Has anyone else noticed this? I thought it was my imagination at first, but after driving in my Box for over a month now I am certain of it.

It's like they treat you as though you have no right being on the road in your "little box". Examples include:

1. Rolling up on me hard, riding me, and passing me aggressively, Often accompanied with the "stare"
2. Being cut off at merge points. Other driver will speed up or not allow you to enter traffic.
3. Other driver gets right up on your butt at a stop light, inches from touching.
4. Aggressive tailgating regardless of lane or speed.

In most all of these cases they seem to have the same look on their face I call the "xB stare". Hard to describe, but the look is something like they are mad that you are driving that thing on "their" road. Mostly it is males that do this aggressive stuff, but females in larger cars or suvs have also been spotted being stupid.

I am 38 years old and have owned many different cars in my lifetime, but none have brought the treatment that I am getting in my XB.

For every person that seems to love it on the road, there are 5 more hating it. Weird.

Yeah, I know what your mean! I say "F" them all!

been there too

i just keep drivin and smilin

it's real, my wife and I get the same problems in our xb...no one really seems to bother me in my truck(maybe it's b/c the truck is a POS, and I look like someone who wouldn't bother to insure it...)

these people are called HATERS.....here in miami it's about the same the stare is what i like but the... do you wanna race when you at the light is to stupid trust me you ain't the only one just ignore these idiots on the road and drive safe..

true enough... I would term my self as somewhat of a "rude" driver. Meaning that when in a rush sometimes I'll *ahem* be very rude and ride the outer lane and wait till the last second to merge (i.e. "cutting" the line). But then again.. in NYC, its either do that or wait while 20 other cars cut in front of you. (I do not to make an extra lane out of shoulders though, you people are crazy)

I believe it has to do with three things:
1) the car simply does not have an aggresive appearance from the back/sides. Nor from the front. Vans and SUVs always got the beat-up look, or the "I will crush your luxury car with my grill" look (Or the "I obviously don't care about the environment, will I really think twice about crushing you?")
2) our front end is short and stubby... thereby making it hard to NOSE in. Plus the box dimensions make it very easy for them to gauge the proper distancing, and our higher stance makes it harder for us.
3) we care about our cars too much. While its all shiny and new, you will never get that kinda respect. When I drove my parents' beat up sentra, I got plenty of leeway from all kinda of drivers. b/c people see it and go... "damn he just does not give a $#@& about his car, I better let him in". Plus even when it was shiny new, people knew it was an econobox, you bought a sentra cuz you did not have money to afford something better. but those of us with boxes, well I think they instictively understand that we went with the box for a little bit more than just value.

As for your other points...
1)... ...people pass you? if they're passing me they're driving too fast to worry about trying to give me any stares. lol, kidding... sorta... but this is NYC, where people have learned staring gets you in all sorts of trouble.
2) see above
3) I think that's just us imagining it, there's a lot more room than you think, I learn that every time I parallel park.
4) I think that's cuz we have a huge drafting zone. That and the flat back makes people think they can judge the distance much better.. unfortunately, they are often wrong...

as for the stare... They're just mad cuz they didn't get a box.

i agree, but i thought that it was just the drivers in this town. But it has been more so since i got the box. but when we are out in the xA it doesn't happen as much. go figure

Wow, I thought it was just in the land of gobs (good -ol-boys) I don't know how to explain it either. Just had a punk the other day do the same crap. he passed me like a mad man, than drove 35 in front of me :loser:
I know that the xB is a total out cast in a crowd of poultry littered pick-ups, but do we have to worry about vandals? I have had people shake their head at me with a nasty look, What's up with that? My family thinks I am a little obsessed with the park a mile away but try to blend in thing. You know how it is when Mr. D H parks his Dodge 20 ton pu across four spaces, and finds his name carved in the door from a key.
I hope this too will pass. Just leave me alone! :nails:
And don't touch my box :no:

Get a nice loud audio system, roll down your windows and blast Pantera, and look around all crazy like you want to murder someone.

