Why is it.................?
 

I've got a question which I'll get to in a sec but I decided to extend the thread subject to any "Why is it?" question just to see where it goes.

So here's my "why is it?"....

Why is it that the majority of young P platers still learning how to shave properly, have a need to be in front?

This morning I backed out onto the road and spotted the obligatory poorly blinged up rollerdoor with P plate coming into town at a great rate of knots, (it's 50kph past my place), so I took off and got up to speed a bit sharpish to avoid him saying hello to my tow bar. He slowed up and held station till we got out to the highway which is a T junction about 400m past the town limit, then when I pulled onto the highway I gave it a squirt up to the limit just to see what he would do. Boy racer must have pulled onto the highway 10 car lengths back and, in a fit of testosterone, floored it to pass me. But rather than back off at the limit when I was still in front of him, he kept his foot into it and passed me at WOT then roared off into the distance till he was 500m ahead then slowed to the limit; why is that?
I don't ever remember having the need to be in front unless they were traveling slower than me.


So who else has a "why is it?".

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Why is it that the Ford Focus (LV model) in diesel is rated to tow something like 1000kg, yet the XR5 with the same torque and a heap more kw (60ish more???) is not rated to tow at all?

Then you have something like a petrol Suzuki Swift with its 1.5 / 1.6L petrol engine with half the torque and much less power also rated to tow the same as the Diesel Focus???

I have had a ton behind my Focus heaps of times - hardly raises a sweat... hate to think what a ton on the rear of a Swift would feel like!

This actually reminds me of those Cadbury adds with that scientist chap "How is it so??"

Edit: 2010 Focus diesel braked towing capacity 900kg.
2005 Swift with 1.5L engine rated to tow 1,000kg.... :doh

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Unfortunately humans in general are competitive.

One of the traits I have noticed over the years, along with the "I wanna be in front" one is...

... the small car syndrome. Otherwise known as SCS.
This is where you happen across someone driving, let's say a Suzuki swift or a Kia, whom has this belief that their car is in fact an enormous V8 that should not nor cannot be held back.
I see this trait often. Let's say I am on the highway (110k zone) & I am actually sitting on 115kph. It's just a matter of time before some nitwit in a small 3 cylinder box sees me, catches me & then passes me. Then they slow to the limit...until of course an overtaking opportunity arises in which case they accelerate once again so it's not feasible to pass them.

The SCS sufferer also has a tendency to enter a highway from a slip lane only to dive straight in to the fast lane & tailgate the first vehicle they come across.

The SCS sufferer is most commonly a female, in a vehicle displaying P plates (& numerous dents & undercoated panels) that usually has less horsepower than a ride on mower!

On rare occasions you will see an SCS sufferer who possesses a senior citizens card.

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Back on topic...

Why is it that supermarkets that have 12 checkouts, usually only have 2 of them in operation?

Why is it that people stop in the entrance to said supermarket to stop & chat with friends?

Why do people insist on bringing traffic to a standstill for 2 to 3 minutes, just so they can get that one illusive parking spot right next to the entrance of said supermarket?

Why are people so lazy that they abandon their shopping trolley after venturing into the afore mentioned supermarket, rather than taking it back to one of the many designated collection areas within easy walking distance from their ride on Kia?

Why do people apologise after causing a near miss after they've rounded the corner of that supermarkets isle as if they were in an F1 race?

Why is it that we complain about things over which we have no control?


I HATE SUPERMARKETS!!!

Re: Why is it.................?
 

:notworthy

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Bushbasher thought you would have known all the locals, must have been an imported visitor, glad they dont stay long, Linc is a mad house for driving at moment. Lip. must be quieter

Re: Why is it.................?
 

If you had to "take off sharpish", chances are you had to give way to him.

If people do that near my car, i try and get away from them and their bad driving as soon as possible. Chances are, in his eyes, you are a driver who would make random unexpected decisions and he didn't want to be apart of your accident :)

(I'm not saying you would cause an accident, but i'm saying your display of driving would give that impression to other road users ;))

Re: Why is it.................?
 

SCS - very true.

Even worse is when they will do 10-20km/h over the limit to get past you in the overtaking lanes, then they'll slow to an erratic 10-20km/h less than the limit where you can't pass them.....and slam on the anchors to crawl past a mobile speed camera, at 60km/h, in the 100 zone.....

They are the incurable SCS sufferers....

