Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

I had a thought last night about the 4x4's that are so popular.
how many times have you seen a 4x4 badly parked, or someone who has had a nudge from the bars or the appalling reversing view etc.
If suburban mum, school run wannabes, etc etc want to drive a big 4x4 then they should have to pass a test in one.

that way they have to show they can judge the gaps, reverse parallel park it and generally be competant in its use.

I personally would like to see them banned from British roads unless
a) you are a farmer
b) you are in the MOD and its painted in DPM


why cant they use an estate if they need the room?

and dont give me that piffle that they are safer.
there was a telly interview with the ticket manager of Portsmouth Football Club, her only excuse for having one was the added safety benefit for her little ones.
when the reporter showed her the safety NCAP rating for her vehicle and how it was so far down the list it was almost unsafe, she took a moment before answering, "well that list must be wrong, how can I be unsafe in here?"

Terzo 333

What do you drive ?

Tiggs

ppl drive them because they look cool....end of story.

i think a blacked out X5 looks very cool indeed, so does my wife. she thinks a scoob looks like an 17 year olds car and wouldnt go near one.

luckily most 4X4 drivers couldnt give a toss what other ppl think and would question why you want fast car if you dont drive to work on a rally circuit.

gsm1

People like the high driving position especially plus they also feel very protected which is probably why most I've come across drive like total arseholes.

unclebuck

A blacked out X5 is about as chav/footballers wives as they come. Everybody wants to swan around pretending to be Posh Spice, starring in their own personal movie and it sucks.

Still, the housing market meltdown and oil crisis will bring 'em back to reality. Won't be too long now.

UB

This attitude is certainly reflected in their road craft (or lack of it)

andypugh2000

I drive an MY98 wagon but really miss my Landrover Discovery for sheer space and practicallity, parking over the muddy woods where no one else could get to was not a problem and having tailgaters was not a problem with the huge tow pack waiting to greet them when I had enough. All in all they are really handy vehicles to own, unless you have owned one then you will not understand

I bought the wagon as the Landrover became a joke for reliability.

andy

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Some people would question why you'd want to fill the tank of a vehicle that can do 15mpg...or 28mph (if diesel) round town. With no performance, handling or braking benefit.

I own a 4x4, but I use it for what it was intended and nothing else. I have a car for normal everyday use

Fashion trends always brings out the vain streak in its victims

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

my point being that very few (if any) of the mums I see with big 4x4's cannot drive them properly, cant park them and certainly cant go backwards in one.
therefore it is driving a vehicle they cannot control, in which case why isnt there a law against it?

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

exactly what is so lucky about that?

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Good point. I had my mum's friend run me off the road onto the footpath with her 4x4 by going round a parked car whilst I was approching. It's a typical example of what I've seen with other 4x4 drivers....

Two cars could have passed but: 4x4 was bigger, too little effort in steering the thing, so the berth between the 4x4 and parked car was almost 2 door widths and taking an age to pull back in. And blatent "you stop 'cos I'm bigger than you" attitude just sent me fuming.

Thankfully, the kerb was lowered for a driveway, so no damage on my behalf, just lucky there was no pedestrian or I would have no where else to go!

I went round to her house and gave her a piece of my mind. We haven't spoke since, she refuses to admit she was wrong Arrogance? City 4x4 owner's mandatory characteristic?

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

if its ok to drive a big 4x4 (when quite clearly incapable of controlling it) because of fashion.

I cant wait till its trendy to go round knifing the tyres on the damn things!

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

I loved my Disco and found it easier to park than any scoob I've driven due to the shape and all round view. It was lovely on motorways as I generally had a much better view of the road ahead and was a fantastic workhorse for carting large items around. My dad had one too and it was excellent for going to rallies in, we had no problems on muddy bumpy tracks in it.

Where I live in North Yorkshire a 4x4 is a pretty useful vehicle to own, if nothing else it means you can see over the stone walls and more importantly be seen by others

Jen

Oi Andy!

I love my Disco - but then I brought it because I love off-roading...and I use the car everyday for work which is handy for carrying all the Traffic Management stuff around in. I get well over 35 mpg, the vehicle will happily cruise at 80 all day and tbh it has better brakes than my MY98 Turbo did as standard.

It's an amazingly easy vehicle to drive and no, not used for the school run...there's an example of what i use it for here: http://www.shirelrc.com/gallery/thum...7.10.04&page=2 , mine's the blue Disco 3rd Row down - that's the other half who thought he was funny when he stole it! (and yes, there's usually lights on the A-bar, it's not just there for show).

