously, right hand drive and driving was done in the opposite lanes to here (as everyone knows). It took about 1 day to get used to the idea of driving on the "wrong" side. That, for me, was more difficult than driving the car. My only concern was that in an emergency situation, would I react properly? Never had to find out, although came close in Queensland where an impaired driver came into our lane and forced us partly into the ditch. I got a plate number and reported to the police in the nearest town. The drunk was obviously a local as the cops weren't about to do anything based on an outsider's report. I was pretty POed about it at the time. Australia may still be full of drinking drivers; it was a real problem at the time I was there.
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Offline Turbo Bob

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What is Better?
« Reply #3 on: December 15, 2004, 05:04:00 am »
Right on left or left on right, doesn't matter really, 'cos on either you are in the correct position to see. As Ovr says, it's getting used to it that matters, on main roads etc it's easy, it's when you stray onto country lanes that have no lines on when it gets difficult. Did this in France a few years back, naturally strayed onto the wrong side (left), until something came headin' my way, soon realised !!

I prefer steering with my right and shifting with my left, but that'll probably change when I make it over there...
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Offline jeeper

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« Reply #4 on: December 15, 2004, 09:15:26 am »
dont know for me its a bit strange...never had the chance to drive in the opposite way and prolly never will coz if i ever go to a country where ppl drive in the opposite way i will pass a car rental and will take a cab.
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Offline sirAQUAMAN64

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What is Better?
« Reply #5 on: December 15, 2004, 12:10:07 pm »

One Q:

When you take the Chunnel, you're going from LHD in the mainland to RHD and driving on the opposite side of the street in Great Britian.  

Has anyone made the transition? Any comments on how easy or hard it is?
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Offline safristi

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« Reply #6 on: December 15, 2004, 12:25:13 pm »
The transition takes a few minutes...and the local crossing ports are festooned with DRIVE ON THE RIGHT..Pommie Bastard..signs.
      Millions of Cor Blimeys sneak of to Amsterdam fer a dirty weekend or to Paris fer a froggy buffet and mostly all that is damadged is their willies & wallets...


  Drove a RIGHT HAND DRIVE camper bought in U.K all over Europe..France to Turkey..and no problemo even though I was on the wrong seat in the front!!!!Only contretemps was a sozzled Napoli driver inna Fiat 500..sideswipped me and hit the step up plate at the bottom of the door (no damage to camper) Fiat had a 6 foot gouge from stem to stern.The poor bugger was so soussed when we stopped for a "chat" that I couldn't stop laughing..but I was more carefull in the post siesta!!! afternoons....as Ovr says drinking and driving in EuroLand was and prolly still is a Sport..in OZ it's a requirement!!!
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Offline Turbo Bob

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« Reply #7 on: December 15, 2004, 12:43:46 pm »
No problems, they send guards in the trains to rip out your right-handed steering wheel while your asleep and replace it with a marshmallow on the left-hand side.
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Offline si

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« Reply #8 on: December 15, 2004, 02:15:27 pm »
This is while entering France?  

I didn't know it was still occupied.
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Offline Drivesideways

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« Reply #9 on: December 15, 2004, 02:22:38 pm »
Nah...everybody left years ago.
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Offline Turbo Bob

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« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2004, 05:13:56 pm »
Ha ha ha...

Quick note on this, in the Evo magazine, car of the year 2004, they got to drive a load of cars, two of them left hand drive. A german Golf GTI and a Maserati GranSport.  I'll quote from the mag as I can't find the article on the web yet:

"On my way back to the muster point I'd noticed the Maser, parked facing me on the side of the road. I didn't think anything of it until a few hundred yards further on I encountered the Golf GTI, similarly stationary but on my side of the road. Only when Colin in the Maser, and Greg in the Golf, returned did it all become clear.  Both cars are left-hand drive, and as they creep back, each appears to be lacking parts of their passenger door mirrors. It transpires that, dazzled by the sun, Colin has strayed too close to the centre of the road and clipped the oncoming Golf. It was clearly a close call that could have been much worse."

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Offline sirAQUAMAN64

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« Reply #11 on: December 20, 2004, 05:21:01 pm »

And they're the professionals?  

If so, we're all in trouble if vacationing there...
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Offline Turbo Bob

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« Reply #12 on: December 20, 2004, 06:20:06 pm »
He actually picked the Maserati up from the factory in Italy ('cos there weren't any in the UK) and drove it to the test in North Wales, could you imagine if he had trashed it on the first day. I think Maserati would have been mighty pi$$ed...
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