Will I dislike an auto?

[Another Bill]

Thanks Brisel.

One reason I’m setting sights on a C class is, I have fond memories of RWD but last drove a RWD car mid eighties, it’d be nice to experience another (bucket list, if you like)” A BMW could be tempting too, but other half likes the appearance of C Class (and so do I).

Your comments make me want to experience the cornering dynamics as described, but it would be unfair on a dealer salesman to indulge excessively on a test drive. I’ll assume that with sensible restraint it will make ownership of such a RWD auto vehicle suitably ‘involving’, and I’m well past the age where that might be a euphemism for ‘boy racer’. You haven’t put me off (not that I think you were trying to).

[Another Bill]

PS Thanks Horse, too. All appreciated.

[Another Bill]

Looking probable that I may be checking out a C200 next week.

It’s a low mileage car from a main dealer, so I’m assuming that it’s mechanically sound and even if not, will be rectified under warranty.

All the same, given my complete lack of experience with autos, is there anything you folks can suggest that is auto-specific and that I should be paying attention to on test drive?

Main challenge might of course be restraining left foot from ‘declutching’ as I stop, almost tempted to tie it to the seat frame!

[Horse]

Main challenge might of course be restraining left foot from ‘declutching’ as I stop, almost tempted to tie it to the seat frame!

Tuck your left foot back, under the seat.

I was told that by a skid pan instructor, because I'd never driven an auto before.

"If you try to declutch, you'll brake hard. If you brake hard, we will hit the concrete wall. Then I will have to do lots of paperwork.

"I don't like paperwork. So, if I see your left leg move I will hit it so hard I might break it "

[Another Bill]

Yep, that went wrong on the last test drive, just once, as I pulled back into the dealer’s car park. Thankfully it wasn’t on a skid pan so no harm other than the shame of it and the salesman, whilst not happy, maintained a professional grin and stopped short of knee capping me. But I'd have sympathised if a following driver had been caught out by it.

Tucking foot back sounds like it might work. I might even experiment in my own manual car tomorrow (while parked) to find a comfy posture.

[vanman]

The problem I had was whilst just rolling to a stop, car still moving all be it slowly against the gearbox, should have braked gently..not the best example of left foot braking.

[Horse]

as I pulled back into the dealer’s car park. .

Ah, the old "I'm home, so can relax" effect.


Apart from that, thoughts?

[Another Bill]

as I pulled back into the dealer’s car park. .

Ah, the old "I'm home, so can relax" effect.

Interesting and credible analysis.

And maybe even reminiscent of the only time the paint on my beloved Volvo got scratched, and only ‘100% own fault’ mishap since 1979…

I’ve always been careful, bordering upon paranoid, about parking spots, always going for the end of the row in supermarkets, making sure wheels were within 1cm of kerb etc. Then one day two years ago, I’d spent a morning cleaning the upholstery then tried to manoeuvre to an angle where the sun would be on the seats and… crunch! Impact with my own garage wall. Not major, just an inch long scrape but sod’s law, it was a half inch on each of the two doors.

[waremark]

[quote="Another Bill"]Looking probable that I may be checking out a C200 next week.

It’s a low mileage car from a main dealer, so I’m assuming that it’s mechanically sound and even if not, will be rectified under warranty.

All the same, given my complete lack of experience with autos, is there anything you folks can suggest that is auto-specific and that I should be paying attention to on test drive?

Main challenge might of course be restraining left foot from ‘declutching’ as I stop, almost tempted to tie it to the seat frame! [/quothe]

I've had a current model C200 as a hire car. Some things to notice:

Merc use a column gear stalk on the right hand side, up for R, down for D, and push the end in for P. I think it is an excellent system, better than the lever between the seats which most other brands use.

There will be a brake hold system, activated by a second pressure on the brake pedal. Brake hold releases quite easily on touching the accelerator. Without using hold or keeping your foot on the footbrake there may be roll back when doing a hill start, which is unusual for auto cars.

There is a parking brake control above your right knee. However, most people would never touch it - apply brake hold before switch off, switch off and the parking brake is applied automatically. It releases automatically.

The way the paddles operate depends on mode and setup. In some situations, to revert from override to auto pull and hold the right paddle.

If it has surround cameras it is a fantastic system!

I would ask the salesman how to turn off speed limit warning and lane keep assist before setting off!

[Another Bill]

Thanks for the tips.

The versions I’m looking at don’t have 360 cameras, though I wish they did - especially in this age of fearsome looking width restrictions. Then again, I used to consider myself quite good at parallel parking until I got a car with parking beepers. After that I became pretty useless at parking any car, however compact, unless it also had the beepers.