LHD vs. RHD

[c.douch]

Hi,

I'm looking at buying my first DeLorean, but am undecided as to weather or not it needs to be RHD. How do LHD drivers find driving their cars in the UK especially in big cities?

Thanks

[stunned_monkey]

It feels more natural than you'd think, and the extra field of view you get at roundabouts is fantastic. All round visibility is much better than you'd expect (unless the rear quarter glass is fogged up!). I drove mine into London several times and never felt any more stressed than I would have in my Citroen. Also people tend to notice you so less likely to hit you!

In RHD the A pillar feels very intrusive and it's awkward to get it into reverse as well as uncomfortable from having your elbow in the ashtray. You also don't have a nice big space to the left of the clutch pedal in which to rest your leg unlike in a LHD.

Overtaking is perhaps the one downside however you do find that being able to see past the left of cars in front gives a field of view you don't get in a RHD car.

Let the flaming from RHD-ers commence

[Chris Williams]

Quote:Overtaking is perhaps the one downside however you do find that being able to see past the left of cars in front gives a field of view you don't get in a RHD car.

Exactly all as Martin wrote! every things OK on dual carriageways and motorways just on single carriageways you have to be careful!

Chris

[Guinney1971]

^^^^

what Martin said - I would say I have more issues living out in t'sticks, as I can never see past
that darn tractor thats crawling along in front of me so that I can over take :lol:

[Chris P]

No FLAMING from me Martin, that sort of thing has no place on a decent forum. ......................... Now thats out of the way!

Having had several of each, the first thing that comes to mind in your budget. RHD's are much more expensive and less easy to find than LHD's. They do come up for sale from time to time and of course the channel 4 RHD being restored currently should be a good one when finished.

The driving experience has pluses and minuses as has already been stated, I love my current car, but for pure build quality and fit and finish, my low mileage LHD, late build car was the best by far.

Most of the RHD cars are based on very early underbodies where the build quality, panel gaps etc were poor. But of course non of these early cars should have bee sold anyway. Its only because the factory went bust and the "Receiver " swept out all the dark corners and plonked on the latest panels and hoped for the best. This makes these cars interesting, but not better or more desirable that any others.

A Delorean is a Delorean is a Delorean...all extremely rare, all great investments and great fun to own and drive, which ever way you go.

If you can get to Derby (on a dry day) you are welcome to take my RHD out for a spin ( not literarily I hope) and see what you think.

[Chris Williams]

Hear you go Chris: a nice RHD for you: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Delorean-DMC- ... 368wt_1328
Thats Chris Douch not ChrisP from ChrisW :?

[c.douch]

Cheers Chris... it does seem like being called Chris is a prerequisite for being a DeLorean fan! Chris Nicholson has a couple for sale, an LHD for £27K and a RHD for £36K, both done up to a perfect standard - i worry that the LHD especially may be aimed at serious collectors to be locked in a climate controlled garage. I'd obviously take excellent car of one a D, but want a car that I can use regularly. In your letter to me you said that a really good LHD would cost around £20K. If i spent say between £16K and £20K, how much extra am I likely looking at spending to get a good reliable car with no dents, ripped seats, broken plastic etc.?

Thanks all for your advice - I'm beginning to feel that maybe driving a LHD might be okay - and the money saved, I'm sure would be handy for any repairs the car may need. Not totally decided yet though..... decisions, decisions!

[Chris Williams]

I think both the RHD above is very good value as is this LHD one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DELOREAN-DMC- ... 817wt_1328
I dont think either car you would lose money on (clearly they need to be properly checked out) you just need to factor in a % for upgrading the car to how you want it/replacing anything you think needs doing/servicing Etc
I dont think the one at 18.5k is bad value at all at the moment and am surprised it has not been snapped up as it does not look like it needs much doing to it.
And yes all the best people are called Chris :lol:

[Chris P]

Its very unusual to have a RHD and a LHD for sale at what I think, are very fair prices!

You are very unlikely to find a better buy in the UK.