Then, people will generally leave you alone.

i guess it's your attitude on the road. if you enter the roadway with the "victim" attitude (overly cautious, etc) you'll probably become one.

all i know is, everyone gets the F outta the way for me.. :):) but then again, i don't drive a toaster on wheels :):) not that an egg is any better......

In Chicagoland I think those bad attitudes are standard
with the SUV or Sports Sedan crowd.

I hate to bring up my P-Car again, but in my Porsche I
get dirty looks all the time. It's not my fault that my lane
merges with yours!!!

I've not seen it yet with my box, but I've only had it since
Wed. Though I did see my first box last night driving over
to the dealership...I think the other guy was just as shocked
to see mine! LOL

I also do the park a mile away thing. But still, it seems I
then attract the 'tards that park all crooked and you
wonder, how the hell did they get in that spot and *not* hit
me? And WTF did they park next to me when there is
about a dozen empty spots around me?

My main fear though is being rear ended. _______s on their
phones in the SUV are going to be the death of me!
Hell, I'm just recovering from being hit head on by some
___'tard that needed to get to apartment 10 seconds
earlier and thought cutting across 4 lanes of traffic was
smart! I'll miss that SAAB...

just stare back! somethin about being different which makes people jealous!

A few months ago I was driving my baby girl (15 months old) to a doctor's appointment in my tC. On the way I come across a pick-up truck (you know the type, raised with the obligatory cool guy clothing company sticker or extreme sports stickers) pulling a trailer that is kind of changing lanes a bit erratic and mildly swerving.

I pull up along side and naturally he is on his cell phone so I motion for him to roll his window down. I ask him if everything is ok because he is swerving or is it just because he is talking on his cell. He says it's none of my business and instantly gets all fired up. He starts shouting this and that and I'm trying to tell him I am just looking out for the safety of my baby. Needless to say I got pretty upset and he kept on shouting stuff from across traffic.

To relate this to your topic it was just funny because as he was going off on me one of his "comments" was that I drive a Scion and started knocking me about it. I just looked at him in disbelief and shook my head. I mean what did my car have anything to do with anything??? To end this story, as we continue to drive he is right along side me and again I point to the back seat at my baby and tell him again I just wanted to make sure everything was cool and that I just want to get my baby to the doctor in one piece. Apparently he hadn't noticed my daughter before this moment and it finally hit him. He appologized and said he is a new father too and it tough and so on and so on. I just looked at him and gave him the peace sign and said hopefully we're cool now and drove on to the doctor.

I beleive it might be more like what happened to me on the interstate the other day. Dude in a large SUV comes up on me like 90MPH in the fast lane and goes around me fast, then hits his brakes and comes over in my lane. He then proceeds to get back in the fast lane and slow down so that I pass him, all the while rubber neckin at my box. He then gets directly behind me and stays there for a couple of miles and then passes me on the RIGHT! As he goes by he gives me the thumbs up and then shoots of at 90 again.
I was like, that was wierd (first three days of having the box), now it is almost and everyday occurance.

I wouldn't say I am a fast driver. I go with the flow. Do 70 on the highway. By know means am I slow though. I do have 2 little ones in the back to worry about in the mornings too, so I can't go flying around racing everybody.

I get my speed kicks from from Suzuki SV650 sport bike. Nothing on 4 wheels can even challenge me on the bike. Some are smart enough to realize this, others aren't and think their riced up Honda civic will smoke me. Funny to see their faces as I wave goodbye with a twist of my wrist.

I also do the park a mile away thing. But still, it seems I
then attract the 'tards that park all crooked and you
wonder, how the hell did they get in that spot and *not* hit
me? And WTF did they park next to me when there is
about a dozen empty spots around me?

