to love my 4x4

[holidaysarenice]

And to not have to justify it to anyone!!

Pringles please?

YANBU I love mine too and I can park and reverse and drive legally but I do rather like speeding through puddles

Fair enough onion ,I only skim read most posts & actually only properly read the bit about using said Fiat as punishment

Puddles are the best, I try to see how far up the car I can get the mud.

I think you're being a bit insensitive to me too everlong. Basically I'm only saying that 4x4s can be more dangerous than smaller cars - which most people know anyway.

I can't really see how what I've said is insensitive to anyone, though before you PM'd me everlong no I didn't know that rinders has been through tough times.

So I'm sorry if I caused you any upset rinders

I'm sure we all agree that life is more important than owning a 4x4. But it wasn't me who started such a silly thread !

By saying ...

"Very insensitive juggling"

especially when I don't think I was

Yanbu to love your 4 x 4, but people will quite justifiably judge you for it unless you need it to get around the terrain you live in.

If you don't care about what other people think then fair enough, but please don't belittle other people's perfectly reasonable and justifiable objections to them.

Love mine too (live in the country!!) And I can park it and reverse it :S Love my other car better but cant get the kids in a sports car so it spends most of its life in the garage waiting until the dayIcan drive it regularly again
:(

Everlong, thank you

Juggling, of course you weren't to know, just an unfortunate choice of words. I have to say, your comment and did appear to be very much directed at me, but I guess that's one of the problems with posting - sometimes things you say can be misinterpreted.

I had to about the '4x4s responsible for twice the number of fatalities' being snaffled from a 4x4 haters' website. Absolutely no bias there then

I wonder what the statistics are as regards the gender of 4x4 drivers

Near here, 100% (made up statistic but not far from the truth) of 4x4 drivers are women. Unfortunately they are mostly driving really quite badly.

Although I am prejudiced. My rather gorgeous and brand new car was written off by a 4x4 driver. The silly mare driver reversed into my car. It was legally parked at the side of the road. Apparently her parking sensors were not working. Due to being in possession of parking sensors, she had, it seems stopped using her eyes. There should by the way be a law against 4x4s being used for the school run

Unless you are farmers or horsey and need a 4x4 then 4x4s are driven by selfish people. People who think that pedestrian safety is irrelevant and that other motorists safety is irrelevant.

I would have to be dragged kicking and screaming to be parted from my 4x4. And quite frankly I couldn't give a monkey's what anyone else thinks about the car I drive.

And I can park it in the weeniest of spaces and have even received compliments, from men on my parking abilities.

YANBU

One of our cars is a battered old Freelander, and because we have a boat share, it's used regularly for towing, etc. It's great for that, and backing down jetties, etc., but a killer on the purse for fuel costs. :( I am from a farming family, so was brought up with old Defenders, etc., which are fab as working vehicles, but not what I would choose for the daily commute. My Dad taught me to drive one offroad as a teenager, so I know what I'm doing, but am regularly horrified by colleagues who say 'My wife's a terrible driver, and I'm worried about her taking the kids out, so I bought her a 4X4 for safety'! They are so dangerous in the wrong hands, because of their weight and size (talking about traditional 4X4s here).

Saying that, our other car - an 8 year old front wheel drive Astra, which is like a little tank - is a champion in the snow. :) Got it out, and through the snow when colleagues with 4X4s couldn't. But I'm a bloody good driver, and some of them are not.... So, I concur with the 'you'd be a shit driver, no matter what you drive' statement - please just drive something you won't do a lot of damage in. :)

It really pisses me off having to justify why I have one. Erm...because I want one, as apparently I'm a wanker I drive it safely, park it well, drive through puddles at speed (if a lack of pedestrians) and its easy for my decrepit old Dad to enter and exit as well as easier to throw all the kids' crap important stuff in.
People sit up my arse too assuming I'm driving slowly because they can't see through me-do they do this with a van-no.

Do I ask those of you with more than two bedrooms in your house why you have all that extra space that could be used for environmentally friendly things? No.
So butt out of my pimpmobile please.
I find it astonishing that people are so openly judgemental and downright rude about people's choice of vehicle. It's 4x4ist and I am going to set up a charity to support us.

I find it astonishing that people are so openly judgemental and downright rude about people's choice of vehicle. It's 4x4ist and I am going to set up a charity to support us.

You could call it the Countrywide United Network of Chelsea Tractor DriverS

Compo

But I don't live anywhere near Chelsea!

I'm speaking up for juggling because I agree with her actually - life is more important than someones need to drive a particular car.

And for those of you saying she's being insensitive, really ? Where is this chart showing whose life is more important, that of the pedestrian who dies or the driver who just fancied a bigger car to reflect their image of confidence and who was openly boasting about her top of the range Chelsea tractor

As to the whole 'well it doesn't apply to me because I'm a great driver'; Arrogance does not make great drivers. I'm not a great driver. I'm okay, 20 odd years no accidents, but that doesn't mean I'm a great driver. Additional training helped of course but no, I'm as fallible as anyone else. But hey at least I don't believe I'm a great driver so I don't take stupid risks because of overconfidence.

Oh but I guess I'll be accused of being insensitive now.

Well off you go and congratulate yourselves again on your choices.

No, they don't but rindercella went out of her way to boast about it. Then take it personally and complain when someone said something against them.

Again it's the size of the car that may make it more dangerous to a pedestrian not the fact that it's a 4x4 You can get a Fiat Panda 4x4. You can get a Range Rover without 4 wheel drive. Some people carriers and cars designed to carry wheelchairs/mobility scooters are bigger than standard 4x4's.

My Skoda yeti is 4x4. But it also comes as 2wd. The insurance is no different the size of the car is no different.

Perhaps we'll all just selfish fuckers for driving our children anywhere as you're much more likely to have a crash with children in the car as they are a potential distraction

whatever perhaps that's true - yet the accident history of buses is lower than cars.

I actually have no problem with cars of any kind, but I do have a problem with arrogant drivers who place their families comfort and convenience above everyone else.