Re: Why is it.................?
 

i think it is sorta like a bit of rebellion for some youngens, and the sudden novelty of having a car that can give the sensation of bravado and being a daredevil, which may have never presented it self before (happy new year by the way !!! ) , and this new found freedom of the motor car being a new experience is whole new world for them.

Re: Why is it.................?
 

In your own statement you set the challenge, the P plater responded, what did you expect? :yelrotflm

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Oh, well I guess it's my fault that boy racer came into a 50k zone at 80-90+ and I had to get up to speed quicker than I otherwise should have had to and I guess it was my fault for using half throttle out on the highway instead of my usual 1/4 throttle to ease up to speed that caused boy racer to take it as a challenge to his authority/masculinity/superiority............... how silly of me, I should get back in me box.

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Yer this ***** does my head in.

Re: Why is it.................?
 

There's a whole science to how supermarkets are laid out and aisles are set up. It's actually fascinating. One easy "for instance", next time you're in a supermarket go to the meat department and look up at the flouro lights...look carefully and you'll see they have a slight pink tint to make the meat below them look more "red" and appealing. Just a little bit of psychological pushing.


Anyway, onto my personal "Why is it?" list.

* Why is there such a thing as a luxury car tax? Is it to "punish" people who want a decent car? Is it purely to make money (of course it is)? It artificially inflates the price of high quality foreign cars (as well as second hand prices) and keeps people out of the latest and greatest. For instance, the TV show Fifth Gear was critisisng the 300C Chrysler in England saying you could instead have a 5 series BMW. Maybe in England, but not here. You have to stump up another thirty grand or so to get into a 5 series here in Australia over a 300C, and that's just the base model.
I remember when the tax first came in, it was set unrealistically low and amusingly even things like a Toyota Tarago with a few options became, suddenly, a "luxury car" as it's price crept over the limit...:lol

* My favourite bug-bear...why can't people make up their own minds about whether they want to drive brand new LHD cars? If you are afraid to, don't. No other country has such an official terror of letting people drive a car with the wheel on whatever side they like...why are we different?
I do of course suspect I know why...what if foreign makers were allowed to bring in new LHD cars? With only minor mods like which way the headlights dip...the prices would be way below what we are used to paying for cars made especially for our tiny market, which would kill local manufacturing stone dead.
This, combined with a special set of safety regs that ignore reality mean we pay a lot more for imported cars than we should. If a car has passed something like the strict Euro testing, then let it in with no further years of testing to see if it's "safe".

* Import duties and protectionist tariffs. Why? I will lay money that these duties and taxes stay well and truly in place once local manufacture stops here and there is, really, nothing to "protect".

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Why is it, when you are standing in a long line at any take-away or fast food outlet in Australia, and the people or person in front of you looks at you and raises their eyebrows when you join the line, then keep looking at their watches and sighing and complaining about the wait. Then after ten minutes finally making it to the counter they look up at the menu and say "Can I have aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh........mmmmmmm" usually followed by an absolute dumb question like "What's in a double bacon chicken Mcstuffaround burger?" Then proceeds to ask all the other members of their party what they would like...........aaaaarghhhh!!!!

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Oh don't get me started...my missus does this too. You'll be in line for a fair while, massive listings of items on the wall right there in front of you, and yet when you get to the checkout it's "Oh! Umm...." :raisedeye

Also...ducking for cover...why do women get to the checkout in a store (supermarket, where ever), have all the goods rung up, and only then when told the total by the checkout attendant do they suddenly look as if they're surprised they have to pay for it and only then start digging through their purses/handbags for cash or a card to pay?? Men are usually standing there with card in hand hovering over the keypad ready to pay and get the hell out of there while the items are being rung up...:conf

I feel free to type that as my wife is at the other end of the house and not standing behind me...:yelrotflm

Re: Why is it.................?
 

fruitcake there are some arrogant nutters here. Bushbasher, some of these righteous nutters just wouldnt know what its like to live and drive in rural areas thank dog we dont want them here also.

have a nice new years days

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Hey it is all of our fault when it comes to p platers drivers, you should know that by now, obtw keep out of their way & don't hold them up. :lol

Re: Why is it.................?
 

The pricing of Euros is more to do with their pricing structure rather than a small percentage of extra taxes.

Australian's are willing to pay through the nose for cars they perceive as "high quality" so those manufacturers price accordingly.

Have a look at how much Mercedes started protesting and having a right old sook about the Government considering to allow parallel importing on vehicles, coming up with every excuse under the sun to stop it from happening.

