Why have 4x4s?

[almostnormal]

Originally Posted by JOHN WEST

Have you tried pulling a twin wheeled horse box with two adult horses in with a Ford focus ?

nope, and i wouldn't want to. this is the sort of work 4x4's and pick ups were designed for. and i don't begrudge anyone who routinely hauls large equipment, animals etc with a pickup/ 4x4. i do however begrudge the women who cut me up on the m6 this morning in her massive mitsubishi animal that had 'nails r us' emblazoned over it. i'm sure given the lurid colour scheme a ford fiesta would have been just as difficult to miss!!

[Coley]

Originally Posted by Coley

I know of someone who drives their overweight child approximatly half a mile, ( maybe even less, would probably take them 6 mins to get there) to girl guides and back in the biggest land Rover you can get. They travel from this pub they own that is situated right on the edge of the city, close to everything so I figure they don't need it for anything else. Now that's what I call unnecessary.

oops, I meant that it would take 6 mins if they walked.

[Coley]

Who was it that said "I need one because of the hills in my area". I've got a bike that I regularly use for my transport and I live in a city that consists of nothing but hills. I've ridden up hills with like a 60 degree angle or something lol. I don't need a 4x4 for that.

[Dan Salter]

Well i have one and i love it...but i do live in a little rural village up some very steep country lanes...so it comes in handy.

I also DONT fly.....i wonder how many of you on this thread flew somehwere this year?..

[Coley]

Originally Posted by Dan Salter

Well i have one and i love it...but i do live in a little rural village up some very steep country lanes...so it comes in handy.

I also DONT fly.....i wonder how many of you on this thread flew somehwere this year?..

I've never flown anywere in the last 20 years and that was only to Gernsey.
Reason... my wings fell off.
Just kidding

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Originally Posted by Coley

I've never flown anywere in the last 20 years and that was only to Gernsey.

What, never flown anywhere and that was to guernsey.

Sorry just being picky

[stripee]

The manufacturers of 4x4s have done very clever advertising and expanded their sales far beyond the original market. Playing on fears of safety and the image of the rugged countryside stuff splashed with mud, selling a vehicle designed for one thing which is a danger to everyone else, then more and more people are forced to buy them to avoid being squashed. Even if you live in the country and go up steep hills, ordinary cars are perfectly OK. Most cars are OK too on rough tracks. It is unusual to have a farm track to a house that is so poor that a 4x4 is needed. One day a year when its icy and snowing they come into their own. Only a small number of people truly truly need one Anyone can own one of course if they want to and hopefully we won't end up like some other countries with more and more of them

[wyevilla]

If you work on the land (agriculture, land management, conservation body) and can demonstrate they are necessary then make the road fund licence zero-rated.

If on the other hand its purely for status, lets tax these gas-guzzling monstrosities out of existence. Seems quite logical to me.

Mind you, you might detect a certain bias in my attitude as I seem to meet more than my fair share during my drive to work. And they are always "parked" so bizaarly outside a certain school I have to pass.

[Wild-Woman]

4x4's should be for only those that need to cross rough terrain. Farmers, on reserves, country-based work that involves deep rutted fields.
Urban roads with blacktop are not rough terrain. And if anyone says they know roads that are rough terrain, then they should be making a ding-dong at their local council offices to get it sorted.

[Dan Salter]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

4x4's should be for only those that need to cross rough terrain. Farmers, on reserves, country-based work that involves deep rutted fields.
Urban roads with blacktop are not rough terrain. And if anyone says they know roads that are rough terrain, then they should be making a ding-dong at their local council offices to get it sorted.

But dont try and sell them Avon products ...they wont be impressed.

[Ambriel]

I wonder how many of the people who are anti-4x4s live in nice cosy urban areas where the roads are well maintained and gritted in winter?

We live in the wilds of Scotland. There are only two roads out of our village and they're both single-track for much of their length, with very poorly maintained surfaces and heavily overgrown foliage at the verges. Only one of them is gritted, grudgingly, by the council in winter.

We own two 4x4s, both Landrovers, and the advantage they give you over ordinary cars can't be emphasised enough. The additional height means you can see approaching vehicles sooner and, if they've got their eyes open, they can see me.

In the event of two vehicles meeting at a blind bend I know I can go up the verge and avoid an accident without too much fear of getting stuck.

The appalling state of repair of our local roads can't be over-emphasised either. The council prevaricate about the cost, but the condition of these roads honestly does wreck ordinary cars, if used daily.

This morning I drove 25 miles each way across the middle of Kintyre on an unsurfaced single-track and very muddy road. It would not have been a pleasant experience in an ordinary car and this was by no means an exception to the sort of driving we do round here.

Neither vehicle is a speed machine and as has already been mentioned this does tend to encourage a more relaxed, unhurried style of driving, even on well-maintained roads.

My wife and I have four children between us and also foster. It is often simply impossible to squeeze all of us into a normal car, particularly with the most recent regulations on booster seats for children.

[Ambriel]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

And if anyone says they know roads that are rough terrain, then they should be making a ding-dong at their local council offices to get it sorted.

Silly me. Why didn't I think about doing that? Durrr.

All that gets you round here is a 'Sorry but we don't have the money to resurface that road."

[Ambriel]

Originally Posted by wyevilla

If you work on the land (agriculture, land management, conservation body) and can demonstrate they are necessary then make the road fund licence zero-rated.

