BIG CARS... BIG EGOS... small brains...

[billybones]

Was driving along the freeway early this morning and saw some lucky people that had been able to take advantage of the long weekend and good luck to them but...
When does a 4wd become a mini truck? The size of some of these are getting so big, surely they have to have a different license to drive one.
I think those and people that tow a big caravan or trailer should have a few lessons before they get to drive on the main road.
It was only a couple weeks ago I saw a driver hop out of her 4wd drive at least 4 times to see how she was doing in her attempt to reverse park.

If you want to drive a big car then please learn how to drive it...


One more little rant.

To those in the car that used to pass me and then thinks it`s cool to speed like a a demon on a country road, I used to giggle and laugh to myself as I`ld pass you at the service station as you had obviously used more feul then me.;D

 

[TB]

Did you know that one year of our current petrol consumption has taken over 30.million years for the Earth to produce.
We need to do more than drive slower (in smaller cars)....

 

[billybones]

Not the perfect scenerio, but I do ride my scooter from time to time...
Every little bit helps.

 

[aussie_single34]

I drive a big car on long cruises and special occassions
I burn dinosaurs at a rate of 8 miles to a gallon
500 cubes of Cadillac....

And I love it

I also drive a small 4 cyl car daily... thats my contribution

I do believe there should be tests for driving cars towing vans... just like I had to have to drive a semi
There should also be one for LHD vehicles
And no v8's or turbos for kids under 21

 

[Farm Boy]

C (Car) class

A motor vehicle with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) not greater than 4.5 tonnes and constructed or equipped to seat no more than 12 adults (including the driver).

Basic car license C will let you drive little truck, deliver van ,people mover, and a 4wd as for the lady getting out 4 times some Land Cruiser short trailer combination's can be a bit tricky Due to less than ideal side mirrors poor turning circle of 4wd's short trailers however turn quick when reversing .( ease to jackknife )

 

[billybones]

C (Car) class

A motor vehicle with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) not greater than 4.5 tonnes and constructed or equipped to seat no more than 12 adults (including the driver).

Basic car license C will let you drive little truck, deliver van ,people mover, and a 4wd as for the lady getting out 4 times some Land Cruiser short trailer combination's can be a bit tricky Due to less than ideal side mirrors poor turning circle of 4wd's short trailers however turn quick when reversing .( ease to jackknife )

My ability to use GOOGLE is very limited but I tried to do a quick search. I did find a page that says a "97 F350 Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab" is meant to weigh 9800 lb or 4450kg is that allowed on a normal C license? With the lady driving the land cruiser it was city driving and she didn`t have a trailer.

With the high performance cars is it possible that they can be installed with a speed limiter that can only be swithed off by a police mechanic and only if you can show why you need the vehicle to be able to go so fast?



and no... I don`t drive a VOLVO...:

 

[Fudd]

Not the perfect scenerio, but I do ride my scooter from time to time...
Every little bit helps.

...I ride my scooter a heck of a lot more than I drive my car. Costs, convenience and the environment have a lot to do with this. But the one thing that really gets under my nose are those damn "suburban tractors" mainly driven by people who have no idea on how to drive them. Have had 3 near misses and all of them involved these vehilcles being driven by people who were not aware of what was around them.

The funniest thing I have heard is that, in the main, families buy these suburban tractors as a second car for the wife to ferry the kids around. The premise is based on the bigger the vehicle the safer it will be for its occupants in the event of an accident. Here's a tip, check the amcap ratings as some of these vehicles have a safety rating that is less than your average Ford or Holden sedan.

Fudd

 

[billybones]

FUDD... I share your fustrations...

Just because we chose a mode of transport smaller then others we somehow become invisable.
Firends used to ask me if I felt riding was dangerous and I`ld tell then that I opened my eyes more when riding then when driving.
Sure some motorcyclists speed and ride like crazy and I`m the first to call them stupid but quite often the car driver feels that because they are bigger, they are better...

