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Original poster

Right I think that me of all people can justify having a chelsea tractor, but I'm petrified to drive it!! ADvice please!!

54 replies

bobsmum · 16/02/2007 19:32

Having been snowed in and out of home, flooded in and living at the end of the worst maintained road in the western world, we've managed to get hold of a Range Rover in order to be able to survive the extremes of living out here.

But it's so massive I feel like I'm taking up the entire road driving it. I don't have any concept of the size of the vehicle and to make matters worse I can't reach the accelerator - qhelle surprise (I'm 5')

I drove home at 25mph on our deresticted country lane absolutely moritifed and ashamed that I had become a yummy mummy cliche unable to handle one of these beasts. And I've not even tried to park it yet.

How do people manage to control these things???

DD is 20 months and calls it our "'normous car"

I need to get used to it - is there anything I can do to drive it safely and without people cursing the very ground I drive on?

Dh is part filling it with vegetable oil so at least it's not as evil a gas guzzler as some, but even so...

OP posts:
DaddyCool · 16/02/2007 20:07

i thought a crew cab and quad cab were the same thing. four doors right?

OttergavebirthonValentines · 16/02/2007 20:07

daddy do you have a big family?

Original poster
bobsmum · 16/02/2007 20:09

Daddycool - do you have your own lane to drive that great beastie?

OP posts:
Ivor · 16/02/2007 20:10

Quad cab is you have 4 usuall sized doors all opening the same way, crew cab is the rear door is about 3/4 the size and is hinged at the rear of the cab so it's like a suicide door.
You get more room in a quad cab, not a lot of room in the rear of mine if your an adult, but I don't sit in the back

Original poster
bobsmum · 16/02/2007 20:12

suicide door???? What is that????

OP posts:
Ivor · 16/02/2007 20:14

Suicide door is when the front door is hinged at the front and the rear door is hinged at the rear so both doors open up like french doors. The sexy Mazda sports car has them too.

DaddyCool · 16/02/2007 20:14

Ivor - ah yes, I know what you mean.

bobs - yes

otter - one very small child

Ivor · 16/02/2007 20:15

There called suicide doors because in the early days of car manufacture they would fly open during an accident! Nice

DaddyCool · 16/02/2007 20:16

bobs - the roads are so huge over here, driving a big-a** car isn't much different from driving a moderate sized car in the UK.

Ivor · 16/02/2007 20:17

The parking spaces are bigger too

Original poster
bobsmum · 16/02/2007 20:18

So in order to drive this monstrosity, my only option is to emigrate. Having said that, dh would do anything atm for his other woman

OP posts:
DaddyCool · 16/02/2007 20:20

i actually drive this . it's actually considered quite wimpy for over here. it was nice and cheap though.

Ivor · 16/02/2007 20:23

You'll be fine once you can reach the pedals! A little practice and eveyone elese will just get out of your way
I love mine especially when I've had to rescue DH who's got stuck in his SUV.

twinklingstar · 16/02/2007 20:24

If you have to stretch to operate the pedals, you don't have sufficient control over the vehicle and if you hit a pothole or something, your foot can slip.

Sounds like you may need to go to the nearest dealership and ask what else can be done to modify the pedals if necessary. Hopefully there is a simple solution that solves the problem for you.

Many moons ago when I learnt to drive, I spent half an hour reversing through a gateway repeatedly just using the mirrors. It just clicked and that made me a lot more confident for reversing into places. Same for parking. Both best practised without the stress of a carful of kids or other pressures, LOL! Took me a while to get used to this car as it is longer and most carpark spaces, like at Tesco, are not quite long enough. And I have a deep loathing of being forced to park in spaces I will need to reverse OUT of - reduced visibility, etc, much, much rather reverse INTO a space when I park. That makes it a pain in Tesco's carpark too, as someone will inevitably park right up close behind me and I can't get the shopping in unless I move the car forward first. Don't know which I hate most, having to move the car into the part cars are driving by, or loading shopping into the back when cars are driving past very closely!

littlemissbossy · 16/02/2007 20:26

Daddycool, where are you now??

Original poster
bobsmum · 16/02/2007 20:28

Twinkling- our road is one big pothole - the council forgets that anyone lives here. The gritting lorry can get to within 3 miles of our house then stops and turns back!

The rest of the way here has sporadic little piles of grit which we're supposed to shovel ourselves. Note to self - must keep shovel in car.

OP posts:
issyissyissy · 16/02/2007 20:35

Once you have got the pedals sorted so you can reach them ok you should feel more confident. We have a landrover defender with a monstrous winch on the front that my ds says is a must ( he does use it for work!) I used to be scared to drive it, but with practice it gets easier, also other driver to notice you more and move away. I now fing it easier to park than I did a polo!
You could go on a landrover training course, they do one off days too and are great fun.

twinklingstar · 16/02/2007 20:35

Do get it sorted asap, bobsmum - winter ain't done with us yet! and having holidayed in Scotland lots, and lived in the country all my life, I understand how important it is for you.

The heated seats thing was new for me in this car - 'tis nice especially on a really cold day or when backache strikes!

Less keen on the electronic handbrake, particularly for hillstarts

DaddyCool · 16/02/2007 20:39

littlemiss - I'm now in Canada, about an hour's drive east of Toronto.

twinklingstar · 16/02/2007 21:22

Bobsmum - who else drives it? How tall are they?

Original poster
bobsmum · 16/02/2007 21:34

Dh drives it - he's only 5'7".

ALthough the problem might be moot as hejust phoned 10 minutes ago to say he's broken down and waiting for Direct Line!! Something about glow plugs? Should be minor but just another reapir in a real catalogue of disasters for this car.

We knew it was going to be extortionate to run, but this is getting ridiculous.

If it wasn't so stunningly beautiful out here I'd be packing up and heading for suburbia!!

OP posts:
twinklingstar · 16/02/2007 22:41

Dh reckons it should be possible for the seat to be repositioned, the seat mountings are screwed to the floor. It could be fixed so it fits well for you to drive and moved back for your dh to drive it.

Original poster
bobsmum · 16/02/2007 22:52

Thanks TS!

Update - direct line couldn't fix it on the roadside! Dh is now stranded in Glasgow and has ended up at my parents. Dead Range Rover may or may not be "looked at" by mechanics over the weekend. So we're down to one car with no public transport for miles.

in the meantime, it's back to begging lifts into the city from neighbours again.

Maybe a hovercraft would be more reliable?

OP posts:
twinklingstar · 16/02/2007 23:05

Hope it gets sorted out soon, Bobsmum. What a pain........

issyissyissy · 17/02/2007 09:20

How are things today? Hope someone will look at it today for you. My dh says you should look at the landy defender as they are a bit smaller and have less to go wrong! Mind you I dont think they are as comfy inside.
I remembered that my mum had a range rover when we were kids. She is only just 5ft so must have ben able to reach the pedals, willask her how she did it.

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