"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher wrote:

And you said associated kit ...

More load space...


Than what? Than an estate?

Depends on the cars in question I guess. It seems to be the extra height
that makes the off roaders attractive (from a driving and loading kids
POV). The space is a bonus.

I suspect that's pushed as an 'attraction' by the salesmen. It's not always
true for everyone, as you say, it depends on the vehicle and on the demands
of the owner. I wouldn't have one on space grounds, there's more usable
space in our Estate.


Yup, ours load and unload themselves - can't manage the seat belts /
harnesses though.


Oh dear, a bit backward are they?

;-)

Thanks ;-)

With their genes they couldn't possibly be!

Once they get to that size, I doubt it matters much... they seem pretty
keen of climbing anything anywhere ISTM ;-)


But it would be EASIER to get into a lower vehicle.

For them yes... we are talking easy for the parents though.

I find it easier to get into a conventional car than into the higher-up one.
When I drove a Transit I accepted the reason for a higher position - and
enjoyed driving from up there. I suspect that the latter might be an
attraction for some drivers :-)

It wasn't an advantage when we had children and a Thames. We had to lift
the small ones in. The bigger ones used the step. Of course, we didn't
have

That was Ford's small van before they introduced the transit IIUC?


Ours was the mini-bus version. Ten seats.

Didn't realise they were that big - always thought there were quite a bit
smaller than a transit?

Yes, the swb Transit version was 12 or 14 seats.

(then again - not sure I have ever seen one in real life). They did have a
bit about them on TopGear the other night when they were celebrating 40
years of the Transit though.

They weren't as popular as the Transit, they had a Big Drawback for some
drivers - they had lever gear changes which sometimes tangled. We, and some
other owners we knew, enjoyed the theatre of getting underneath and
wriggling the rods to be able to move while building up a backlog at lights
.... :-) But some couldn't cope with a) the mechanics or b) what they saw as
the embarrassment!


child seats in those days (works of the devil) but in any case it was
easy

Having child seats or not having them?


sigh Since you've snipped I don't know the reference.

I was referring to you "works of the devil" claim. I was not sure if you
meant that child seats were said work, or the lack of child seats in the
"good old days" was?

The current child seats are. Like very many other products they keep being
changed to include more gee gaws. We have a friend who designs them. It's
marketing.

You'll have gathered that I'm not a fan of marketing.


No, but women's lack of spatial awareness was mentioned.

One of the sillier male misapprehensions.

One however that is a well documented scientific fact. ;-)

No it isn't. What's more, in my experience women are far better at loading a
dishwasher economically. That's an example of spatial awareness.

It is not that women lack spacial ability completely - more that they
don't (generally) have a dedicated area of the brain for the task.

What utter nonsense.

Note also that this does this apply equally to all women since it relates
to the brain "sex" rather than genetic sex. (brain sex is controlled by
hormone levels in the uterus during a six week window early in pregnancy -
it is not set by X or Y chromosomes directly. It is also not an "absolute"
male/female thing in the way genetic sex is - it is more of a sliding
scale).

Oh come on! You won't sell me that no matter how you try.

It is partly - in the sense you need to be aware of any special factors
about the vehicle that will affect how it behaves should something
unexpected happen.


That applies to whatever vehicle you're driving. A scooter is very
different from a tractor, that doesn't mean that you can't driver either
efficiently.

I agree...

I was also suggesting that it helps if you know what happens when you go
beyond the limit of your vehicles handling.

Which you shouldn't.

i.e. Does it over or under steer, and do you know how to deal with what it
does without loosing control.

A good driver would never get into that position.

But are you suggesting that all men drivers never lose control?

I've seen lots of men drivers skidding on ice, I never have skidded on ice.

That only means what I said, it doesn't prove anything about men or about
women.

Mary