 

[WRXXR]

With the high performance cars is it possible that they can be installed with a speed limiter that can only be swithed off by a police mechanic and only if you can show why you need the vehicle to be able to go so fast?

LOL, no chance.

Say i spend up to 120K on a high performance car (2nd hand euro, GTR, FPV, evo, STi etc) and then spend another 30k improving it (wheels, brakes, tune, engine mods, exhaust, tyres etc) why should a police officer who probably has far less driving ability than me, tell me how i can enjoy it?

But back to the question, anything above an F250 is physically getting a bit crazy but if they can afford to buy and run it then power to them.

Just as many bad drivers (men and women) driving around in little buzz boxes and scooters causing chaos remember

 

[BigBlackCock]

I live in Subiaco and it ALWAYS amazes me how so many of the residents of the area not only drive 4WDs - it's tough negotiating those supermarket speedhumps - but it's the TYPE of 4WDs.

No - I'm not talking about your average Hyundai or Toyota folks. The F100 wouldn't even get a look in. You get Porsche, BMW, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and once in a while, the occasional Land Rover. And invariably they have a baby seat in the back. And they're a common sight.

The mind boggles - don't these people have mortgages to pay?

I am willing to concede that some of the residents have boats to tow - but have yet to see the boats, they're invariably moored at Royal Perth or Freshwater Bay.

 

[svengali]

Actually, I can feel for the little lady in the 4WD but she is not alone.
The other day I had to reverse park an unfamiliar Toyota Camry. Nice car but the visibility to the rear is b####y awful and the silly distorting wing mirors (items in this mirror are closer than they look) are no help at all.

The only reason I didn't resort to the little old lady's trick of hopping out to check my whereabouts was that I had a passenger who did the honours.

 

[WRXXR]

I live in Subiaco and it ALWAYS amazes me how so many of the residents of the area not only drive 4WDs - it's tough negotiating those supermarket speedhumps - but it's the TYPE of 4WDs.

No - I'm not talking about your average Hyundai or Toyota folks. The F100 wouldn't even get a look in. You get Porsche, BMW, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and once in a while, the occasional Land Rover. And invariably they have a baby seat in the back. And they're a common sight.

The mind boggles - don't these people have mortgages to pay?

I am willing to concede that some of the residents have boats to tow - but have yet to see the boats, they're invariably moored at Royal Perth or Freshwater Bay.

Given the chance wouldn't you take a cayenne turbo (porka 4wd) or Range rover vogue over something cheaper if you could afford it? Personally im not much of a 4wd man, rather a GT3 but each to his own ccasion14

BMW X5's aren't overly expensive, especially second hand and if you want to live the Subi lifestyle, you need the car for it

Plenty of people who can afford 80K-150K for a car in Perth in recent years

 

[Alecia the Foxx]

I drive a 6 cylinder BMW. 2 litre.

But I don't fly in aeroplanes. If you are really concerned about fuel consumption and the environment, then be aware that one plane trip increases your carbon footprint exponentially. It always makes me laugh when people who go on about petrol consumption and the environment, then, at the drop of a hat, happily jump on a plane and fly thousands of miles, no problem.

 

[BigBlackCock]

I would never drive a 4wd in the city unless I was towing something really cumbersome like a caravan. I lived in Darwin for 4 years and got by without a 4wd. Admittedly, I had access to a work vehicle if we needed to go into the bush.

In Subiaco, I hardly see the need. I'm aware of a genre of parent (mostly women) who say they like to feel "safe" with their precious little darlings - but I can't help but think a 4wd (as opposed to a van/mpv or even a normal saloon car) is an overkill - and if people elsewhere in other suburbs get by with "ordinary" 4WDs (and they don't need one there either) why the prevalence of all these extravagant European brands? I worked for Mercedes-Benz and BMW for a short while in my career by the way, it's a total status symbol and marketed as such. In this case, the marketing strategy has worked.

 

[Alecia the Foxx]

"it's a total status symbol" quote from BBC.