I think this applies if one drives a unique looking vehicle. I'm waiting patiently for the green-light to buy an xB and so in the meantime, I drive my PT Cruiser (which I already know is NOT a popular car on this forum). I park at the end of the lot, away from EVERYONE and inevitably, some ding-dong in an Urban Assault Vehicle parks right next to my car and (to make it more frustrating) parks so bloody close to my car I barely have enough room to open the door and get my fat butt back into the car.

I especially try to park further out from the rest of civilization when I have my kids with me. 1) I can keep a better eye on them when they're not surrounded by a lot of other vehicles and I can make sure there's no traffic while I unload everyone (have 3 kiddos, one in an infant seat) and 2) I can make sure my son (6) doesn't just throw his door wide open into someone else's car and make me into one of "those people."

Inevitably, someone parks their Urban Assault Vehicle nearly on top of my Cruiser making it difficult to enter (and leaving me wondering how they got out of their vehicle without inflicting any damage to mine).

Since moving from California to Texas (and I thought Cali had a lot of UAV's and Trucks - sheesh!) I've noticed that many people park really close, but in Texas, they haven't thrown their doors as much at my car as they do at my wife's new Toyota Sienna Van. It has several of scratches in the rear doors from the dipwads that think because it's a "van" it must not be worth much, blah, blah, blah. Nevermind that it cost 2x what my Cruiser cost me and nearly 2x what an xB will cost. For cryin' out loud, people! Just watch your freakin' doors and your freakin' kids!

i guess it's your attitude on the road. if you enter the roadway with the "victim" attitude (overly cautious, etc) you'll probably become one.


SOOO Tru

I feel the exact same way! Especially about the "passing you aggressively" part. Every @$$hole has something to prove when they see the box!

They're just haters! And jealous about your brand new ride, so they have to prove thier car is "better" by showing you how much more powerful it is.

Bunch of loser :loser:

Some jerk almost blew up his old ___ Mirage to dust me at a stoplight. Chirped the tires, smoke pouring out of his muffler, and I'm not even racing him (or paying much attention at all) He was driving normal 'till he saw me.... The funniest part was that he was like 40 yrs old w/ his wife in the car who gave him a look like, "what the hell are you doing?" :silly:

Something about the box just brings it out in people.

-THE DON

2. Being cut off at merge points. Other driver will speed up or not allow you to enter traffic.

I get this one all the time. ALL the time. Highway driving has turned into the headache of the century.

well I'm not an xB owner yet but i'd get the same thing whenever I'd drive my bonestock 1992 honda civic hatchback.
i'd mostly get the rude driving from pick-up trucks/suv's. but like everyone says forget 'em they're just haters.
i think its the compact car thing that gets people driving stupid!

i think its just they arent sure what the hell it is...so they stare and they try to get closer to get a better look at it.....if they stare i just wave.....:lol:

I agree. Most drivers are just trying to get a better look at the car. Seems like some folks here have a bit of a chip on their shoulder. :)

Frankly, I don't try to win the "merge point grand prix", so I'm not worried of the other car goes first. Big deal if he's 5 seconds ahead of me!

As a former box hater, I think it has something to do with the perceived image of an xB driver. I figured it was some mid 20's kid who is full of himself and too cool to drive a normal car. I was probably also jealous that they had something original, instead of a standard commonplace vehicle.
Now that I drive one, I am a 20 year old who is somewhat full of himself and very proud of his vehicle, thinking it is one of the most original and cooler vehicles on the road.
Hmm, but I'm still a nice guy.
Anyway, I love the attention, no matter it be good or bad.
And at the end of the day, if you're not hurt and the car's not damaged, traffic incidents really don't matter. My box is slow, I take it easy, relax, enjoy the music. But when I get in my truck, I'm a completely different person. It's nice to have the extremes.

Sounds to me like your driving in California. All I can say is dont give them a reason to Pop the Trunk.

