[NEFARIOUS]

OK, I just came up with the idea of this topic when I had to drive my GF's car to drop it off for maintenance and quickly realized a few quirks. It's hard to summarize it in a few words, but thinking of the last time you swapped cars, whether it's a 2nd frequently driven car (SO's, company car, etc.) or another one that you just drive once in a while...

• What are some things that have become "muscle memory" in your car, but you'd reach for it and it's something completely different or nonexistent?
• What is something that you like on your Bimmer that other cars don't that makes adapting to the car... Interesting (and vice versa)?

My car vs. '97 Acura CL:
* Trying to change channels on her car but wound up honking the horn
* Pushing an imaginary button on the dash to start her car (I was still waking up; her car has the traditional toothed key but she put it in the ignition for me so that threw me off more easily )
* Going back to my old car... Despite being on opposite ends of the steering wheel and being 2 years since I've driven that car, the directions to push/pull the cruise control switch for various functions (e.g. up and down is "Res/Accel" and "Set/Decel" in Toyotas, while it's "off" on the E90... Took me a MONTH just to unlearn that!)
* The fact that everything is so dim, from the fact that there's only a single dim "nightlight" in the roof vs. my car's 2 domes, 2 footwells, 2 puddle lamps and an LED array on each door handle when you open the door, all the way to the non-directional halogen vs. my automatic HIDs.

What other quirks do you guys have? Yes, even the imaginary clutch story going from manual to auto would work.

[Lups]

Originally Posted by NEFARIOUS

OK, I just came up with the idea of this topic when I had to drive my GF's car to drop it off for maintenance and quickly realized a few quirks. It's hard to summarize it in a few words, but thinking of the last time you swapped cars, whether it's a 2nd frequently driven car (SO's, company car, etc.) or another one that you just drive once in a while...

• What are some things that have become "muscle memory" in your car, but you'd reach for it and it's something completely different or nonexistent?
• What is something that you like on your Bimmer that other cars don't that makes adapting to the car... Interesting (and vice versa)?

My car vs. '97 Acura CL:
* Trying to change channels on her car but wound up honking the horn
* Pushing an imaginary button on the dash to start her car (I was still waking up; her car has the traditional toothed key but she put it in the ignition for me so that threw me off more easily )
* Going back to my old car... Despite being on opposite ends of the steering wheel and being 2 years since I've driven that car, the directions to push/pull the cruise control switch for various functions (e.g. up and down is "Res/Accel" and "Set/Decel" in Toyotas, while it's "off" on the E90... Took me a MONTH just to unlearn that!)
* The fact that everything is so dim, from the fact that there's only a single dim "nightlight" in the roof vs. my car's 2 domes, 2 footwells, 2 puddle lamps and an LED array on each door handle when you open the door, all the way to the non-directional halogen vs. my automatic HIDs.

What other quirks do you guys have? Yes, even the imaginary clutch story going from manual to auto would work.

Oh I have one!

I had only driven manuals back home as my car, tough I had a few hundred miles handling the evil option also. Here after 14 hour flight I was behind a wheel of an automatic something awful. It was something like 2am, and I know men are allowed to drive too, but none of our family wants to let my husband drive even out of the garage, and the first hundred or so turns, stops, well everything, I slammed the brakes on.

Well, it was more like five, but i ended up finishing the drive with a foot in the door (dodge build quality+ american sized pockets in the car), I Nearly crashed twice. And the there were no stick! When I went to test drive the BMW's, the dealer ended up holding my hand always. That would have been flattering, but I think he was freaked by my trying to find the stick all the time.

Cuddly (the dealer, or that's what I call him nowadays) If your reading this, I'm so telling everyone you were coming on to me, it's better for my ego!

[NEFARIOUS]

Originally Posted by Lups

Oh I have one!

I had only driven manuals back home as my car, tough I had a few hundred miles handling the evil option also. Here after 14 hour flight I was behind a wheel of an automatic something awful. It was something like 2am, and I know men are allowed to drive too, but none of our family wants to let my husband drive even out of the garage, and the first hundred or so turns, stops, well everything, I slammed the brakes on.

