This thread is for venting about other drivers parking or driving too damn close to your MINI. Even worse, if you've *gulp* been dinged.

I live and park in the big city and normally have no issues parking with the MINI. As a matter of fact I tend to park a good three feet from the car in front of me and three feet from the car in back of me. So PLENTY of cushion. However I wake up this morning to see some stupid SUV parked nearly on top of my hood. I was like WTF!!!!!!!!!!! I check to see if maybe he had tapped me while backing up or something but fortunately nothing. So I'm relived. What pisses me off though is that he was on the corner of the street and had PLENTY of room in front of him. This is not the first time this has happend but it's ALWAYS the SUV's. Grrr!!!!!!

I feel like people just love parking close to my MINI and making me nervous!

 

The single chip on Liz's MINI is from an idiot driver like that, and after we were so VERY nice to them.

We were parking in a pay lot in Asheville for the Smashing Pumpkins shows last year and there was a spot open at the end of a row (our favorite place when it comes to parking) and then a smaller spot next to it (shorter due to a shrubbery being at the front of the spot). We pull into the spot on the end of the row when a lady in a van pulls up and asks us to take the small spot since we can obviously fit into it.

Showing my good motoring karma, I obliged. We parked, paid, and went to the show. Got back after and noted that she'd chipped our passenger side door when she got out or back into her van.

We've had other instances where people feel that "Oh, it's a MINI, it can get out of the spot" like in Greenville where companies will utilize their parking lots on the weekends as pay lots. Well we pulled in and the guy asked if we could fit between two SUVs in a wheelchair access lane. "NO." "Oh, then I guess park down there on the end in that corner." Ok, fine, I go down and park in the last spot in the corner. We go and eat and come back and the parking attendant is nowhere to be found and now there is an SUV parked diagonally in the corner, dangerously close to the MINI. PDC went insane when I put it in reverse.

It's events like these that give me great joy when I watch the idiots fill up at the gas pump.

 

Oh that Smashing Pumpkins story just gave me indigestion. lol. I remember going to Path Mark to pick up a few things. I always try to park between newers cars when in a parking lot. I always hope the other new car owner in just as cautious about his/her car. Well this particular day I park between a brand new Audi and oddly enough, a Smart car. I was on cloud nine.

However when I returned (no more than 10 minutes) the Smart car had been replaced by a disgusting, rusty Econoline van. Not only that, it was parked so close I couldn't get the drivers side door open. I waited for the owner to come out so I could give him a piece of my Bronx attitude but 15 min had passed and nothing. So I climbed through the passenger side and just drove off with a body temperture of about 200 degrees.

 

Maybe you should call THE POLICE.



Sorry.... obvious and bad pun.

 

The thing that really gets me, is that I will go out of my way to park the MINI way out in the middle of nowhere in a parking lot and then some *explicative* decides to park right next to me. Ususally its is a huge SUV or Pick up and they park almost on top of the MINI.

 

anyboidy iknwo why they do it? it had happen to me a few times...

 

It has to be an ego thing for them or something. Like "Look at me. I drive big truck. Wanna chip in for gas?" lol.

 

Well before I drove the MINI, I had a Nissan Frontier, which was a midsized Pickup truck. I parked it just like I park the MINI or any other car I ever owned (far away and in the middle of nowhere) and people with big SUVs still parked next to me. So I'm unsure what make these SUV drivers park like that??

 

I have a sure fire fix.......Handicap parking!!!
Got it when my 2 disc went out............LOL

 

Or we can always print out a bunch of those Mickey Mouse parking tickets:
"Hey, Buddy! Thanks for parking so ****ing close. Next time, why don't you leave me a ****ing can opener so I can get my car out. *******s like you should take the bus. "

 

BUT it might get a negative reaction and pissed the other driver off and he MIGHT keyed yr car...

 

Hooray, MINI Mad Libs! Me first!!

Hey, Buddy! Thanks for parking so MOTORing close. Next time, why don't you leave me a TURBOCHARGing can opener so I can get my car out. LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIALs like you should take the bus.

Fun!! Your turn!

-Will!

 

I like OPC's approach. Not something someone would expect from guy driving a MINI. lol. The element of surprise.

 

For the places go to frequently (both of them) I have a selection of three to five parking spots that are deemed acceptable and I have been known to wait until one of those opens up before parking. All of these are adequate to avoid the following adversaries:

- door dings
- shopping carts
- bird droppings (wires and light poles)
- weed wackers
- sprinklers
- trees (aphids and sap)

In the event that I go to a location that is strange, I employ the same strategic criteria to locate and procure a proper spot. I do not compromise on this...I have before and regretted it.

 

I was once at a lot, parked far away from everybody, like always. I was in an over-sized, end spot. This was one of those nice lots where the stripes between spaces are nearly a foot wide. So, since there were stripes on both sides and I had gotten my tires about 4" from the curb, there was about 4' between my car and the end of my space ....potentially 5' between my car and the next, if they parked between the stripes.

No such luck.

I come out and there is a Hummer (of course) parked with its tires 1' into my space.

So, I waited for it (the a-hole) to come back and then asked it why it had parked that way. It had no reply.

Dean.