[dmc4087]

The LHD is fine, you get used to it quick enough.

My opinion, but I dont think its worth the hassle and expense converting one.

[bjbrownie]

It's unusual at first driving a lhd car ( not just a DMC ) but once you get used to it, there's only novelty value about it- certain road junctions require a bit more consideration sometimes though.
Some people do ask the strangest things-commonest one seems to be how do you drive on the road sitting on the 'wrong' side of the car, I reply that's no problem, but it's tricky getting used to the pedal layout being reversed from clutch/brake/gas to gas/brake/clutch-an awful lot of people believe it............... :lol:

[marwood82]

i dont find it much of an issue, but then i live in germany so im on the correct side of the car anyway :wink:

that aside, my other car here is RHD and ive driven my D in the uk and its not really a problem. takes a little getting used to as your turn in markers at junctions are a little different. after a bit of practice you can swap between RHD and LHD without much issue. pulling out of junctions is quite easy as people tend to let you out so they can get a good look at the car!

the only issue i would say is that there is a blind spot on your right hand side. (though that can be improved a bit with the upgraded wing mirrors). the main problem with this is that on the motorway people following you tend to stay in your blind spot for about 2 minutes taking pictures on their phones.(usually whilst not holding the wheel or looking where they're going!) so you'll get used to glancing over your shoulder a lot before changing lanes.

[Phil Peters]

It all comes down to what you want out of DeLorean ownership.

Having owned and driven both LHD and RHD DeLoreans, I'd say if you're looking for a RHD purely on driving experience, you might as well save your money. When I used to live in Birmingham I had no qualms at all about commuting through spaghetti junction in rush hour in my LHD DeLorean and as Martin says, people tend to notice you more and are therefore less likely to hit you anyway. A (properly converted) RHD will drive no better or worse than a LHD. For that reason I see little point in paying the extra for a post-factory RHD car or having one converted.

Some people might actively seek out a RHD car as an investment, looking to sell it on for a profit in a few years' time. That's down to personal choice and how long you think you'll want to hold on to the car, but for me DeLoreans are and always will be a hobby, not a business.

Some people have an interest in the RHD cars from a historical perspective. I would count myself among this number and it's one of the reasons why I ended up buying a RHD car. There is a school of thought which says you don't drive the history only the car but I personally disagree with this, espeically where the Wooler-Hodec cars are concerned. Does a RHD car's history make it 'better' than other DeLoreans? No, often quite the opposite. It also presents a unique set of challenges for the owner such as the availability of RHD-specific spare parts which none of the DeLorean vendors stock. But if you're really interested in the history, it might be the right choice for you as they are certainly fascinating cars to own. You probably ought to think twice before adding too many of your own 'personal touches' to the car though because pretty soon all those original historical features which make the car interesting to a DeLorean enthusiast will be lost forever. Ask yourself if you'd be happy to live with the car as it is, warts and all, or whether you really would prefer to fit that DVD player or carry out that engine swap.

Let the flaming from post-factory RHD owners and DMC customisers commence

[Starglider]

Phil Peters Wrote:Some people have an interest in the RHD cars from a historical perspective. I would count myself among this number and it's one of the reasons why I ended up buying a RHD car.

Initially I was looking at RHD cars because I disliked driving my wife's LHD Polo (long since departed) so much. After a little research I came to my senses and realised the problem was more 'early 90s Polo' than 'LHD'.

However during that research I also became interested in DMC's plans for a UK vehicle, the various iterations of RHD and how close they got to launch. Since I already had the idea of trying to represent what a production Legend car might look like, I decided to try and give a sense of what a production RHD might be like as well; it was another way to add challenge and interest to the project*. There are thousands of DeLoreans; only a few owners get obsessed enough with the story to seek out the prototypes, one-offs and other oddities.

* That was before I found out that Chris N was building from scratch with salvaged Wooler Hodec parts rather than converting an existing LHD, although on reflection it seems fitting that the last of those parts is used on a 'prototype turbo RHD' (albeit a fantasy one).