For all us 4x4 drivers.....

[Cornflakemum]

You all poked fun

You had your laughs

You quoted fuel consumption graphs

The papers ensured

We all were mocked

With vitriol that left us shocked

You scratched our cars

You hurled abuse

With swearing sometimes quite profuse

You cut us up

You pushed us out

Two fingers and an angry shout

Such hatred

Never felt before

Until I drove a Four-by-Four

But suddenly you?re not so snide

?Can little Johnny have a ride??

?My car is stuck?

?My wheels just spin?

?OMG, we?re all snowed in?

To school, to work

Without a fuss

I?m suddenly the minibus

The neighbour?s friend.

(Although you sniffed,

You nonetheless took up the lift)

The snow will go

The ice will melt

But will the gratitude be felt?

When weather is no more a factor

Remember your friend

The Chelsea Tractor.

A bit of snow and ice and that

Doesn't stop you being a .

I dunno Manfrom ...... I don't think my 69-year-old neighbour thought I was a ** when I took her to her hospital appointment this morning.

We're one of just two families in a street of 19 who can actually get our cars up the hill.

Friend just sent me this poem, and it made me laugh, it was so true...

No need to spread the vitriol...

Great poem

4 x 4 owners are suddenly becoming very popular

I wish I had one instead of a car that just doesn't do snow/ice.

I'm with you on this Cornflake - we're in a similar situation, and our XC90 is one of the few cars managing to get into the town from our road.
We've taken 7 kids to school & back both yesterday and today, and this morning I collected some shopping for both my dad and his neighbour.

One of our friends who was, until this winter, seriously anti-4WD (and vocal about it) has even said they are considering something 'more robust' when they change their car next year

have just copied and pasted that- tis FAB!!! and sums it up magnificently lol!

yes nice, now put it away until it snows again

Our 4x4 driving neighbour just did regal waves when they passed us trudging up the hill in the snow, so no gratitude here. Though did snigger when even they couldn't make it out. Still did their washing for them when their pipes froze though.

DH's car also did very well in the snow and ice, a hybrid (battery in the back weighs it down).

A few weeks of the year (which is rare) doesn't in any way justify these huge tanks cluttering up our roads/carparks 52 weeks of the year, sorry.

Nice to hear you were more helpful than our neighbours though

When ds buys his next car it'll be a jag which looks like a normal car but is a 4X4.

We were saying the other day maybe we should buy a rangerover and keep it in the garage except for the one week a year we'd need it, but we'd have to have a big light up sign saying "don't hate me, I only use this in the snow".

DH not DS (in his dreams!)

Our normal car has been perfectly adequate.

It does depend where you live though - my bro in the Lake District really does need his Landrover quite often - even without snow he quite often has to pull cars out of flooded roads. He has a very small economical car as well for when conditions are fine - annoys him he has to pay 2x road tax when obviously he can only drive one at a time!

I can't think why anyone living in Chelsea would need a 4x4

Mumblechum, there are lots of "normal" cars which have 4x4, I didn't realise. Didn't know that there was a Jag one.

Sounds a great plan re: the 1 week a year Range Rover, although that is what my neighbour couldn't shift. To be fair, it was atrocious weather: very deep snow on top of loads of ice and v steep hill.

I still wouldn't buy a "chelsea tractor" 4X4, I would however buy a 4x4 normal size car, ideally a Volvo V70AWD or perhaps a Fiat Panda 4x4 which are supposed to be great as they are so light.

Yeah - and it was the 2 4X4 drivers in our street who came into the street at speed ignoring the kids out playing in the snow and the adults clearing the road. One even decided that it was easier to reverse in and out at speed (and yes, I do mean at speed) - thank f*ck the toddler wasn't in his way. Apparently we were all supposed to just get out of their way quickly - on ice and snow

Nowt wrong with 'chelsea tractors' imo.

Mines been my favourite car .... ever

Theres no going back for me ... although DH complains when its full of crumbs and says he wont buy me one again.

(Yes, he does buy my cars)

Your smugness has totally changed my view of 4x4 drivers .

LOL - but in truth, one of the reasons I walked in today, rather than drive my plucky (FWD)Punto - which copes v well with the snow and can go anywhere in a gear higher than usual, is that my part of london is full of prats in urban 4x4s, who imagine that they can drive quite fast on ice, and don't realise until it is too late that 4x4s don't brake any faster than anything else on ice - and are sliding into other cars left right and centre!

I have seen 3 4x4s crash into oncoming and/ or parked cars!

So the mind in action is as crucial as the traction!

thats not really a 4x4 issue though is it- he's a knob who can't drive!

My car is fairly essential when you live in the welsh hills and have 5 children Unfortunatly it doesn't come under the 'chelsea tractor' heading, just the 'tractor' one lol! i wouldn't turn down a new range rover though !

ha ha excellent! I LOVE my 4x4 and it saved our lives last week in Scotland

So the mind in action is as crucial as the traction

Excellent quote, Blu!

Perhaps that should be a mandatory windscreen sticker for all 4x4's?

Yes when the pavements are too snowy to walk in and me and my kids are walking on tbd road very close to the pavement in single file a 4x4 nearly mowed us down because they think they can carry on driving as fast as they like .

ours isn't a4X4 but comes as one as an option so people think it is, however it did fine in the snow (being weighty and solid).

We only use it when we need to and have a SMART for any journeys of 2 people or under (eg DH's commute),we spend time on farms and the like, and have a big family so need something larger than average.

Guess which car almost had Dh booking a hotell ast night becuase it couldn't cope in the SE Wales valley snow? Clue: it wasn't the Mighty Machine.....

compo that happened to us today as well, but isn't that twattish driver over car type? there's a fair chance where we are that said car was owned by a farmer or someone up a mountain, but they can still drive nicely

For the record, I don't live in Chelsea (or London for that matter!)

Methinks you critics are guilty of the 'tarring everyone with the same brush' mentality...

Not everyone with a 4x4 drives like a maniac, or waves regally while driving past, or ploughs down pedestrians you know...

(Just as not all career women/ single mums are bad mothers.....)

Anyway, it was just meant as a bit of light-hearted relief... clearly the 'being cooped up indoors' is getting to some of the non-4WD owners you....