Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that you shouldn't buy a huge 4X4 if you cannot reverse it?

111 replies

MythicalKings · 30/04/2015 07:35

DH and I went to a National Trust house yesterday. It's accessed down a narrow twisty lane with a few passing places. We go there a lot so know the road well.

We came round the corner and there was a 4X4 coming towards us. Our nearest passing place was more than half a mile back and we knew there was one 150 yards or so behind the 4X4 so we waited for the driver to reverse. She just sat there. So did we.

When she realised we weren't moving she gestured to us to reverse. DH stuck his head out of the window and said there was a passing place not far behind her and the one behind us was considerably further away. She said that wasn't so but DH pointed to where it could just be seen. She started to reverse and went into the bank, a few further fumbles ensued before she stopped and said she couldn't reverse her car so we'd have to.

So we did. But why on earth would anyone buy a car that they can't drive properly? Not wanting to drip feed so I'll point out it was obvious from the paint job that it was her car and not the family car that she didn't usually drive.

OP posts:
violetwellies · 30/04/2015 08:24

All the time, I usually give them 5 min. To make a hash of it then reverse at speed to the space half a mile away. Growling.

violetwellies · 30/04/2015 08:27

I think it is rich if you're causing a hazard blocking the narrow lanes round here with a vehicle you can't drive, making my life difficult, never mind the ecological damage, it is my business.

TheFnozwhowasmirage · 30/04/2015 08:27

I have a 4x4 and can reverse it perfectly well,it is no different to my past cars. However,when I was learning to drive,I was spectacularly poor at reversing around corners,so my instructor made me spend a whole lesson doing it until I was perfect.
I use my 4x4 to tow a horse trailer and freely admit that I need to practice reversing that around corners,as I can't seem to get my head around turning the wheel the opposite way to which you want the trailer to go. I can do it,but could be better,so intend to spend a whole day in the field,reversing it around cones until I'm an expert.
I don't buy this 'women can't cope with big cars' stuff.At all the PC events we go to,it is always women towing or driving HGV's and doing it perfectly. I never see a man doing the driving.

SunnyBaudelaire · 30/04/2015 08:30

most urban drivers cannot really reverse -as I found out to my cost when I moved to Wales and ended up in the ditch more than once. Now I can do it accurately and at speed which I do to show off to tourist cars that are wobbling about all over the place.

ChameleonCircuit · 30/04/2015 08:36

You should've had Kungfupanda with you. Grin

richthegreatcornholio · 30/04/2015 08:41

never mind the ecological damage

Lol, who gives a fuck about that? I only drive heavily polluting cars, mainly because I'm a petrolhead and can't be doing with slow-ass cars but the bonus is I get to piss off all the tree huggers.

specialsubject · 30/04/2015 08:41

surely the whole point of a big 4x4 is that it can cope with this kind of road, and will be able to go onto the muddy verge and get off again? Otherwise why would you buy one?

startled at those who don't reverse often. You must all have carriage drives and always be able to find those handy spaces in the supermarket that you can drive through forward.

mrspuddleduckie · 30/04/2015 08:47

Oh god, this is so me (well not exactly me, I've not been to a national trust place for a few months) but I can't drive my 4x4.
We live in the country so it's pretty handy, and also we camp/bike so is perfect for our lifestyle and it's surprisingly efficient too (lowest car tax despite being huge)
But my husband chose it and bought it as a surprise and I cannot drive it like I would a normal car. It feels like I'm driving a small bus.
But it's my only car, and it is what we need for our location and activities.... so I just have to hope that people are forgiving when I take several attempts to park or am slow at reversing (although I do actually reverse, unlike your lady...just badly and slowly!)
Sorry for anyone who drives near me - I'm an embarrassed driver most of the time...

SanityClause · 30/04/2015 08:51

I made a man in a big Mercedes mini bus thing reverse last night.

I was coming up a narrow bit of road between parked cars, and he was coming towards me, and had spaces to pull into, whereas, I did not. He just kept coming.

When we got to the position where neither of us could go forward, I just looked at him, until he reversed. He was not adept at reversing his vehicle.

I am sure he was thinking "bloody women who can't reverse their cars!" (I wasn't driving a 4x4, though.) but I could have reversed it. I just didn't see why I should have to, when he could have pulled in, but chose not to.

Toooldtobearsed · 30/04/2015 08:53

I am happy to stick mine anywhere to let people through, expertly reverse anywhere, reverse parking? Not a problem. But I still had that one day when deep ditches and a narrow windy lane did for me. I have towed caravans, driven coaches and minibuses, so gender is not an issue - DH acknowledges that, and he can be a sexist pig at times.

Oh, and I have an ecologically damaging vehicle because I live in the country, with one, 4 mile lane out it that regularly becomes virtually impassable during the winter unless you have a 4 x 4. I wish I did not need it - it looks as though we rural bods are going to be shafted again with the outcry about diesel engines.

busyboysmum · 30/04/2015 08:55

I have a fabulous 4x4 with a reversing camera. I love it and it is the easiest thing in the world to reverse. I usually reverse into parking spaces now as you just line up the lines and off you go.

