other Some Times I Feel Like Rodney

[gregpark]

Dangerfield that is. Anyone else ever sense a lack of respect while driving your '02? It's often a different driving experience compared to driving my truck or even my Jeep. In those vehicles I rarely have a soccer mom in an SUV or a high school kid in a pickup so unnervingly close to my rear bumper that I feel compelled to either jam on the gas or bail out of the way to escape their bullying. I know it's not the way I drive, in traffic I drive all of my vehicles pretty much the same way, which is sanely (for the most part) and courteously but hardly like a blue hair. Even on my motorcycle it seems like I get more respect than in the 2002. And it's not like I'm some wimpy little guy - 6', 225.....It must be the tiny car!.... I've never owned another make of teensy car but I would suspect the story would be the same. Could it be that some people are natural bullys to others smaller than themselves and translate that to the vehicles we all happen to be driving? or maybe they were bullied themselves their whole lives and the shoe is on the other foot since they now own a Hummer? I would find it rather humorous if the tailgating didn't scare the crap out of me so much. Perhaps many of us don't change as much as we think post grade school. Maybe it's time to turbo, my fellow wee friends!

[bmdubl02]

Interesting. My 02 is not my daily driver, that chore is split between a 98 Lexus ES300 and a GMC 1500 pick up.

When I do drive my 02 I don't notice people driving any closer/aggressively near it than my other vehicles….

Maybe the drivers have less wine in their systems here in Walnut Creek than in Napa?

 

Seriously, interesting observation……

[glemon]

No haven't really noticed any difference, but my newer cars are small to mediumish sized sedans, not much bigger than a 2002. I do notice that my INKA orange 74 BMW gets LOTS of attention, stares and even positive comments wherever I go. I was kind of surprised, my other car is old, bright red, convertible, with a racing stripe, I think I get as much attention with the BMW as the Triumph.

Getting back closer to topic, I don't think I get less "road respect" in any of the cars, but regardless of what I drive there are a lot of texting or whatever idiots who at best are too busy with their phones or their own lives to notice the light has turned green, and at worst to distracted to notice other traffic, stop signs, and red lights, don't want to sound like a grumpy old man, there have always been bad drivers out there, but I really think it has gotten worse with the advent of the everybody has a smart phone era.

Edited February 14, 2014 by glemon

[bmwbabe]

I live in Arizona and when I drive my 2002, whether it be on the weekend or driving in traffic to work, I hardly get any respect. I am tailgated the whole way and not to mention I am constantly being cut off. When I park though I do get positive feedback. What's weird is I don't drive very slow by any means.. whether it is in a 45 speed zone or 65. I blame the people. Rude and disrepectful. Gets me heated everytime!

[Colin]

I've been driving my daily in the San Francisco area since 2008 and yes, I have that same exact problem.  The trick, seriously, is to drive faster.

[GoFaSSter]

Sometimes I feel that way when I drive my car. However, I think it is just my perception. If someone gets near my other cars it isn't a huge deal, they can be repaired or replaced. When they get near the 02 I get real tense.

[02fanatic]

The problem is the quality of the majority of drivers....they are flat out horrible for the most part.  Too many distractions: cell phone, texting, talking too much to passengers, gawking out the window, daydreaming, etc.....you name it...drivers do just about everything but actually pay attention driving!

 

I was rear ended in my pristine '55 Chevy back in the day when I was in high school, and I saw it coming in my rear view mirror.  Guy was paying more attention to his girlfriend than the fact that I was stopped at a light!  So, I suppose there have always been pinheads driving doing stupid things! :-)  Today there are just more distractions...that's "progress"!

 

As for my '02, I try to NEVER pull up too close to the car in front when stopping at a light, etc....if you can't see the bottom of the tires on the car in front of you, you won't have enough room to make a quick exit if some dingbat comes up on you too fast!

 

Watch those mirrors!

Edited February 14, 2014 by 02fanatic

[skipsfcr]

Yeah, if I want some toothless douche to try to run right over the top of me, all I have to do is drive my '02 from my house to my place of business. 30 miles, 70% of which is a curvy 2 lane road through sticksville. Same happens in my E30 or Z3, just not quite as bad. Using the superior Bimmer handling to my advantage, I simply don't slow down for turns...in fact, I speed up. When the plastic appliance following me doesn't see brake lights entering a turn, they try to maintain the same speed I do. More than a few have almost left the road. It's funny as hell to see that in your rearview mirror. 

