Old car in a modern world!

This was originally going to be a VS. thread but those are so passe'.

Well I drive my funky punky toyota pickup truck and it ain't fast. I'm not interested in coming off the 5500rpm limiter between stop signs. For some reason these people in the Bay Area think they can push me around in their BMW. These idiots will come 3ft off my bumper and hang there like I'm being a jerk. Well my truck isn't a race car even though I can hustle it through the corners faster than many of these people around here. This truck tops out at 85mph, there isn't nothing left after that and the damn thing gets a bit unstable. What don't people understand about that these older cars don't tear off the line and stop on a dime. I've basically given up driving fast now I get all my enjoyment by keeping these technowizards stuck behind my pickup truck. The worst is when I'm hauling fragile stuff, it isn't fun having someone 3ft off your tailgate when you are hauling something that will brake or go flying if I turn too quickly or slam on the brakes. Think I need a sign that tell people to back off when I'm driving.

Anyone else in the same situation, ever feel like just stopping and ruining someones day? I'd love to send one of these technoturds to work with a torn shirt and a broken nose.

Many people have discovered I'm unflappable when it comes to tailgating. My little Nissan is too junky to hit.

In reply to benzbaron: yeah same for me when I drive my old bmw 2002, they park it in the turns and then zoom away after the turn is done, IDIOT's...

I used to call the rear extruded aluminum bumper of my '86 Toyota 4x4 "the immovable object" because so many people in cars kept hitting it... and it would shrug off the impact like nothing happened...

More currently, I love folks that tailgate me in my Dodge Cummins 4x4 so close they disappear below the tailgate... People... do you really think I car if you hit me? Hell, the truck was 6000 lbs, empty, I may not even notice.

couple of weeks ago, I heading down my road here (25mph) doing 30.. I had a MB so close to the rear bumper of my Ti I could not see the grill in the rear window.. and my ti is lowered. If I had my saab up and running I would have done a "squirrel!" and hit the brakes.

This road goes through a neighborhood with a lot of kids who play in the street and sidewalks.. what if one of them had run in front of my car?

Beat up old trucks rule! Drive like those shiny happy people aren't even there.* berkeley 'em.

My old GMC has an all-metal utility cap with no windows, so if they're close enough, I legitimately can't see 'em. Out of sight, out of mind. (Lost a whole highway patrol cruiser back there once. Long story; look for my 4th Amendment thread for details.) And if I go above 60mph my mpg drops off a cliff. I'm not in a hurry, so if they are, they'll have to find a way around.

I never assume anybody owes me anything on the road. If you're going slow, you probably have a reason. Unless you're being a total ass about it, I don't have a problem with that. And if you're not being a total ass about it, I figure it's my duty to find my way around you, especially if I'm speeding.

*Of course, look out for them as if they don't see you. But I know benzbaron's a rider, along with a lot of you, so I don't need to say that.

Do you have a hitch that hangs down about a foot behind the rear bumper? You should look into one of those.

When I owned my 2500, I often wondered if those people ever considered what would happen if I had to slam on the brakes. That thing had pretty big discs at all four corners, and stopped a hell of a lot better than you'd expect from a truck that heavy(mid 5k at least) and people followed way closer than they should have. First thing I noticed when I bought it was that the bed was at just the right height for it to slide up the hood and into the windshield if rear ended.

My current one I expect to be peppier than a 2nd gen 360 powered rwd 3/4 ton, but I'm not going to go any faster than I deem appropriate for a 19 year old 500 dollar truck. I have considered removing the largely useless bumpers and replacing it with a bunch of intimidatingly sturdy tubes and maybe some push bars up front.

One time I was cruising down the highway at a leisurely 10 over in my Grand Cherokee. It was winter and the car had a factory roof rack. It happened to be a very icy winter that year. There was a 6" sheet of ice covering the entire roof, clinging to the racks. I was too young to care much about removing the slab. It seemed pretty harmless.

A very kind early 90s corolla of the tailgating persuasion decided I was going to be his butt buddy for the day. No skin off my back. Anyone who has driven a 94 Grand Cherokee can attest, once you get your highway groove on, it just keeps rolling.

After a few minutes of seeing nothing but his roof line, I said to my uncle.

"Hey, I'm going to laugh pretty hard when that 300 pound sheet of ice flies off my roof and nails that guy in the face."

No sooner did the words come out of my mouth... there was a horrifying sound accompanied a spectacular sight in my rear view mirror. The ice had lifted in a single piece, taken magnificent flight, and slammed right onto the guys hood! I think he used 3 of the 2 lanes to get back on track.

He didn't tailgate me anymore that trip.

Pretty sure you could have gotten in trouble for that, tailgating or no.

I miss my old baja bug, somebody tailgating? No problem! Just cut the ignition give it 2 or three quick pumps on the accelerator give it spark again and bam a foot and a half flame shoots out with a cannon like boom! People backed off pretty quick

Truck pulls left Parts are hard to find, Compensate. Idiots are hard to factor.

