Getting away with it

[Captain Flimble]

When I drive the BMW I can't put a foot wrong without black looks, tutting, flashing lights, blowing horns, etc. be it so much as failing to indicate. But there is a strange thing when I'm out in the Westfield - I can overtake sideways doing 60 in a 30 with tyres smoking and near-aircraft noise levels, and people still wave and smile. I suppose they think I can't be driving like a hooligan because the car is cute and looks like Brum

 

Does anyone else's car have these characteristics, or does anyone have stories of outrageous behaviour that they have got away with because of the vehicle they were in?

[trigger]

I just find that when I'm driving the Escort every twat wants to pull out in front of me or overtake me regardless of how fast I'm driving, I had a arsehole in a Merc CL last week block the road off in front of me causing a jam and all he could do was just laugh at me. KUNT.

[Captain Flimble]

Bloody Mercedes drivers... a bit like BMW drivers, mate!

[Albert Ross]

I find that driving a near 8 foot tall (with roof-rack) Series Land Rover, in a garish colour, with SECURITY writtten down the sides in foot high letters gets me noticed and also ignored at the same time. It's bristling with dents and sharp edges (those are there by design) and it's old, commercial, diesel nature means people give me a wide berth. They also don't argue with me if there's an issue in a car park for instance. If pulling out of a side road, I get waved out.... If on the main road, I get space left in front of me... I also get the opposite happen. "It's old therefore slow, so I have enough room to pull out in my Passat TDi full of snotty kids......FUCK ME HE'S UP MY ARSE!!!" and then the boot full of black smoke and passengers looking out of the back window to see what the helll just happened.. I also get accosted by old codgers in car parks. "Oh it's ex-Army" No, never was in the Military. "I know it's ex Army by that bumper" No. The BUMPER is ex Military, not the vehicle that the 4 bolts hold it onto.... etc. The best bits are in heavy traffic/dual carriageway lane changes, with poor rearward visibility, and the resultant horn and two fingers from the Wanker Chariot drivers all nose to tail in the lane I want to be in. 40 mph, all going straight on, me in line of heavy trucks, but I need to turn right in half a mile, so I get in lane...... I give them 10 seconds of indicator, therefore a chance to see my intentions, and if they keep coming up close to try to get past me, they find out how hard the chassis is..... I love it. I then get into the right turn lane, and not many of them look at me as they zip past on my nearside. Nobody seems to want to play.

[Lord Sterling]

I just find that when I'm driving the Escort every twat wants to pull out in front of me or overtake me regardless of how fast I'm driving

 

I get the same when I am out in the K11 Micra, I also often get the kind of twats who will risk life and limb to overtake me on bends/crests of hills just to be in front of me, then if they manage to get in front of me they dont go any faster. I also get the tailgated and cut up.

 

I generally get left alone driving the Rover 800s.

[dollywobbler]

Last time I drove a Beemer, an E39 (I think!) 5-series, I got given the wanker hand gesture by a Mini as I overtook it! Was well miffed, as I was admiring the Mini (seeing as we own one) and the Beemer wasn't mine!

 

In the 2CV, I reckon I could get away with murder. Used to be that people laughed, but now they smile and wave. Even young ladies sometimes...

[alfetta]

I dunno what it is about people once they get behind the wheel..I just don't let anything bother me these days.

[Cavcraft]

I find in older cars people are more inclined to let you out of junctions etc, certainly had that a few times today in the Cortina.

When I had Frontera Sports which I always left caked from top to bottom in mud then people in 'flash' cars were more inclined to realise if they didn't get out of the middle of the road down country lanes they would come off worse.

This also happened in carparks where people were less inclined to park too close as they must have realised I didn't give a flying one if they opened their doors on my car because it just added to the battle scars and there motor would come off worse.

 

Always a laugh deliberately leaving it as close as possible to the dickheads who double parked.

[Station]

Driving an MGF makes me out to be some kind of raving shirt lifter.

[coalnotdole]

I definitely get waved out of junctions more often when driving the Scim - people just seem to react well to it.

 

Last month I was waiting to get out of a parking space onto a busy street, a woman next to me in a new Peugeot was also wanting to be let out we sat there both signalling hoping to see a gap in the traffic. A passing came driver in BMW convertible came past and blocked her in while waving me out!

 

Girls seem to like the Scimitar too I often get a wave.

 

Its not always positive though a small asian child in Bradford made the thumbs down sign at the car, and a few people have complained about its rich running!

[Pete-M]

The Jag never has an issue with other traffic. People let it out of side roads on the whole. Don't know why this happens exactly, but it does make city driving in it a very relaxing, laid back experience. Which encourages me to be laid back when driving it. Don't bother trying to squeeze it through gaps in traffic. It just seems to happen. Unless there's someone in an X300 which isn't the XJR - for some reason they seem to enjoy getting in the way.

 

Even when driven exactly the same way, the Jeep doesn't get out of junctions easily and people don't tend to give way to it much. However, if it's swimming along in traffic it doesn't seem to get in the way of anyone. Never get beeped or flashed in it. Nobody seems to get pissed off with it, they just don't like letting it out in traffic.

