Cars are getting far too big.

My little VW often gets lost in a car park with these monsters. Most people don't need enormous cars.

Indeed. I drive a tiny Aygo, and find the parking spaces fine, unless, of course I am sandwiched between two enormous cars. Each of these seems to require three places - one for the car, and one either side for door opening purposes.

I drive a medium sized car now.

I see plenty of smaller and larger cars around.

When we had three children in their youth and two dogs we had much larger cars.

Chocolatelovinggran

Indeed. I drive a tiny Aygo, and find the parking spaces fine, unless, of course I am sandwiched between two enormous cars. Each of these seems to require three places - one for the car, and one either side for door opening purposes.

Some much larger cars have sliding back doors which I think is very sensible.

Horses for courses?

I currently have a Mini, but when we had dogs, DH drove a twin-cab to keep them away from the passenger cabin. I had a big estate car, a Sportbrake, to take the dogs if needed occasionally. However,
I’m thinking the Mini will have to go, as I can’t get DD2, DGS2, their dog and the wheelchair in it, so we always go in DD2’s SUV, which actually does more mpg than the Mini and was list-priced cheaper.
DD1 drives a real gas guzzler - it’s old, thirsty and the annual ‘tax’ is eye watering, but she works on a building site and it’s perfect for her needs.
I think it’s the car parks that are behind the times, but they won’t increase the space sizes, because they want to cram in as many cars as possible.

Everyone has a choice on what car they drive and what is right for them and quite honestly a lot of parking spaces are too small. My husband drives an SUV because due to physical difficulties it’s easier for him but he has to be careful where he parks as he needs room to get out. It’s fine if I am with him as I can easily get in.
My son has just been round and his car is huge but it’s a work horse.
My car is normal size and that works for me but it would be a pain for us on long trips as it has the acceleration of a go cart lol

I agree Georgesgran

We have always had cars that we needed for children, horses (towing) and elderly parents.

Both DH and I now have the cars we want, mine is a soft top, DH’s is a new 4 X 4 plug-in hybrid.

It’s not the size of the cars, it’s the failure of car parks to adapt to current sizes.

Yes!!

Agreed, they’re built like tanks. My daughter, who has one, said they are safer than smaller cars but they wouldn’t be safer for anyone, or another vehicle, which gets hit by one.

Tell me about it? I had a lovely micra till my husband had a stroke then a brain tumour, I had to change my car in for a SUV so I can maneuver his legs into the seat after first getting the seat rails lengthened .and it had to be a taller car as I couldn't get him out of our micra.
Well I settled on a Duster, it took me 3 weeks to adjust to driving it. Now coming up to 4 years later I'm changing it as I really need an automatic as my hands are getting a little stiff from time to time.the new Duster is like a tank to me regrettably, inside is the same so I feel ok with it bt just the height of the body is bigger. And I do not care for it.
I wish I could go back to a micra , sadly not possible

I drive a small corsa. I do wish that people who drive bigger cars can actually drive them. They can't maneuver in a space. One caused chaos the other day and a long line of traffic because down a lane they could not reverse the car.
If we are supposed to be eco friendly why make such gas guzzling cars.
I understand farmers having 4x4's, as they drive off road a d they need to collect supplies but in the city chelses tractors are not nessasary.
I am not against people driving bigger cars when they have families I drove a volvo when the children were young. Estate cars were also popular then.

The justifications of those owning and running big cars are persuasive, but these cars are a relatively modern phenomena. starting in the 1990s. People manged entirely satisfactorily before then.

We have always had estate cars. usually SAABS, we have done everything with them, take our stock to antiue fairs, tow trailers of all sorts, carry building materials and furniture to and from France. Our old SAAB transported a range cooker to France.

When we first had estate cars. They were the big cars on the street, now they look tiny beside some of the huge ugly lorries some people drive.

I had a Toyota Yaris on a 56 plate and last year bought a Yaris hybrid and it’s like a Yaris on steroids . So much bigger than my old Yaris . So yes cars are much bigger .
I had a landrover discovery when my dc were young and we did uk holidays with my in laws , so I’m not against large SUV’s but I wish the mums who drive them would learn how to drive them . Where I live the SUV , 4x4 mums think they own the road , and don’t get me started on parking . At my gym they straddle the white lines in the car park .

That’s a sweeping statement raficha. I’m sure there are as many or more poor drivers (ratio) of smaller cars, but they probably get away with their bad/unwise manoeuvres. I only have to spend an hour at Arnison Centre, Durham for evidence.

As for eco - what exactly does that mean? The same as gas-guzzler I expect? One of my cars was a beast on wheels, but according to my mechanic (not the dealer) with twin catalytic converters, the emissions were cleaner than the polluted air the engine took in.

Cars parked over 2 spaces in a pay to park here would earn a ticket, but I guess private car parks have their own rules.

"That’s a sweeping statement raficha. I’m sure there are as many or more poor drivers (ratio) of smaller cars, but they probably get away with their bad/unwise manoeuvres."

I can only say what I have witnessed. People driving big cars they cannot handle, causing problems because they cannot reverse back. I went to a recycling centre and was told by someone with a big car that she hoped I would not be long as she wanted to drive straight out. I told her to reverse. She panicked completely.
That aside they are also a status symbol and bad for the environment.

Oops I misread the title and thought it said cats are getting too big!

Me too Aveline!

Interesting, Tenko, about how all cars seem to be larger. I have already stated that I drive an ancient Aygo. I don't love it as much as its now defunct predecessor, a Yaris, but even a few years on from my ( very ancient) one, the Yaris seemed significantly larger when I was looking to buy.

Chocolatelovinggran

Interesting, Tenko, about how all cars seem to be larger. I have already stated that I drive an ancient Aygo. I don't love it as much as its now defunct predecessor, a Yaris, but even a few years on from my ( very ancient) one, the Yaris seemed significantly larger when I was looking to buy.

I would agree with you. I owned a Yaris for 13 years. It was 20 years old when an idiot drove into the side of me and wrote it off. I too decided not to replace it with another Yaris because it was a completely different car to the one I drove.

I visited my garage yesterday and among other cars there was an original Mini. It looked absolutely tiny. In modern terms it looked like a toy car. To stand it beside the modern mini is to stand a wheelbarrow beside an HGV. Yet, one of my boyfriends had a mini when they first came out, yes it was small but not excessively.

MOnica this is exactly what I meant. When my children were small a mini was a small car, a ford escort a small family car and a ford cortina bigger family car. All would look tiny compared to today's models.
I remember going on a family holiday, my Husband, myself, my parents, two children and two west Highland terriers in a volkswagon beetle! Yes it was a tight fit but we didnt feel in any way deprived. Now our car is probably twice the size for two of us.

Most, even smaller saloons, are too big to fit in the garages of houses built in the 70/80’s. Now people use those garages as storage or turn them into rooms. Modern houses often aren’t built with garages or even pavements.

Our little Honda Jazz is a real gas-guzzler Georgesgran. It is the thirstiest car we have ever had.

Susan56

Me too Aveline!

And me, by the way!

Our block of flats was built in the mid-80's. Whole ground floor taken up with individual garages. It is amazing how many people purchasing one of our flats, then find that their cars just will not fit into their garage. All our flat owners are in retirement ages, so do not need large cars. when I arrived here I had a small Fiat i10 - and even that little car had to be pulled right over to one side to let me open my drivers door.

I am surprised at the comments on 'reversing', as so many of newer cars have that screen showing very clearly where the car is reversing into, and an audio alarm if it is not doing it correctly.