One of my Landrovers was built in 1969. It's registered as an Historic Vehicle and already gets a zero-rated road fund licence, thank you very much.

[Strontium]

Originally Posted by Ambriel

One of my Landrovers was built in 1969. It's registered as an Historic Vehicle and already gets a zero-rated road fund licence, thank you very much.

Do you still use it alot? I wouldn't run it if I were you, surely its better left in a barn? - Will it worth something one day?

[richardkm]

While I worked for the National Trust, we had 5 Land Rovers, all had the same mechanical failure, a seal between the clutch and the gearbox went, which resulted in gearbox failure. Land Rover, when contacted, said they were aware of the problem, but were not prepared to take any responsibilty for the repair. Also, I was reversing a trailer and a rear half-shaft snapped. We purchased 2 Toyota 4x4 pickups which were a dream to drive and much more reliable. Also, when Land Rover brought out the new 110 LWB, one of the local farmers who had bought one was forever moaning that where he used to drive round his fields in 2WD in his old LR, he always had to put the new one into 4WD.

I wouldn't have a LR if you gave it to me!

[Wild-Woman]

Originally Posted by Ambriel

Silly me. Why didn't I think about doing that? Durrr.

Oh dear. I can see this is going to get over personal. Ducking out now.
Defend away-but please let's not let this thread get out of hand.

[Cazzie]

I don't think it's getting out of hand - just peeps expressing their personal opinions on this issue. Anyway.....

Originally Posted by Billy Wobble Dagger

Oh good, a 4 x 4 debate.
I have had some very interesting journeys in Landrovers over and through some great terrain including the sea when taking part in military exercises. This is what they were designed for not for going to the beauty salon.
As it has already been said some people require 4 x 4’s farmers, the military, the emergency services, forestry and reserve workers and of course Cazzie so they are able to carry out there jobs and to be sure in getting home everyday. Anyone who has a 4 x 4 just to drop the kids off at school, they should be walking anyway, to go shopping, etc, are I believe just being irresponsible. They are not environmentally friendly, and a lot of drivers think they own the road, are unable to park them correctly and when they do go off road just block the pavement.
One of the big reasons that the grand Cherokees and then other 4 x 4s, became so popular, was because of the safety they gave to children in the back if they were involved in a road accident. This I think was just an excuse by everyone to avoid the real problem which is the standard of driving in the UK. Cars in general have become to safe now, which cause people to drive to fast and to recklessly because they feel secure. I think it was a guy from Sweden who said that air bags should be replaced with spears that burst from the steering wheel in an accident. Now tell me how many accidents there would be and how driving standards would improve if air bags where replaced with spears.

BWD

yeah, you're in trouble now alrighty!!!

Having lived in Yorkshire for 5 years previously to our last move here we made the wise decision to trade in my Mini Cooper (oh it was lovely!) for a Honda CRV purely because we knew of the terrain and weather (and pesky tourists) that we would have to negotiate and encounter. Come the winter, I will still be mobile whereas many others won't be haha! (including my hubby rofl! - he'll have to be nice to me or he'll be stranded too lol! )

Dan - I don't fly either, in fact I've never had a passport - I'm a scaredy cat!

Oh and just for your infomation, I don't get my nails done!

[kshotton45]

I told you lot not to tangle with Cazzie. The women are trouble! You should have known better.

We let them drive cars - even ride motorbikes if they want. We gave them the vote. We let them have our babies, and now they all want 4x4's ...............

Keith.

[Purplepixii]

Originally Posted by kshotton45

We let them drive cars - even ride motorbikes if they want. We gave them the vote. We let them have our babies, and now they all want 4x4's ...............

Keith.

ewwwwww no thank you! Will stick with my lovely purple convertible golf thanks

[Jez]

My mom is now a proud owner of a smart car. it's graet down narrow country lanes, reversing, parking and it costs her £15 a fortnight in fuel. Bewdley to South Wales and back with taking a bit of long detour (she got lost) £20 cracking little car with taller seating area so good veiwing too!!!

[Cazzie]

Originally Posted by kshotton45

I told you lot not to tangle with Cazzie. The women are trouble! You should have known better.

We let them drive cars - even ride motorbikes if they want. We gave them the vote. We let them have our babies, and now they all want 4x4's ...............

Keith.

Gotta laugh! - you men, you're so funny!!!

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Oh dear. I can see this is going to get over personal. Ducking out now.
Defend away-but please let's not let this thread get out of hand.

Well said. The thread as I see it is aimed at the large trendy 4 x 4s driven by people who want them as a status symbol. There are two types of people on this thread for and against, strangely enough. No one as far as I can see has said no one should drive 4 x 4s, ban them. The against argument is that they shouldn't be used just for shopping or taking the kids to school, but that they should be used for what they were intended for. Four wheel drive vehicles are very useful and as I said before to allow people to work and get home,(and even Cazzie so they are able to carry out there jobs and to be sure in getting home everyday.) What is the point of a humvee in the middle of a UK city? None.
The for people are all coming up with valid reasons for 4x4s, pulling horse boxes getting through snow, etc which is fine. Nobody has said, yet, “I have a grand Cherokee and I use it purely to go to the shops and salon”, and that is the argument.
The right tool, or in this case vehicle, for the job.


BWD

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

P.S. If the blue touch paper is starting to glow i'm off

BWD