Do a lot of people who buy 4x4s in London do so because they hate/are scared of driving?

[quimcunx]

It's because the fucking things are so expensive, and usually bought on PCP so the 'owners' don't own them at all, so they're terrified of any damage. In the countryside that means they often drive in the middle of the road or swerve all over the place to avoid puddles, potholes, hedgerows etc and everyone else just has to get out of their way.

This is my experience of them at my dad's. Heaven forfend they might touch some grass or mud by moving to the verge a bit. Although I also suspect with being higher up they can see better than me that there is enough space while I move to the side because I'm a shortarse in a lower car.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

not all twats are people who are impressed by big, expensive show off cars...

This is true

 

[seeformiles]

Been trying to find a picture (but can't) I saw a while back of a Series 1 XJ6 Jag in a parking space surrounded by modern 'smal cars'. It looked tiny in comparison and they were 'big' cars back in the day.

Still too big for one to fit in my garage though.

Our street has lots of these 4x4s double parked on the road as they don’t fit into 1930s driveways. Bloody safety hazard for everyone even when they’re not being driven.

 

[Chz]

Been trying to find a picture (but can't) I saw a while back of a Series 1 XJ6 Jag in a parking space surrounded by modern 'smal cars'. It looked tiny in comparison and they were 'big' cars back in the day.

Still too big for one to fit in my garage though.

I have to take issue with that. They were long cars, but really quite narrow and low. If you've ever had the misfortune to sit in one, you'll know that the large appearance was a bit of stylistic trickery. They're not that big, even by 1990s standards. A gen 1 Ford Focus is a fair bit wider and taller. (but nowhere near as long)

 

[Griff]

I have to take issue with that. They were long cars, but really quite narrow and low. If you've ever had the misfortune to sit in one, you'll know that the large appearance was a bit of stylistic trickery. They're not that big, even by 1990s standards. A gen 1 Ford Focus is a fair bit wider and taller. (but nowhere near as long)

Hmm! I see your point, but in 1969 they were still quite big, although not 420G/Mk10 big.

I'm a big fan of the Series 1, they're lovely machines. Quite narrow but too wide for my garage, getting in would be OK, but opening the door and getting out is another matter.

A MkII on the other hand would fit...

 

[Chz]

Hmm! I see your point, but in 1969 they were still quite big, although not 420G/Mk10 big.

I'm a big fan of the Series 1, they're lovely machines. Quite narrow but too wide for my garage, getting in would be OK, but opening the door and getting out is another matter.

A MkII on the other hand would fit...

I've always been in awe of the English home garage. Like they built them in the millions in the 1920s/30s and decided on "enough to open the door of a normal car just wide enough to squeeze out if you're not too fat and make sure to let your passengers on the other side out before entering the garage", never considering the concept that someone might produce a wider car in the century that a structure like that should last.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

My only experience of this is filming Linda Robson for a TV show where she got an 'eco' lifestyle makeover.
We took her 4x4 away. The two noticeable things were that she was absolutely terrified of driving in a regular car (but did do it without much moaning). She did not feel safe at all. Also her son was not at all happy about being seen in a small fuel efficient car. He made sure he was not seen entering and exiting. . . and I think he might have even eventually decided to walk/bus instead (win win).

So both things really. It was already insane that she was using a 4x4 in islington for distances I would never dream of even bothering getting on a bicycle for.

 

[Artaxerxes]

They buy them because they are big, expensive show off cars for people who are impressed by big, expensive show off cars. That's all.

The makers make them and the buyers buy what the makers push, it’s like mobile phones.

It’s not actually about what the customer wants or needs at this stage it’s about what’s available and the flood of cheap credit to buy cars on interest and then replace with the next model

 

[Artaxerxes]

I've always been in awe of the English home garage. Like they built them in the millions in the 1920s/30s and decided on "enough to open the door of a normal car just wide enough to squeeze out if you're not too fat and make sure to let your passengers on the other side out before entering the garage", never considering the concept that someone might produce a wider car in the century that a structure like that should last.

Some of these modern cars are the size of a Sherman tank.

 

[Chz]

Some of these modern cars are the size of a Sherman tank.

They carried more people than your average Land Rover, too!
(Yes, I know, there aren't any 20 foot long, 3m high Land Rovers. Yet.)

