What's always an adjustment for you when getting a new car?

weirdbeardgame@lemmy.world to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 20 points –
25

I'm 6'5". Figuring out how to see the gauges through the steering wheel.

The clutch and brake pedals' travel.

Yeah same. And the throttle behaves very differently sometimes as well

There's like a strange difference between the throttle being loose or heavy like I'm pressing down against an elephant but the car still responds with Gas pedals

I traded my Miata for a GTI in 2021 but since I still work from home, I rarely get to drive it. Still kill it occasionally when I do take it out. 🙄

How sensitive the pedals are

You like more of less?

Just remembered a former colleague who got her clutch replaced. She went back to have it made looser because she was used to the old worn out one. I personally like for it to start engaging very deep.

I like them sensitive. Makes me think the car is running efficiently and not struggling.

I had a car with a heavy clutch. Tried out my friends car and kept accidently stomping the clutch pedal due to how relatively light it was.

Yep. I want that and for it to engage at early that you have to be really good at it.

Which side of the car the gas tank is.

Even knowing the gas meter has the arrow I’ll still automatically pull into the old vehicles side at least twice before getting used to it.

100% feel this. For the last decade all my cars have had Driver side caps. Just driving a rental while my current cars in the shop which has its cap on the passenger side. Was a total, Universe stops... The tank is on the other siidddee moment when I went to fill it up xD

Knowing how far the wheels are from scraping the curb during a parallel reverse park.

The location and orientation of the wipers and high beams always takes a few days to get used to.

My last few cars gave been a swap between European and Japanese cars so the stalks keep swapping. My current car is a euro but my wifes car and the work cars are Japanese...

I put the wipers on to indicate so damn often.

Figuring out mirrors, sightlines, and distances. Brake and accelerator sensitivity can take some getting used to as well.

That spacial awareness of my old car that took time to cultivate, so that when I was in the car, it felt like an extension of myself, all of that goes away and I have to relearn it all when in a new car. That and the brake sensitivity.

Just got a new car with all the fancy bells and whistles after driving a pretty analog car for 16 years. The keyless start will never be something I get used to.

The armrests. It always takes me a while to figure out where to put my elbows on long drives. (I'm over 2m tall)

Parking brake location(of cars which don't have the traditional hand break). Drove a few rental cars and always took a few minutes to find where the button is. Recently learned there are cars that have a pedal for a parking brake, took me 15 minutes to locate.

That weird smell. It has become worse and worse every few years, even though recently they claim to have made it better this time.

Blind spots for me.

I once got caught out in a new vehicle. A tree somehow managed to sneak past both my visual checks, and my reversing sensors. It put an impressive dent in my bumper. Damn trees are evil ninjas. The fact I was reversing had nothing to do with it!