My mum in her tiny A3 is the most awful parker and reverser ever. I cringe whenever she's driving and I'm with her.

DownWithThisTypeOfThing · 30/04/2015 08:59

I think it is the shape of a car rather than the size which affects how well I can reverse. Anything boxy - fine. Bevelled back - takes far more concentration from me.

She might have had a sore neck - I had what I thought was a slightly stiff neck the other week. Fine until I went to reverse back up my path - owwwww!

But yeah, as a rule if you can't carry out basic manouvres in the car, dont buy it.

likalixer · 30/04/2015 09:03

I've always been better at reversing than driving forwards! [Confused

I can never understand people not being able to reverse. And why have 4x4 if you can't handle it? What a waste.

Tiptops · 30/04/2015 09:05

YABU to single out 4x4s. They're lovely and tall giving a good view of the road, and can handle snow and muddy rural roads with ease. Plus more sporty than family MPVs shudder

YANBU to expect people to be able to maneuver their cars, but I've seen people in little cars struggle with this too. I think it's space perception too, my (female) driving instructor said women do generally struggle with this more than men.

muminhants · 30/04/2015 09:05

I'm good at reversing into a parking space (not with a 4x4, I have a normal car, think Astra sort of size) but I can't reverse miles back into a passing place because it's not something I ever have to do. It's something you get good at if you say live in Devon (see another thread on driving along country lanes). I'm not sure you could test it on the test very easily. But I agree that people should drive cars that they can manoevre properly generally (and fit into ONE space in the car park). The number of times I've reversed into a space and then realised that I can't actually open the door (or there are drivers' doors both sides of me and I can only leave enough space next to one for people to get in and out, is quite large. It's very annoying having to drive out again and find a different space just because someone else has such a big car or both cars either side of the space are so big only a Smart car can fit between them.

Where I live lots of people leave their 4x4s/people carriers adorning the railway station car park all day. Goodness knows why they need such huge cars. They've recently rebuilt the station and car park and the bays are a bit wider now, but they used to be tiny and you wouldn't really want anything bigger than a Honda Jazz or similar.

ConfusedInBath · 30/04/2015 09:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

likalixer · 30/04/2015 09:08

YABU to single out 4x4s. They're lovely and tall giving a good view of the road, and can handle snow and muddy rural roads with ease. Plus more sporty than family MPVs shudder

Yes and they have a reverse function.

MissPenelopeLumawoo2 · 30/04/2015 09:10

Was there a brick wall either side of the lane? Otherwise why didn't she just charge up the bank in her 4x4? Ours would do that no problem.

But YANBU- if you are a nervous driver then surely you would be looking out for passing spaces and then pulling into them if you see another car in the distance- that at least takes you out of the position where you need to reverse. I can't see why she did not wait for you in the passing space if she had a problem with reversing?

MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels · 30/04/2015 09:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tiptops · 30/04/2015 09:11

Lik Yes, and? Hmm

Original poster
MythicalKings · 30/04/2015 09:11

Tiptops I "singled out" 4X4s because that's what the woman was driving. And very badly.

OP posts:
Eve · 30/04/2015 09:11

Mirage.. I am a whizz at reversing trailers even if I say so myself, can reverse them round right hand turns and all sorts.

Takes a lot of practice, but the trick I was taught was use your wing mirrors and turn towards trouble.. ie turn towards the mirror in which you see the trailer moving into to. Saves remembering to turn opposite way.

MissPenelopeLumawoo2 · 30/04/2015 09:18

Where I live lots of people leave their 4x4s/people carriers adorning the railway station car park all day. Goodness knows why they need such huge cars.

Maybe because they use them at the weekend for something? My DH toddles to work in his 4x4 in the week, then we spend as many weekends as we can driving up windy mountainous roads or narrow country lanes to get to some amazing place. Unfortunately we can't afford a commuting car and an adventuring car, so we have to use the same one for both. Is that OK?

Rockdoctor · 30/04/2015 09:22

yanbu - most of these 4x4s have reversing sensors and even cameras to help you. If you are going to buy a vehicle make sure you're capable of driving it. My other gripe is 4x4 owners who don't want to get a bit of mud on the wheels or go off road in order to get out of the way.

frostyfingers · 30/04/2015 09:23

I have a large 4x4, a 7.5t horsebox and a Mazda 2 which is about the size of a large matchbox - the first two are a piece of cake, the Mazda just won't go in a straight line backwards. I can manoeuvre the other two easily and park the 4x4 in micro spaces in one go but the damned Mazda is really hard to get right.

I once had a man ask me if I'd like guiding into a small parking space with the 4x4 and I appreciate the gesture was kindly meant but it hacked me off so I rose to the challenge and got it in easily. When I got out he said rather "gosh you're good at that", which I took as a compliment but it did put my hackles up rather!