[rconti]

| The throttle is more sensitive than you'll expect at first. Automatic cars roll forward slowly unless you hold the brake. Old cars have less sensitive brake pedals - that's normal, not a sign of anything being worn out/broken.

I think one thing worth mentioning here is that it's helpful to learn some of the limits of the car. Find an open space with nobody around and just crush the brake pedal to the floor. That's what it's meant for. Knowing how fast a car can (or cannot!) stop from 10 or 20 or 40mph will teach you a lot. Studies show some insane percentage of rear-end accidents occur while the rear-ending car was nowhere near maximum braking.

The fact that an older car might feel like it has a less sensitive brake pedal is just that -- sensitivity. It has nothing to do with ability to stop. You just have to adapt to each vehicle to get the behavior you want out of it.