The other 4x4 is a 32 year old SIIA truck cab which I'm rebuilding purely for 'play', well, competitions anyway...once it's all set up the Disco might go...but not until then

Oh - Andy, you must get yourself to a Shire event, then you can see what all the fuss is about - I think Ian's coming to the next one anyway

Jen

...oh and I've never hit anyone or anything with it

(well, unless you count the tree I was winched backwards into the other week )

Jen

[ note to self ] Don't park next to Andy at the next meet... [ /note to self ]

Pastor

The only socially acceptable SUV or 4X4 is a Landrover (old skool).
I also agree users should have to pass an enhanced test to drive one. I don't reckon most current users would pass thus removing a major problem from our roads.
Also can't think of anything that looks more naff in the SUV world than an X5 with tints. Footballers wives chav special driven by people with no taste. They should do a special edition with burberry check. Or perhaps an X5 rockport edition?

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

Jen, had you down as a farmer anyways.

I am, for clarity, talking predominantly about the big shiney X5's, ML mercs, status symbol types that are oh-so-common outside the local school twice a day

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

and the ***** who lives down our road with a big assed, battered, he dont care pajero.

Jen

...it's the beard that does it...

(and we all know what Pajero means: http://chameleon-translations.com/In...s-pajero.shtml Heheheeee... )

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

pmsl

Tiggs

"A blacked out X5 is about as chav/footballers wives as they come. Everybody wants to swan around pretending to be Posh Spice, starring in their own personal movie and it sucks."

bit rich on a web site where the members gallery looks like a scaletrix convention...complete with stickers!

KiwiGTI

Actually the NCAP ratings are a load of rubbish for these type of cars.

Rollover accidents are more common in them due to higher centres of gravity etc, but the fact is in real world accidents 4x4s are a lot safer than normal cars, particularly ones that have ladder frame chassis.

But I agree, having 4x4's in London/UK is just ***** waving.

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

Actually the NCAP ratings are a load of rubbish for these type of cars.


they crashed it against a wall and it came off worse than a vectra.

ergo () if someone were in it when it hit the wall they would have been safer in a vectra

unclebuck

Just returning from my lunchtime run along the river bank, and what's the first thing I see? One of said tasteless blacked out X5s who's decided they need to turn round cause they've gone the wrong way. So what are they doing? - executing a three point turn in the middle of the A281 with massive cues of cars tailing back in both directions, bouncing up the curbs onto the pavement because they can't judge their turning circle properly and then zooming off in the other direction jumping a red light in the process!! These idiots really do need taking down a peg or two <makes mental note to obstruct them as much as possible at every opportunity>

UB

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

UB
its raining where I am

Andy

Leslie

4X4's should be banned as an unnecessary and anti social evil which take up far too much space on our crowded roads. Nasty dangerous "lorries" as far as I am concerned and they seem to encourage their drivers to think they own the road and that everyone should make way for them.

Les

ProperCharlie

A friend of mine has a range rover and I must admit that being driven around in it is very pleasant - I can see why people like them. He was thinking of selling it and I was tempted to make him an offer when I needed a car for the wife/baby. In the end I couldn't bring myself to do it. I bought an estate instead.

Sub97

I dont get why you people think owning a 4x4 suddenly makes you a bad driver? I would of thought people who can't park them, do stupid 3 point turns etc etc would be exactly the same in a normal car. I take it has no one ever seen a none 4x4 parked badly, or doing a stupid manouver?

Some of you lot (not all by any means) seem to have such a problem with what eveyone else is doing it makes me laugh. If it's not 4x4 owners, it's BMW, or Fords or whatever. Your use of stereotyping is amazing.

And since when did we no longer live in a free country - why should only people (Peanuts) you say so be allowed to drive them??

Finally, how anyone thinks an X5 looks more chavvy than a relpica rally machine with nice pink 'Sti' logos is beyond me!

Rant over

P.S. I actually like Subarus, Sti's etc, but I also don't have a problem with any other vehicle either.

unclebuck

Owning a 4x4 does make already bad drivers worse as they have no idea how to control a vehicle of that size and power. They probably drove around in a 'sensible' car before they bought it in which minor driving errors, poor parking etc, would have had little or no consequence. Bad driving in comething akin to a small armoured vehicle is downright dangerous.

Andy - it was raining. I like being out in the rain - keeps you cool.

UB

Catwoman

I think the worst drivers of the 4x4's are the Town people that buy them to make them look like country folk, real country folk can drive them