Thread: Do not like! Side effects of owning Defender

I don't suffer from fruit bats over indulging on fruit but do suffer the same as you from fruit loops on the road. So many seem to think they can pull alongside at lights then cut across me to turn left especially when they want to enter the freeway here in Perth.
Light trucks are the worst and then hoot and holler when I won't drop back to let them cut across my front!
Why the hell should I? It was their bad impatient driving put them in the wrong lane not mine.
Our local council also seems to have a large number of employees who think they can push me over when they've made the decision to try to attempt to show me how it should be done....
Tosser drivers are everywhere and they're not all in Toyomitzunisscans.
AlanH.

Originally Posted by ATH

So many seem to think they can pull alongside at lights then cut across me to turn left especially when they want to enter the freeway here in Perth.
AlanH.

Yes this is common for me too. When I drove a car it was always the tradies in work utes who seemed to carve me up. Now it seems to be small vanilla sedans and hatches with irritated drivers.

Originally Posted by El Rey

2. The impression (or reality) that people are tailgating me more. Almost as if they make an assumption that I'm going to trundle along because of what I'm driving - so even when I'm going at the speed limit in the left lane I get people coming up on me. One person the other day overtook in a frustrated manner, and pulled back into my lane right in front of me on Coronation Drive just as the traffic ahead all braked. I had to swerve out of that lane or rear end them. Luckily there was no-one next to me, because I didn't have time to check.

It's a double edge sword driving a Deefer on busy roads. Plus side is that you have a large, imposing, big presence on the road (particularly a 130) that's impossible to miss. I find merging (something Canberrans are notoriously allergic to) a breeze, everyone lets me in no worries and they never seem to get mad.
Downside, everyone thinks you're always going 10 under, even if you 10 over and all hurry to overtake you, then swerve back in front. Sorry that's not a gap in traffic, that's my braking distance!

One downside of Defender ownership, I find it hard to "shut-off" and relax, I'm always listening out of rattles, clunks, assessing how it's running today against how it was yesterday. Doesn't help that I have a long list of work I want to do to it in the back of my head.

Originally Posted by El Rey

2. The impression (or reality) that people are tailgating me more. Almost as if they make an assumption that I'm going to trundle along because of what I'm driving - so even when I'm going at the speed limit in the left lane I get people coming up on me. One person the other day overtook in a frustrated manner, and pulled back into my lane right in front of me on Coronation Drive just as the traffic ahead all braked. I had to swerve out of that lane or rear end them. Luckily there was no-one next to me, because I didn't have time to check.

Yep, I get this all the time It's like MUST PASS the old Land Rover, no matter what speed it's travelling at.

Its the same here in Mel-born Especially peak hour.
Leave a minute gap, and they all cut in on you (indicator after turning), regardless of the speed.
It sucks when you take off on a slight incline in 1st.

Originally Posted by copba

Yep, I get this all the time It's like MUST PASS the old Land Rover, no matter what speed it's travelling at.

Probably people used being behind the Isuzu 110s.

Whatever you do don't get a red one. In the Keswick 110 I find I don't have too many problems but it does have a bullbar, spotties and a lightbar so it has a bit of presence. The Montelcino 90 which is still stock seems to be invisible from the amount of people that pull out in front of me or turn across when there is nothing on the road behind me. Hopefully that will all change when I fit a bullbar and lights.

Originally Posted by karlz

Leave a minute gap,

I know defenders aren't fast... but wow.
I usually just leave a 3 second gap