I wouldn't know. Most of the time I'm blowing past them. Seriously. The way the sucker is geared, I'm half way up the block before the SUVs and cell phone people manage to waddle across the intersection.

I've always merged onto the freeway going faster than traffic, regardless of what I'm driving. It's the only way that makes sense. You can slow down to slip into a hole in traffic a lot easier than you can speed up.

I drive aggressively but not foolishly. I'm usually flying in the fast lane. My theory is the less time you spend in the proximity of any particular vehicle, the lower your chances of tangling with that vehicle.

So if you ain't gettin' no respect from other drivers, maybe it's the way you drive, not what you're driving. :wink:

Oh, and in 40 years of drivng, the only accident I ever had happened at 6 mph.

It's open on my late 04, no fog lights. My red aftermarket horn peeks through.

Maybe it's a rolling change. Since one of the horns is behind there, the filled in section could be to shield the horn from water. Or not.

not that an egg is any better......

People drive like loons all over SOUTH FLORIDA, so I don't really notice if people are any more loony around the Box or not. So I'll look now, and see if it's true...

Has anyone else noticed this? I thought it was my imagination at first, but after driving in my Box for over a month now I am certain of it.

It's like they treat you as though you have no right being on the road in your "little box". Examples include:

1. Rolling up on me hard, riding me, and passing me aggressively, Often accompanied with the "stare"
2. Being cut off at merge points. Other driver will speed up or not allow you to enter traffic.
3. Other driver gets right up on your butt at a stop light, inches from touching.
4. Aggressive tailgating regardless of lane or speed.

In most all of these cases they seem to have the same look on their face I call the "xB stare". Hard to describe, but the look is something like they are mad that you are driving that thing on "their" road. Mostly it is males that do this aggressive stuff, but females in larger cars or suvs have also been spotted being stupid.

I am 38 years old and have owned many different cars in my lifetime, but none have brought the treatment that I am getting in my XB.

For every person that seems to love it on the road, there are 5 more hating it. Weird.

good thing you started a thread on this. i was defintely thinking the samething. and i am experiencing the samething.

it's almost a everyday thing for me. :gun:

Seems like some folks here have a bit of a chip on their shoulder. :)


yeah hate those ones! :loser:

Well Old Punk, I appreciate your point of view, but like I already said, not everyone can go driving as aggressively as you. Do you drive like that with your 1 and 3 year old kids in the back?
Criticizing how I drive as the solution isn't really addressing what I said at all. I am simply pointing out the fact that I have owned 7 different cars before aquiring the box and have never seen as much aggression from other drivers aimed at me in any of those other cars. (Except for the 3000GT I owned back in the late 90's, that attracted a lot of racers trying to challenge me)
When I am on my bike, it's a whole different ballgame. You get pretty much zero respect from other drivers... people lane share, get to close to your rear... flat out don't aknowledge you! People who own a motorcycle can attest to what I am saying.
On the other hand, there is nothing more satisfying than putting 3 football fields between you and the butthead that is trying to race you with a flick of the wrist.

i grew up in Malawi, Africa, and saw my parents become VERY alert drivers. you watch EVERYTHING on the road, as a potential accident. i've also ridden alongside my dad on motorcycles, and i'd say the same thing about that.

when i drive, i drive semi-agressively. however, i do my BEST to stay focused on what's going on around me. someone tailgates me? i brake check them immediately. and guess what. they may be ____ed at me, but they back the hell off. i don't care if you get angry at the way i drive, just don't hit me in the process.

did you know... in the florida driver's handbook for motorcycles, BRAKE CHECKING is recommended to riders who are being followed too closely!

When I am on my bike, it's a whole different ballgame. You get pretty much zero respect from other drivers...

It ____es me off too when I see other people not careful around bikes. I respect bikers at least. If I see one, I'm focused on where it is at all times. I almost hit a guy that was in my blind spot once. But the way I see it, rear ending a car is not at all the same as rearending a motorcycle, good enough reason to give them extra space.