Edited February 14, 2014 by skipsfcr

[Stuart]

Not sure its a "small car" thing as much as its just horrific "driving".  Any time I'm tailgated I do what I can to get over a lane.  If its a two lane road I will find a place to pull over and let them by.  I don't drive slowly in any of my cars but there are still those who want to go faster.  If I can't get out of their way by pulling over or pulling away, I will drive the speed limit and no more. 

 

I always get a look at the person beside me to know what is around and if they are a potential problem. 

 

Yes it is "profiling" but being PC has never been my thing anyway. 

[Sneeb]

It's also due to the fact that the DMV will give anyone with half a pulse a drivers license. I get tailgaters too on the straight areas but I usually pull way ahead on any turns or anything like that where top speed doesn't come into play. So Cal has tons of horrible drivers. As much as I hate bad drivers, I like them in a sense too, as I work in the collision repair industry. As long as just the cars get hurt and not the people it's ok for the most part, ha.

[Jim_75Sahara]

Highway cloverleaves are great in an '02  (or an E30 for that matter) with an impatient driver on your tail.  I go faster and faster on the cloverleaf, quickly leaving the feller far behind.  Once it straightens out, naturally they floor it and make some sort of point -- belatedly passing me.

[colorobo2002]

superior Bimmer handling to my advantage, I simply don't slow down for turns...in fact, I speed up. When the plastic appliance following me doesn't see brake lights entering a turn, they try to maintain the same speed I do. More than a few have almost left the road. It's funny as hell to see that in your rearview mirror.

Lol. Love to do that on on ramps too. I think I'm also sensitive about my '02 with tiny bumpers. Probably started from my first '02. Driving in stop in go traffic on a residential street and some guy not paying attention rear ended me and pushed in the one side of the bumper. If that was my 71 and would have been f'd up real good.

[gliding_serpent2]

Yeah, if I want some toothless douche to try to run right over the top of me, all I have to do is drive my '02 from my house to my place of Using the superior Bimmer handling to my advantage, I simply don't slow down for turns...in fact, I speed up. When the plastic appliance following me doesn't see brake lights entering a turn, they try to maintain the same speed I do. More than a few have almost left the road. It's funny as hell to see that in your rearview mirror.

Same here. In my e90 328 i was going for a country drive and an audi starts tailing me very close (i am not a slow driver, but i was really putting at that point). I steadely picked up the pace going into a series of s curves. Each curve i just got on the power harder without braking. He quickly fell off the pace.

Same happened when i passed a line of 6 cars on a two way back road. I hammered by and a civic si behind the lead car followed me. He was right on my tail on the straight roads. I lowered my speed to 120kph not wanting to race or be stupid (limit was 80). As we entered a twisty part of the road i just held my speed without breaking. He tried to keep up at first, but as turns kept coming and things got tighter i just held it and he was nowhere to be seen. When the road straightened again i slowed up to let him catch me. He kept his distance.

In my tii i never get crowded because no one catches me. I drive fast on two lane back roads. I give people room and pass them when clear and legal. When getting tires mounted at a local shop the owner asked about my tii saying "you must have quite the engine in that thing because i saw you just fly by me last week". He was surprised to learn it was stock

[Rocan]

I daily in New York City and find I get let into lanes far more in the 02 then in my fathers explorer. Though I notice more tailgaters in the 02, and was actually bumped twice by people who claimed they were do distracted by the looks of my car that they forgot to stop >,>

Maybe that's what the big bumpers were actually designed for.

Really though, as said before, what it comes down to is the US just has horrific drivers.

[gregpark]

There's certainly no shortage of crappy drivers, that's for sure. High tech distraction is definitely a problem these days with phones and GPS. I also partially blame other new technology on unsafe driving as well. Modern cars go faster, handle better and stop better than ever but human reaction time has not improved. People are exceeding their own capabilities and racing around like wild banshees!