Cars that seems to attract good courtesy
Discussion
Of late I've been bumbling around my corner of SW London/ Surrey in the TVR and have noticed how it seems to appeal to other drivers better nature. Arrive at a busy junction and I'm (more often than not) let out with a smile by all manner of vehicles from vans and trucks to other cars, it makes my progress around town much faster and less stressful. Caterhams seem to have the same effect, they just seem to be liked...or not disliked as much as some sports cars.
The other day I was in a blue Aston Vanquish which made me invisible to other motorists as I waited for ages to be let out into traffic (but female pedestrians always seem to smile at an Aston), ditto a bright red Cayman a month or so ago (in that it was ignored at junctions, not smiled at by females).
There must be other cars that fall into these categories, but it's interesting to note the different attitudes.
The other day I was in a blue Aston Vanquish which made me invisible to other motorists as I waited for ages to be let out into traffic (but female pedestrians always seem to smile at an Aston), ditto a bright red Cayman a month or so ago (in that it was ignored at junctions, not smiled at by females).
There must be other cars that fall into these categories, but it's interesting to note the different attitudes.
My black BMW 740i used to get ignored, however, no one ever cut you up or beeped at you for just pulling out, it gives out fear as opposed to generating good will.
No one ever let me out when I had a Metro as they presumed I'd hold them up.
Porsche 928 in London - forget it, the slowest moving thing in the world. You're not getting anywhere son.
Saxo VTS - You've slept with everyone's sister. They all hate you.
Jaguar - Much more friendly
Skoda Fabia VRs - Suprisingly people seem ok with these
Smart City Cabrio - Any man driving this is clearly gay. The public are scared of being branded homophobic. Everyone will let you out
No one ever let me out when I had a Metro as they presumed I'd hold them up.
Porsche 928 in London - forget it, the slowest moving thing in the world. You're not getting anywhere son.
Saxo VTS - You've slept with everyone's sister. They all hate you.
Jaguar - Much more friendly
Skoda Fabia VRs - Suprisingly people seem ok with these
Smart City Cabrio - Any man driving this is clearly gay. The public are scared of being branded homophobic. Everyone will let you out
After years of driving anonymous diesel company cars, when I got our guards red Boxster I decided to do a little social experiment and drive as courteously as possible, letting people out of junctions etc., to see if it altered people's perceptions of Porsche drivers as utter bellends.
I was heartened and surprised to find that I got and continue to get wholly positive reactions from fellow road users, although oddly enough the missus (despite being a very good and careful driver) has been on the receiving end of road rage, tailgating and once got called a 'rich b
h' by a pedestrian whilst stationary at traffic lights.So to answer the initial question: f
k knows.
When my girlfriend drove the Chim, practically everyone let her out of junctions. I was starting to get jealous. Suppose people just want to follow the car if you drive something interesting.
Land rover was forever waiting at junctions. Fair play, since anyone who let me out discovered it was glacially slow.
VW bora gets ignored
Land rover was forever waiting at junctions. Fair play, since anyone who let me out discovered it was glacially slow.
VW bora gets ignored
kiethton said:
Porsche 924s was always well received....
Even had an old bloke on a recumbent bike complement my audi by stopping next to me in the tooting traffic....i wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to chat me up though
I went to get a leaky tyre issue sorted on Friday and there was a blue Porsche 911 997 C4S all cleaned and polished next to my car. It was almost the same colour (le mans blue) as mine. I saw the owner in the tyre place and I said "nice car mate." He came over and proceeded to tell me all about the car, his history with porsche and that he's getting a grey 997 turbo soon. We chatted for about 20 minutes about cars and all things pistonheads. He used to have an old school turbo and loved it. He went on about trips on the Autobahns and around the ring, laughing at Golf TDi's coming past him due to his knowledge of racing lines not being as good as he thought. It was a very pleasant way to spend 20 minutes while waiting for a prognosis on my tyre.Even had an old bloke on a recumbent bike complement my audi by stopping next to me in the tooting traffic....i wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to chat me up though
I think he was used to negative or jealous reactions to his car so it must have been nice for him for a petrolhead to make positive comments about it.
A real mix of reactions to my car (Cayman):-
(1) Drivers of fairly similar cars (Porsches, powerful BMWs, Mercs, genuine sports cars) are almost universally pleasant and polite. It attracts courtesy to this extent.
(2) Drivers in SUVs and people carriers are often rude as all hell and will deliberately obstruct and/or tailgate. I had thought that this was an internet myth, but I get 1 or 2 per day that do really stupid and dangerous things. I never get this when driving a low-key car.
(3) Drivers of 2.0 tdis want to show off by overtaking on the motorway and "keeping up" on b-roads. This one is funny.
(4) Pedestrians smile and even comment positively when the car is clean but not when it isnt. It is black so disappears unless clean.
Generally, though, I think people respond to you according to your driving more than your car. I drive sanely and respectfully so am usually treated in the same way. I think a lot of people assume that the driving behaviour towards them is because of the car that they drive when, in reality, it is their driving that is pleasing or annoying people.
(1) Drivers of fairly similar cars (Porsches, powerful BMWs, Mercs, genuine sports cars) are almost universally pleasant and polite. It attracts courtesy to this extent.
(2) Drivers in SUVs and people carriers are often rude as all hell and will deliberately obstruct and/or tailgate. I had thought that this was an internet myth, but I get 1 or 2 per day that do really stupid and dangerous things. I never get this when driving a low-key car.
(3) Drivers of 2.0 tdis want to show off by overtaking on the motorway and "keeping up" on b-roads. This one is funny.
(4) Pedestrians smile and even comment positively when the car is clean but not when it isnt. It is black so disappears unless clean.
Generally, though, I think people respond to you according to your driving more than your car. I drive sanely and respectfully so am usually treated in the same way. I think a lot of people assume that the driving behaviour towards them is because of the car that they drive when, in reality, it is their driving that is pleasing or annoying people.
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