to wonder what driving a 4x4 has to do with it?

[MasonPearson]

I was doing a couple of errands earlier, one of them was to pick something up from the chemist. They have closed the little car park outside it so I parked legally on the road.

Its cold, dark and rainy and its school run traffic. I need to do a 3 point turn so that I am facing the correct way to go back home. At this point there is no traffic coming, though there is a t intersection a few metres up the road.

As I am making my manoeuvre a car turns left out of this t intersection, and comes up so close to me that I can't complete my manoeuvre due to parked cars on the other side of the road.

She then winds her window down and comes out with a tirade of abuse about drivers of 4 wheel drives and got a bit personal, which made her sound very chip-on-shoulder bearing in mind she had caused the situation.

I retorted with a simple, "how classy are you! and politely asked her if she could reverse back. She wouldn't so I graciously did so myself by going on the pavement and waved her by - its not worth getting into scraps or mexican standoffs, I just want to get from a to b quickly and safely.

But it made me think - why do people have such ishoooos with 4x4's? My one is not all that big as they go, is not bad for the environment as far as cars go, it has new technology that I wont bore you with that means a very good miles to the gallon rate...but to be honest I'm not going to go on, there's no real need to justify my choice of car. I'd rather hear some 4x4 haters justify why its apparently acceptable to verbally abuse someone because of their choice of car...or isn't it?

AIBU, or was this a random mardy trout with a chip on her shoulder?

mardy trout, don't worry about her.

I think she was a random mardy trout.

"its not worth getting into scraps or mexican standoffs"

Oh yes it is :o she won and you lost.

I wonder what her version of events is?

masonpearson, do you live in the country?

Oh goody - a 4X4 thread, we haven't had one of these for ages. I tried to start one the other day on a thread about Parent & Child versus Disabled Parking Spaces by saying I liked a nice wide space to park my 4X4, but noone bit.

Netwave - just how did the other woman win? Because the OP reversed?

Mason, I suspect the animosity is due to the drivers of "Chelsea Tractors" who park right outside schools blocking roads so their precious children dont have to walk 10 meters, smaller car drivers do the same but it causes less nuisance and so isnt noticed as much.

And yes the above does not apply to all 4 x 4 drivers.

Oho I see what's a coming next..

Because 4x4 drivers enjoy looking down from the height of their vehicles onto other lower motor mortals?

hehe I'm only half joking

Well, the fact that you were in a 4x4 maybe isn't relevant, but perhaps you shouldn't have been doing a 3-point turn in a road like that, specially in the dark and the rain? If the t-junction was really just a few metres up the road, it maybe wasn't a great place to turn your car, whatever size it is?

Coatgate, every time someone accepts unreasonable behaviour from another person the perpretrator then becomes more assured that they can get away with whatever they like. When that behaviour is challenged it puts doubts into the mind of the perpetrator and they may think about doing it again.

Personally i will confront anyone who behaves in a bad way towards me.

Well they are an environmental hazard!Amd completely unecessary unless you live in the country ; on a farm.

She was extremely rude to you.

But you must know that an awful lot of people think less of you because you drive a 4 x 4? So don't let the thoughts of one random stranger who vocalises her dislike bother you.

"Masonpearson, do you live in the country"

Yes.

Mason is clearly a Lincolnshire countrywoman with an expression like 'mardy trout'. Am I right, Mason?

You blardy well need a 4x4 in parts of Lincs, or at least you did when I lived there. Run over her feet next time.

I have absolutely no idea why people dislike 4X4s and have such a level of vitriol against them.

As long as they don't have bull bars on them, what's the problem?

I personally would LOVE a great big Range Rover. Have you ever been inside one? They are utterly fantastic.

Depends what 4x4 it is. If it's a muddy landrover driving in from the country then fine. If it's a gleaming one of these or the like barging its way round central London then you're fair game I'm afraid.

I used to love them, hankered after a 4x4 every night in my dreams. Till I started driving into London from Surrey on a daily basis. The vast majority are bullies, who coincidentally drive exactly like buses do, eg. barging their way out without indicating or waiting for a clear road just because they're bigger. I've been overtaken and undertaken by them on busy roads, once when heavily pg I was pushed into the path of oncoming traffic and was fucking terrified. And I am not a wallflower driver, believe me.

There is absolutely no need to have one in town, other than to say look at me I have a small cock. While you are free to buy one, you must accept that most people will think you're a berk. Not that it excuses people being rude to you just because, but people will think things about you.

Don't sweat it! Car prejudice and dog breed prejudice are the only remaining pleasures left to some people.

Id actually love to fill my 4x4 with Rottweilers then I would just gently lower the window if some twerp hassled me.

Meant to add, I still love them in their place. MIL is going to buy me an off roading Landrover experience for Christmas and I can't wait!

Should I perhaps buy a little Ford Ka or something that I park somewhere on one of the roads on the way into the nearest town and swap cars if I have an errand to do in town, then swap back and use my 4x4 to drive back? Would this be better for the environment, perhaps?

I shall bear it in mind.

Its a vehicle which has a bad reputation, to a certain degree deserved for the reasons described above. Often the drivers don't actually seem very competent - if you're an anxious driver , maybe you feel safer stuck inside a huge tank, and don't appreciate that you're a menace to the environment and to other drivers. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but the typical mother doing the school run is the sort of person on which the reputation is founded

You said up thread that you live in the country. Fine, no problem with that! But you can't tell me that every BMW/Merc/Lexus/Cayenne/Nissan farking Qashqai driving round Westminster has schlepped in from the fields that morning. Two different species.

But yes, a Ka for 'town' sounds eminently sensible. :o Mind you, some silly tart nearly went into me yesterday in one because she was lighting her fag and not looking so might have to start a campaign against those

Violet IME the young men driving them like F1 cars are worse. Tossers.