 

I was driving a very sensible, 53 plate, 1.8 petrol Mondeo the other day, bloody hell, it's a rat race out there! There's madness in the streets. The thing is nigh on invisible. Nobody sees it. I've looked through the options list on it and I cannot find "Klingon Kloaking Device" anywhere - yet the bloody thing has one. It's like stepping into a parallel universe where a billion private hire drivers all appear from nowhere, all doing 20 mph over the limit everywhere on the phone, or having big discussions in the car, or focused on getting somewhere as quickly as possible whilst always being in the wrong gear, with the aircon off "to save fuel" and with at least 1.5 windows open. Then there are the scallies screaming around town in slight shabby Mondeo Mk3s who don't care if anyone else is in the way and who'll cut you up in traffic for fun.

 

I think this is something that happens to all of us. What we drive affects the way we view other traffic, and vice versa. It's like that documentary with Clubman Diesel bloke and Mr GL"i". I've experienced more than a few sales reps in Audis etc looking down their nose at me at Motorway petrol stations when I've arrived in a new Skoda Superb and they're in 12 month old Audis and Passats. They don't harass them on the motorway though, I think the average sales rep sees a Superb and thinks "Man, that's loads cheaper than this and meant to be as good, but people would laugh if I said "Skoda" instead of Audi."

 

Waffle over. It's been a long day.

[John F]

Its not always positive though a small asian child in Bradford made the thumbs down sign at the car...

 

Of course - it's not a barried Honda Civic with VTR badges and about fifteen excited wannabe "gangstas" in it or a fake MR2 Ferrari, so it wouldn't correspond with his idea of a good car. Plus, you probably didn't get it as a "special deal" from your brother/cousin/uncle.

[Pillock]

You ought to try driving a Leon with 17" alloys and tints, see how many junctions you get let out of!

[Guest Len H]

Of course - it's not a barried Honda Civic with VTR badges

 

Why would one put warm Citroen Saxo badges on a Honda?

[ashmicro]

The Jag never has an issue with other traffic. People let it out of side roads on the whole. Don't know why this happens exactly,

...

 

My experience too. I think people all secretly love Jaaaaags.

[Negative Creep]

The BMW does get a few looks, although with the exhaust being rather loud i imagine some are just thinking to themselves how much of a wanker i am, or how much i charge for an eight.

 

I never notice other drivers treat you any differently. In my experience women are the worst offenders for not letting you pull out or saying thanks

[pompei]

I used to have a knackered old Fiat 127 with a big dent in the drivers door and missing trim - most people were kind to it. My current daily is a Saab 9-3 and again no problems. I drove a BMW 3 series for about a month (not mine) and folk's reactions to it were pretty much as I'd have expected. (I hated it too).

 

Like Albert & Cav I can be as blase on the road as I like in the Frontera Spurt. No-one wants to take a chance. And it doesn't get the hostility normally reserved for 4 x 4 's. RESULT!

[Father Ted]

I just find that when I'm driving the Escort every twat wants to pull out in front of me or overtake me regardless of how fast I'm driving

 

I get the same when I am out in the K11 Micra, I also often get the kind of twats who will risk life and limb to overtake me on bends/crests of hills just to be in front of me, then if they manage to get in front of me they dont go any faster. I also get the tailgated and cut up.

 

+101

 

I think its an old codger image thing.

[TimothyClaypole]

I just get followed by the Police on the motorway, I suspect while they check my details.

 

And let out of junctions/into traffic out of pity.

[Captain Flimble]

What do you drive, Timothy - an ageing cad's jag? A Picasso?

 

Let us know so we can sympathise/deride

[AeroNautiCal]

I used to get very positive responses when out in my white Bond Bug, smiles, thumbs up etc, only once did some fuckwit in an Escort next to me start to rev his engine and lurch forward, urging me to race!

 

Funniest was when some kids asked if it was a 'Future Car' (yeah, a genuine 'L' reg car of the future!).

 

Got friendly responses in the Ami 8 too, likewise the yellow Mini City, whereas the red Metro got hostility, including one instance where a white VW Transporter driver badly cut me up on the (Wild) Western Avenue, then repeatedly stamped on his brakes!

 

I changed lane, to his right, and when we got to stationary traffic, the pony tailed, vest wearing driver exited his van and approached, screaming abuse and threats, at which point I got out and slammed (hard) the edge of the Japanese oak Bo Staff (which had been laid across my lap/passenger seat) into the road surface, at which point civility and apologies broke out!

 

The Metro lived on (until sadly Hiabbed away in the dead of night some years later).

[MK5 Escort]

Escort – As it’s now twenty years old and become rare (particularly in the condition it's in), it's starting to attract the odd glance which it never did only five years ago. People let me out at junctions more so than they used to too. However on the open road I'm often tailgated and many people want to pass it regardless of how fast I'm going.

 

Kangoo van – despite it being in decent nick, few people are seemingly willing to park next to a near thirteen year old van when it's in a car park. Ideal for runs to the shops. I don't know if it's just me, but people seem to speed up away from it on an open road if I'm behind someone, just following at a nice sensible distance . It's certainly not fast by any means (obviously), but that 'van man' mentality sets in and the person in front doesn't want to be overtaken by a van…

 

As for driving the various new/newish company Audi's, people will have blinkers on. No one will let you out of side turnings, driveways, car parking spaces e.t.c – especially in heavy traffic...

[flat4alfa]

I like to keep my cars clean and tidy.

 

But women drivers still treat me like sh:t