2. Being cut off at merge points. Other driver will speed up or not allow you to enter traffic.


Yes this happens, but I am well aware of the position of other cars and adjust my speed so that all I have to do is merge right in. When I see cars trying to merge I will let people in. Now, the other side of this is that if I am in a lane that another lane merges into, and someone tries to pass me to get in front of me which will cause me to apply my brakes when there is ample room behind me, you are NOT getting in. I have closed the gap many times and even let my car 'drift' a little in their path to block them. These people are asses, period.

Hey Tamago,

That is crazy about the Brake check being in the motorcycle handbook! That needs to be revised and quick! The PA book says to slow down to a speed that allows ample reaction time for both drivers and maintain this speed until you have an opportunity to allow the tailgating vehicle to pass. If you brake check a tailgater on a bike that's like playing russian roulette. You're putting your life in the tailgaters ability to react quickly!

OMAC,

I know how to merge at speed properly too, what I mean is when there is a line of stand-still traffic and you have to merge in. Some people get real dikky when they see the box coming.

This is an interesting thread.Im among the drive fast and aggressives but I try to be defensive and pay attention.between my commute and driving at work i prob put in 250-300 miles a day and I think I tend to pay more attention than some folks who dont see driving as the responsibility that it is. Of course when I pass someone I get a dirty look because I have a sticker on my back glass that says paramedic and a rescue squad license plate.in my ambulance at work people tailgate and get in blind spots,my 10,000 pound truck aint agile,but our new duramax truck has sure surprised some tailgaters when I nail it to put some space in between us.

Just to clear this up first off, I'm a textbook example of road-rage. I just normally drive like an @$$ in return, but if they're seriously rude, and my paintball gun happens to be riding in the passenger seat.... :gun:

I get the same thing here in Dallas. People look at me like Im driving a POS ricer or something.

I get my last laugh at the gas station when I put in 10 gall. and drive for 2 weeks. :)

hi all. this is my first post, and i think the topic a good one. let me just get this out of the way: i'm 50+, have owned a Box for exactly 2 months, and my other car is a MINI, so i'm used to getting THE LOOK from other drivers. i think that many people are threatened by anything that's different. perhaps unfortunately, what you drive says something about you, whether you intend it or not. there's a reason that SUVs and pick-ups are so popular, and it has nothing (or little) to do with utility. in America, we live in the fear and paranoia capital of the world. people are afraid of other people, people are afraid of other people's cars; fear often translates into aggression, i think we all know that. i think that people who are attracted to the BOX (like those who are attracted to the MINI) are similar in that the idea of driving something different is part of the attraction. this, i think, puts many people off, along with the perceived attitude that (they feel) goes with it (look at me!). fortunately, at least in my experience, these guys are in the minority. i think that most people kind of dig it. i mean, when i first got the MINI (almost 2 years ago, when there were fewer on the road) people used to practically ask me if they could pet it. seriously. you've just got to understand what you're dealing with here. i've, unfortunately, reached the point in the game where i simply assume people (particularly people in cars, in BIG cars, where they feel invulnerable and can be as aggressive as they damn well please) are idiots unless proven otherwise, and act accordingly. think of the Hummer crowd. don't they understand it's a lot of flashy, stupid crap on a Chevy Suburban (or Expidition, or whatever) platform? of course not, and they don't care. why would anyone want something like that? you know the answer to that question. dig your Box, but just remember it's a jungle out there, full of unpredictable animals.

paddy

I had a state trooper in wyoming pull me over after giving me a ticket he then went on for about five minutes about how ugly my car was and how glad he was that i was leaving the state