Why pay inflated Australian prices when you could import the same car in RHD from overseas cheaper than buying it in the dealership here?

These importers would have been celebrating the death of locally manufactured cars, but when their business comes into the firing line they're crying no fair.

Since we no longer have our own manufacturing industry, I put forward why do we still need to comply with ADR? We already use Euro emissions standards, so why not Euro/Jap/USA design regulations (with minor modifications - headlights for example).

Then cars would be cheaper again :)

Re: Why is it.................?
 

why is it that when Poppa lines up at the shortest queue in the supermarket it turns out to be the slowest.

why do people always park near me even though I park way out to buggery where there were no other cars.

why is it that young girls at the counter call me "sweetheart" or "love" or "dear"......

why is it I always grab the steel right on the weld that I had just completed?

why is it I always kneel on that lump of hot slag I only just chipped off.

why is it that tradesmen never clean up after themselves and seem to want to place a trainee where I'm paying full rates.

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Stupendously good point...:notworthy
Car safety measures are, in my opinion, the same as medicine. How many times have we seen a long-used and well proven medicine from reliable and trusted countries like the USA or England or Germany held up for years, up toa decade, while Australian authorities dawdle along testing it all over again before even allowing it onto our market? Humans are humans...if it's approved by a respected and independent authority overseas, then it should automatically be available everywhere.

Same with car safety rankings...if it meets extremely strict regs overseas, then why do we need to have a special set of rules for our tiny country that stop a lot of cars getting here without being hamstrung by ridiculous extra levels of testing?

Re: Why is it.................?
 

You are wrong, it is calculated predatory behaviour. Supermarkets are bad corporate citizens. They have too much power, they exercise that power to the specific disadvantage of others (fuel cycle as an example), they are greedy and they don't care about the adverse impact of their actions as long as turnover increases.

Happy New Year

Re: Why is it.................?
 

About SCS I used to own a little 92 corolla in between my falcons and yeah I pushed that little car a lot and to be honest it was probably the most fun I have had in any car. But one for the SCS guys is there is nothing worse than doing the speed limit or higher in the right lane to come up behind some bozzo doing 90 and thinking well this is a safe speed no one should pass.

Few times I've had to go to the middle lane to pass said dbag only to have them speed up until I can't pass them, now in a big roaring falcon its not an issue quick blip of the pedal and you'll shoot past them before they notice but in a little 1.6L 92 corolla ain't got a hope in hell.

But I remember my driving days as a P plater, there were times that putting that foot down made me feel manly and kicking it out was oh so fun...Two speeding fines and around $2500 payment was enough to curb that behavior pretty quickly. Now days I don't care so much I just love being in a big car, especially when someone tries to speed up to merge on you when you have right of way, my cars got dints scratches it doesn't bother me, get behind me or hit me either way your paying the bill :D

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Oh I never said it was right or even moral...it's fascinating in the same way that a serial killer who gets away with murder for decades is "fascinating".

I absolutely agree with you 100%...

Re: Why is it.................?
 

I think the big chain Woolies and Coles are just dead-set crooks. Their thinly veiled contempt for primary producers, local brands and brand diversification is appalling. They have placed profit, their own brands and the shareholder at the top of the heap.... It is disgusting!

I do all my grocery shopping at the local independent supermarket now, with only the very occasional visit to Woolies get the coffee and filter bags that my local shop doesn't stock. Sure, I pay a bit extra, but who cares.... the local indie employs local people and do not have automated check out machines!

Rant over!

Re: Why is it.................?
 

yep!.....I've boycotted them......so that's at least $1.50 per fortnight they won't be getting....wont be long now and I'll bring them to their knee's.

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Fun fact, there are more social scientists and psychologists employed in the corporate world of marketing and HR than there are in the health care industry.

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Why is it that when a very well known person dies or there's a major catastrophe like a tsunami or a plane disappears, someone has to race to the forums to be the first to post it up, I mean we all know and see the news about it.

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Haha omg I know! I was just counting the minutes before someone put up a thread about air asia...

Re: Why is it.................?
 

why is it ......... people parked at fast food outlets feel compelled to drop their rubbish directly out the window when there is a bin 3 metres away ??

why do i have to get old

why do my bones hurt ??

why am i getting shorter ??

why am i getting forgetful ??

why do i get speeding tickets all the time ??

whats this button for :NOS ??

Re: Why is it.................?
 

Why is it that I am alive?

Why is it that im too gutless to off myself in spite of the above?

Why is it im even posting this crap?

:lol