i know from bike riding, that you tend to go towards where you're looking

 

I'm expecting to come back and see this one day...

 

I never have to park on a city street here in AZ. But do need to park in mall type perking lots. I always go to the very end and take up two spots. ive had my mini for 8 months without a single ding, and my mazda 3 for 1/2 years , no dings as well.
Funny thing is I almost always find a Bimmer or Lexus close by, like they are huddling together

 

Fate yawns, stretches, and picks up a pen. Tapping fingers against the desk, "Let's see...muladesigns1, huh? Eight months and no dings, 3-1/2 years and no dings. Hm, we'll just have to see about that. Lzr Blue MINI, Arizona plates,...<mumble, mumble>....Got it."

 

 

check out youparklikeana**hole.com

 

I catch the 5:45 bus into Manhattan so I'm one of the early birds at the Park N Ride and park at the end of a lane in front of an embankment, so only one car can park next to mine. Usually it's a BMW 335 so no problem there.

At other lots I always park far from the madding SUV and muscle car crowd, though occasionally one of those fat elephants parks next to mine. It's not a perfect world.

CROC 411

 

Hard to beat our southern california parking lots. Last time I went to register a vehicle, I took the SUV just in case, and left the GT at home.

Sure enough, I come out to a packed lot, someone jump starting a car directly behind me, and someone else bumps into that car.

 

actually it's the other people that do, which is why I do what I do.
FYI I do it in the outermost spot of the parking lot, I never park close enough to disrupt anyones parking.

maybe you should also check out yourespondlikeana**.com

 

ok, we have another mini(van) and it is easier to park a larger vehicle next to a smaller one or an empty space in the middle of nowhere, so that may explain why a SUV may be next to you frequently regardless of where you park

if you have a $40k SUV and you are spending $1k/mo. on gas, who would you rather park next to another SUV/Truck and take some damage or a MINI?

Now with our Mini(van) I take great pains in staying between the lines to the point of multiple manuevers - if you can believe that I worry about someone dinging my vehicle b/c the spaces seem to be shrinking every time they repaint the lines...

 

When we visited Boston for MTTS- we went to Hanover Street. (A Very crowded touristy Italian area) We saw a great parallel parking spot in front of a busy restaurant which had a line of waiting customers on the sidewalk- we thought.. "great!-at least here people will be able to keep an eye on it -it won't be subceptable to crime) Well, we got out, walked down the street, turned around, walked back and there was some lady resting (leaning against) our MINI smoking a cigarette! We about had a heart attack- the nerve of some people! Do people think it's O.K. to rest themselves on other peoples cars?- we held back the anger as we walked over angrily got in the mini and moved it immediately. I regretted not telling her off though. I guess we just are too nice sometimes.
P.S. On the same trip, we saw someone else's mini parked and a man( I'm guessing not the mini's owner) put his drink on the roof for a few minutes!

 

NON car people make me sick!!
i give you credit, I would have told her off for sure! I think my wife would have beat me to it actually. After all we are new Yorkers were supposed to tell people off quickly! LOL .... no really....

 

2+ years of MINI ownership and not a single ding.

Helps to have a garage.

Helps to live at the end of a driveway off a cul-de-sac.

Helps to work where the parking lot is huge, the parking spaces are extra wide, and everyone in the building knows if they so much as look at your car funny, you'll stalk them to the ends of the earth.

And, the day I get my first ding (God forbid), I will be on my way to the PDR guy. One ding is one ding too many.

 

I guess it's that "Southern Hospitality" gene that makes us bite our tongue and hold back from smaking the _____ out them!

 

And it also helps if you are in charge of all the IT systems, and can make life quite miserable for them...

 

I've not gotten a door ding or any damage from parking.

It's the jackasses on the roads that have sent my car to the body shop twice in two years!

 

You were too nice to the smoking lady. It does happen in cities quite a bit, people leaning on cars, as if the car is parked there for their convenience. I would've told her: "It's a car, not a lamp post."

I get a kick when people admire my MINI. And so far haven't seen any leaners, and I park on the street quite often on the weekend in Manhattan or going to dinner or the Farmers Market in town. Of course, a lot of the time the MINI isn't under my constant surveillance. Something else for us obsessed owners to worry about, I guess.

CROC 411

 

Thanks CR. Couldn't think of the name of the group!!

 

What sux as well is that if they would have sat on the hood, (yes ive seen this too) then it could have gotten dented, and you know they wouldnt pay for it.

 

Heh, that wasn't directed at you...just pointing out an amusing site that documents frustrating parking behavior being discussed in this thread. I park way out in lots too, to avoid what you are trying to avoid.

 

Perhaps he meant, you respond likeanamy.com

 

It's because if you park in the boonies, you're pretty much telling everyone "I don't like door dings". Which also means that you're courteous enough not to do it to someone else. Therefore you are the ideal parking buddy

Oh and it could also be that people just want to mess with you

 

I have found that it doesn't matter how far you try to park away from the morons... THEY WILL FIND YOU

It's like some bad B-movie where the dumb zombies keep coming and coming, only in this movie they are driving old rusted out Ford pickups with a bed full of PBR's.

 

I apologize!
it was posted under what I wrote so I "assumed" (yea i know)

 

I always park way out in parking lots. One time at the grocery store I thought I had the perfect parking spot. Hard to describe, but basically...there was one of those metal posts on one side and a curb on the other side. The only way anyone could park next to me was to jump the curb and park illegally. Well, when I come back out to my car, what do I see? A beat up Honda that had jumped the curb and parked so close to me that I couldn't even open the passenger side door. The only way he (or she) could have gotten out of that car was to exit through their passenger door. I was so mad. I don't understand why someone would go out of their way to be a jerk.