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.

I like to think of my hair as curly rather than 'fuzzy' Theo.

I'm intrigued as to how theo knows what sparklings hair is like?!

brr, I have flattened a few discarded bikes in my time. The rule is if you leave your bike on the ground in the drive or car port it may get reversed over. Satisfyingly flattened at that.

The school recently expanded to include a primary -sorry prep school which obviously means more traffic. The senior school kids use school buses, subway etc

We go to the local school -yes, we are 'the locals' It's a bit like that Katherine Tate sketch

theodorakis i think we would get on very well! i am so jealous! wish i had flattened a bike or two! might have to accidently no purpose leave some bikes in careless places!

I am not attacking sparkling. I am just saying that we can all throw judgemental and bitchy self righteous stuff around telling others how to live.
i am sure sparkling is lovely and has nice hair, my point is why would it be fair to judge any person on what they have or what they wear? I find being called a selfish wanker quite offensive, you people don't know the first thing about me. I had a very very serious accident a few years ago, I only survived because of my lovely old truck being strong enough. I have stared death in the face and chosen to ensure i am safe. i really don't deserve to be called random names by random people. Otherwise we would both be dead and that would apparently be better for our family? Yes, I hear your care system is so trustworthy.

Actually i do know sparkling is lovely from mn!

Do I need to read the other thread?

I need mine and don't need to justify it to anyone.

On the school run, I am often the ONLY non 4x4 in the car park. Every single one is black or white, I stick out like a sore thumb :D do not live in country, no hills, no farmers, they just like their 4x4's around here!

And a few parents (on celeb in particular) at the school have asked me why I don't have a 4x4, I asked them why they had one? No answer.

People that get hit by 4x4s don't come off so well though huh? If you want to swap emotional stories.....

So we should drive aveos in case we hit someone? Great argument. Actually there are very few pedestrians where I live. And no cyclists. One of the reasons it is such a nice place to live.

I would never, ever, ever put my family in a low down bendy chasis car, any more than I would let them play with matches in bed. I am just glad I can afford to have a safe car that looks good and keeps us alive.

We're about to get one. We live in London. I don't give a cr@p what anyone thinks about our decision.

We have made this choice because: it is about the only car we can agree on and this will be our first joint purchase (OH is about to learn to drive) and we both shoot at weekends and end up down unmade roads or parking in muddy fields, etc. But most people who see us loading up the boot at Sainsbos won't know that. Who cares what they think though?

euro, they won't like the shooting either [hwink]

there are loads of people where i live. i am not responsable for other people! take responsability!

i dont like shooting.... but that is another thread! i will be your 4x4 friend on this thread though!

I only shoot targets, not animals (does that help, or is it an anti-gun thing?).

file DH reckons that anyone who doesnt live in a rural area and drives a 4x4 (particular culprits are the BMW X5 and the Porsche Cayenne) may as well add a bumper sticker saying 'I know nothing about cars' to complete the look.

Your DH sounds particularly unworldy then.

What about people like me who live in modern housing estates on the edge of cities who have to feed their horses and tow things? Do you think the horses feed themselves when the roads are impassable due to deep snow and ice? Even getting into the city in winter where I live requires a 4 x 4 at times.

IMHO small cars which are traded in every couple of years and scrap after 8 years or so are more harmful to the environment than a prestige larger luxury vehicle which might well be going strong 12 years or so later.

Like I said, selfish wankers

They are not suitable for built up suburban areas and cause inconvenience to other road users. They also put other people at risk because they block drivers' views in car parks and at junctions and would have a huge impact if they hit a person or another car. That is why people give out about them. It has nothing to do with being judgmental.
If people want to use them in areas where they are necessary or they can be used without inconveniencing others then fair enough.

Well Geegee, dh does have 13 years experience in the automotive industry and is generally obsessed with all things cars, but hey ho!

I get that if you live down a 10 mile dirt track which is under 5ft of snow for 6 months of the year then yes, a 4x4 can come in handy. If you don't live rurally, then you are buying this sort of car for other (perfectly valid) reasons, but 'need' is not one of them.

And it is bollocks that your children will not be safe in a non 4x4 car either. It's not a case of if they are not strapped into a nice range rover they are rattling around in the back of a death trap. There are loads of perfectly safe cars so again if you want a 4x4 of course that's fine and your choice (despite what dh says I think they are rather lovely actually!) but you don't 'need' one!

Like another poster my grandad was a farmer, he had a tractor and a vw polo, not a 4x4 to be found amongst him or the surrounding farmers.

Also, where are these places that the majority of the posters on this thread live that the weather would actually affect what car you buy?

Unless everyone is living in rural scotland or higher ground in northern england, surely in an average year you don't get more than a few days of very severe snow, hardly a lifestyle which warrants a certain type of vehicle for year round use?

I used to work with a guy who bought a land rover so that he could cope in the snow. Now to be fair he did live fairly rurally, but where we live we get what, 2 or 3 days of severe snow here a year?

I'm sure many 4X4 drivers have them for good reason and drive responsibly.

However I do find tat they can be driven very menacingly and they do block my view completely when trying to get out of parking spaces.

As someone who drives a second hand hatchback I am of the belief that many people do drive these massive cars doso as a symbol of wealth.

Of course they will deny it

4x4= Royal family or Ulrika