Well, it was more like a hundred, but i ended up finishing the drive with a foot in the door (dodge build quality+ american sized pockets in the car), I Nearly crashed twice. And the there were no stick! When I went to test driver the BMW's, the dealer ended up holding my hand always. That would have been flattering, but I think he was freaked by my trying to find the stick all the time.

Cuddly (the dealer, or that's what I call him nowadays) If your reading this, I'm so telling everyone you were coming on to me, it's better for my ego!

HA! Nice, LOL!

I've never had the problem of transitioning from stick to auto, but I have had the problem of going from column-mounted auto to traditional console-mount, and there's many times in my life where I'd pull the windshield wipers/cleaners to try to shift out of park, especially since my first car and my late dad's truck had it and even happened once when I bought my E90

[Twix]

I find myself reaching for radio volume controls instead of using the convenient buttons on the steering wheel. This is the first car I've owned with them. I also find myself forgetting to hold the brake pedal when putting my car into reverse (silly 8sp auto).

[Lups]

Originally Posted by NEFARIOUS

HA! Nice, LOL!

I've never had the problem of transitioning from stick to auto, but I have had the problem of going from column-mounted auto to traditional console-mount, and there's many times in my life where I'd pull the windshield wipers/cleaners to try to shift out of park, especially since my first car and my late dad's truck had it and even happened once when I bought my E90

There are hills everywhere. I just do not get this driving and braking all the time. The first manual I drove here made me almost cry, it was so great to have back the control.

The second thing is that I'm putting on the interior lights from the button controlling the roof, and this happens every time at heavy rain. Then I can't get my self to close it, cause I'm still looking for the lights, not that damned sun roof.

Oh, one more! I hate navigation systems. The rental had the worst system ever, and I was always lost because I couldn't drive while listening her voice. The audi does better, and now I'm usually on time, in the right place and mad as hell cause I can't even say out loud that "Yes, I was going to stand you up, but this ### made me be on time, and now I have to socialize because of this".

Reading all this makes me realize why my aunt has driven her Mazda for the last 30 something years. I may have a problem.

[immx]

Having driven a manual since passing my test (19 odd years ago) I still find myself going for the clutch when coming up to a roundabout sometimes!

[NEFARIOUS]

Encountered another one last night: My landlord came for some maintenance, and since he was dead in the middle of something and parked in front of me, he had me move his truck... Since I'm used to stepping on the brakes to start the car, an interesting thing about his truck (a newer Chevy Silverado 2500HD) is that when I do that, the brake pedal spring up almost violently.

[NEFARIOUS]

Since it was 95°F today, I tried to roll down my friend's window by holding down the "unlock" key... and got frustrated like "why the hell doesn't it roll down?!?"

[wojcikgu]

This is the first car I've owned with them.

[Kontra]

Besides mashing my left foot into nothingness looking for the clutch, I can thank BMW for training me to pull twice to get out of every car lmao!

[NEFARIOUS]

Originally Posted by Kontra

Besides mashing my left foot into nothingness looking for the clutch, I can thank BMW for training me to pull twice to get out of every car lmao!

If you set foot into a newer GM car it won't be for nothing... I was in my friend's brand new Chevy and it had it.

[Mojave Spirit]

Driving my mother's Merc E350 and the gear "lever" is where the windshield wipers are on a normal car. Boy was that hard getting used to.

[emapway]

I had this car over 5 years a go. I really enjoy using it, but the manual shifter gave mo some hard time to adopt.

[NEFARIOUS]

Originally Posted by Mojave Spirit

Driving my mother's Merc E350 and the gear "lever" is where the windshield wipers are on a normal car. Boy was that hard getting used to.

That's quite the trend... I was checking out Mercs with a friend and most of them are starting to turn towards column shifters, as if a $$$ car is now reminiscent of minivans and pickups, and the center stack will eventually be replaced with a center seat to go back to the golden age of front bench seating.