Well, one could rationalize that they took the air from the environment, so you are only putting it back.

 

I occasionally go to The Bridge for movies. There are two problems. Way too many "compact" spots. Too many people who park however they feel. So on a busy weekend you tend to have multiple "open" spots, but the person on each side have effectively parked just over the line, stopping all but a motorcycle from parking there. These people have to pay to park, I think that there should be signs, if you are parked over any line you will be towed at your own expense, no questions asked. There are these too.

 

One could, but then it leads to other rationalizations like disabling engines to prevent oxygen depletion, can open - worms everywhere!

I don't want to rationalize it. I just want to vent my anger!

 

The more you try to go out of your way to park in a fashion to save you from door dings, the more some door **** gets pleasure in screwing it up... at least, that's what I've experienced.

 

as I sit here waiting for my 'Pepe' to arrive (week 36 production 2007)... and read this thread this is very helpful. I am going to buy 4 of those orange traffic cones, some sort of rope or better yet a solid tent to put over her when parking.

I would also definitely vote for the force field protection to be put into production asap - this would also be useful when the car alongside drifts into my lane.. usually as the driver is:
- talking on their cell phone
- cramming a supersized 'insert fast food outlet name here' meal into their face
- reading the paper - NO JOKE
- texting on their cell phone
- reading their blackberry
- talking on the their cell phone

or my personal fav... seems to be a US female 18 - 25 thing driving with your left leg jammed up into the console along side the left hand side of the steering wheel so your toes are the same height as the hand (if its actually on the wheel) driving...

this kiwi definitely doesnt get that!!

;-)

 

Better than when her foot is hanging out the window, so her toenail polish will dry.

 

That's exactly right, except I don't know if it's fair to say they are challenged. Parking isn't something you think about, it's a muscle-memory kind of thing or hand-eye coordination thing.

Drivers pull into spaces based on how far they are used to parking from other cars. That makes sense because you can't see the lines of the space as you pull into it. Look at how people park in a lot with wider than normal spaces - very few cars will be centered in their spaces because it doesn't feel right to be so far from the car next to you.

 

I make a conscious effort to park centered between the lines every time I park. To me, it's like holding a door open for someone who is right behind you. Just courtesy. I have no dellusion my concern will prevent my car from being bashed by some other inconsiderate jackass. Or Janeass.

 

Of course, most people drive the kinds of cars that don't allow them to SEE any lines at all.

 

Well, I can't see them either, once I am pulling into the spot. But, I can aim. And, if I think I'm not centered, I back up and reallign.

 

I had a case of tard parking yesterday. Stopped to get some lunch, and I parked kind of out on the edge with several empty spaces on either side of me. The lot is striped with those 12 inch wide double-stripes. When I come out, not only has some twit in one of the newer T-birds parked next to me, but the car is nowhere close to straight, and the front half is over the line in my space - over both of the double lines. Fortunately, it was on my driver's side, so I don't believe anyone got out of their passenger's side, and fortunately I still had room to get in.

Geez, get a brain.

 

Thank goodness the following didn't happen to my MINI!

About 25 years ago, I parked in a lot, with one car to my left, and went to see a movie. When I got out, there as the car to my left, another to my right, one in front, and one behind me. Yes, I was completely blocked in.

So, I patiently waited for the other movie goers to get in their cars, hoping one would free me, so to speak. When the lot cleared and I was still parked in, I started my own version of bumper cars with the idiots in front and behind me. Fortuneately I was in a '78 Olds Delta 88, my "beater car" at the time and didn't care what happened to my car. I would have loved to see the look on the faces of the idiots that parked me in when they found their cars moved!

 

That would be one of those times a surplus M-60 tank would be very handy. Actually, I doubt anyone would park near the thing!

 

if you could park your MINI on the moon I'm sure someone would find a way to park right next to it

 

YOU GO GIRL!!!!!
That's like my 'incident'. I'd only picked up the car a few days before, but as I was putting my shopping cart away at the local grocery store, I here a 'thud', not once but twice (maybe 3Xs). Gramps decided to prk next to my BRAND NEW BABY. I'm sure I gave him quite a look because he asks me...'what, do you think I hit your car?' - I immediately replied YES. I went running over and was convinced he'd hit my side mirror. I looked, no indication as such. I'm thinking, ya lucky old bastard! I get in my car, still quite miffed, as I can see him pointing and talking to his wife as they walk into the grocery store- - - A few days later my husband shows me that I have slight ding in my passenger door. ARRGGH!!

Here's my other gripe. I too arrive early to wrk and am quite often one of the 1st few in the parking lot. I've always tried to park next to the 'end' of the parking lot. Imagine my horror when I looked out the window the other day , to see this truck prk'd next to Ministrone (sorry the pic is so bad, it's from my phone).

On the miniusa.com site, there's a .pdf that you can download. They're called Citations. Mainly they're for complimenting fellow drivers. They're kinda fun! Someone mentioned the mickey cards, I remember hearing about these yrs ago. Maybe we should create one for those incapable parkers....something along the line of - I know you must really want to be close to me, but you were invading my personal space - share the love and the parking spaces! Yours truly Ms Mini Cooper.
(or would that make more people hate Minis?)

