i have always owned subarus but i have wanted a mini for ages and when my subaru's engine needed replacement i figured it was time to try a mini. i now have a 2012 cooper s coupe. i am happy but now i worry all the time someone will hit him while i have him parked. i bought the car thursday, went back to work friday and of course someone dinged the left front wheel arch cover while he was parked. it made me sick! i suppose it could have been worse but does anyone else freak over their mini like this?? it almost gets in the way of the joy of finally having one.

 

No, I would be more concerned that someone is going to blow my brains out with an assault rifle while I'm in the store. It's just a car.

Sad today over more senseless violence. Sorry to be a downer.

 

A possession is just that ....a thing...it can be fix or replaced.
It is normal to be disappointed....but I always found the first ding on a new car to be somewhat liberating...let's face it...it's over...no need to worry!!

 

There's also a concept called 'defensive parking'. Most of the time, it works.

 

That's why my last one was bought used with scratches!

 

Just park out in the middle of the lot and hope another MINI parks beside you.

 

Except unmanned shopping carts getting blown by the wind....
And drivers Ed cars....
Sorry...but I tend to be a bit of a cynic at times...

Remember when I had my Honda CRX in it last days....before I dropped it off at the salvage yard a few weeks after I picked up my MINI....
My favorite trick was parking in the space next to a new car when the idiot owner would try to use 2 spaces....the CRX still fit!! And with a terminal case of rust I didn't care about dings!!
Poor sucker would have to crawl in their passangerside side door....

 

Yea, do the cart walk and walk them to the nearest cart depo. Park on a corner , end lot.

 

Being protective of your new shiny is totally normal. I have a ten foot wide parking space at my residence, and nobody ever crosses that line, and I STILL worry about my tiny little car getting dinged up while parked. Some of us are just obsessive, I guess.

 

I posted this on another thread but this seems like a good place for it as well.

 

Don't let this ruin your day, but also, I totally understand how you feel (especially since you just got your MINI). Even after 6+ years, I'm still very picky about where I park. I'll opt for a longer walk if it means getting an end space in a lot, or parking farther away from any other car(s). If nothing else, I try to park next to nicer cars (BMW, Merc, etc.) as I figure those owners aren't keen to ding their own car door and may exercise a bit more caution near mine.

Now that you have the first ding, practice "defensive parking" like Zippy said, put it out of your mind. Relax and enjoy your MINI!

 

I tend to park and hike to wherever I'm going. My Mini is the one you see at the farthest end of the parking lot. Haven't suffered a door ding yet, but a few weeks ago, my wife was playing with our dog by the doorway to the garage, and she tripped and hit the Mini between the drivers door and gas door. Nice dent. Wife was OK, but I was not a happy camper with the dent.

Found a Paintless Dent Removal guy on line about 30 miles away. Made an appointment to see what he could do. I had no idea how he was going to access the dent in the first place. He pulled the rubber seal off where it's held in the back of the door jamb. The hole where the rubber pops in was in a good spot, so he went to work on it. In about an hour and a half, he was done, and I can't find evidence of the dent. I've tried from all angles.

If you can find one of these guys, give em a shot at it. One of the best $100 investments I've ever made. And the Mini looks perfect again, so it now get's parked on the other side of the garage... away from the house door.

By the way, nice looking coupe!

 

I'll always pick a spot where only one side of my car is at risk, and I try to make it so that if a car parks next to me it's the car's passenger side since most cars don't have a passenger. Watch for shopping carts. Don't take up more than one spot, that just pisses people off. Drop off your spouse at the door if they don't feel like putting up with this silliness. Don't park under lights since birds tend to use these as toilets. While you can't control everything, you can at least try to pick a good parking space.

 

Yep, best to be nice to the spouse, unless it's ok for the accompanied walk in from way out in the parking lot, otherwise drop off at door. Especially if it's raining. Wait as sec! Raining?? My Mini doesn't go out in the rain! What am I saying!!

 

Bought my 2005 mini S convertible last Saturday and went to my in-laws with it after getting insurance and plates. It's not going to win any car shows. Saturday night someone backed into it while it was parked and messed up the rear bumper\tailgate. It made me sick. I thought my father in law was messing with me when he told me someone just backed into it. Wish I would have backed it in. The front bumper needs to be repainted the back looked good. :/ Now I have to hassle with getting it fixed.

 

Guess OP just registered to vent. Not a peep since.