 

[Mrs Miggins]

The makers make them and the buyers buy what the makers push, it’s like mobile phones.

It’s not actually about what the customer wants or needs at this stage it’s about what’s available and the flood of cheap credit to buy cars on interest and then replace with the next model

That's as maybe but I still think these cars are bought by people who think these things are impressive. They are symbols of their wealth and taste. The car is a badge of their belonging to a certain, refined group and their peers are the people who are impressed by these symbols.

I couldn't give a shit about such things and am never going to buy one.

 

[Sue]

That's as maybe but I still think these cars are bought by people who think these things are impressive. They are symbols of their wealth and taste. The car is a badge of their belonging to a certain, refined group and their peers are the people who are impressed by these symbols.

I couldn't give a shit about such things and am never going to buy one.

I used to work with a guy who owned a range rover. He went on about it all the bloody time. I obviously looked insufficiently impressed because he eventually felt he had to tell me it cost 85 grand or something completely ludicrous. Instead of being impressed, I said it was ridiculous (and it confirmed -- if any confirmation were needed -- that he was obviously an idiot with way more money than sense). He couldn't believe I wasn't impressed. (This was also in London so fuck knows how often he even used the bloody thing. Ridiculous.)

 

[Hollis]

It's because the fucking things are so expensive, and usually bought on PCP so the 'owners' don't own them at all, so they're terrified of any damage. In the countryside that means they often drive in the middle of the road or swerve all over the place to avoid puddles, potholes, hedgerows etc and everyone else just has to get out of their way.

Hehe - this reminds me of two young guys who used to be in my 'team' at work... they both had top of the range Mercs. However in the world of oneupmanship, one of them informed me that the other had bought his on PCP while his was a straight cash purchase.

 

[Griff]

Completely off topic, but I'm pissed and don't care, here's my car getting a clean today as it's off to France tomorrow for a few days.

It's not big.

 

[WouldBe]

(This was also in London so fuck knows how often he even used the bloody thing. Ridiculous.)

Well how else would he be able to cope with small puddles and wet leaves.

 

[Chz]

I've been looking for something a bit larger than the B-segment we have now and... I admit I have some restrictions that cause it, but I'm looking at an SUV now. One of those restrictions is no VAG stuff. I don't trust Volkswagens at all, their seats are rarely set up for my (short) wife, and they're not as reliable as their reputation. The other one being budget. So having ruled out VAG, MB and BMW and looking at the Japanese/Korean stuff... Well, they just don't sell full sized sedans in the UK, do they? The most reasonable thing that offers the rear seat and cargo room we're looking for is a CX-5. Not one of the giants, thankfully, but a good deal chonkier than what I was expecting to be looking at. Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan all sell full sized sedans in the US, but not here. You basically have to but their midsize SUV offering. TBF, it's shorter in length and equally as wide as any of the large sedans, so really it's just about its silly height. I was actually quite surprised at how small the boot in a Prius is.

It isn't, of course, a 4x4. Most of them aren't though.

 

[girasol]

I couldn't drive a 4x4 in London even if I was shallow/desperate for approval enough to spend that much money on car! The streets are narrow and there are so many mexican standoffs on the side streets, having a small car makes much more sense. I can just about cope with all the maneuvering required to get from A to B in a small car! Also, knowing how much damage 4x4s can do to pedestrians, especially small children, in a collision, is another reason (if not the main reason) not to have one.

I see it as the ultimate excessively defensive while simultaneously aggressive, lethal car. As a woman driving in London, yes, there are lots of aggressive drivers out there, but horrible drivers often come in the shape of motorcyclists, not just 4x4s, and all sorts of unexpected vehicles. They can be pretty arrogant and testosterone enraged - I think it's the delivery deadlines that makes them super pumped with pent up anger and a taste for dicing with death.

 

[kebabking]

I've been looking for something a bit larger than the B-segment we have now and... I admit I have some restrictions that cause it, but I'm looking at an SUV now. One of those restrictions is no VAG stuff. I don't trust Volkswagens at all, their seats are rarely set up for my (short) wife, and they're not as reliable as their reputation. The other one being budget. So having ruled out VAG, MB and BMW and looking at the Japanese/Korean stuff... Well, they just don't sell full sized sedans in the UK, do they? The most reasonable thing that offers the rear seat and cargo room we're looking for is a CX-5. Not one of the giants, thankfully, but a good deal chonkier than what I was expecting to be looking at. Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan all sell full sized sedans in the US, but not here. You basically have to but their midsize SUV offering. TBF, it's shorter in length and equally as wide as any of the large sedans, so really it's just about its silly height. I was actually quite surprised at how small the boot in a Prius is.

