Do other drivers not like Volvos?

[HDAV]

It’s a mix of things people in small cars don’t understand big cars since getting the xc I park miles away from anyone if I can, inevitably find someone parked next to me despite 20 spaces not next to my car...

Drives missus nuts.....

The other week at an airport the spaces were so small I couldnt open my door to get out despite parking as close as a dare to the other cars, eventually found a space next to a colleagues it was am embarrassing squeeze to get out the car. We were on the same flights and I at least knew he wouldn’t be leaving before me.


Kind of makes me regret not buying a battered old car

[iain cooper]

Originally Posted by canis

When I was a child, my father would often rant about Volvo owners. In those days, they were all the traditional 240-style estate, the only saloon models were taxis.

He'd get really passionate about it, explaining in great detail about the attitude of the Volvo drivers. "I think it's because they're built like tanks," he'd say, "they think they own the road!"

I always considered it wholly irrational. After all, it's not the car's fault, right? But today, I find myself experiencing the same loathing, but for BMW. When I'm being tailgated, it's practically always a BMW. When I'm being undertaken, it's a BMW doing it. Stationary on white zig-zags to "just nip in" to a shop, BMW. This is my observation, and I can't deny what I see.

I see that light pattern in my rear view mirror, and I'm immediately filled with dread at what outrageous maneuver they're going to perform. It's like, I have to give them extra attention because they apparently actually do believe the rules aren't applicable to them and will do something dangerous.

I realise this is irrational, but this is my experience.

no it's not irrational it's a fact, even more so when I'm in my MX5.

it's not usually the more powerful BMW, ( which are brilliant machines ) but the less powerful ones driven usually by dickheads who feel inferior and have something to prove to society.

actually makes me think twice about driving/owning a BMW, and also unfortunately Audi drivers are becoming the same.

Iain

[AB-UK]

Around our way it's the Audis which are most likely driven by anal orifices.
Having said that I did see a BMW perform an extremely dangerous manouver last week - pure impatience (or self importance) as the deriver just couldn't wait in line at some lights.

[RichardXC60]

Originally Posted by revaido

I picked up a black 2012 XC90 Exec just after Christmas and it's amazing how different other road users are towards me than in the previous cars I've had (I'd just done 100k in a VW CC which I traded in) and I've covered 500k + in the previous cars I've had (mainly saloons or smaller cars).

Since I've had the XC90 in the first month it's been hit multiple times in car parks, scratched, keyed, and I've never had so many people pull out in front of me and then try to brake check me! I've had to fit running boards just to try and reduce the amount of door dings and I always park at the far end of car parks unless I have the daughter with me in which case I'll try and stick it in the parent spaces.

To give you an idea this was Wednesday at the local hospital - we parked up alone to come back to this guy not leaving enough room for me to get in:
http://rate-driver.co.uk/YD58WRA

Are these all the sorts of things you find or is it just the general standards of driving are going down the toilet these days very quickly?!

My driving style is pretty sedate these days but I can't believe how night and day things seem different from the last car. The wife thought I was kidding until Wednesday.

I paid extra for a car in good nick only so the scratches and dings annoyed the heck out of me.

I'm really liking the XC90 and had some fantastic fun in the snow in the moors around here, I'm just not liking other road users behaviour towards it!

Very interesting.......I've had my white XC60 for two years now and it has proved impervious to car park dings, indeed, once assalted by a poorly parked Toyota Rav 4, the black scrape from the front wing to the rear door simply T-Cutted out leaving not a mark (the Rav 4's bumper paint was skinned to naked plastic!).....

.......HOWEVER!

White as it is and with LED running lights and the brightest Xenon's in the business, I am convinced that it is invisible to many motorists who are either simply blind or seeing the Volvo badge on the front totally understimate my approach speed. My previous car was a white Subaru Legacy, it did not have DRLs and yet I wasn't having near misses on an almost daily basis in it.

[eternal optimist]

Originally Posted by Bonefishblues

I agree. Standards aren't what they used to be.

I read accounts online of people calling others "dickheads" and publishing pictures of simple errors of judgement where, at best, mild inconvenience had occurred - or perhaps the case might have been that another car, since moved, had been badly parked on their other side, and that was as much space as available at the time.

It's a real shame.

You might just be on to something there.

[okedave]

I have to say its not something I have come across, although it could be because I live on the edge of Dartmoor and big SUV/4x4 vehicles are so common around here.

Although I have noticed that I dont seem to get people up my arse trying to bully me out of the way if they think Im going to slow as much in the XC90 compared to my Seat Exeo

[GreenBrick]

Where I grew up, in rural Staffordshire, the only people to drive 4x4 were farmers and they would never drive to the shops in them, they would have a car for that, now in Cheshire, so many people who live on sprawling housing estates all want to pretend to be landed gentry or farmers and the roads and car parks are not designed for that.
I actually worked with a guy who bought 2 (yes 2) Rav 4s at the same time brand new and when questioned why he bought 4WD cars claimed he didn't even know they were 4 wheel drive, and also couldn't explain the awful MPG he was getting.
Which begs the question, do you have to have a big off roader for 4WD when Subaru (which many farmers had as cars) had got it sorted years ago?

[revaido]

I went up to the XC90 because it means I can fit a growing family plus a wheelchair in there and the XC90 is great for that with almost endless space! We live up on the Moors and the AWD with winter tyres fitted has been brilliant and hasn't put a foot wrong where other cars were struggling and had to turn around.

I'm going to ask the guys in Clive Brook on Thursday how much the paint repairs will cost to get a ballpark.

I remember years ago at a car show watching the paintless dent repair guys in action so I might try them first as what they could do was pretty awesome at the time!

[Baxlin]

I used to be happy to drive "anything but a Volvo", even told my family I did not want a Volvo hearse for my last ride!

Irrational maybe, I think it was started by the Volvo driver's (perceived?) attitude that they were safe in their tank, so no-one else mattered.

I'm happy now with my C70, which possibly isn't your typical Volvo though!

Re the OP, with me, it's more the big, possibly unnecessarily big SUV/4x4 that's the problem, that and car park spaces not having grown to accommodate today's larger cars. I was following an MGBGT the other day, and was amazed at how tiny it was.

Nowadays I can never find a space in an empty car park, and I'll never park next to a big 4x4......

[revaido]

Costco have the biggest spaces in the retail business that I know of - all the rest do seem to want to pack cars in so they can get more customers in.

Or at least that's the Leeds and Sheffield stores.