I agree with paddy about other drivers feeling invincible because of what they are driving.When Im in my mountaineer I dont care if I get tailgated because ive got a trailer hitch ball behind me that sticks out for a foot and has injured its share of plastic bumpers whos drivers were too close and couldnt stop..I know its a decent size truck with steel bumpers airbags and side air bags so yes I feel safe though I dont drive stupid in it.When in my honda I hate tailgaters cuz iknow all ive got on the back is plastic.I got the mountie for utiity due to always carrying two sets of fire gear and two medical bags (my wife and I are volunteer firefighter/pramedics)but an xb has the same usefulness and gets twice the mileage

Wow, who pee'd in that trooper's wheaties that morning...sheesh!

aB
I had a state trooper in wyoming pull me over after giving me a ticket he then went on for about five minutes about how ugly my car was and how glad he was that i was leaving the state

i think its just they arent sure what the hell it is...so they stare and they try to get closer to get a better look at it.....if they stare i just wave.....:lol:



I agree, I do wave back just with my middle finger :lalala:

Although I have a tC I really only have to deal with tailgaters, but what I do is, go the speed limit and when they get just close enough to anger me I slow down 5 mph below the limit. Then when they appear to get angry, I take off and leave them in the dust. ROFL!!!

I only have problems with pickup trucks and suvs. But these drivers are almost always a$$holes.

this is my 2nd ride and i agree, it does seem like other drivers disrespect the box.


i notice the smaller sports car will NOT let me merge in front.

this is my 2nd ride and i agree, it does seem like other drivers disrespect the box.


i notice the smaller sports car will NOT let me merge in front.

I haven't had any problems with other small cars. I don't think it's the xb, I just think people are generally a$$holes when they drive. I drive fairly aggressively when I need to so i don't have many problems on the road but do what you gotta do.

I had a middle-aged guy in a 20 year old red Ferrari giving me dirty looks today as I was stopped at a red light. He was in the lane next to me shaking his head with a smirk on his face. I rolled down the window and asked him what his problem was. He said my car "was funny looking."

I proceeded to ask him if his hair was held down with "200mph tape" (his hairpiece was awful!) and that Magnum P.I. wants his car back too. :rofl:

He told me "F U"... and then he stalled it trying to burn rubber when the light turned green.... what a turd! :silly:

us xA guys are discussing something along these lines in the xA owner's lounge..
This morning coming home from work I had this huge lifted F-150 flying down the highway...this thing was jacked up so high I swear he could drive over me. Anywho, whoever was driving it didn't know how to stay in his own lane so I left him alone.

He got stuck at a light and I flew by him once the light turned green. I guess that didn't sit well with him because I saw him fly by, just to get yanked by a cop. :rofl:

I ignore it, because in the end it doesn't matter.

The xB is a bit of a view blocker since it is low to the ground and with the dark windows . . . hummm maybe they are trying to see inside but the dark rear tint makes it hard to see in.

Brake Check is where you tap your brakes so the LIGHTS go on by you don't actually apply any brakes to slow down. I do that when people get to close behind me once in a while. After getting rear ended and injured by a car full of young guys who by the way claimed I stopped short and they couldn't stop in time Yeah right them in a Jetta and me in a buick of my Dad's.

us xA guys are discussing something along these lines in the xA owner's lounge..
This morning coming home from work I had this huge lifted F-150 flying down the highway...this thing was jacked up so high I swear he could drive over me. Anywho, whoever was driving it didn't know how to stay in his own lane so I left him alone.

He got stuck at a light and I flew by him once the light turned green. I guess that didn't sit well with him because I saw him fly by, just to get yanked by a cop. :rofl:

I ignore it, because in the end it doesn't matter.

You'll see that almost every pickup or suv will drive very aggressively. Especially if the truck is lifted or has huge tires. Most are extremely slow but that doesn't stop them from trying. I had a similar incident and the same result. The tard in the big redneck pick up just had to show off and i was laughing when he got pulled over a mile down the road. Made my day. :rofl:

Occasionally I'll get someone like that, but I usually don't take it and will F with them.

I like to push back, fortunately/unfortunately... depends how you look at it.