It isn't, of course, a 4x4. Most of them aren't though.

Unfortunately, you need to go to something the size of a Nissan Pathfinder to get something with similar interior space to a Mondeo/Superb/Passat but higher up. The pathfinder is quite a bit bigger, but it's remarkable that apart from the Octavia/Passat AWD models that are raised by about 2 inches, the car makers haven't wondered why estates have always been so popular. Even the Skoda Kodiak isn't as big luggage wise as an Octavia....

 

[Kid_Eternity]

I'm not advocating for dangerous boy-racer driving but at the other extreme it does seem noticeable that plenty of 4x4 drivers in London drive incredibly slowly, reduce their speed to snail-like levels to go over every road hump and show a complete lack of confidence when faced with a narrow section of road where they're having to pass cars parked on the side. You get the impression that they're buying the biggest thing possible from a self-protection point of view, and would probably buy a Chieftain tank if they could get away with it.

Someone I knew wasn’t a fan but as soon as they had a new born bought one on the justification of safety…

 

[hash tag]

Im quite amazed by some of my colleagues cars; they are not car people.
One drives a Ford Puma (biggish), another a Kia Sportage ( huge), a Mercedes GLC (large) and a Nissan Xtrail (huge).
As far as I know, none of them have large families and most of the motors are used for single occupant driving for commuting.

 

[ska invita]

off to France tomorrow for a few days.

brave.... what happens if you break down in france?

 

[kebabking]

Im quite amazed by some of my colleagues cars; they are not car people.
One drives a Ford Puma (biggish), another a Kia Sportage ( huge), a Mercedes GLC (large) and a Nissan Xtrail (huge).
As far as I know, none of them have large families and most of the motors are used for single occupant driving for commuting.

None of those cars are larger than a Ford Focus Estate - and inside a Puma is barely larger than a Fiesta.

Part of it is the outside bulk, which is part safety -airbags, crumple zones etc.. and part noise reduction. The biggest thing is the height, which appears to give it far greater size than it actually has.

None of them has a boot as big as an estate car of similar size.

I drive estates, my Mrs had a Honda HRV - so a bit smaller than a CRV, but not by much - it has a shit engine, a shit gearbox, and a boot that was about the size of a glovebox. All fur coat and no knickers - but they are the cars in the dealerships, and if you want something that isn't one of these shit crossover things, you'll wait months.

 

[Spymaster]

brave.... what happens if you break down in france?

All of the big breakdown services offer European cover extensions. You can either buy it for single trips or annually, same as travel insurance, and anyone taking their car overseas should absolutely have it.

 

[Ax^]

School run. Small women. Big cars.

need to protect themselves from the.other small women with massive SUVs

 

[pbsmooth]

.

 

[pbsmooth]

yes. people who buy 4x4s in London are scared of driving and hate other people.

 

[ska invita]

All of the big breakdown services offer European cover extensions. You can either buy it for single trips or annually, same as travel insurance, and anyone taking their car overseas should absolutely have it.

id be nervous driving more than an hour anywhere in a classic car

 

[hash tag]

id be nervous driving more than an hour anywhere in a classic car

As in Mrs Tag when I take mine out

 

[Griff]

brave.... what happens if you break down in france?

I had overseas AA cover, think it was an around £18 a day or so. Only really for peace of mind, that old Volvo is pretty much indestructable. I have total confidence in it as it's driven most days.

This was a trip a few years back that was a little bit more of a worry, but didn't let me down despite the odd worry.

 

[dessiato]

I keep wondering whether to buy a 4x4. I think where I live and where our holiday home is a 4x4 would make some sense, and especially for pulling the boat off the beach and over loose surfaces. I've just got accredited marshal status too. I'm inclined towards a Scooby.

I suspect a lot of people are equating 4x4 with things like a Rangey or Disco and are not really thinking about 4x4