Right Hand Drive Cars In The Usa

[albert champion]

after years of owning only benzes, i am considering adding some brit cars to my collection.

unfortunately, the nifty ones that i have examined are all right hand drive.

my thinking is that rhd is a real problem in a lhd country.

am i right or wrong?

and should i just wait until i find lhd cars?

lastly, any opinions as to owning and operating aston-martins? old royces?

all ears,

[Botnst]

Aside from having my innards eaten away with the bitter bile of envy, I can't think of a reason for you not to.

I'd love to sit in any of those cars just to make revving motor noises.

Botnst

[jsmith]

avoid drive through's and you'll be ok. also be extra careful passing on narrow roads...

[jjl]

Here in UK I've driven LHD cars intermittently. It feels like you're driving in the gutter, and overtaking (passing?) is more difficult..you have to sit farther back from the car in fron then floor it (Shouldn't be a problem with an AM).

Price of gas-guzzlers (Astons, RR's, old Jags etc) here in UK is relatively low (gas is about 6.50 a gallon - mainly tax - yippee..not). Plenty to choose from and mostly beautiful..go for it.

PS Have you considered a modern TVR?

[albert champion]

not a tvr, too hobbyist i think.

i used to own one of the first lotus europa t/c big valves. a 1972 model. i drove it as an almost daily driver for 4 years.

would love to have houston return to what it used to be so as to drive anything as sweet.

i am sort of waiting to see what the usa-version elise will be like.

i looked at an original elite last year...had been allowed to deteriorate. too much too restore it. would love to find a sweetie that was taken care of better. this was one of the sweetist designs of the century.

and i had a girlfriend in the 1960's whose dad was the first owner of a db4. have never forgotten how lovely and wonderful it was.

can one recapture that past?

[kott]

I've had a '57 Bentley S1 for 6 1/2 years.... a definite circus sideshow- everyone notices when someone's driving on the "wrong" side. As long as there are no bucket seats, or a gear shift on the tunnel, it's not bad to be on the off side... or off the on side, for that matter. Drive thru restaurants, ATM's, push-button gate openers..... no real hassle as long as the car is not too wide, I guess. For as infrequently as the car will probably be driven, being on the right side should be no big deal. It's a weekend thrill car, not an everyday errand runner. But, anyone who owns one should know this- old RR's and Bentleys (and probably anything else) need regular driving for satisfaction- no garage queens! They'll leak and stumble and need much more work. Buy an old one, drive it, don't fret the dings, and enjoy the attention-

[Jim Anderson]

What does the English Mailmen drive

[kott]

anything American, of course... or something British that's been converted.

[chazola]

English mailman drives a bicycle...

[Pete Geither]

We occasionally get a RHD Subaru in to repair, as they are sold in the states for the mail carriers. I positively hate driving the things and can't wait to get out of them. Too wierd for this old body and brain to accept.

[chazola]

hehe. i've had to get used to changing gear with my right hand, driving on the right (wrong) side of the road hasn't taken that much getting used to suprisingly...

[kerry]

I spent the summer driving a right hand drive UK motorhome in France. I didn't find it very difficult. In fact, I ended up forgetting that it was unusual. I found it easier than driving the vehicle in the UK. Of course, it was the only thing I drove during that period. It might be different switching back and forth between right and left hand drive.

[Peyton300TD]

I drove a Right hand drive Land Rover here for a month. I didn't have any troubles but I noticed I ended up hugging the side i was closest to.

[rbmercedes]

Albert,

I lived in Japan for several years, and drove Japanese cars, almost exclusively. I also found that it becomes second nature driving from the right seat, and when my friend bought a Mercedes (123) 280 with left hand steering, I was able to switch from the Japanese cars to the MB and back again without thinking about it.

I don't know where you live, but I live in a rural area and have always thought it would be easy to drive a RHD car in this environment. I friend owned a RHD Toyota Crown in San Francisco in the 70s and claimed it was easier to drive in the city than a LHD car. Too, as others on this list have mentioned, it wouldn't be your primary means of transportation, and so any inconveniences would be greatly reduced.

Keep us posted on what you buy. One other thing, any vehicle over 25 years old is exempt DOT and EPA regs, so the older cars would be much easier and cheaper to import. If you go with a newer vehicle, a car that is similar to a model sold in the US will be easier to certify.

Check out this article on how not to do it:
http://mbz.org/info/complaints/Euro_Sport_Motors/

Happy Motoring

RBM

[lazyhooks]

HI, can u drive a rhd in the states? are there any regulations/ restrictions such as ceratin states or getting a permit?