Not any more. All the bogans are driving them now, over here anyway. And I love my Beamer, it is a nice, car, even if not new. I have found it very reliable, and I love driving it. My contribution to the environment lies in other ways. I am also not averse to walking.

 

[billybones]

I guess it`s not only the 4wd`s that you an have problems with, I drove a Torargo once and couldn`t see the front bumper so when it came time to park I made sure eveything around me was empty... Better safe then sorry lol.

Would you rather pay 150k for a car or own 3 cars worth 50k each???

 

[WRXXR]

1 second hand car worth 150K.

 

[billybones]

Would you prefer to have somebody chauffeur you or drive the car yourself unless of course it was a sports car???

 

[WRXXR]

With the exception of a new navara daily driver all my previous cars have been hi performance cars and my love of cars is all about the enjoyment of driving so I'd never have a chauffeur.

 

[billybones]

With the exception of a new navara daily driver all my previous cars have been hi performance cars and my love of cars is all about the enjoyment of driving so I'd never have a chauffeur.

Not so much for the speed but I do enjoy the way a Hi performance car sounds but someone told me once you can`t hear it as much once your in the car. Is that correct? I read once about a plug in you can get for your cigarette lighter that replicates the same sounds... Have you heard anything about this??

Here`s a link to it on ebay...http://cgi.ebay.com.au/V8-SOUNDRACE...=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f09204e19

 

[BigBlackCock]

Certainly in most good European cars, you can still not hear external sounds - even road noise - for as much as 10 years later, provided it's serviced well. Japanese cars/Korean cars of the similar capacity will rattle a bit more later but you get what you pay for, unless it's a quality product like Lexus or something. Something akin Rolls Royce's fabled ads in the early days where all you'd hear is the clock ticking in the car.

But if you like to listen to "grunt" I guess that cigarette lighter option would be attractive. Alecia, I suspect car manufacturers don't really car who buys their cars as long as the tills ring, they only market it as such as something to aspire too. What made you buy a BMW 4 WD though (no criticism but more out of curiosity). The answer most people give is that they like the all round view from up there and the feeling of safety by being surrounded by solid metal and airbag.

 

[Alecia the Foxx]

Hi BBC, my BMW is not four wheel drive. It is a V6, 2 litre, 520i. I like Beamers. And it is fairly good on petrol whilst being fairly solid.

 

[Farm Boy]

My Opinion ( only opinion OK)
The first common 4wd USA WW2 jeep good it suited its purpose.
SWB Land Rover same.
HJ45 Toyota Land Cruiser made its name on the Snowy Mountain scheme evolved into something excellent.

F100 150 250 350 don't touch them.
Toorak Tractors well its a free country bye one if you must ( but not for me I only bye what I need )

 

[Maxxy]

Try riding a motorbike in the city, trust me it's not 4wd's you have to worry about as a hell of a lot of motorists (worst offenders are those in little bubble cars) couldn't give a toss for those of us on two wheels.

 

[Happy2]

Where I live ,espesially wildflower season. We get well and truly outnumbered by Toorak Tractors (Does Perth have a name for these vehicles?) The locals have workhorses and cars good for regular longish drives.
Must say I have been pleased to see people use the term 4WD instead of SUV hope
that isn't just because we are all old.

 

[homer]

I received this joke long time ago. It's a pic of the car parks at a clinic. The sign of the clinic says Penis Enlargement Clinic. In the visitors car park are Porches 911, Lambo's, etc, all the nice fast cars. In the Doctors car park are 2 small engine Japanese cars.

 

[WRXXR]

If I had a lambo the last thing I'd care about is having a small dick

 

[Happy2]

WRXXR If you had a Lambo you would probably be so self centred
you'd think you Had a big dick anyway

 

[Alecia the Foxx]

WRXXR If you had a Lambo you would probably be so self centred
you'd think you Had a big dick anyway

Even if you were a woman???? :icon_blow

 

[Maxxy]

Hmmm a woman with a big dick in a Lambo, now I'd like to see that.