Left hand drive

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mcgtech

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Hi,
We are consider one of two motorhomes: 2017 Hymer Ex 578 - 4 Berth and a 2017 Dethleffs Trend T7057 EB - 2/3 Berth.
We really like the Hymer and its been reduced to £57K due to Left hand drive.
We are a little unsure of the Left hand drive, but think on balance its not really an issue.
Does anyone have any advice on driving in the UK with this setup?
 
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Some junctions can be tricky in this country but its much more "natural" when you are abroad and that's when you want things to easiest. So as long as you will be going abroad don't let lhd put you off.
 
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Present and the previous van we’re both LHD, much prefer it to right hand drive, especially in the A class with the door on the left👍
Do more miles abroad than here, so makes perfect sense to us👍
 
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A previous van was LHD, took Sandra a little while to get used to being near middle of the road without a steering wheel :X3:. After a couple of trips around UK she was fine. Came into its own when touring Europe.
 
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Had a left hand drive 3 vans ago and found it no problem. It was cheaper to buy and not as easy to sell but still made a profit. Being able to keep closer to the left verge was helpful. We spend most time in Europe so same goes for rhd
 
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Get used to checking in your mirrors that you are in the centre of your lane as placement will feel odd at first, and if a large vehicle is coming in the opposite direction on a standard or slightly narrow road keep yourself over to the left as far as possible and slow down if necessary.
 
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No different, van is still the same width.

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No problem for me but I have been swapping between left and right hand drive for decades. My wife finds being on the outside in the UK a bit unnerving so I make the effort to keep well to the left as much as possible. Bumping over the cat's eyes is a dead giveaway that you are not paying attention. The high seating position eliminates the visibility problems found in a car if overtaking.
 
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Ditto for above, when we visit from Germany the LHD is not a big issue, use mirrors, keep square on at junctions so you have a better field of view, trust your passenger and finally, you are not the one that gets the shock when you do a mirror bump!
 
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I suppose it is the same as driving a RHD MH abroad which I do without difficulty.

The downsides are that you can't see around the vehicle in front so good when overtaking, but just hand back a bit.

The upside is that visibility at roundabouts is so much better because you can see the approaching traffic through the whole window rather than through an A pillar or craning your neck backwards to see over your shoulder.

A disadvantage of RHD is using controls that were placed ergonomically for RHD and doing this with your left hand. (I'm hopless using my left hand)

A class MHs with LHD have a driver's door (not a passenger's)

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mcgtech said:
Hi,
We are consider one of two motorhomes: 2017 Hymer Ex 578 - 4 Berth and a 2017 Dethleffs Trend T7057 EB - 2/3 Berth.
We really like the Hymer and its been reduced to £57K due to Left hand drive.
We are a little unsure of the Left hand drive, but think on balance its not really an issue.
Does anyone have any advice on driving in the UK with this setup?
Click to expand...
Hi,
I bought a LHD Hymer from new, which I had for 9 years. Whilst I did take it abroad I also did a lot of UK miles, and frankly never gave LHD a thought. You don't really overtake on A roads so not seeing past vehicles so easily was not a problem, and on motorways its obviously not an issue at all. Only turning left at an obtuse angle can be a little tricky, but you can buy mirrors for that, or if if you have a passenger - problem solved. Personally, I'd buy one again tomorrow without hesitation. In terms of reselling, people often want LHD as they spend a lot of time in Europe (mine actually went back to Germany).
 
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These days you can put a camera on the right hand side of the windscreen to give a view for overtaking, although how often do you overtake other vehicles in a MOHO?
 
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mcgtech said:
We really like the Hymer and its been reduced to £57K due to Left hand drive.
Click to expand...
I don’t think LHD would be a reason for the price reduction. Is that what the dealer told you? I’d get the van checked over. I’ve sold four LHDs over the years and I’ve never had a problem selling them in UK. Lots of folk specifically look for LHD. As for getting used to them we have no problem. We have LHD van and RHD car and have no issues. I have once though got into the car on the left side and wondered where the steering wheel had gone…..
 
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Soycd said:
I don’t think LHD would be a reason for the price reduction. Is that what the dealer told you? I’d get the van checked over. I’ve sold four LHDs over the years and I’ve never had a problem selling them in UK. Lots of folk specifically look for LHD. As for getting used to them we have no problem. We have LHD van and RHD car and have no issues. I have once though got into the car on the left side and wondered where the steering wheel had gone…..
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Dealer is Inverness, so apparently that's why...

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For an A class, you want a driver door that opens. So for many that means LHD.

Otherwise I'd get RHD unless you do a lot of miles on the mainland.

LHD is always going to be harder to sell.
 
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Brains said:
LHD is always going to be harder to sell.
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I’d probably disagree with you on that point. As I mentioned earlier I’ve not struggled to sell a number of LHDs, and getting a very good trade in price on our current one. I think part of the reason is that there are very few LHDs around, but also quite a few folk specifically want one. Having said I’ll be trying to sell ours privately in a few weeks time so may have to eat own words if it doesn’t go!
 
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I don't think the driver will have any problem, its usually the passenger who doesn't like being in the middle of the road with no control over the vehicle although they must get used to it otherwise we wouldn't all be allowed to travel abroad so often.
 
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Soycd said:
I don’t think LHD would be a reason for the price reduction. Is that what the dealer told you? I’d get the van checked over. I’ve sold four LHDs over the years and I’ve never had a problem selling them in UK. Lots of folk specifically look for LHD. As for getting used to them we have no problem. We have LHD van and RHD car and have no issues. I have once though got into the car on the left side and wondered where the steering wheel had gone…..
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I did just that last week, and in full sight of my wife, despite not having owned a RHD vehicle for a few years now. Then again I have also opened the back door....
 
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Lenny HB said:
That a myth.

A lot of A Class's don't have any cab doors.
Click to expand...

Ours does not have cab doors. Why are they needed?

They are there because 'C' Class came with complete van cabs and chassis out of the factory, but when converters started to produce 'A' Class with habitation doors there was no need for them. And the space could be used for other purposes.
 
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If you are travelling solo in uk a small wide angle camera mounted on right side, rear facing, helps with the odd difficult junction, particularly if you have advanced almost onto roundabout and cant see onto right side. Mine works well internally mounted (on internal blind rail). Otherwise staying square to junction, staying slightly back etc covers most situations
 
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How is insuring a LH drive I recall not all insurance companies will quote on a LH drive is this the case ?
 
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