Harrassed because I drive a BMW?

[BayE30]

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

Huh? I was considering moving to the Portland area a couple of years ago and how dang slow everyone there drives is one of the things that turned me away from that idea! People acted like I was a nut because I wanted to go 70mph in the fast lane on the freeway (everybody was at like 60mph there)!

Portland Metro is a different story, but anywhere outside was nutz.

[Fareed2997]

wow smh ppl are crazy. just do u man

[The Libertine]

Really don’t think it has anything to do with you owning a BMW; instead, I think drivers, generally, have less patience and are more inclined to take offense and respond aggressively.

I say this because there are countless reports of road rage on the news, each involving a variety of cars (Subaru, Nissan, Jeep, etc.). Not saying that a jealous SOB won’t act a certain way towards you out of spite; however, most likely, they’re reacting to you, and not the car you’re driving.

Be safe out there.

[allinon72]

I haven't encountered much of anything on the road, besides the occasional teenager trying to "race." It might be the mineral gray that blends in more than other colors. The most common thing I come across is Challenger/Charger's trying to catch up to me to make sure I see them. Seems every Challenger owner thinks they own the only one in the world, despite there being 3 at every stop light.

This, despite a LOT more performance vehicles on the road, at least around here. Presumably because the auto loans are flowing like water.

[Mani59]

I certainly do not speak for everyone in the UK but I have found certain Audi's tailgating BMW's very common and experienced it myself many times even though I am just minding my own business

[c1pher]

Any time I am in my Porsche or Corvette, I get people who cut right in front of me, rev their engines or seemingly try to race me or tail gate me. I think it just amounts to jealousy or something. I don’t get treated this way in my other cars and I don’t drive differently in my cars.

I also get the people giving me thumbs up and double take looks too.

[Wolfus Aurelius]

Originally Posted by The Libertine

Really don’t think it has anything to do with you owning a BMW; instead, I think drivers, generally, have less patience and are more inclined to take offense and respond aggressively.

I say this because there are countless reports of road rage on the news, each involving a variety of cars (Subaru, Nissan, Jeep, etc.). Not saying that a jealous SOB won’t act a certain way towards you out of spite; however, most likely, they’re reacting to you, and not the car you’re driving.

Be safe out there.

Too many humans on the planet. From time to time, I think a nice superflu plague like the one in Stephen King's The Stand might be the best thing to happen to humans. Wipe the drive, reformat, and start over. Of course there'd be no guarantee that the people I care about, and I, would come out alive, so . . .

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by Wolfus Aurelius

Too many humans on the planet. From time to time, I think a nice superflu plague like the one in Stephen King's The Stand might be the best thing to happen to humans. Wipe the drive, reformat, and start over. Of course there'd be no guarantee that the people I care about, and I, would come out alive, so . . .

Or Thanos can do his thing. Problem is in these scenarios no one controls who gets wiped out, so it could be all of us and the jerks gets to stick around.

[wdb]

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
- George Carlin

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by c1pher

Any time I am in my Porsche or Corvette, I get people who cut right in front of me, rev their engines or seemingly try to race me or tail gate me. I think it just amounts to jealousy or something. I don’t get treated this way in my other cars and I don’t drive differently in my cars.

I also get the people giving me thumbs up and double take looks too.

The thing about an SUV is that it doesn’t look like a sports car. Although the X5 is special, SUVs all look kinda the same. Hard to tell which is which until you see the grille or badge on the back.

I haven’t gotten any attention at all. But you see a zillion other brand-new SUVs on the roads, including a lot of white ones.

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by natahoa

The thing about an SUV is that it doesn’t look like a sports car. Although the X5 is special, SUVs all look kinda the same. Hard to tell which is which until you see the grille or badge on the back.

I haven’t gotten any attention at all. But you see a zillion other brand-new SUVs on the roads, including a lot of white ones.

I meant my Boxster. Yes my Macan Turbo does blend in more. Most people ignore it unless they know what it is.

[joooiiiiii]

damn, I'm going to miss the autobahn driving when I move back to the States. People out here aren't crazy like the US and driving fast as I want in unrestricted areas (even speed restricted) never gets a second look from other drivers. Now, if I speed up and pass on the RIGHT lane, then yeah--lots of dirty looks.

[behindthen0thing]

Originally Posted by joooiiiiii

damn, I'm going to miss the autobahn driving when I move back to the States. People out here aren't crazy like the US and driving fast as I want in unrestricted areas (even speed restricted) never gets a second look from other drivers. Now, if I speed up and pass on the RIGHT lane, then yeah--lots of dirty looks.

I kinda have to disagree with you here.
I have had ALLOT of problems driving here in Germany. I have never seen so much road rage and citizen self policing in my life.
In my experience, if you try to do the speed limit, people ride right up your ass, or they get in front of you and do 10-15 under. If you try to pass people will speed up to prevent it.
I have been driving in the unlimited zones and had people intentionally block my lane cause me to have to brake so hard you get dizzy.
I've had people follow me, Film my car, yell countless times, make hand gestures, follow me.
I've had a guy try to ram my car then honk at me and shake his fist.
I had a woman come to an almost stop in a 4 lane wide unlimited zone, I passed her on the LH side, in the rear view mirror she's going crazy with hand gestures and so on.