 

I have this issue happen to me all the time. I'm currently driving a Scion xA (the mini-wannabe hehe). But I will be getting my MCS soon enough.
The scion is a pretty small car, and I always find some kind of suv-type vehicle parking close to me.

I think this all comes down to a matter of respect. Or lack thereof.
Perhaps that is why mini owners can congregate in packs with peace of mind that nothing will happen to their cars. Because we can respect how much a car can mean to a driver, and understand that respect.

When someone comes along in a beater POS, I would be they don't give a damn about their car, so why should they care about anyone elses?

The closest I've ever come to vandalizing someone elses car out of sheer spite, was one time I went to see a movie early on a Sunday. I parked in the garage close to the theater, AWAY from other cars (in a row of compact spaces, with several empties on either side of me). Went in to the movie. When I came back there were two large sedans on either side of me, literally parked so close that I could not figure out how they got into their space without hitting my side mirror. (on the drivers side)

The passenger side was marginally more room, I could *barely* squeeze myself in on the passenger side, the driver side I literally could not squeeze my body between the cars.

I *SERIOUSLY* considered keying the person on my drivers side, but I took a few deep breaths and ranted about their parking job all the way home.

Tellin' ya...it is a matter of respect.

 

The MINI is so short I never pull up all the way in the parking spot. If I do, inevitably someone in the spot next to me will turn in early and their back-***-end will hang over the line. It's annoying, drives me crazy .....

Retroom

 

i agree with almost everything said on this thread, that said.. as well as having a mini i also own a 06 dakota that is with my mom, and when i talk to her, almost everyday, she tells me that someone else has tried to run her off the road.. i dont get it maybe beacause its bright yellow it blinds them of soemthing i dont know, people if you cant drive your car get on the bus... sorry for the rant

 

There are many frustrations:

1) Have you noticed when signals change to green, ya gotta HONK more often nowdays to wake-up the dummy ahead so you hopefully do not get stuck at the same light again?

2) Or the cell-phone junkies doing whatever they can to not give a damn about those forced to be near them on the road.

3) Or the tetosteroned young males performing their mechanical foreplay darting in & out between cars chasing one another as if their lives are "infinite" (thanks to years of video gaming).

4) And of course, the parking slobs as mentioned...

The open road in a Mini certainly provides good therapy once you step on it and break away from the cast of idiots.

 

Parking is definitely a concern. This is our second new car, but I've been zealous in protecting it. Before we even picked up our MINI, I had a talk with my wife asking her if she had decided where she would park at work to protect it from door dings!

We always park at the end of lots and look for the spaces that are super wide or or have built in buffers (i.e. curbs or odd angles between spaces).

Two weeks ago, we were in a parking garage and found a great space. It was at the end of aisle and had a buffer zone to guide traffic around the parking. There were no cars for ten spaces on either side of the aisle. Since we were only going to be there for about 15 minutes, we were very pleased with ourselves.

When we got back, this huge Suburban was parked next to us! Not only had the driver crossed the line next to our MINI, but you could tell that he had come from the wrong direction. He was actually overlapping three spaces! I didn't think his doors would ding us, but the way he pulled in his bumber was soooo close to our fenders. Oh yeah, there were still like twenty other empty parking spaces around us. If he had just gone one more space over, he could've lined up like he was supposed to.

 

that sucks dude

 

1986 - bought my very first brand new car - El Camino - went to a movie - parked WAY out away from everyone else - came out after the movie and start to walk across the lot - sure enought someone parked right next to my car - those were the only two cars in that area - sure enought "ding/scratch" from that other car - right on my drivers do - no note - nothing - Well, I was pissed - not real proud to say but I left them a gift for them to find when they came out - who ever put the dent in my door knew about it - and I am sure they were not happy with my gift but thats tuff....

 

Hooray for xA's the unloved Scion! (I drive an xB)

Anyway... I warn all of you...don't go to kansas. NO ONE knows how to park over there. mad:

 

We have a failry tight parking garage at work. with hard corner spots, which is where I generally park, as it gives me a huge buffer on the passenger side, front out parking, and some wiggle room on the drivers side. However on occasion a full size truck with an 8 foot bed will park in the second space, effectively closing out one of those 2 corner spots. Now being MINI inclined I will occasionally wiggle in and park crooked, to show the ****** that his parking requires that someone has to do this to get in. Granted our garage is pretty hard core on towing, this guy should be one of them, or extend the "compact spot" to two instead of one space, and tow of you go over the line.

 

I have been retentive about my parking for several years (ever since I owned an '03 Subaru with paper-thin doors that got dinged if you looked at them). I always park so far out in the parking lot, my husband says "Well, I think I can SEE Target from here!" But no matter what, I usually come out of the store to find a Suburban "snuggled" up next to me!! Now that I own a MINI, I feel like my parking habits are not just to protect my new baby, but also to make sure that I have plenty of room to get my doors open without hitting anyone else! (I've been told that when both doors are open all the way, the MINI is actually wider than it is long.)