Motorists' varying behaviour: I don't get it!

[G51 NAV]

Do you find that the behaviour of other motorists and even pedestrians varies depending on what car you are driving?

Everytime we go out in the old Maestro Vanden Plas it’s like everyone else is on a suicide mission. Other drivers cut us up, pull out of T-junctions when our car is about 25 feet from them, spend half their time driving four feet from our back bumper even though we’re doing the legal speed limit, and commit just about every other known offence.

Pedestrians are no better: they run across the road in front of the car forcing us to slam the brakes on. One old bid in Blackpool today decided she’d suddenly stop and have a chat to her mate while we were pulling out of a parking space in a car-park. Very nearly reversed over the stupid old bitch.

None of this happens when we’re out in the ZR or Turbo

I don’t get it: if we’re travelling along the road at 30mph and some tit-head pulls out of a T-junction 15 feet away, why does he feel we are less likely to hit him in the VP than in the Turbo or ZR? The truth is we’re more likely to hit the stupid sod cos the old VP has the worst brakes of the three. Or is it because they see a “crappy old A-reg Maestro” coming at them and assume it cannot be doing more than 15mph?

[Guest]

At last someone else who feels the same! lol
Well especially being a learner, you get the "tailgaters" which annoys me because if i was to slam my breaks on, they will go straight in to the back of me (learners having slower reaction times)
But also being in My Rover 100 (with my dad driving) people again pull out of junctions and assume "Oh its a metro, gonna be slow" but that is not always the case.

I suppose it comes down to people and the Love or Hate towards "Rover"

[Miracle maestro]

Car snobbery?

I agree, but would go further and say: I notice varying behaviour from almost anyone depending on what car I am driving.

There is awful lot of 'car snobbery' going on.

But I suspect many of them 'turning noses up' at older cars are themselves driving around in company cars or motors on HP *shows age*

[MAESTRO_MONTEGO]

i never have that as i go to slow:laugh: get the a lot of looks of my countryman as im in mansfield,notts.they never seen one up here like this and there are mods on the car like blue head/side lights and MULTI FUNCTION UNDER CAR BLUE L.E.D.S and Neon Kit B, 4 Tubes Multi Remote Control (2x16" inside and 2x12" in the grill).more to come:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: i want it to stand out from the rest of the car around.

[D87SMW]

Haven't really experienced much of this to be honest.

I used to have people pull out on me, not let me out of junctions etc. when I was driving the red 1.3 Maestro. With the blue Vanden Plas, people still seem to tailgate, but I seem to have more people letting me out at junctions, even BMW drivers! I also seem to get interest in the car from random members of the public when I'm out and about, such as today - I was waiting next to it in a queue for the ATM and a chap in his mid 20's asked about it and had good things to say.

I think though, that my area is the sort where anything remotely luxurious, such as a Vanden Plas Maestro, is considered as snobbery.

[Austin-Rover]

Car snobbery on the roads is everywhere - and noticeable if you are a driver or a passenger in a twenty year old car compared to something newer and 'better'.

People will do anything to be ahead of you. Perform silly manouvers in an attempt to show you are less worthy of road space than their Golf/Focus/Astra etc. The amount of stupid things I have seen people do just to 'show me' how their car is better than mine is amazing. Dont forget, the 'better than this old car' mentality can be very subtle at times - look out for it. Peoples minds work in strange ways.

[Guest]

Car snobbery on the roads is everywhere - and noticeable if you are a driver or a passenger in a twenty year old car compared to something newer and 'better'.

People will do anything to be ahead of you. Perform silly manouvers in an attempt to show you are less worthy of road space than their Golf/Focus/Astra etc. The amount of stupid things I have seen people do just to 'show me' how their car is better than mine is amazing. Dont forget, the 'better than this old car' mentality can be very subtle at times - look out for it. Peoples minds work in strange ways.

I find they soon find that their car isn't as good as they think it is.

regards,
Patrick

[Guest]

Best times!

Tailgaters, in the Clubman TD L145 FOG before I scrapped it. All I had to do was rev up or put my foot down and it chugged out plumes and plumes of thick black oily putrid smoke! That keeps anyone of your arse!

In the NASP van, if I really boot it, up a hill or somthing, I don't go that fast, but I can soon smoke someone enough to pull back a bit.

In the TD van, I had an annoying little nova behind me when coming back from the MOT. I was doing a reasonable speed, keeping within the limits, he kept having a look to see if he could get past. As soon as the road opened up, I dropped down a gear and let her rip! Matey gave up after that, don't think he expected an old Maestro van to take off like that!

You just get used to it, I am used to having cars so close behind you can't see there headlights and pulling out in front of you and all that. At the end of the day I have paid my road tax and am as entiltled to be there as they are.