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by behindthen0thing

I kinda have to disagree with you here.
I have had ALLOT of problems driving here in Germany. I have never seen so much road rage and citizen self policing in my life.
In my experience, if you try to do the speed limit, people ride right up your ass, or they get in front of you and do 10-15 under. If you try to pass people will speed up to prevent it.
I have been driving in the unlimited zones and had people intentionally block my lane cause me to have to brake so hard you get dizzy.
I've had people follow me, Film my car, yell countless times, make hand gestures, follow me.
I've had a guy try to ram my car then honk at me and shake his fist.
I had a woman come to an almost stop in a 4 lane wide unlimited zone, I passed her on the LH side, in the rear view mirror she's going crazy with hand gestures and so on.

What part of Germany, north or south?
I’m sure driver attitudes vary there just as they do in the US. It’s a big country.

[behindthen0thing]

Originally Posted by natahoa

What part of Germany, north or south?
I’m sure driver attitudes vary there just as they do in the US. It’s a big country.

Frankfurt area.
I was told that this is a particularly rich/rude area.

I have had better luck when I venture out of here, like in the cologne area for example.
One thing that factors in is that Germans absolutely hate loud cars.
I have an AA midpipe and non catted downpipes with the stock rear end.
I generally don't drive in residential areas with the valves open because they just can't take it.

[mecheng77]

Saturns and Pontiacs, sounds like white trash heaven. If you hate hate the drivers, wait until you experience a northern winter, you will want to move back to Florida

[MassNerd]

I'll share my experience where the driver reactions to a BMW are better than my other car, a Prius (long commute).
I get tailgated all the time in the Prius and I'm not hypermiling, I'm doing 10mph over the limit and not blocking traffic.
When I drive the same way in the M240i, I hardly ever get tail gated.

It doesn't matter how fast you drive in a Prius, people just assume you're going slow

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by chassis

It is a rural thing.

It is a Midwest thing.

It is! Coming from San Diego to here in OH most cars are domestics. They really do frown upon anything imports or European. They really support Ford, Chevy, Dodge, ect.

[roscopeeco]

Originally Posted by M4BimmerChris

Tennessee is the same way as Minnesota they flip me off driving down the road just because I drive a m4. People will brake check and do the same thing as up there. I remember I was driving through my neighborhood once at a stop sign I go first to 2nd in the Manual sport mode on DCT and just up to 3k nothing much I had someone swirve then stop in front of me rolled down window and honked there horn and yelled at me. I don’t even stop I swirve around them and downshift to 5k and go through the gear redline lol I also came out of a restaurant one day and I look and there’s this guy in a drive thru at Taco Bell he’s a passenger he taps on his glass pointing at my car then flips me off. I can go on forever about what happens here.

Pass a gangster on a two lane road in South Florida and see what happens. There is no doubt big city drivers are far worse than rural drivers. I recently got back from India and the way we drive in the big cities is not far from that. Every person for themselves.

[Alpine_F82]

Originally Posted by roscopeeco

Pass a gangster on a two lane road in South Florida and see what happens. There is no doubt big city drivers are far worse than rural drivers. I recently got back from India and the way we drive in the big cities is not far from that. Every person for themselves.

I used to live in Florida I remember but it’s a different kind of stupidity here than there.

[joooiiiiii]

Originally Posted by behindthen0thing

I kinda have to disagree with you here.
I have had ALLOT of problems driving here in Germany. I have never seen so much road rage and citizen self policing in my life.
In my experience, if you try to do the speed limit, people ride right up your ass, or they get in front of you and do 10-15 under. If you try to pass people will speed up to prevent it.
I have been driving in the unlimited zones and had people intentionally block my lane cause me to have to brake so hard you get dizzy.
I've had people follow me, Film my car, yell countless times, make hand gestures, follow me.
I've had a guy try to ram my car then honk at me and shake his fist.
I had a woman come to an almost stop in a 4 lane wide unlimited zone, I passed her on the LH side, in the rear view mirror she's going crazy with hand gestures and so on.

Yeah, I don't know what to tell you. Germans definitely will say something if you're doing some crazy shit, I've been here for a couple years already and I drive insanely fast on the bahn--never gotten anything like that; maybe a couple high beam flashes when I'm doing full speed in the left.

There are some safety exceptions even if its unrestricted i.e. moderate amount of traffic which would increase risk if you're doing 250kph, taking yr sweet time to move over in left lane, etc. I've had to honk and high beam a few times at some crazy folks but it's not normal. Otherwise, I should probably take a look in the mirror, because it might be my driving that's pissing everyone off.

[Mason Hatcher]

Originally Posted by wdb

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
- George Carlin

One of my favorite quotes regarding driving. Never met anyone who thinks they are a bad driver, either