AIBU to feel that not all 4x4 owners buy them for swanking about in !

[SpringierSpaniel]

Some of us do our research before making a purchase and the vehicle we buy is the one which suits our needs.

So can those who make snap judgements otherwise (yes, certain school gate mums, I do mean you and a fair few MN'ers too) go away and consider why they feel the need to criticise someone else's carefully thought through decision/choice so instantly without considering the possible factors in arriving at that choice.

Just because some people get a kick out of the admiration/envy that they can garner from showing off any lovely or expensive new clothes/handbag/car/jewellery or talking about their upcoming holiday or lounge redecoration, new furniture etc etc, don't assume that all people are like that because it smacks of judging others by the way you personally would act and might therefore actually reflect badly on you.

I honestly had no idea when I got the car some while back how much it would affect the way some acquaintances treat me.

yes sparkling that is why we have 2 cars! i am not trusted to drive his beloved range rover! [hgrin]

and no it is bloody expensive to run, costs £115 to fill and does around 18 miles to gallon!

It amuses me how differently different groups of people treat me depending on whether I turn up in the 'big thing' or my little battered Nissan Micra.

YANBU op.

How nippy do you have to be about town? If you can park properly you can park a larger vehicle, and although they're not cheap to run, neither's my micra at present... I'd love to be able to afford a different car so that I am deemed appropriate in every scenario but I'm not.

You can't 'swank' in our 4x4 no matter how hard you try, it is a utility vehicle and it looks like it, no plush anything, unless you include the blankets we use to keep warm in winter.
We don't live in the country or up a hillside, we rarely tow and to see it parked outside the house most would think WTF but it is essential for DH and his work.

The spaces in our nearest town's multi storey are ridiculously small and narrow. It stands to reason that I can park my hatchback in a smaller space than a 4X4. And squeeze through tiny spaces between parked cars. It's smaller!

Who actually cares what cars other people drive??? You people are fucking mental sometimes!!!

I don't theo I care about the way people drive.

Honestly who gives a monkeys? If people are twattish to you, that is a clue they are twats and you don't want to be friends with them anyway?

Some people have sensible cars for sensible reasons, some people have cars that they buy for swanking about in - so what? I think you might need a hobby op.

And some people buy shit cars because they think they tell themselves they need them, when actually they just want to look good. Just be honest aobut it!

is swanking particularly dangerous? When I was a teenager it mainly involved boys parking up in the MiaFioris and comparing the paintwork. I care about being stuck behind a stinking old jalopy with gaffer tape holding on the bumper more than behind a car that the owner enjoys and presumably cares for. I also care how cyclists cycle, doesn't mean i give a shit what cool and clever bicycle they have.

It's all a bit wasted on me. DH always points out cars and how much they cost and I am always because they don't look anything special. Same as I wouldn't know designer clothes or handbags if I saw them.

Depends what's on your radar.......

I live in the country. 2 cars, one is a 4x4. We need it in the winter, or even just when we have heavy rain and roads flood. But most people around here have a 4x4 so no comments, at least not to my face!

If I'm in town I assume people realise I live in the countryside because the car tends to be covered in mud!

I don't understand the 4x4 hatred. We have bad winters and get snowed in and when I look out the window what do I see but the 4x4s up and down the road rescuing people!

And if we're talking bad drivers I've never known worse than the little sports cars. I've never been harassed, overtaken dangerously or tailgate by a 4x4 but I've been put in serious danger more than once by a lunatic in a two seater sports car
!

We have a 4x4 because we live in a remote area where the roads are rough and it snows a lot during winter. Ours is NOT swanky in the least. I think it's about 15 years old and cost £1000. It's a bit of a rust bucket, but I love it.

The carbon footprint to make a Porche Cayenne is considerably lower than that to make a Toyota Prius, because the manufacturing is all done in one place, rather than bits being shipped all round the world before assembly.

You would have to run the pious Prius for about 15 or 20 years to overcome that original difference. So, actually, the Cayenne is at least as environmentally friendly.

(We have a 4x4, not a Cayenne, though, but I no longer feel the need to justify my decision to anyone. I am a very good and careful driver, though [hwink])

ours tows our caravan so I suppose it has its uses , meh if somebody wants to show off in a car says a lot about them and they are not worth worrying about

Fair point sparklingbroomstick fortunately we don't have many multi-stories here, but I did once sit behind a bloody MINI that did a 96point turn to get into a child space... I did chuckle. [hsmile]

OMG Mrsjay you have a caravan? Swanky!

oh and dh has a van for work and I don't drive I think our carbon footprint is fine

OMG Mrsjay you have a caravan? Swanky

nO talking to me what with my 4x4 and caravan

We have a 4x4 because we're farmers so without it we'd be pretty stuck! It is in no way swanky - I don't think it's been cleaned since DS1 was born, and we've got five children now!

My opinion of you has changed forever Mrsjay. What a shock.

My opinion of you has changed forever Mrsjay. What a shock.

who knew

If you need it because you live a rural lifestyle with steep hills and snow etc, then go for it.

However if you live within a mile radius of me you are an utter unmitigated pain in the arse. Soon my local streets will become unnavigable due to the increasing number of tank like vehicles parked on streets that can barely accommodate a push bike.

FIL is a farmer and is always v rude about 4x4s. He drives a small hatchback. And a tractor...