[e692wtt]

I find while driving my girlfriend's Punto (P-reg 55 in Blue) that people are more aggressive, drive closer behind, cut one up - in comparison to driving a Maestro and Montego. It's almost as if the Punto is invisible (like buses, another will be along in a minute :laugh: ), or perhaps I am a member of the 'young, get-ahead, wanna-be-successful' Punto stereotype (categorically not :laugh: !).

I get a fair bit of attention in my 'Fleagle' (Azure Blue Monty saloon), but it's almost all positive, and people seem quite prepared to let me out at junctions or to get ahead of them when traffic merges (it's all give and take of course, so it's a case of eye contact and sorting out who goes first - and it's all very polite), and to tolerate my bad driving. In the Punto? They don't give an inch...

[Guest]

I drive a 2CV. You can imagine the respect I get from other motorists!

It's like having L plates on your car. Everyone HAS to be in front of you. I actually find that the Maestro doesn't have too much of a problem. Maybe they're just too shocked as I come hammering past them!

ian

[Guest]

Rich, I find exactly the same thing. When I'm in the Monty people are courteous, they let me out of junctions etc... This is totally different even compared to driving a Maestro - nothing to do with the spec' of a car, more down to road prescence I feel (and the Monty certainly has plenty of that!)

Then again, when the occasional (or rather, regular!) twit reaches me, I just assume the 'stroke position' and drive the 1.3 Monty as intended If it's dark and I get someone tailgating me, on come the foglights, and they soon end up a fair way back...

[Simon]

Interesting thread -like it! I'm the old baldy bloke in an old Maestro. Tailgaters and overtakers practice their "art" when my car is around I'm afraid. It wasn't much better when I drove around in a nearly new Maestro all those years ago, I'd still get cut up, people just assume you WILL brake sharply and let them out of the side road. When I had a nearly new E reg white Montego, the first time I took it up the by-pass I had the shock of my life. White newish saloon coming up on the overtaking lane = police! People used to move over, slow to 65MPH and let me through:laugh: Those were the days! I once did some work on a relatively new MK II Cavalier. When I drove that I was amazed: people would fall over themselves to let you out at junctions, nobody dared pull out on you etc. What a difference that was. At the time the 1981-88 (preferably wearing a C or D reg plate) was public enemy number one. Forget the rule of the road - at roundabouts, give way to the....CAVALIER! Mk2 Cavs used to be repmobiles. Get out of my way, I'm on business. Then they passed into the hands of taxi drivers. Get out of my way, I'm on business. Then they passed to the yoofs (Gawwwtta Cavaleeeaaahhh innit maiiittt). Get out of my way, I'm on a mission, innit. That's why there aren't any left! So, let's do the top offenders:
1) Cavalier Mk 2.
2) Mazda 626 (The "flat" ones, 85-88), interestingly. Most drivers of these had their heads up their botties for some reason
3) Peugeot 205 (Young, fashionable, carefree, devil may care,)
4) Mk 1 Renault Clio. (ditto
5) No BMW could hold a light to this lot, surprisingly enough.

6) There's a TV ad. campaign at present for us motorists to be careful about motorcycles to avoid accidents. Can I start a campaign for motorcyclists to be more careful and respectful of car drivers, please?

[Maria]

I agree about the bikes, Simon. I often think "Think bike" should read "Think, bike". I know the majority are sensible riders yadda yadda, but no matter how long you stop at a junction and look both ways, or keep watching your mirrors, there's no way you can prepare for something zipping up at stupid speeds. One second there's nothing there, and the next there's some helmeted idiot stuck to your back windscreen. Without spending the whole time, for example, on a motorway, staring only at the view behind me, I can't be expected to always know there's a bike there, especially when there wasn't one last time I looked (and I look often, believe me). Best example of sheer bike idiocy: me, Mini, right hand lane of nice banked sliproad, feeling the grip at somewhere between 60 and 70mph. On my left, slower enormomerc. Biker comes up behind me, and tries to squeeze BETWEEN the two cars! No chance, mate! If either of us goes the slightest bit offline, has to slow down etc, you're TOAST!

[Simon]

I was fed up when people used to tailgate me when I used to drive a decrepit old P reg. Marina, years ago, so I did a mod which I don't recommend at all but it worked for me at the time - wire up the reverse lights to a switch! One flash of them and tailgater miraculously dropped right back:laugh:

[Guest]

I'm glad other people have picked up on the bike issue. They do hoon around at terrifying speeds and with blind spots on cars getting worse every year, they only have themselves to blame if someone fails to spot them. Well, most of the time...

All this talk of worst offenders and nothing mentioned about Audis, BMWs or other sporty premium saloons? Or 4x4 owners. I NEVER give way to these bullies which shocks them greatly!!

Ian