 

Y'know, the first time I saw this was when my boss brought one into the office. It had been left on his vehicle by someone who had since left. His eyes were actually watering he was laughing so hard.

I'd link to the graphics, but they're decidedly vulgar. If you want to take a peek, google 'mickey parking' & check out the images. Very much a copyright infringement.

Besides, I firmly believe being rude is acceptable in certain situations with intent. It gets their attention when pointing out to them that other people are capable of sharing the planet without being inconsiderate.

 

I don't think it's truck or SUV drivers, it's just people in general. I try to park as far away from people, or as far over in a spot so I can minimize door dings. Yet it never fails...
I park in a spot at work where there are three parking spots that are really short and should be labeled "compact car". Next to the far right spot there is a walkway and on the far left spot there is a wall. I try to park as far over on the far right as possible because the middle spot will probably have a car with one person in it (welcome to America) and the passenger side door won't be used. This minimizes the risk of a door ding. A few times a month I come out and find a car that doesn't fit in the spot with it's tires over the line half parked in my spot. Blah. Lucky most commuters will never have a passenger so I'm saved...

I won't park next to...
Mini vans (kids with sticky fingers and no door skills)
Two door cars
Cars with door dings or other blemishes
Trucks or SUVs
An old persons car like a Buick or old Caddy
I will also not park next to a car on a windy day where the wind could take the door and fling it into my car door. I watched that happen a few years ago and the woman was actually yanking on her car door trying to free it because it was wedged so hard against my door. It was everything I could to not start screaming at her.

Had a similar issue at a restaurant a few years ago. An older woman parked over the line, opened the door into my Lexus and then proceeded to lean on the door to get out. She gave me a nice door ding. I and 10 other people watched the entire thing from the restaurant window. When she came in I politely asked for her name and insurance card. At first she was a little freaked out, but when I pointed out that the entire west side of the restaurant just watched her ding my door and I'd like to have her pay for it she became a little more compliant. She also left afterwards and did not get dinner there.

 

It is. I've parked Piper in BFE in a nearly empty parking lot the size of 4 football fields and still emerged from the bookstore to find a car parked next to her. In fact, on one occasion, the other vehicle was still occupied - she was on the phone - so why she needed to pull in next to me is beyond my feeble earth-logic. I wasn't near the store, I wasn't near the main road, I was in that no-man's-land where one walks for minutes to get anywhere.

I'm hoping that string theory will one day explain why people choose to park right up next to the only vehicle in an empty parking lot in broad daylight.

 

I have a card that says: "Hey jacka**. Next time you get that close you better be wearing a condom!"

 

I usually go by the 6 spots rule aka I pick 6 free spots and park in the middle (not taking all all them - I just make sure that the other 5 have no cars parked) and it never fails - every time I come back there are two/three huge SUV/trucks parked next to me.

They must think that smaller car = more space for them GRRRRRR!!!!

 

Even that doesn't help. I was in a handicapped parking spot and there were those diagonal lines separating it from the other regular spot. I wasn't in the store 5 minutes picking up a ring and when I came out a car had parked right next to my BMW and dinged the door. It's a 6-year old car and that is its one ding. I never parked it in public after that. I take the truck to parking lots, not my BMW or my MINI. Inconvenient and not fun to drive, but it saves my two loves.

And having a truck and Suburban for Rich's wheelchair, I can tell you I park them as carefully as my loves, but still people run shopping carts and doors into them both.
Maybe this is why I prefer the company of dogs.

 

+1 on all accounts. This thread is good therapy; I'm glad I'm not the only one who's OCD about such things. My SWMBO thinks I'm a lunatic.

I have almost missed departing flights at the airport because of time spent in the parking ramp circling around looking for a parking spot that satisfies all of the above criteria. These spots must also (1) be covered, i.e., the top, exposed level is not an option; (2) away from the open perimeter where the MINI could be exposed to wind-driven elements; and (3) devoid of overhead wires and pipes representing potential bird roosting zones.

When I return, I start looking at the reflection in my doors from 40 feet away in fear, dreading the prospect of a new ding, and inspect closer during my walk-around. I must be living right--thus far, after two-plus years, no dings...

*knocks on head*

__________________

 

These must be the same jerks who, upon entering a well-nigh empty movie theatre, will plonk themselves RIGHTNEXTTOYOU.

That happened to us just last week. When we gave 'em the stinkeye, they said, "Well, there are four of us."

Yeah, and there are at least 15 rows that are COMPLETELY empty. Go wedge yer asses into one of them.

 

aphids
enlighten me kartsy, maybe it's a texas thing? ....or you got me again!? y'all must have some killer aphids in texas!!!

my parking paranoia from having an m3 is only slightly better now. my m3 got dinged the first week i had it!! i looked over at the next car....some "beater" saab, that must have had about 6 different paint colors on the edge of the drivers side door!!!! maybe these people are vision impaired??? unfortunately, i think not...they are a holes
and to make matters worse....the mini seems to be a magnet!!! i'll park in the middle of nowhere.....and still people are compelled to park next to me

 

Moo.

It's the herd mentality. I think it is the same reason people will get right on your tail on a 4-lane freeway with no other traffic in adjacent lanes, and then just sit there. They are very insecure being separated from the rest of the herd.