Early '00s, I had to borrow wife's grandmother's '81(?) Dodge Mirada. Low miles, but didn't have a straight panel on it. Had to pick up The Boy from high school, and the parking lot was a disaster, with 45467 cars trying to funnel out two exits. I nosed in, behind the car in the other "stream" (think zipper effect). Chick in Daddy's Camry tried to squeeze into my spot. She succeeded in taking my spot, but not without putting a crease down her entire driver's side, with the corner of my bumper. She stopped, opened the door, put one foot out to look at her front fender (no damage visible from that angle), got back in and continued on her merry way.

There was no new, discernable damage to the brown tank, but it had to fun for her, trying to explain to Daddy where the crease came from.

Grizz wrote: When I owned my 2500, I often wondered if those people ever considered what would happen if I had to slam on the brakes. That thing had pretty big discs at all four corners, and stopped a hell of a lot better than you'd expect from a truck that heavy(mid 5k at least) and people followed way closer than they should have. First thing I noticed when I bought it was that the bed was at just the right height for it to slide up the hood and into the windshield if rear ended.

+1, even when I have a ton+ of mulch or manure in the back of my truck I still get people crawling up my tailpipe.

What in the world possesses you to get that close. If I have to stop quickly and you hit my truck I am not even going to feel the slightest discomfort while you get covered in chicken E36 M3.

In reply to wearymicrobe:

Oh no! My faulty tailgate just let 500 pounds of E36 M3 into your convertable because of how close you were following!

I'M SO SORRY!

I hate tailgaters. I really do. If they're just pin heads I try not to let it bug me. I just keep more room in front of me so I have space to react for me and them. If it's really bad, I'll change lanes and get them by me if I can. Ironic to pull into the passing lane to get someone to pass you. Tailgateing is really dangerous and I'm not going to have an accident because someone else can't drive, if I can help it.

Add one long trunk release cable from the junkyard to the tailgate latch of your pickup four hours of hilarity. It's amazing how they back off when a tailgate suddenly "falls" down....

Fit_Is_Slo wrote: I miss my old baja bug, somebody tailgating? No problem! Just cut the ignition give it 2 or three quick pumps on the accelerator give it spark again and bam a foot and a half flame shoots out with a cannon like boom! People backed off pretty quick

I occasionally do the TDi version of that... Light pedal.... Light pedal.... ROMP ON IT! And watch the tailgating car behind disappear in a cloud of black soot.

And people call me an eco-mentalist...

In reply to oldopelguy:

I don't have to! My tailgate falls down randomly all on its own!

I may need to fix that.

Grizz wrote: In reply to wearymicrobe: Oh no! My faulty tailgate just let 500 pounds of E36 M3 into your convertable because of how close you were following! I'M SO SORRY!

I would but I paid for that E36 M3, I need it.

Ian F wrote:

Fit_Is_Slo wrote: I miss my old baja bug, somebody tailgating? No problem! Just cut the ignition give it 2 or three quick pumps on the accelerator give it spark again and bam a foot and a half flame shoots out with a cannon like boom! People backed off pretty quick

I occasionally do the TDi version of that... Light pedal.... Light pedal.... ROMP ON IT! And watch the tailgating car behind disappear in a cloud of black soot. And people call me an eco-mentalist...

My old 95 Golf TD (IDI) used to do the same thing. Even better if you downshift to 4th and floor it.

I never understood the need to tailgate.. not like doing it is going to get you there any faster.. and for those that do it to attempt to get me to go faster... I sometimes daydream and slow down when shiny get too close to my bumper

wearymicrobe wrote: I would but I paid for that E36 M3, I need it.

I know the feeling. Had someone tailgate my cousin and I as we were going up to the scrapyard in a very heavily loaded Colorado.

It was one of those "If I wasn't getting 3 bucks a pound you'd be getting #2 copper all over your car you shiny happy person" moments.

In reply to mad_machine:

That tends to be my approach... "Oh, you think I'm going too slow now, huh?"

Sometimes I'll brush the brake too, just enough to trigger the brake lights and make it clear that yes, the reason I slowed down is that I hate to drive too quickly with an idiot in close proximity to my car...

wearymicrobe wrote:

Grizz wrote: When I owned my 2500, I often wondered if those people ever considered what would happen if I had to slam on the brakes. That thing had pretty big discs at all four corners, and stopped a hell of a lot better than you'd expect from a truck that heavy(mid 5k at least) and people followed way closer than they should have. First thing I noticed when I bought it was that the bed was at just the right height for it to slide up the hood and into the windshield if rear ended.

+1, even when I have a ton+ of mulch or manure in the back of my truck I still get people crawling up my tailpipe. What in the world possesses you to get that close. If I have to stop quickly and you hit my truck I am not even going to feel the slightest discomfort while you get covered in chicken E36 M3.

"I. Hate. Manure."