Is your car an idiot magnet?

[John Sims]

Porsche ownership. You've got to love it. It is a British thing mainly. The Country is full of half wit peasants who do nothing and yet think they deserve to have nice things just because you have.

You will never be right (in their eyes) and they will never be happy that you have a nice car. The best you can do is ignore them. Treating them with complete distain comes a close second.

 

[pse_SC]

Sadly, apart from the usual number of idiots out on the roads, there are even more morons now prepared to drive dangerously with no comprehension of consequence - the extent of ignorance on the roads is greater than ever [:'(], whether you’re in a Porsche or any other car... and this country is definitely one of the worst for this.

Just try and avoid them whenever you can (yes, I know it’s virtually impossible sometimes!)

 

[Scylla]

The man in the Mercedes drew alongside, window down, and snarled “good job I’m not in my Land Rover or I’d ram you off the ****ing road”.

Bit harsh, I thought. I admit I was slow away from the lights, but still

Thanks for the empathetic replies. I do try and take the negative attention as a huge backhanded compliment, but it does get tiresome when yet another frustrated father in a beat up Citroen Potato tailgates me from one end of town to the other.

 

[Scylla]

Or is it just me? Everyone wants to race, whatever the road and whatever the vehicle: vans, people carriers, hot hatches, diesel taxis. I got shouted at by a young lad in a small hatch the other day for no reason at all, and tonight I upset a man in a Mercedes when I didn’t move off quickly enough from the traffic lights. It’s a bit depressing.

 

[ERICA D]

I can sympathise too, it happens to us all I think. When I got my car (secondhand) it was already fitted with front and rear dashcams as the previous owner had suffered the same problem you do.... so he made sure he caught them on camera!

Just let them go... you know you’re driving a fantastic car and they’re just jealous! And you don’t need to prove anything.... after all you’re the one driving the Porsche.

 

[Scylla]

Been wondering about front and rear cameras. Has anyone here had them fitted? Does it comply with the warranty? Any tips gratefully received

 

[OliR]

Sorry to hear about your experiences. Personally, I was actually concerned with attracting the wrong attention considering I went for a bright colour but I'm pleased to say its been rather the opposite, lots of thumbs up, smiles. While there might be some bad eggs I like to think on the whole the good outweighs the bad... you're always going to get the one but they're easily ignored.

Front dash cam is nice and easy to fit, can be plugged into the USB socket in the glove box or the 12V socket in the footwell. Not tried running a rear facing one as I don't feel they're necessary, but for the price of a regular dash cam these days and how simple the install is I can't see any reason not to. Just tuck the wire away between the windscreen and the headliner, and then run it down the door seal and you're done.

 

[AlistairF]

Yes, I've had a few...commonly BMW 1 Series with a small engines tailgating on the motorway...and the odd local in a Skoda in Wales. I agree with Erica... let them go. Noticeable after my white 3 series Touring which everyone was very polite to.

 

[Peter_Bull]

I take great delight in ignoring these idiots. I deliberately set off slowly a new sedately and let them tear off into the distance. I always chuckle when I catch up to them at the next traffic lights.

Early this evening I had one idiot in an older BMW 3 series, follow me for about 10 miles, I set my cruise to 30 (30 limit) and it seemed to really annoy him. You could see him in the rear view mirror, weaving side to side, and eventually he flew past me just in time to to caught by the speed camera on Bispham sea front. Yesssss!

 

[Kaiser981]

I get my fair share of tail gaters and people wanting to push you on. Happily on a few occasions when the Boxster has been getting hassle from another road user it's big brother, the Cayenne V8, has been on the road at the same time being driven by either my wife or I and when its 2.1 tonne bulk fills the rear view mirror of the offending tail gater they seem to have something else to worry about.

Mostly though it's great to see the reaction of kids to the cars. Family of 3 young lads wouldn't leave the local sea front promenade recently until we started that car up to leave. Seeing them takes me back to my own memories as a young boy seeing sports cars and dreaming of owning one.

 

[AndrewT]

My conclusion is that all drivers are idiots including those that go slower than I want to go, or continue at a steady 35 to 45 whatever the limits, those that drive briskly but unaware of poetential hazards ahead, and me also when I make a safe overtake just for the pleasure of doing so only to be caught at the next obstacle by the car I’ve just passed .

