4x4s... all driven by morons?

[bakedpotato]

so all the rumours are true, about 4x4 drivers being dangerously-insulated petrolheads. yesterday the local high st was wedged solid with these huge macho motors, with one parent and one child rattling around inside, after the school run. me and dd were crossing a small sidestreet in the rain when a 4x4, driven by a man i should add, abruptly turned off the main st and nearly ran us down. he simply was not looking for us. he asumed the road was ALL HIS. being so much higher than us, he'd failed to look down.
i must have been halfway across before he decided to take the short cut down it. admittedly my child is very small (!), but i am all-too visible, being pretty PG at the moment.
i banged on his window as he passed at speed but of course he didn't stop to apologise. he had a child in there as well. all last night i keep thinking of what might have happened.
these cars are so inappropriate in the city.
why on earth would you want one when they say you're
a/ environmentally unaware
b/ a fashion-victim/conspicious consumer
c/ contributing to an exisiting congestion problem
d/ dangerously removed from the realities of the road

?? I'd really LOVE to know

i've always pitied people in them as being brainless... now that prejudice has been completely reinforced

No need for me to use lactulose now at least.

I hate them - we live in a town and there is NO NEED for them!! They just block the road and often block your vision when coming out of junctions as all you can see are it's doors!

PLUS, how much extra space do you really get??? Unless it's an MPV, you are still only getting regular seat space and the ones I've been in don't have especially massive boots either - my Mondeo has a bigger boot that a lot that I have seen.

When we went car shopping a few years back, the salesman actually said, the majority of people that buy them are Mummies who just use them for the school run in towns!!

Actually CD - I bet mine is greener than yours and probably cheaper to run too

Ahhhh GDG were you trying to sneak out of a junction at the same time as one then instead of waiting your turn?????

Mummies who use then for school runs?
Ooh no much more versatyle and fun than that.
Especially if there is a winch fitted on them!

LOL Jampot!! You know what I mean!! When the exit is wide enough for 2 cars and one is going right and one going left - that's allowed isn't it!? Eek, maybe it's not but I do it !

Just out of interest - why do you have one? I suppose it could just be that you like it and that's fair enough I suppose but surely you can understand how they are very irritating in built up areas for people in standard sized cars?

MM, i didn't say that - it was the sales bloke!!

Right where is he, run the bugger over time me thinks, in our Defender.

We have one because we like the high up driving position, we like the fact that we can take our childrens' friends out if we choose, it is infinitely greener than the majority of other cars, my dh works for Land Rover and believes in being a bit loyal, and I got a free voucher for Joseph when I bought it

A Penny Farthing ticks 2 of your boxes

Do you do the shows Jampot?
Billing, Eastnor and the other one?

LOL Tinker

MM- I dont go to them - dh used to but he tends to go to the LRO Show whenever it is on

The perterborough one?
We went to them Billing this year and did the drive round the course ,great fun.
Camping there next year if we can.

We may end up going to the one next year as hopefully getting a new Disco and dh will insist on us all going (plus ds is older now and more interested)

and of course I will limit his spending which historically has been excessive

Ehem. I am all of a to d of Bakedpotatoes list (though maybe not so much a)though must admit very rarely do school run in it coz live just round the corner. But I do alot of driving with my kids and dog and absolutely LOVE my monstrosity.

Almost as bad as people getting upset about mobile phone masts and never letting their mobile off their ear!
I drive a 4x4 because DH chose it, needed room for two of us, kid and baby and au-pair PLUS full sized lie-flat pram and all my organic groceries and greenpeace leaflets. I'm quite indifferent to this particular car but don't think its any worse than most other cars. If you can drive well it makes just as much sense in London as any other car. I drive quite a lot and mostly find other people who drive them fit all the stereotypes, not me though of course! I don't feel guilty about it and don't feel glad about it either. Loved my previous car though, Mini Cooper S, but no room for family (maybe not such a bad thing....!)

Excessive spending! Tell me about it, "we must get one of these and must get one of those."
At least there's plent of room in the back to put it all.

Hey MM - get on other to the other 4x4 owners thread.

Well well well, here's a dig at the 4x4 drivers AGAIN. tut

I own a 4x4, I like it same as Jampot as it's higher driving position, I have plenty more room than most standard cars, as I can move the back seat forward & back. Miles more room in the boot,

I use mine to help me with my work as I carry a demonstration kit with me, and its very large, plus I can leave it in the boot, still get ALL my shopping in there, any prams etc.

We use it to go on hols to and we can get everything we need in there, plus still have room for us, and any duty free we bring back

I can always park mine (correctly, squarely, in between the white line( how many of you can actually do that in standard cars???)) I NEVER need a man to help me move mine.

Mine doesnt guzzle fuel, any more than any standard car.

I feel safer in mine than most cars, even when my mad DH drives it.

Mine also rated 10th in the safest CARS on the road, can be THAT bad then can it.

Yes I do use mine for the school run, as I am 4+ weeks of dropping No.2 and would take me over an hour to walk up the steep hill just to get to school, but I DO park away from the school and walk, unlike others who have to park right upto the school gates.

If my DH is at home then I also use his car which happens to be a sports car , I suppose that is bad too, as its a car at the end of the day, much much faster than mine.

I am a very careful driver, am very alert on the road, as I drive around the country.

Visablity at a junction, well why are you moaning about WHITE VANS or lorries, now if you want to really complain, start on those as most of them ARE tossers, I can say that with my own experience as I have 2 brothers who drive HGV's and lorries etc and they are idiots, in them and in their cars

I am none of the 4 listed at the beginning of this thread.

I know Jampot and have seen her drive and park and she like me knowws how to handle the motor.

But I do agree there are A*sehole out there, and they come in all shape makes and models of cars.

None of us are perfect ARE WE????????

My 4x4 is the same width as the Golf that we owned before, and shorter than most estate cars and MPVs. Lets have a rant about people who drive estate cars shall we? Or people who drive fiestas with no one in the back - they are clearly brainless idiots who ought to get Smart cars!

I know people who smugly drive smaller cars and complacently think that they damage the environment less than I do. Then they use disposable nappies, and do their laundry with detergents, and don't recycle their cans...

Last winter when it snowed I was stuck in for a week - they don't grit the extremely steep hill that I live on. Couldn't get out in the car, and was scared to take the pram in case I slipped and let go of it. This year, I'll be ok (probably won't snow of course)!

I like being higher up to drive. My driving ability or my politeness to other road users has obviously not changed just because I've bought a different car. But I do find that other road users are much ruder to me, now that I'm in a 4x4 and not a Golf! I was quite surprised by that but I guess a lot of people are prejudiced...

Hmm, funny how this kind of prejudice is "ok". Personally I think people who drive blue cars are complete idiots. Unlike red car owners who are clearly all much nicer people .

well said.[ grin]

well said girls

Stop, Stop, Stop! Don't keep justifying it. I live in Hampstead AND use disposable nappies (on the baby, not me), don't recycle cans and drive a 4x4. come on then, outside!

well said fruitful (from another red 4x4 owning, cloth nappy using, recycler, who lives on a hill which is rarely gritted early eanough for me to get to work on time!).