[v10]

Hi,

For those of you who own/have owned LHD classic/vintage cars in the past, I want to know what have been your experiences driving LHD vintage cars in India. Any traffic/navigation/turning issues etc?

[kasli]

For me no issues at all. More comfortable as I get to ignore the guys on the right.

Originally Posted by v10

Hi,

For those of you who own/have owned LHD classic/vintage cars in the past, I want to know what have been your experiences driving LHD vintage cars in India. Any traffic/navigation/turning issues etc?

[Ravindra M]

Originally Posted by v10

Hi,

For those of you who own/have owned LHD classic/vintage cars in the past, I want to know what have been your experiences driving LHD vintage cars in India. Any traffic/navigation/turning issues etc?

I occasionally drive W123 LHD occasionally in Bangalore.

Within City - Absolutely no problems. In fact, sometime better since everyone overtakes from left at least in Bangalore.

On highways - Sometimes visibility while overtaking is not ok. Needs assistance from co-passenger.

[Viju]

Originally Posted by Ravindra M

Within City - Absolutely no problems. In fact, sometime better since everyone overtakes from left at least in Bangalore.

That is so true. Even when on my bike, I keep looking at both my ORVMs every 2 minutes (OCD levels I am afraid!) since I have had everything from 2 wheelers to BMTC Volvos squeezing in from my left side. Oh, and I am one of those who stick to the left lane!

[toms_2191]

Mod Note : There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use spell-checkers.

[harit]

What is the purpose of this thread? LHD or RHD is something that applies to vehicles through all eras, be it vintage/classic or modern.
You just have to be able to adapt quickly and get used to it in terms of judgement. I know people who smashed the right side of their car on the side of their gates because they had not yet changed their judgement from RHD to LHD.
Its similar to driving an automatic after driving a manual transmission car through ones driving life. You have to get used to keeping your left foot idle.
It is most difficult to change from driving a RHD manual transmission car to a LHD automatic car. That is what can be good fun.

Cheers harit

[GTO]

The last two LHD cars I drove in India were both massive Mercs from the 80's.

It definitely took some getting used to. For one, having nothing to your left and all that sheet metal to the right felt awkward. You need to give yourself a generous adjusting period. It's easier with an automatic; shifting a manual tranny with the right hand is something us Indians just aren't used to. As others have suggested, driving in the city and even on expressways is easier. However, motoring on single lane highways can be a nightmare when overtaking.

That said, I wouldn't consider it a deal breaker at all. Availability of Classic cars is anyway limited in our market, and so many of them are LHD! Just be cautious during the initial period and you should be all set.

If you find a vintage car you really like, pick it up irrespective of whether she is RHD or LHD

[travancore]

I have fond memories of driving my uncle's Jeep (KLO-301) - 1966 maybe ?
Could be that I was young and carefree then - the LHD made no difference. Just loved the steering, command seating (compared to our FIAT 1100) and the lovely gearbox. Not to mention that reversing and parking were a breeze. Those were the days!

[vinay kamath]

i first drove an LHD W110 Mercedes ( MEV 5216 ) around our home , on quiet wide roads of Sadashivanagar as a young, and in college. JOY! the steering column gears are on the right side of the wheel. and signals on the left. no doubt thats simply superb as an experience. but i had to be careful and slow . a few weeks of adjustment and care is sufficient.

"those were the days ! "

the RHD door mirror got slightly scratched a few times. but a lot easier to avoid pedestrians and pets. can't go too close to the divider. avoid overtaking .

LHD mercedes cars often come at a steep discount . i have a query whether LHD cars continue to be registered ( change of 'state' e.g nagaland to maharashtra , etc) without hassle in mumbai and in bangalore . Experts please give valuable advice . because , this doubt has discouraged me from buying one lately .

[canonball]

From what I have been informed whilst considering LHD cars, most states don't permit re-registration/transfer of LHD cars from others states. Wuld be sure keen to know if anyone has done it these past 4 years since the law came into effect as per the understanding I was given by several RTO experts

[harit]

RHD or LHD, its a matter of what you are comfortable and familiar with. I learnt to drive on an elderly OPEL Record, a LHD car with column shift. And I mastered it. We had only one car, and it was used on highways etc. When the car really became old, both rear springs broke on ther highway at the same time, we bought a second hand Amby. I needed to call a friend to test drive, then we bought the car and kept her at home. For a week. I called a neighbour, we took the car for a 10 minute drive, and I was in. Thereafter on several occasions I went to my mechanic and drove his clients car, the idea was to get used to more types of controls. I became a bit versatile. Today I can adjust very quickly to different systems.

But we all experience such difficulties. When new set top boxes came in, the remotes had a different layout. Often we press the program button when just what we wanted was to increase the volume. Or you calculator, hardly any uniformity in the layout. And the mobile phones, those who change from BlackBerry to Smart phones know that they have to get into a different system. Who read the manuals, we go by trial and error.

Like everything, driving a LHD car has to do with adaptability and skill to see how quickly one can master it. Scraping the right side of the car is painful, but often happens when trying to master it.

Cheers harit

[mbz180]

I found it difficult to adjust when driving my LHD 1958 Mercedes Ponton with column shift on the right. My house is on a single lane street with cars parked along the length of the street on one side. As someone has already said, I couldn't quite factor in the extra width on the right side in relation to where I was sitting. After a while, I was more comfortable on the city roads. Somehow, I feel safer to stick on the extreme right on city roads but if you don't drive fast enough then horns start blaring from all over.

I was at home on the day my father first drove the Merc. As he returned from the drive and the car pulled into our driveway, my heart sank; both right side door handles had broken into pieces beyond repair and the sheet metal in those areas had a long gash. My father, who is a good experienced driver couldn't account for the extra width and brushed against the trucks parked along our lane! It took me 3 years to locate a good pair of door handles

I suppose adapting differs from person to person.

[rr_zen]

Since the topic is about driving a LHD in India, I recently came across this Canadian Civic that was in the H.A.S.S for some minor work. Blew me away as it took me back to the US where I have had fond memories of the car. It had a Chennai registration (TN04) and I also spotted it one day on the busy Nungambakkam subway on my way to work. Now, the question I have is - is it possible to import and register a LHD vehicle in India ? I remember reading somewhere in the forum that it is not legitimate to do so. I still cant believe an 8th gen LHD Civic being driven on our roads.

[harit]

Originally Posted by mbz180

........I suppose adapting differs from person to person.

One thing is sure, the older you are, the more difficult to adapt. See how many aged persons have difficulties with mobiles and remotes. I know some who do not read SMS's at all. Yes, adaptability differs with individuals, and with age.

Cheers harit

[awini]

i have driven my lhd karmann-ghia between delhi, jaipur and simla several times with no problems, i can quickly adapt between lhd/rhd, manual/auto, lh shift/rh shift and even rh throttle/central throttle the only problem i have sometimes, is with indicator/wiper controls on some cars.