 

[Scylla]

This very morning on the way to work, a mollusc in a Fiesta tailgated me - I was trundling along at the speed limit in a 40 zone - and then pulled out really quickly, overtook me and 250 yards later had to stop at a red light. As I sedately drew up behind him I was laughing my head off, and I swear I could feel his excruciating embarrassment. Of course, when the lights changed he went screaming off. I wish I could remain this sanguine about the idiots all the time.

 

[GeeDog]

My conclusion is that all drivers are idiots including those that go slower than I want to go, or continue at a steady 35 to 45 whatever the limits, those that drive briskly but unaware of poetential hazards ahead, and me also when I make a safe overtake just for the pleasure of doing so only to be caught at the next obstacle by the car I’ve just passed .

Am I the only grumpy old git who thinks everyone who appears in front needs to get a shift on, and anyone in the rear view mirror is a maniac...?

 

[Morty92A]

Van drivers are the best, they are of course the fastest drivers and vehicles on the road and like to prove it

 

[fasterthanlight]

It's definitely not just you, but something that afflicts us all. It's the boy racers who charge out of side roads then right up to your rear bumper. I've had an executive in a Volvo S90 speed up on a dual carriageway to make it impossible for me to overtake him and then match my deceleration to prevent me returning to Lane 1. I had someone once overtake me by driving through an adjacent layby(!) at top speed and rejoining the road ahead. I've had several occasions of BMWs clearly following me, one so aggressively that I almost dropped in to the police station. After 7 years of Porsche ownership though, I can see them coming a mile off.

My best advice is to stay calm and ignore them as best you can and certainly never lower yourself to their level. I quite enjoy pulling away from traffic lights at a sedate pace, when the adjacent car clearly wants a race. I find it much more enjoyable surprising people by how polite and considerate a Porsche driver can be.

 

[Jonfosaurus]

I’ve had many similar experiences, including having to really punch it when overtaking as the idiot behind me has followed and I now need to consider how both he and I will both get into the space in front of the lorry before the oncoming traffic arrives. As others have said, Porsche ownership is a funny thing. Everyone (mostly) wants one, but they don’t want YOU to have one. I think, without wanting to come across as a snob, it is a jealousy thing most of the time. Sadly I’ve seen it with friends whose attitudes have changed since I got one, the snide comments start etc. I do find having a yellow one attracts both good and bad attention, I often get the impression people think I am some kind of loaded a-hole, (50% of that maybe true ),whereas I think most us have just worked hard and been lucky enough to be in position to buy one. Certainly no one would give a second look if you were in a 60k vw camper, despite the comparative price. I’d much rather have an empty road to go at a speed I’m comfortable at, than have some idiot trying to race me. My 981 GTS is definitely not slow, but it’s also far from being the fastest thing out there, so I’m just happy to let them go (most of the time ). Enjoy your cars and (try to) ignore the idiots.

 

[AndrewCS]

Not much of an issue up here as I`m mostly rural

Most recent `challenger - bumper bug` was a Tesla, scariest was a biker who I was convinced was attached to the rear wing !

 

[Motorhead]

As an avid adherent to the “3-second rule” the one thing that really annoys me in general driving is drivers who attach themselves to my rear bumper, something which unfortunately is becoming the norm on our ever more congested road network.

Apart from the type of drivers noted above, there’s nothing worse than having a 40-ton artic up your backside in traffic, regardless of the prevailing speed. The driver may be able to see the traffic conditions in front better than me from his/her elevated driving position but I’m certain that I can stop in a shorter distance … hence I always leave plenty of space between myself and the vehicle in front!

My motto: Drive defensively at all times. []

Jeff

 

[AlistairF]

Yes. I leave a big space following traffic these days (also helps avoid stones).

 

[AndrewT]

As an avid adherent to the “3-second rule”

Jeff

Jeff,

I thought it was “only a fool breaks the 2 second rule”, has it gone up to 3 due to inflation?

Whenever I’m feeling “holier than thou” and see someone driving faster than I think they should be I say “any idiot can speed and you’ve just proved it”