The weather here in North Dakota finally got above zero and we had decent road conditions, so i had to go for a drive, i have only driven it around the block before i bought it but since then we have had horrible weather. Well i can say I have a perm-a-smile plastered on my face, what a fun car to drive. I AM HOOKED!!!!!!!

 

welcome to the dark side.....

 

jimmyb,

That's very cool. It didn't take much to get me hooked, either. I'm envious that you actually have yours. My ownership is still virtual as the restoration isn't complete yet. How's the left-hand shifts going?

 

Glad to hear that you got some windshield time. As a former ND'er, I'm glad that I don't have to worry about snowy roads and my new MINI!

 

I thought shifting with my left hand would be weird but it was pretty easy. I will rebuild mine in few years when i have saved some money. For now it is in really good shape.

 

I hear Ya Loud and Clear JimmyB.
That first drive in a RHD car has got to be the coolest. Especially with everybody else checking you out as well. The facial expressions help keep the "Perma-Grin" goin too.

 

I don't own a rhd car, but the couple of times I've driven them (in the US) I have yet to get familiar with the perspective/angle of view from the side mirrors. I also tend to hug the right shoulder of the road. I would think that you'll end up talking to lots of people while sitting at traffic lights.

 

RHD isn't that hard to get used to until you have to turn...Then it starts getting weird...

 

I have gotten so used to driving on both sides of the car, I am always turning the wipers on in both of my cars. I tend to want to use my right hand for a right turn, and left hand for a left turn.

The side mirrors on my car are useless, especially the passenger side because it is not convex. But the car is so small it only takes a slight turn of the head to see all the corners, and it has no blind spots.

Now where it really gets tricky is drive thrus...

 

Yeah, for me, the right hand drive thing is pretty easy to get used to, but I still get confused as to which door to get back into after I've gotten out. It's pretty funny when I go to left side only to discover that someone has stolen my steering wheel.

 

I had the same thing happen i went into the parts store came back out and i actually got in before i realized it.

 

LOL. I almost did that once...Haven't driven it enough yet to have any fun stories like that.

 

Yes: you are alone and try to to the wrong door . . . oops, you slowly look around to make sure nobody saw "your dumb mistake, since you are the cool dude with the RHD" and ah, yes, somebody might have caught you. . . so, plan 2.....open the door wide, fold the seat forward and look real hard for something you "didn't lose"....there that did it. Face Saved, back to the Dark Side for some Fun.

 

i do that with our newwer car too.....lol

 

After an hour or two in the Mini, I tend to get in the passenger side of my LHD cars. Now THAT'S a dumb mistake...

 

Yep, now all of the secrets are out! RHD is cool, but weird and it messes with your head when you least expect it!

 

I LOVE IT

 

I love RHD! I just came back from a trip to the UK and I drove all week. It was a blast. The locals asked me if I had any trouble driving on the wrong-side of the road. I told them a secret.... first, I am left-handed and I own a RHD classic Mini that I drive in the US.

The only thing I didn't like was driving around millions of roundabouts.

 

Roundabouts are the best! I wish there were more of them here in the US. In a classic Mini, if the traffic isn't too heavy, they can be taken without slowing down as a fun chicane.

 

Try Going through a drive through in reverse! Talk about getting some serious funny looks.

 

I've got four in a row here in Belton.

 

The Starbucks drive through crew love the car so much they come outside to do the transaction.

I have to admit to certain amount of "hey look at me" emotion when I drive the Mini, but best of all are the smiles it brings to the people who see it. It really makes me feel good.

 

You don't need to go through in reverse. When I went through all the toll booths on the Ohio tollway, I found that the car is narrow enough to lean over and collect the ticket/pay the money, most times I didn't even have to undo the seatbelt.

 

Whenever I get my Mini running good I want to take her through the McDonald's drive thru to see what they do but I don't have anyone to go with me. :(

 

There are a couple of fun drive thrus in KC you should check out. Both were created due to limited space, which forced them to put the windows on the right side of the drive. One is the McDonald's at 109th and Metcalf (same strip mall as the old American Bandstand) and the other is a Chinese restaurant in an old Taco Bell building on N. Oak trafficway. I don't know the name but the food is good.